Daily Cup of Tech

How To Prevent DDoS Attack: Tips to Keep Your Website Safe

Miley on December 2, 2020

The Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks has become one of the most dangerous cybersecurity threats for all businesses. The DDoS attack is no longer a threat exclusive for huge enterprises and services like Playstation Network or Amazon Web Service, but now medium-sized and even small companies are increasingly popular as DDoS targets.

The DDoS attacks are especially dangerous since once they are started, it’s very difficult to stop them, so effective prevention is much preferred. On the other hand, the DDoS attack can cause significant damage not only in financial losses but often long-term and even permanent damage to the business’s reputation.

For these reasons, knowing how to stop and prevent DDoS attacks is now very important for any businesses who have a website

What Is DDoS Attack?

Understanding DoS Attack

To understand DDoS attacks, we have to first discuss DoS, or Denial of Service, where DDoS can be thought of as an advanced, modified form of a DoS attack.

Denial of Service is a type of cyber attack in which the attacker aims to slow down a computer, system, or network or even rendering it unavailable to its intended users.

The DoS attack is performed by interrupting the system’s normal functionality, and the most basic method is to overwhelm a targeted system with requests above its processing limit, so the system can’t process normal traffic. This will result in denial-of-service to additional users.

The attack is called a DoS attack if it only utilizes a single computer to launch the attack. If it uses more than one computer, then it is a DDoS attack where the attack is ‘distributed’ between different devices, hence the name.

The DDoS Attack

A DDoS attack amplifies the effect of a DoS attack by using multiple compromised computers (which can be in the thousands) as the source of the attack traffic. These compromised computers are called ‘botnets’, and nowadays they can consist not only of laptops and PCs but also IoT devices and wearables (i.e. your Fitbits and Apple Watches).

A DDoS attack first requires the perpetrator to gain control of the online devices, typically by infecting them with malware and turning them into a zombie machine (the botnet). Once a botnet has been established, the hacker can then remote control the device, so when a URL or IP address is targeted, each botnet will respond by sending requests to the target, resulting in an overwhelming amount of requests happening at the same time.

A DDoS attack can be very difficult to mitigate since the attack is coming from real computers that are impossible to distinguish from legitimate users, and this is why it’s very dangerous.

Different Types of DDoS Attacks

There are different forms of DDoS attacks targeting different components of the network connection.

An easier way to explain this is to divide the DDoS attack types based on the OSI model, which describes the different components of an internet connection when we are accessing a website. There are 7 layers of the OSI model:

Layer 1 (Physical layer): the lowest layer, responsible for the actual physical connection between devices.
Layer 2 (Datalink layer): responsible for linking data between physical nodes, the main function is to define the format of data.
Layer 3 (Network layer): transmission of data between two different networks, responsible for deciding which physical path on the network the data will take.
Layer 4 (Transport layer): transmits data with TCP, UDP, and other transmission protocols. Distributes services from the network layer to the application layer.
Layer 5 (Session layer): responsible for establishing a connection and maintaining it. Controls the sessions and ports.
Layer 6 (Presentation layer): responsible for data encryption and ensuring the data is presented in a usable format
Layer 7 (Application layer): the highest layer involving human-computer interaction, the web application can access the network services

Layers 1 and 2 are mostly local, so DDoS attacks in layers 1 and 2 are virtually non-existent since the distribution of the attack would be very limited. Layers 5 and 6 mainly handle the validation of data coming from layers 3 and 4. So, there are three main categories of DDoS attacks: protocol attacks (targeting layer 3 and 4), volumetric attacks (targeting layer 3 and 4), and layer 7 (L7) attacks.

L7 (Application Layer) Attacks

Currently the most sophisticated and advanced form of DDoS attack. Layer 7 is where the web pages are actually generated on the server, and the attack exploits it by attempting to overwhelm the web server by requesting a flood of traffic (mainly HTTP traffic).

An example of layer 7 DDoS attacks is sending thousands of requests for a certain page per second until the server is overwhelmed. Another common practice (that is much harder to defend against) is calling an API over and over again.

Protocol Attacks

Data transmitted and received over a network is divided into packets, and layer 3’s main objective is to address these packets to the right destinations via protocols. Layer 4, on the other hand, would open the necessary connections as commanded by layer 3, ensure reliable data delivery, and indicate which service on the target device should use the sent data.

In layer 3, the most important protocol is IP (Internet Protocol), while layer 4 involves transport protocols including TCP and UDP.

Protocol attacks would utilize vulnerabilities in these layer 3 and layer 4 to render the network inaccessible by users. There are various ways attackers can attack these vulnerabilities in protocols.

SYN Flood attack, for example, exploits the vulnerabilities in the TCP handshake by sending a large number of TCP SYN packets using spoofed IP addresses. The network will then respond to each of these connection requests and waits for the next step in the TCP handshake (which never occurs), exhausting the network’s resources.

Another common protocol attack is the ICMP Ping of Death, where the attacker sends a ping request that is larger than the maximum size allowed by the protocol. So, when the network tries to reassemble the packet, the packet size exceeds the maximum size and crashes the network.

Volumetric Attacks

As the name suggests, in a volumetric attack the objective is to saturate the bandwidth of the target website/network. Large amounts of data are sent to a target to create massive traffic, overwhelming the network.

Ping flood DDOS attacks, for example, is when the attacker sends thousands or even millions of pings to the server using botnets. Smurf DDoS is another type of volumetric attack where the attacker sends out ping requests to thousands of websites while spoofing the IP address in the request to the responses go to the target network instead of the attacker. Modern devices are typically not vulnerable to this smurf ICMP-based attack.

Best Practices for Preventing DDoS Attacks

As we can see, DDoS attacks are possible due to the vulnerabilities in our network whether in the network, protocol, or application layer.

So, preventing DDoS attacks is about minimizing these vulnerabilities by implementing the following best practices:

Monitor your traffic regularly and aim for early detection

Identifying the early warning signs is very important in preventing DDoS attacks. There are various tools we can use (a lot of them free) to monitor traffic so we can detect traffic spikes, which is important in detecting volumetric attacks.

A dramatic increase in traffic is a major sign of a volumetric DDoS attack, so make sure to regularly check your traffic logs and/or have alerts set up when the number of requests or visitors has exceeded a specified threshold depending on your bandwidth.

You should also consider:

The time of the traffic spike. It is, for example, unrealistic to see a spike at 3 AM.
The location of the traffic sources. For example, if you are not serving the Chinese market, having a sudden surge of traffic coming from China is suspicious.
The time of the year. Depending on your business, there might be legitimate spikes, for example, during the holiday seasons.

However, as we’ve discussed, the volumetric attack isn’t the only type of DDoS attack that might be a threat to you. In a layer 7 attack, for example, the traffic can be as low as 1 request per second but is targeting a vulnerable endpoint in your web application. An AI-powered, behavioral-based bot protection solution like DataDome, is necessary for monitoring your traffic for potential layer 7 DDoS attacks.

Increase your network bandwidth

Since DDoS attacks, especially volumetric attacks, operate at the basis of exhausting your resources, provisioning extra bandwidth can be effective to handle the unexpected traffic spikes. This won’t necessarily stop the DDoS attack altogether but may buy you some very valuable time to set up and execute your mitigation plan.

This solution might be expensive since this spare bandwidth might go unused when there’s no incoming attack, but there are hosting services offering burstable billing/burstable bandwidth plans that might provide you with some versatility. They might also offer enhanced protection against DDoS attacks with these plans, so make sure to check with your hosting provider whether they offer such options.

Redundancy in network infrastructure

Maintaining redundancy is a very important aspect of preventing damages caused by DDoS attacks. DDoS attacks are becoming much larger and more sophisticated than ever, but the objective remains the same: disrupting your service.

The idea behind redundancy is that whenever a system is disrupted due to DDoS attacks, we can simply fall back on redundant systems so we can continue delivering service without interruption. Redundancy also allows us to cut off and reroute traffic when needed.

If possible, don’t rely on a single hosting/ISP service, and look for ISP redundancy. There are hosting services that offer the ability to switch between different providers in the event of a DDoS attack, allowing us to reroute traffic to prevent downtime.

Also, don’t rely solely on your ISP in defending your site against DDoS. In the case of severe attacks that might put all of the ISP’s customers at risk, the ISP will decide on blackholing your traffic and your site will be down indefinitely. Having a dedicated DDoS mitigation solution, as discussed above, remains the best solution.

Prepare your organizational response

It’s very important to prepare your operational readiness for a DDoS attack and ensure you can respond ASAP in the event of a DDoS attack. Educate your team regularly with your DDoS response plan, and train them with simulated attacks to validate your organization’s overall DDoS defense.

When a DDoS attack already happens, you won’t have time to plan your response, so having a clear mitigation plan ahead is necessary. You must prepare your team with policies and procedures on:

Communications: your staff needs to know exactly what to do and whom to call in the event of a DDoS attack while aiming to disrupt daily operations as little as possible. It’s best to plan a way to relay information in the form of internal short message blasts.
Identification of key personnel: it’s important to prevent panic in the event of the attack, which can delay the required mitigation response. It’s important to identify key personnel that should be notified of the attack as soon as possible. Educate your team so everyone understands their role in the DDoS mitigation process.
Information-related policies: a simple approach like keeping all phone numbers and names of key personnel in a single place can be extremely important in managing valuable time. Set up policies on how personnel should share and access the required information in the event of a DDoS attack.

Maintain relationships with your key vendors

Successful DDoS mitigation would require the help of your vendors: bot management solution provider, hosting provider, ISP, and so on. Don’t wait until a DDoS attack has happened to start a relationship with their customer service reps. You can build relationships as a preventive measure and incorporate them into your DDoS mitigation plan. This might seem simple, but can be very effective in ensuring a calm, rehearsed response during the event of an attack.

End Words

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to preventing a DDoS attack, a good DDoS mitigation service like DataDome that can protect your site from layer 7 attacks remains the most reliable solution.

However, preparing your network infrastructure and the human element of your organization is also very important: when a DDoS attack is in place, you won’t have time to plan a response and think about what you should do. Instead, a calm, rehearsed approach is always preferred.

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6 Things That Affect the Effectiveness of Your Real Estate Agent Recruiting

Miley on November 27, 2020

Recruitment is one of the most essential parts of running a business. It’s even more crucial in real estate brokerages, since talented real estate agents contribute a huge chunk of income.

The problem is that real estate agent recruitment isn’t a simple process. That’s because it can be affected by various internal and external factors, such as the size of your brokerage and the condition of the economy. No matter how polished your programs are, there may be times when your recruitment may not be as effective.

Here are just some of the things that can affect the results of your brokerage’s real estate agent recruiting, along with some ways you can adjust.

Your Data and Tools

To be able to hire the best of the best real estate professionals, you have to account for a variety of data. These include the latest market trends, where the most qualified agents are, and the most popular application method, among others. Being informed about these matters can help you make better decisions.

That’s why it’s important to use software and a variety of technological tools to gather data and accelerate your recruiting. This way, not only do you have access to data but also the capability to process them for easier analysis. You can even predict trends with the help of data, which will then allow you to develop preemptive tactics.

One of the best tools to invest in to gather and analyze data is real estate software. To give you a clearer picture as to why and how, you can visit this link: https://getbrokerkit.com/home/use-broker-metrics-to-accelerate-your-agent-recruiting/

The Recruiting Budget

The fact of the matter is that recruiting costs a lot of money. What’s more, the cost of recruitment doesn’t stop at the point when you’ve hired the candidate but rather continues well into the employee’s training period. The more budget you have, the faster you are able to recruit and vice versa.

For smaller brokerages who are working with a smaller recruiting budget, it’s a good idea to first calculate your ROI in two scenarios. The first is doing the recruiting on your own, and the other is hiring a recruiter. There are times when it’s more effective to outsource recruitment, since this can help ease the decision-making process and improve the quality of hires.

Your Recruitment Policy or Program

Sometimes, what makes the recruitment process complicated or ineffective is the policy itself. There may be redundant steps or too-stringent requirements that discourage applicants or aren’t relevant. Make it a habit to evaluate your recruitment policy to make sure that it’s as efficient as possible.

Some of the things that you should consider including are:

guidelines against discrimination and biases

merit-based selection
clear approval flow
manpower alignment
clear terms and conditions of employment.

The Compensation Package

The real estate industry is highly competitive, which is why you have to make every effort to stand out to potential candidates. One of the ways you can do this is by offering a stellar salary and benefits package. However, this might not be as easy to do if you don’t have as big a budget as your competitors.

If this is indeed your scenario, you might want to add non-monetary benefits to sweeten the pot. These include work-from-home arrangements or flexible hours. You can also give the best performers the chance to become stakeholders in the future.

The Brokerage’s Reputation

There are a lot of reasons why a candidate doesn’t apply or turn down an offer. Maybe they feel as if the compensation is not equal to the value they can give to the company. Maybe they prefer to work somewhere closer to home. Maybe the recruitment process was a little slow for them.

Another big reason that potential hires don’t push through with their application? Your company’s reputation. People simply don’t want to be associated with a business whose values don’t align with theirs. A mishandled crisis can also affect an applicant’s perception of a company, as do the negative reputation of the current employees.

Make sure to keep your brokerage’s reputation in a positive light. If you have to work with public relations companies to revamp your image, do so. You should also enjoin your current employees to always espouse your company’s values.

The Competition

Sometimes, your competition is a bigger brokerage with a bigger budget. Sometimes, it’s a company with a much better reputation and a wider network. Whoever your competition may be, if they have better recruitment and retention programs in place, then you’ll likely lose superstar candidates to them.

The key to overcoming this hurdle in real estate recruiting is to study these companies that seem to be doing better than you. Pay attention to their tactics and what they seem to be doing right. Then, evaluate your own recruiting programs and make the necessary changes.

As you can see, there are several factors that can make or break your real estate recruiting. Some of them are easier to deal with than others. Nevertheless, it’s worth the effort to straighten out everything. The reward—high-quality hires who stay for years—will be more than worth the time, money, and effort you invest.

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Rules and regulations when buying cryptocurrency

Miley on November 17, 2020

In recent years, the cryptocurrency market has grown in size and popularity in the world. Each country has different regulations for cryptocurrency. Due to the increased demand for bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, nations have to update the appropriate legal regulations day by day.

With the rapid growth of the Internet, the use of cryptocurrencies is an inevitable trend. No country can completely ban this financial type. People can do cryptocurrency transactions secretly on the Internet. It is hard for the government to track cryptocurrency users or cryptocurrency exchange.

If you invest in crypto, buy bitcoin, or are interested in this investment, you should learn about the rules and how regulations may affect you. While some cryptocurrency regulations can slow down the buying, selling, and use of cryptocurrencies, others support the growth of this new asset class. Even an announcement about crypto regulation can cause prices to rise or fall dramatically.

Here are essential rules and regulations that investors must consider before buying cryptocurrency.

What is cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency is a medium technology of financial exchange with cryptographical functions on the Internet. Cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology to achieve decentralization, transparency, and immutability.

Cryptocurrencies are not controlled or regulated by any authority. And the cryptocurrencies’ price is determined by the supply and demand of their market. It is the most significant feature of a cryptocurrency. Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain, cryptocurrency is immune to government administration.

How is the cryptocurrency transaction?

Cryptocurrencies can be deposited directly between the two parties through the use of private and public keys. This transfer can be done with minimal processing fees, allowing users to avoid the hefty fees charged by traditional financial institutions.

Cryptocurrency properties

– Irreversible: Once you’ve confirmed, a transaction cannot be reversed. If you send money, you send it. If you sent your money to a scammer or if a hacker stole them from your computer, you could not take it back. There is no safety zone.

– Permissionless: No one can stop you. No need to ask anyone to use cryptocurrencies. It is just a piece of software that anyone can download for free. Once installed, you can buy Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

– Fast and global: Transactions are spread almost instantly across the network and confirmed in minutes. Since they happen in a global network of computers, they don’t care at all about your specific location.

– Virtual pseudonym: Neither the transaction nor the account is connected to the user identity in the real world.

– Security: Cryptocurrency funds are locked into a public-key cryptosystem. Only the owner of the private key can send cryptocurrency. The strong code and the magic of the big numbers make it impossible to break this scheme. A Bitcoin address is more secure than Fort Knox.

Why should you invest in cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrencies have been popular for many years. However, the majority of people are not aware of it. As a result, people don’t think about trying to invest or trade cryptocurrencies.

Of course, cryptocurrencies are risky – just like any other investment with a high potential return. However, it also offers the following obvious benefits.

You are the owner

There is no other electronic cash system where your account belongs to you.

Fraud protection

Once the cryptocurrency is created, all confirmed transactions are stored in a public ledger. All the identity of the coin’s owners is encrypted to ensure the legality of record keeping. Because money is decentralized, you own it. Neither the government nor the bank has control over it.

Identity theft

The ledger ensures that all transactions between “e-wallets” can calculate the correct balance. This public ledger is also known as the “transaction blockchain”. Blockchain technology ensures secure digital transactions through encryption and “smart contracts” that make entities virtually vulnerable to attack and free of fraud.

Instant payments

Blockchain has brought value to cryptocurrencies. Ease of use is the reason why cryptocurrencies are in high demand. All you need is a smart device, internet connection, and instantly become your bank making payments and money transfers.

Accessible

More than two billion people have access to the Internet but do not have access to traditional exchange systems. These individuals are entering the cryptocurrency market.

Which cryptocurrency to invest in?

Although Bitcoin is a famous cryptocurrency, investors and users should know about other cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, some aspiring cryptocurrency traders have also found that investing in IOTA can be a fantastic way to diversify their portfolios. Accordingly, if you would like to learn more about das IOTA Potential (the potential of IOTA) then you can find plenty of helpful resources on the Coincierge website. For now though, let us discuss the most popular cryptocurrencies today.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the first and most famous cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin is known as the top digital standard through the entire crypto industry. Now, people use Bitcoin as a global payment. Cybercriminals also sell or buy Bitcoin in the darknet markets or ransomware. For seven years, the Bitcoin price has increased from zero to 650USD and more than 200,000 daily transactions.

Ethereum

Ethereum takes second place in the cryptocurrency top ranking. It is a product of Vitalik Buterin. Unlike Bitcoin, its blockchain not only can process the complicated transaction but also complex contracts and programs due to its function of validation in so-called states.

Ripple

Although Ripple has a native cryptocurrency – XRP, it is more about a network that processes IOUs than the cryptocurrency itself. XRP, the currency, does not act as a vehicle for storing and exchanging value but also acts as a token to protect the network from spam.

Ripple, unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, has no mining activity as all coins are pre-mined. Ripple has found immense value in the financial space as a lot of banks have joined the Ripple network.

Litecoin

This is a viable alternative to bitcoin. It was created in 2011 by Charlie Lee. After bitcoin, it ranks third in terms of time and lifetime of cryptocurrencies. Even if litecoin did not get as much attention as expected, we still have to admit that litecoin is much faster than bitcoin and that its transaction fees are almost zero.

Dash

Dash was launched in 2014 and has become one of the largest peer-to-peer networks of master nodes. Hence, Dash can provide additional storage and a secure environment for users.

Rules and regulations when buying cryptocurrency

1. Reading is the basic knowledge first

You should spend time to read what cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology is, and the different types of coins, wallets, and transactions.

Update the latest information on cryptocurrencies in trusted and reputation media channels.

By building up your knowledge, you will make decisions and take opportunities confidently.

2. Only invest what you are prepared to lose

If you are a beginner, you should start a small investment first. Buying Bitcoin or any other crypto is volatile. You can gain much, but you might lose what you have invested in too.

3. Consider carefully the type of cryptocurrency you buy

Research the crypto price. The circulating supply and the real-world will value the coin.

Large supply often dilutes the price of a coin, and if such a cheap coin has little to no practical utility, then there is no reason to assume it will magically rise in price.

Read about the coin’s background, its origins, how it fits into the larger business plan of the supplier, and how the crypto community accepted it. You have to follow the crypto-related events and hard fork updates, as these events tend to influence market trends.

4. Consider carefully where to buy crypto

You can buy cryptocurrencies from online strangers (not recommended), over-the-counter (OTC) kiosks online, at stores affiliated with Bitspark, at crypto ATMs, or on an exchange.

Wherever you buy, be sure of the seller’s credibility. You must look up recent reviews, comparison sites, and user ratings. If you are going to buy in OTC consider using escrow service, so you will not transfer money without ever getting your cryptocurrency back. If it’s an exchange, find out if it’s easy to trade into other coins, what coins they support, and what you need to do if you want to transfer your money to another wallet or revert to fiat.

Lastly, you have to understand the fees you will pay when buying or trading coins.

5. Ensure security

In the cryptocurrency market, you keep the key, and you control the coin.

Do not store your keys in a wallet that isn’t entirely yours.

Buying cryptocurrencies from a centralized exchange and some OTC, usually means your money is not under your control. If an exchange gets hacked, you lose money.

If you have more than $500 in cryptocurrency make sure you buy a hardware wallet like a Trezor or Ledger and get in the habit of storing a large portion of your money in an ‘offline’ device. This way will keep your money safe from hackers.

In addition to security considerations, when handling your cryptocurrency and transferring it to another wallet, double-check the address you’re sending. Transferring money to the wrong account means it’s very hard to get it back.

6. Remember to buy low, sell high

As you increase your knowledge of cryptocurrencies, you will value coins by themselves by their value and read the market depending on your understanding. While buying when the price is low and selling when it is high seems sensible, it is really about distinguishing the hype from solid trends and seeing the whole picture.

Instead of chasing the market trend, you should anticipate or wait until the hype passed before buying: work on vision, instead of emotion.

7. Do not overtrade

Instead of choosing between buying and selling regularly or holding a currency for an extended period, you should find an intermediary path and dedicate part of your investment to well-established currencies.

However, you should not “over-trade” constantly switching to other currencies due to worries about low trading volumes. When trading, be sure you will place orders with enough liquidity. Don’t forget that the transaction fees to recover the losses.

In conclusion

As with any other highly profitable investment, cryptocurrencies carry a specific risk – but they are even more offset by its independence and high profitability.

Investing in cryptocurrency is similar to exchanging your money in a new country. Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ether are a few examples of “forex” that operate in a very specific context in certain online communities.

Just remember that exchanging any currency is built on shared trust.

We hope the basic information provided above can help you understand the rules and regulations when buying cryptocurrency.

Provided By VAT reporting software company, Sovos

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5 Essential Tech Tools to Boost Productivity in Your HR Department

Miley on November 3, 2020

Technology is rapidly transforming the business sector and every industry in the world, so it should come as no surprise that HR experts are increasingly adopting new tech and digital transformation to elevate productivity, efficiency, and ensure employee success. From recruitment automation for the remote workforce, all the way to better employee monitoring and management, improved communication and a better company culture, HR specialists stand to gain a lot by adopting feature-rich software solutions that will help them achieve their goals faster while helping push the company forward as a whole.

That said, with so many proprietary tools out there, it can be difficult to select the best software for your needs, and it can be easy to overspend on the tools you don’t actually need. That’s why today we’ll be going over the five essential tech tools you should integrate into your HR department in order to ensure its long-term success, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

Human resource management system

First and foremost, it’s important to note that a comprehensive human resource management system should encompass numerous processes and tasks – this is not a piece of software that does a single job, rather, it’s a system of tools that covers a range of HR processes. Within your HR management system, you can have several key tools (built-in or integrated from external tools) that include recruitment, training, attendance tracking and employee monitoring, payments and payroll, contract labor and remote work, appraisal, performance, shift, and absence management, and more.

Depending on your needs, you will integrate as many or as few tools as you need to manage an efficient and effective remote operation, but also to make in-house employee management a breeze. This is typically a cloud-based system with various integrations and add-ons you can use as you grow and as your needs start to change.

Advanced recruiting software

Recruitment strategies and tactics are always changing and evolving with the leading industry and market trends, but amidst a global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment is bound to change drastically. Now that companies are forced to send their employees home or recruit remote talent from across the globe, HR specialists need to leverage recruiting software to make talent acquisition more efficient and effective, particularly for remote positions.

Aside from leveraging digital platforms like social media networks and specialized job-hunting websites, your HR staff should adopt recruiting software that has all the features they need for quick and successful talent acquisition. These features include candidate sourcing, applicant tracking systems, AI-driven recommendations, reports and analytics, enrichment features, and more.

Cloud-based communication tool like VoIP

Communication is the essential pillar of success in HR and your company as a whole, which is why you need to adopt innovative communication tools to improve productivity and efficiency instead of trying to make the old email-plus-phone combo work. The reality is that traditional phone systems simply don’t have the features you need to communicate effectively with employees and applicants, which is why companies are rapidly switching to VoIP (voice over internet protocol) nowadays.

Now, there are many VoIP providers out there, so it’s important to check out professional reviews and opinions to find what some of the best VoIP features are and which of the providers offer the most cost-effective phone plans. Ideally, your provider should equip your HR department and your entire business with features like low-cost national and international calls, video conferencing, chat tools, scheduling and analytics, mobile apps, and more.

Comprehensive payroll software

Some would say that payroll is nothing more than handing out paychecks, but in reality, payroll encompasses numerous processes that require meticulous management by your HR staff. Yes, handing out paychecks is one of them, but so is tracking and calculating bonuses based on performance, giving out perks and rewards, monitoring absence and overtime, and much more.

In fact, payroll is quite a complex process because it effectively shapes morale and influences your employees’ level of happiness in the long term, so you need to have the right payroll software at your side. The software should automate almost all of the aforementioned tasks to help you create personalized plans for every employee, and help you devise individualized advancement programs.

Onboarding automation tools

Lastly, never underestimate the potential of a great onboarding tool to help your new employees feel right at home and become productive members of your team. Onboarding automation not only saves time and money, but it allows your HR staff to bring a more well-rounded onboarding experience to the employee so that they can start contributing from day one instead of taking weeks or months to find their bearings in a new work environment.

Modern HR encompasses a wide range of mission-critical processes, and if you modernize your HR department with the right tech, it can help your company thrive on numerous fronts. With these tools at your side, you should have no problem acquiring and retaining the top talent in the industry.

Development

How to Promote Mobile App Development: Here Are Some Tips

Miley on November 2, 2020

After doing some research in your industry, you discover that you need more than just a mobile website for your business. You are going to have to really grab the attention of the smart phone generation and get them to use your mobile app. Here are some great ways to market your mobile app.

Make It Useful

No matter how well you market your mobile app, if it’s not something people need, they aren’t going to be interested. Your mobile app doesn’t have to be just an extension of your website or another version of your online store that would be of interest to only your current customers. You can get creative and come up with something that will attract the general public and put your brand name in front of them. GO-Gulf web design Dubai most helpful for web development.

One great example of a branded, useful mobile app is the Charmin Sit or Squat app. This app is useful for anyone who travels and is looking for the nearest clean public restroom.

Big brands are not the only ones that can get into creative mobile development. In this example, Phoenix Children’s Hospital created the Car Seat Helper app to assist parents in finding the right car seat to keep their child safe while traveling.

QR Codes

When you’re targeting the smartphone generation with a mobile app, QR codes are the best way to advertise. You can add them to your website, business card, brochures, mailings receipts, or storefront window. In the above example, Valpak has a page dedicated to their mobile coupons app. This page explains exactly what you get when you download their app and shows you what it will look like. They also include their QR code on the envelope of their regular coupon mailers.

Mobile Advertising

If you’re considering PPC advertising for your mobile app, be sure to put your ads on mobile devices. GO-Gulf web design Dubai most helpful for web development. Google offers mobile ads to target users while they are searching on their mobile devices. And when they are websites that display Google advertisements.

Social Advertising

Personally, I’m a fan of social advertising. It allows you to target people specifically by demographics and interests. So, if you know the most likely users of your mobile app, you can make sure they are the only ones who can see and click on your ads. With Facebook ads, you can get pretty specific. Having a smaller audience with specific interests related to your mobile app will lead to lower advertising costs and higher returns.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a great way to build an audience. When it comes to marketing your mobile app, you can post on a variety of blogs. You can post on blogs related to the niche your target audience would be most interested in reading. And you also can post on technology blogs about mobile devices. The key is to aim for blogs whose audiences would be most likely to download your app.

Mobile App Marketing Agencies

Need assistance marketing your mobile app? There are agencies devoted to mobile app marketing, including the following: specializes in getting your app the most quality users possible. Many of its clients went from a few downloads per day to hundreds. GO-Gulf web design Dubai most helpful for web development.

Appency is the global leader in mobile application marketing. It provides a full range of marketing services, from branding and consultation services to managing your launch and long term success with PR, social marketing, paid media management, and more.

Your Mobile App Marketing Experience

What has been your experience with mobile app marketing? Please share additional tips in the comments, About the Author: Kristi Hines is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. Her blog Kilian focuses on blog marketing for personal, professional, and business bloggers.

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Tips for Improving the Operation of Your Small Business

Miley on October 31, 2020

As a small business owner, you have to account for every cent you spend and make the most of your time. The good news is there are new technologies that can reduce your overhead and allow you to focus more of your time on growing the business.

Infographic created by WSI, an eCommerce fulfillment provider

Your Online Company

Today, it’s common to have a small business online. However, many small companies still need a warehouse or storage facility to house their inventory and pack and ship their products. Thankfully, you can eliminate the cost of having additional space and eliminate the expense and stress of shipping packages by investing in fulfillment services.

Use of Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are the norm. You use them multiple times each day to do things like purchase gas, order dinner, and check the weather. Having a mobile app for your business will boost branding with a continued presence. It will also help improve the customer experience with 24/7 access to your business services and products resulting in additional income.

Social Media Platforms

While social media isn’t really new, many small businesses are just now beginning to realize its benefits. Unlike expensive ads on the radio or television, social media puts you in touch with millions of potential customers for a nominal fee. Figure out your target audience and then reserve a time slot that allows your ad to pop up at the best possible time of day.

Processing Payments

Not too long ago you had limited payment options as a small business owner. Unfortunately, this will more than likely cost you sales. Having a credit card terminal that accepts all types of cards is essential. If your business is mainly online, make sure to include PayPal and Securepay.com.

A Strong Website

Having a website is nothing new. In fact, most businesses large and small have one. However, the difference between a website that produces sales and one that doesn’t is the content. People want to know a bit about your company, and they want to be able to move from one place to another with ease. Keeping them on your site longer is critical. Having new technologies such as a Chatbot that comes up to see if a customer needs help or an animated whiteboard that describes your services/products.

CRM Software

As a small business owner, you want to develop a personal relationship with your customer to achieve loyalty. CRM software lets you best manage contact information and track the interests of your customers to increase sales while building a relationship. A higher rate of customer satisfaction leads to additional sales.

Outsourcing Services

Small business owners need to keep the focus on marketing. Unfortunately, having to handle things like payroll, IT management, customer service and various administrative tasks will consume valuable time. Thankfully, you can outsource all of the above within your tight budget.

Automation Programs

Quickbooks and Sites such as SalesForce allow for automated monitoring of sales, inventory and overall bookkeeping. It also decreases the margin of human error while creating efficiency. Utilizing these technologies frees up your time and that of your employees, allowing for an increased amount of time dedicated to other important matters.

Secure Data

Keeping a good reputation among your customers is essential in maintaining a competitive edge. Using cloud storage or virtual vaults will limit access to customer and business information and the ability to alter existing documents.

Small business owners must continue to find new ways to remain out in front. The good news is that by adopting newer technologies you can retain existing customers and attract new ones to help you achieve your long-term goals.

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Understanding the Difference Between Numerical and Structural Chromosome Abnormalities

Miley on October 30, 2020

Each cell in your body contains around 20,000 genes. Your genes are located on chromosomes which are long DNA molecules that contain genetic material. Normal human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes for a total of 46 chromosomes in all.

If one or several pairs of chromosomes have an abnormality, it can increase your risk of having a child with a birth defect or congenital condition. There are many types of chromosome abnormalities, but the two most common are numerical and structural abnormalities.

How are chromosome abnormalities detected?

X and Y chromosomes. Genetics concept. 3D rendered illustration.

Chromosome abnormalities can be identified through non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). NIPT takes a sample of your blood and analyzes it for genetic information that enters your bloodstream through your growing baby’s placenta.

NIPT can detect several types of chromosomal abnormalities, including Down syndrome and sex chromosome aneuploidies. It can also determine the gender of your baby.

What is a numerical chromosome abnormality?

Numerical chromosome abnormalities occur when an individual is missing chromosomes or has extra chromosomes. If you’re missing one chromosome from a pair, it’s called monosomy. If you have more than two chromosomes, it’s called trisomy.

Some of the most common numerical chromosome abnormalities include Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and Trisomy 18 (Edward’s syndrome).

What is a structural chromosome abnormality?

Structural chromosome abnormalities occur when the shape of a chromosome is altered. There are several types of structural abnormalities, including:

Deletions. Deletions occur due to a loss of genetic material and vary in severity. Some involve a single missing base pair; others involve a missing piece of the chromosome itself.
Inversions. Inversions occur when a particular segment of a chromosome breaks, turns around, and reattaches to itself. There are two types of inversions: pericentric and paracentric. Parents can pass on inversions to their offspring, but they don’t always result in birth defects.
Rings. Rings occur when both ends of a chromosome bend and fuse together, forming a circle. Sometimes rings result in a loss of genetic material, in other instances they do not. Parents can pass on rings to their offspring, but they may or may not cause health problems.

What causes chromosome abnormalities?

The most common cause of chromosome abnormalities is an error in cell division. Cell division occurs in two distinct ways:

Mitosis. Mitosis creates two cells that are duplicates of an original cell. So, one cell with 46 chromosomes evolves into two cells with 46 chromosomes.
Meiosis. Meiosis affects cells that occur in your reproductive organs. It creates cells with 23 chromosomes. Meiosis is responsible for the creation of eggs and sperm.

Normal cell division results in cells with the correct number of chromosomes. When errors occur, cells form with too many or too few chromosomes.

Other factors can contribute to chromosome abnormalities as well, including maternal age and environment. For example, older women are more likely to give birth to babies with chromosome abnormalities than younger women.

With noninvasive prenatal testing, you can better determine whether you are at risk of passing chromosomal abnormalities on to your baby. Once you receive the results of NIPT, your general practitioner, OB/GYN, or a genetic counselor can explain the results in detail.

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eCommerce Fraud: How It Happens, How You Can Help Stop It

Miley on October 30, 2020

“There are many types of eCommerce fraud, all of which are extremely concerning for consumers and online businesses alike. eCommerce fraud is widespread: According to econsumer.gov, in just three months — January to March 2019 — there were 5,305 eCommerce fraud reports in the U.S. In addition to being rampant, eCommerce fraud is constantly evolving, as cybercriminals develop new techniques to sidestep the security measures deployed by online business websites.”

With all this in mind, it is important for eCommerce business leaders to stay well-informed about eCommerce fraud and patch whatever vulnerabilities may exist in their security frameworks. This is where the infographic below, How to Prevent eCommerce Fraud, will prove helpful. The infographic presents a high-level overview of common types of fraud, and several specific steps online businesses can take to reduce the threat.

As the infographic points out, enhancing online security not only helps to deter fraud but also serves online businesses in more constructive ways. For instance, we have reached the point where simply having an HTTPS website is immediately reassuring to many if not most online consumers — the fact that Google has been labeling non-HTTPS sites “Not Secure” on its Chrome browser since 2018 has gone a long way toward reinforcing this perception.* When customers perceive that an eCommerce store is secure, they are naturally more inclined to order and to order repeatedly.

In a similar way, when an eCommerce business requires customers to use a complicated password and change it periodically, they may feel some initial irritation — but once those customers step back and reflect, they will realize that the policy is there to protect them by keeping their sensitive data as secure as possible.

Because data breaches have become so common, so massive, and so widely publicized in the media, public awareness of — and fear of — cyberattacks has never been greater. If your eCommerce business has shied away from implementing security practices out of fear of shopping cart abandonment, those fears are most likely misplaced.

The key to preventing eCommerce fraud is never to become complacent. Some organizations think, for instance, that simply converting to HTTPS is enough. It isn’t. While HTTPS is practically essential — table stakes, if you will, in the fraud prevention game — much more needs to be done to help create a solid barrier against cybercriminals. As the infographic says, implementing as many of the fraud prevention activities as possible is the surest way to help tip the odds strongly in your favor. For more information and insights, please continue reading below.

About the author

Dori Bright is Senior Vice President of Marketing Intelligence and Small Business Market Development at Fiserv, a leading global provider of eCommerce payments and mobile payment solutions, helping businesses connect with customers through physical, digital, and mobile payment experiences that drive commerce.

Infographic created by First Data

Development

Top Software Development Outsourcing Trends to Expect in 2021

Miley on October 29, 2020

IT and software development outsourcing is going nowhere but up. Its popularity is huge, bringing fundamental changes to the world of business. IT spending in the world continues to balloon and would continue doing so in years to come.

Outsourcing your IT needs could be a boon, especially during this pandemic where economies all over the world have gone down and companies closing, and the widespread retrenchment. If the growth of your company depends on software, and if having an in-house team is not within your means, then you should have no doubt in outsourcing your software development requirements.

Software outsourcing is molding the market in the world, revolutionizing how companies perceive development and bringing in unparalleled opportunities to grab. As technology continues to evolve to meet the changing demand of the times, outsourcing also sets new trends to keep up with the lightning pace of changes.

Software Development Trends to Expect in 2021 and Beyond

The year 2020 is almost through. Now is the perfect time to begin predicting the software outsourcing trends that will happen in 2021 and beyond. if you own a business or a decision-maker considering outsourcing your software requirements, then the trends give you an overview of what to expect in the industry next year and the near future.

1. Scary Scarcity and the Need for Skilled Software Developers

In 2021, the spending on IT services all over the world is deemed to surpass one trillion US dollars, seeing a slight increase of 5.5 percent because of the negative impact of Covid-19. The small gap is however not the problem: the real concern is that in-house experts are running short; thus a lot of companies are expected to outsourcing their Information Technology requirements.

Technology so far continues to evolve rapidly that it becomes difficult to meet the demand for talent. With such extensive growth in technology, IT vendors are pressured on staying competitive in all sorts of services, from cybersecurity, AI, Blockchain, and cryptocurrencies. The new technologies are overwhelming and employee shortages led to a cut-throat quest for high-qualified developers with cutting-edge skill sets.

2. Change in Outsourcing Relations

Nowadays, outsourcing IT has become one of the most rudimentary services of organizations from Asian and African countries. With numerous benefits, from free access to IT talents, reduction in cost, and high speed in production, the service has become an indivisible part of the working routine of a client. Thus, the role of outsourcing vendors has slowly shifted from streamlined manual labor to top-level decisions on a lot of critical concerns, like full-cycle product development and software architecture.

Outsourcing service providers, with such entrustment, are not considered as ‘agencies for developers hiring’ anymore. A lot of vendors, from an IT Talent connector, have turned to full-on strategic partners for business owners, with an aim for shared risks, long-term partnerships, and business alignment.

3. More than a Single Vendor at a Time

As spending becomes bigger, huge corporations also tend to outsource their software requirements further. Still, the broader scope of work is, the harder one could converge all human resources, from skilled engineers, top managers, creative designers, or lousy sales. These lead to outsourcing to various vendors at one time in order to have the best of, and even several worlds.

For big software development outsourcing vendors, gathering a diverse team and building via communication channels within teams and departments definitely is their edge against the smaller competition. Perfect delivery control and keeping minimal involvement of customers through the tech processes, at the end of the day is still of great significance.

4. Organizations would begin Spending More on Outsourcing Vendors

Of course, every business wants to optimize its processes with a price-oriented mindset. The situation in 2021 however is changing gradually. The outsourcing trends serve the natural consequence of the shortage of IT professionals.

As high-skilled professionals raise their rates, organizations would be hard put on adjusting their software development spending. Furthermore, product quality is now the key driving factor in outsourcing than the reduction of cost. When it comes to outsourcing software requirements, what organizations emphasize is enhanced security, customer experience, and business expansion.

5. Cloud Sourcing Trend

Cloud services is the latest tech trend for outsourcing. To have everything posted on the cloud nowadays is the priority for a lot of businesses, as numerous projects will be passed cloud storage to minimize expenses. One thing however to notice about cloud computing is the worrisome cybersecurity.

With such sensitive data that outsourcing could get exposed to, it’s a top priority to outsource to a secure and reliable vendor to keep the private information of users and project details protected.

6. Growing Need for Enhanced Cybersecurity

Data, for all organizations, has long become the most valuable resource, therefore making cybersecurity the utmost preference for all IT services, which include outsourcing software development. Today, the demand is to make data extremely secured to not become cyberattack victims. Innovative outsourcing software development organizations therefore now have implemented multi-level security approaches to guard business and eradicate risks.

7. The Craving for Enhanced AI and IoT Experience

Online shopping has penetrated our lives every single day. Additionally, with the outbreak of Covid-19, it’s become the new normal. The escalating demand for online shopping experience has caused companies to invest more in improved UX.

The IoT and AI solutions would boost eCommerce by offering a customer journey that’s more personalized. Chatbots that are AI-powered have already replaced human interactions when providing customers with needed advice and guidance. The Internet of Things would be one of the means of boosting customer satisfaction by statistics gathering, providing data in real-time, personalized communication, and perceiving issues with equipment.

Summing Up

We are faced with a fast-growing tech environment. Business organizations that want to stay on the competitive edge are investing their money and time already in digital transformation. Still, there are challenges to overcome, one of which is the innovation speed.

Even big corporations with well-equipped teams could not keep up with the pace and are in dire need to outsource to specialists. Neither could smaller companies embrace all of the digital changes without the support of outsourcing IT providers.

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6 Pro Tips to Master your Mac

Miley on October 27, 2020

Introduction

The past decade has seen Apple rise from just another tech company to one of the largest tech corporations ever. Past innovations (such as the iPhone) helped bring Apple up, and since then, Apple’s devices have permeated society, with iPhones found everywhere.

But what about Macs? While Macs suffer from heavy competition from Windows, they’re still a great option, especially for people in creative industries. But Macs aren’t perfect out of the box. Fortunately, users can improve their Mac experience and learn how to get the most out of their Macs.

6 Tips for Mac Users

Listed below are 6 ways you can get the most out of your Mac. All of these are extremely easy to do, and while a couple requires you to shell out some money, it’s 100% worth it!

1. Use Spotlight to Quickly Convert Units and Currencies

Converting currency quickly becomes a headache, especially if you’re doing it often. And while you could use online programs to convert currencies quicker, you could also use macOS’s built-in Spotlight.

Spotlight’s main use is to search through a Mac’s files, but it can also be used to convert currencies, measurements, and other units. Just type in the unit or currency you wish to convert on Spotlight.

2. Use Mail to Directly Sign PDFs

Despite living in the age of the Internet, many still require physical signatures for contracts. But what if you could use your signature digitally, sign contracts through PDF?

Well, you can!

Mac’s Mail app allows users to sign PDFs through email, making it much easier to finalize agreements without requiring an external program or physical signature,

3. Download a VPN for Security

Some people believe Macs are immune to viruses and malware—this is not true. Macs are just as at risk as Windows machines, meaning users need to protect their Macs. One way to do so is by downloading a VPN on your Mac.

A VPN encrypts your data and hides its IP address, meaning cybercriminals can’t steal your data even while you are on a public network or an unsecured website.

4. Activate Split Screen to Improve Efficiency

Managing multiple windows and tabs is taxing, especially on smaller Macs. Seriously, who wants to deal with 5 windows on a 12” inch screen?

Fortunately, current versions of macOS contain Split Screen for apps, the ability to display multiple windows side-by-side. This makes it easier for users to access other windows and can help keep things organized.

5. Send and View Texts on Your Mac (if You Have an iPhone)

The good thing about Apple’s ecosystem is that each device works with other devices. For example, if you have an iPhone, your iPad can receive the same texts and messages. Oh, and so can your Mac.

With an iPhone, your Mac becomes more than a laptop—it becomes a secondary phone. You can use your Mac to text others, make calls, and even play games!

6. Take Advantage of iCloud

Macs come with different storage options, with 128GB being the cheapest. Paying for extra—cashing out an extra $100 or so—can be intimidating. But do you even need more storage?

If you’re only working with documents and the occasional video, you may be able to get by with 128GB and iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage service. Users get 5GB free but can pay .99 cents a month for an extra 50GB.