Best International Business, Support Company & Technology Advisers

2020 was a great year for recognition for the Simboc Team, scooping two prestigious awards.

The awards included;

• Corporate Coaching and Recruitment Awards - ‘Best International Business & Technology Advisers - EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) 2020’

• SME UK Enterprise Awards - ‘Best International Business Support Company 2020’

David Bell, Simboc Founder & CEO commented “Winning one award is an amazing achievement but to win two awards and be recognised for our efforts throughout Europe, Middle East & Africa is unbelievable. We are always encouraging our clients to do their best and achieve more and don’t settle for second best, hopefully, this is evidence to all businesses that you can achieve your goals if you dream, plan and work hard”.

David finished by adding '“We look forward to 2021 and beyond and achieving more success together.

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Are your passwords protected?

Cybercrime embraces any illegal activity that involves a computer or network connected devices. The risks are greater than ever before because of the sheer number of connected people and devices, as a result, the rewards of cybercrime surpass most other forms of criminal activity.

The problem is of epidemic proportions in the UK which is second only to Colombia in terms of the number of reported incidences of cybercrime and fraud than any other country in the world.

It is clear that businesses and other organisations need to have systemic processes in place to prevent, detect and respond to these risks if they are to avoid financial and reputational damage. 

At Simboc, we offer the best enterprise security hardware and software solutions, coupled with decades of knowledge and experience in the security sector. Our knowledge, experience and partnerships with leading providers, allow us to tailor and provide our clients with the ultimate security solution to protect their organisation.

Password security and management is ultimately very important in today's digital world. The days of using 'Password' or '123456' have long gone. It is now advisable to have a different password for every login you use. This could mean 100's if not 1000's of passwords to manage and remember, pretty much impossible without the right software tools and apps. There are lots of great apps available on the market, which don't cost the earth. My favourite is 1Password, it is affordable, simple to use and allows the user complete control of their passwords, logins and other sensitive data. With the built-in password generation tool, you can generate complex passwords based on specific recipes you select.

Here is the link to 1Password -  https://1password.com

A 13 digit password using a mix of alpha, numeric with special characters would take a hacker 3000 years to hack, but a simple password such as 'password' takes a mere 1 second.  You can check password recipes and the time a password would take to hack using this website from kaspersky. Remember, do not use your real passwords.

Here is the link - https://password.kaspersky.com/in/ 

So remember to use individual passwords for each and every login. A password management tool will help you manage your credentials and assist with creating and storing secure passwords.

But... we can't defend the stupidity or some individuals in this hilarious video interview. Sit back and enjoy how people are manipulated into handing over their passwords. 

New Year, New Technology...

Happy New Year and welcome to 2018! 

In 2017 we saw the release of the Apple iPhone 8, followed by the almost bezel-less iPhone X, which uses facial recognition Vs fingerprint recognition. We saw a number of start-up technology companies fail including Jawbone the fitness tracker firm, which was predicted to take on Apple and Fitbit in the race of the wearables market. Want to read more about those that didn't cut the mustard? Check out this BBC news story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41148663

Over the past decade, we have seen technology enhance our lives, allow us to work remotely and collaborate smarter and easier than ever before. If you think pre-2007 you couldn't order an Uber using your Smartphone, listen to Music on Spotify or send a message using WhatsApp. Today these technological developments are tools we use every day, others include;

• Airbnb
• The Apple iPad
• Google Chrome Browser
• SnapChat
• Oculus VR Headset
• Instagram
• Android
• 4G Mobile Data 
• Slack
• Alexa or Google Home AI (Artificial Intelligence) 

But the tech world isn't slowing down in 2018 or for the foreseeable future either. The big question many of us are asking or at least thinking, where will technology take us in the next 10 years. Will we be taking a ride via an Uber in a flying car? It is pretty certain the ride will be a driverless ride, as pilot schemes are already in operation for driverless vehicles and the race to make driverless cars a part of our everyday life is well underway. Maybe AI (Artificial Intelligence) will become our new digital servants and allow us to obtain more free time from our ever increasing busy daily routines.

But what will be on our shopping lists in 2018? I am sure we will see further developments from Apple, Google and Amazon in the AI sector. We will no doubt see slimmer, faster and more advanced mobile devices, plus software apps to run on these new devices too. IoT (Internet of Things) and Home automation solutions are certainly being deployed at a faster rate than ever before, this is no doubt due to the integration with Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Apples Siri voice services. Home automation is allowing us to control our lights, heating, security, entertainment centres and even our kitchen appliances but I am confident we will only see more opportunities to integrate our lives into a digital interface further if we wish to allow it. For some this digital integration will be scary, a breach of security and an invasion of our personal lives. But for others, it will change the way we work, play and socialise within society for the better. 

Overall 2017 left me with more questions than answers, so I can't wait to see what is in store for 2018 and beyond!

Author - David James Bell @davidjbell