Some trends that evolved in 2015 - IT as integrator not sole proprietor, an elevation of the skills demanded for IT staff and the knowledge that security is not just a buzzword anymore - will change IT in 2016 and beyond.
Give a gift of security to a nonprofit
Exposure to hacking, cracking and fraud is a huge risk for nonprofits. So Portfolio and Wessel Accounting are offering their BizSafe security review to a dozen nonprofits in the Upstate of SC for free this year. Find out how you can nominate your favorite nonprofit for one. Friends don't let friends get hacked.
Happy Whiners Day
Dec. 26 is both National Whiners Day and National Thank You Note Day. Is that some joke at the National Day Selection Society, or whoever names these days? Maybe the two are more connected than we think?
Is privacy the price we must pay for safety?
In the wake of the Paris attacks, many knee-jerk reactions involve giving law enforcement access through backdoors to all communications. That's wrong-headed. Those backdoors can be opened by anyone and make us less safe than we were.
The human-technology partnership: Is a brave new world upon us?
Futurists think 2016 could be the year that technology stops being something we use and becomes instead a true collaboration of humans and their technology partners. What's that going to look like? Here are a few examples.
Do you know where your data is?
Companies are becoming more and more focused on collecting, analyzing and informing decisions based on data. But they may be less diligent about protecting it. Shadow databases are a growing problem for businesses, resulting in anything from extra work, inaccurate databased information to data loss to hackers. Do you know where your data is?
Smart devices + smart homes = smart users?
iKettles all over London are boiling over with exposed home Wi-Fi passwords, thanks to "white hat" hackers who exposed the risks of this questionable convenience. Whatever your connected device, you have to be a smarter owner if you're going to have a smart home.