The evolution of ransomware, dating back as far as 1989, has snowballed along with the development of technology to become a very profitable business for hackers. It is easier than traditional hacking, more efficient and allows them to cash in quickly and with minimal complications. Attackers can breach a vulnerable system through a back door and encrypt its data, which effectively shuts out users and prevents them from accessing any records or documents. A message demanding money then appears on the screen, a time limit is set and a countdown begins. The element of time implants a sense of urgency in the victim, compelling him/her to pay the ransom as quickly as possible. All this can be done from the comfort of a hacker's lair far away and almost impossible to track.

The reason why attackers are so successful in breaching electronic devices is because of the perceived distance people put between themselves and the possibility of such a breach ever happening to them. The belief that a ransomware attack is far-fetched is the very reason why ransomware is so lucrative. Putting your guard down is the vulnerability that hackers are waiting for. Below is a list of best practices that can help you protect and secure yourself effectively:

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Human error is inevitable, and that is exactly what hackers count on. One slip-up can result in the loss of large amounts of data and cause a company to lose its credibility in the eyes of its customers. Overspending on high tech systems while neglecting employee training in cyber security is a poor strategy that will prove ineffective. It is also the main reason why human error is a leading cause of cyber attacks. Although it is not possible to completely eliminate human error, seeking ways to minimize it as much as possible will help reduce the occurrences of security breaches. In order to be able to do that, it is important to know the main sources of human error and how to avoid them.

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The effective implementation of Knowledge Management (KM) can reap great rewards. A decrease in expenses will take place even if an increase in revenue does not occur. However, the reality is that not all businesses are capable of building successful KM databases and most of their issues lie with organizational culture. Here are seven best practices in organizational culture that can help in ensuring a lucrative KM initiative:

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Throughout recent years, the role of the CIO has been subjected to many rapid changes and developments. The continuously evolving technological advances in the workplace play a major part in this, but so do many other factors. The following are five ways that have contributed to the evolution of the CIO role over the years:

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Traditional customer service was very simple. A customer would visit or call the vendor, ask for assistance and that was that. But things have changed. Today, CS points of contact are numerous, more distant and require much more maintenance. However, the one element that has remained a constant all throughout these changes is the end-goal; customer satisfaction. Consequently, businesses are always looking for new ways to further develop their newly digital customer service systems. Listed below are four ways which can make this possible:

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2018 is proving to be a promising year for CIO development and innovation. CIO events are bringing more opportunities to the table, as participants are provided with time to network, meet and collaborate on bigger initiatives. Below is a list of the upcoming CIO events occurring in the US throughout the remainder of 2018:

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Service level agreements (SLA) are formal agreements made between two or more parties as it pertains to a particular service. These documents provide guidelines for both the provider and the consumer during the life of a specified contract. A subsidiary of the Canadian Government, called Shared Services Canada (SSC), was formed in 2011 and took aim at adjusting certain parameters around SLAs within the Government of Canada in order to ensure efficiency.

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In 2017 Oracle unveiled new product to streamline data flow throughout the healthcare clinical research and development process, while reducing associated costs. The system, called Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench Cloud Service, enables pharmaceutical companies to contract research organizations to amalgamate, consolidate and analyze the expansive and differing volume of healthcare and clinical data.

What proved to be the service's most impressive feature was the way its workbench operated with regard to its multifaceted ability to improve data management:

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The HIPAA Security Rule has a set list of requirements for covered entities to adhere to, all of which aim to ensure that organizations housing sensitive personal health information (PHI) are able to secure themselves against potential hackers. One of the conditions for being considered HIPAA compliant is to identify and protect against reasonably anticipated threats. 2017 was a year full of international cyber attacks, which heavily affected health care functions worldwide. Consequently, a new tactic that emerged and is currently being adopted by a growing number of healthcare entities is the use of military war-games to test the strength of cyber security barriers. This consists of a simulation of events that are controlled by the players in the game (in this case, hackers VS defenders).

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