16 September 2017

Know More About Facebook Marketing for Your Business and Customers

Facebook is the largest social network of the world, there are over 2.01 billion average monthly active users with 17 percent yearly increase recorded. And 1.32 billion people log onto facebook on daily basis and this is very huge number of people on a place, facebook marketing is become very important because of this huge crowd.


42% of marketers report that facebook is very important to their enterprise. Though this is a crowded marketplace, however you couldn’t find the substitute to sit it out, because odds are pretty excessive that your competition is there. The key is to use facebook marketing successfully and make certain that your efforts stand out from others.


Facebook marketing has converted how business is conducted, and its use by neighborhood corporations to extend their markets maintains to explode. Billions of local business pages have been created on facebook, these pages are the gateway to facebook marketing in the huge crowd.


A facebook page is a public presence much like a personal profile, but permits fans to “like” the business, brand, celebrity, cause or organisation. In order to extend your fans you can run a campaign by expending some money by this you can get more targeted fans by location , interest and ages. Your fans receive updates of your products or services from the page on their news feed. Through facebook marketing you can increase awareness of your products , brands or services.





Through the business page you can collect detailed audience insights and also you can contact your customers who need customer service , Keep in mind that you have to be present on facebook if you want to succeed in facebook marketing. This is called inbound way of facebook marketing , If your business is small you have to show presence on facebook when it grows bigger you can hire admins as your business assistants to provide uninterruptible customer service.


Your presence is about being beneficial and related to your audience. It entails information the choice of your customer and partnering with them to overcome demanding situations. One of the quality approaches to do this is to be present there where your customers spend most of their time.


Facebook marketing tools which are created for business want to make a good relationship between marketer and audience , these tools allow entrepreneur to create and distribute quality content that may be helpful for consumers. And these allow customer service representative to connect with interested consumer. Make sure your facebook advertising campaigns may not be spammy, swindle and infuriating.

 Source...

How To Make Your Personal Facebook Account Become a Business Page

Many facebook users are unaware that it’s against facebook’s terms to use a personal account to represent a business. according to facebook, Pages are designed for businesses (including public figures and “personal brands”) and groups in order to help businesses connect with customers and reach their business goals.


If your goal is to share updates on your personal profile with a larger community than just friends, you can also permit people to follow you, even if they’re not your friends.


Among other things, with a page, you have access to page insights, in which you can see essential metrics, like which posts people engage with, and visitor Analytics like age and location.


Pages can also allow you to give other people access on your page in order that they can also post, and make changes to the page.

What will Happen When You Convert your Profile?


here are the important points to be aware about a Profile-To-page conversion:
  • All of your friends and followers will be migrated to fans of your new Facebook page. If you had 1000+ Friends and followers you will have 1000+ Likes on your New Page.
  • Your username will become the username for your page (so all your links to your profile will Redirect to your new Facebook Page).
  • Your name and your Profile Picture will become the Page’s name and Profile Picture, But you can change it later.
  • You won’t be able to see personal messages from your profile.
  • The updates and photos from your profile will not transfer to the page.
  • You will no longer be in any of the groups you’ve joined.

If you don’t want any of these points to happen, perhaps You can create a new page and tell your friends about it. Better safe than sorry!


Before getting Started Read these tips below

 

  • Back up your personal messages, updates, photos and any other personal data using Facebook’s backup tool If you don’t know how to do this click here.
  • Change your profile name and address (both for privacy and to match your business needs).
  • Choose New admins for any groups and pages you manage.

Start the profile migration process by clicking here and follow the on-screen instructions.
Now you just have to Create That page like any Normal page you create, Change Profile picture, Cover photo and Name.





5 Easy Ways to Free up Space on Your Smartphone

Free up space in your smartphone with these 5 easy methods.

Are you all the time worried about storage space in your smartphone? Does the inadequate storage message trouble you? Well, everyone of us comes across this perennial downside whereas making an attempt to take new photos, or save movies or songs.


For individuals who frequently find themselves running out of space and have to handle it, it is strongly recommended to get a smartphone with extra storage next time. Nonetheless, for those, who want to proceed with their present smartphone and want to free up space in their phones, we’ve got some space-saving suggestions for their gadget.


On this article, we attempt to bring you some fast approach to free up space in your smartphone. Nonetheless, please notice that the following tips don’t include deleting motion pictures and TV shows.

Delete pictures and videos 

 

Have an enormous collection of memorable photos or 4K video clips however don’t want to delete them? Whereas the simpler possibility to create space in your smartphone could be to go to the gallery app of your selection and simply delete among the pictures and clips. Nevertheless, you could wish to retain most of them.


For Android smartphones, there may be Google Photos that provides free up space option on the primary app menu that scans for photos and movies which have already transferred to the cloud and deletes the local copies. To do that on Android devices manually, go to Device folders from the app menu, select a group of images, tap the three dots on the menu bar and choose Delete device copy.


Additionally, examine your backup settings—Google Photos lets you choose between storing originals and resized copies within the cloud. Solely, if you’re happy with the arrangement you’ve gotten set up, delete the local copies.


Nonetheless, it’s a bit riskier to delete local copies of files on Apple’s Photos app in iOS, whereas keeping the iCloud backups, because the apps are specifically set up to keep every part in sync. The one easy solution is to make use of Apple’s own automatic Optimize iPhone Storage option from the Photos & Camera menu in Settings. This makes use of low-resolution copies in your smartphone when space is limited, whereas retaining the originals available within the cloud.

Delete games you might be not be playing

 

Typically the worst culprits, video games eat loads of space in your device so far as storage goes. Whereas uninstalling apps can take away some space in your smartphone, you should choose apps of a considerable size to really clear the decks.


You will need to double-check what occurs to any saved video games you’ve gotten saved earlier than removing any title. Nevertheless, if they’re in a secure place within the cloud (otherwise you simply don’t need them), then erasing video games you’re now not playing could be a actual space saver.


If are positive and happy that you just won’t be deleting something necessary that you just can’t retrieve later, then go forward and take away a couple of video games.
To take a look at how a lot storage every game makes use of on Android, you’ll be able to go to Settings and tap on Apps. On iOS, from Settings choose General, Storage & iCloud Usage and Manage Storage.

Delete browser downloads

 

Do you commonly download massive files from the net and forget about them? Stock Android provides a Downloads app right in the primary app drawer, to be able to shortly check what you’ve got in there and erase something that aren’t required.


Nonetheless, alternatively, iOS doesn’t enable you do something as unsafe as download files. Saved pictures are in your Photos app, however that’s about it.


On Android and iOS, you’ll be able to clear the web site and history data out of your mobile browsers too, however the space for storing are unlikely to be vital.

Delete synced playlists

 

Perhaps one of many causes behind your smartphone running out of space for storing could possibly be the totally different kind of album collection you could have in your device. If sure, you’ll be able to rapidly go through the listing and delete those that you don’t want, which in turn will provide you with some space in your smartphone.


In Spotify, go to Your Library from the primary app menu (or the navigation tab) and the playlists you’ve synced are in green. To erase its contents out of your device, tap on anyone and uncheck the offline toggle change.


(You may not get again all of the space immediately— in case you made a mistake, Spotify appears to keep the tracks cached for a short while.)


In Google Play Music, you’ll be able to go to Manage downloads from Settings on the primary app menu to really see tracks in your device. Tap the orange tick next to any playlist, album or song to remove it out of your smartphone.


In Apple Music, within the Music section of the Settings app on iOS, there’s an helpful Downloaded Music entry that you need to use to delete cached tracks. Whereas there isn’t a such option on Android, it’s essential to go to My Music from the primary app menu, then tap Artists and choose Only Downloaded Music to see locally saved songs.


In Spotify, you can too scale back the quality of cached tracks to free up space: the option is behind the Streaming Quality menu within the app settings (iOS) or within the app settings below Music Quality (Android).

Delete cached maps 


Do you’ve the behavior of caching offline maps in advance, as you retain traveling around remote parts of the world? Whereas this feature is useful, it will probably nevertheless eat quite a lot of storage space in your device, in case you’ve got half of the country on your local storage.


Whereas there isn’t any solution for Apple Maps, because it manages offline caching automatically, you may try it for Google Maps and Here Maps. In Google Maps, go to Offline areas from the primary app menu, tap on an area and you’re going to get the choice to delete it out of your smartphone.


If you don’t want this to occur sooner or later, you’ll be able to set offline areas to automatically take away themselves after 30 days: tap on the gear icon to turn off the automatic updates from the same Offline areas display screen.


Nonetheless, check the offline cache in case you are using a different app —it’s behind Download maps on the primary app menu for Android and iOS within the case of the Here Maps, and you’ll swipe left (iOS) to delete a map or just tap any of the related trash icons (Android).

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How to Manage Android Apps Auto-Update

Auto update of apps can be really annoying regardless of what data plan you are using. Whether it an unlimited Wifi or some tight mobile data plan, it becomes annoying when Google Play Store starts updating of a dozen apps at the same time. 


If size of the update is too large and you are using a limited data plan, it might end up draining a huge amount of your data. Obviously nobody wants to spend all their data on this auto update of apps. In fact, even if your data plan is unlimited, auto update of more than once apps can make your internet slow for a long time.

If you are one of those guys who don’t like messing up with Settings of your phone or you are afraid to make any changes because you are not much technical and don’t know much about this smartphone stuff, you should be pleased to know that it is so easy to prevent apps from getting an update without your permission. This guide is for those who want more control over the auto update feature of apps.
The option to disable auto update of each app is right in the Google Play Store, hidden on the same screen where you install them from. Let’s find this hidden treasure.

Stop auto update for all apps

Follow these steps if you want to disable auto update for all the apps.
Open Google Play Store, slide from the left to open Navigation Menu, and go to “Settings”.


How to prevent Android apps auto update
How to prevent Android apps auto update
Find “Auto-Update Apps” and tap on it. It should be at the top of the option.


How to prevent Android apps auto update
In the options you will see three different options. The first option is the default, which updates all the apps whenever they are available. Second option will disable auto update for all apps and you will have just receive a notification when update for an app is available, then you can update it by yourself. The last option will auto update apps only when you are connected to a Wifi network, to make sure updates don’t consume your data plan.

How to prevent Android apps auto update

Disable auto update for specific apps

Sometimes you don’t want to disable auto update for all apps, but for some specific apps only. Consider a situation when you want to keep an old version of an app because the new update had ads or it doesn’t work correctly.
Another example would be the unnecessary apps that came pre-installed with your phone and you can’t uninstall them, auto updating these apps would be really useless and annoying as hell. Thankfully, Android never disappoints us. It can also prevent some specific apps from updating.
To do this, open Google Play Store, slide from the left to open Navigation Menu, and tap on “My Apps & Games”.
auto-update-app-appsandgames
You will be presented a list of all the apps you have currently installed. Look for the app you want to disable auto update for. For example, in order to disable auto update for Google Chrome, tap on its name in the list.
How to prevent Android apps auto update
The next screen will probably look familiar to you because this is where you install or update the app. Now tap on the option menu (three dots icon) in the top right corner of screen, and un-tick the “Auto-Update” box.

How to prevent Android apps auto update
How to prevent Android apps auto update


That’s it! This app will not get any update automatically. Instead Google Play Store will generate a notification when an update is available and you can then update it manually.

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Societe Generale Europe Launches Mobile Money Solution for Africa

European financial services group, Societe Generale has launched a mobile money solution for Africa called YUP.

According to a statement from the company, the solution aims to provide a full range of transactional and financial services to the banked and unbanked, offering a new alternative to the traditional banking model in Africa.






The solution was already launched in Ivory Coast and Senegal, with plans to release in Ghana and in Cameroon by the end of 2017, and in Burkina Faso, Togo and Guinea in 2018.

Societe Generale says YUP already has more than 30 000 open wallets and nearly 600 agents. The company aims to open one million wallets in the next three years, to double its individual customer base in sub-Saharan Africa and create a network of 8000 agents to serve users.


"Africa is inventing the future of banking. The project's key ambition is to be a part of this revolution by offering a simple transactional tool that's accessible to all residents of the countries in which Societe Generale does business, be they individuals or corporations, Group customers, account holders with our competitors, or customers without bank accounts," says Alexandre Maymat, the company's head of the Africa/Mediterranean Basin & Overseas region.

According to Maymat, customers without bank accounts make up to 80%-90% of the population depending on the country," and it's a major financial inclusion challenge in which the Group wants to take part through YUP," he adds.

The company says the service is based on an Agency Banking model, a network of third-party agents with whom the bank has formed partnerships (service stations, distribution trade, etc.).

YUP is accessible via a network of distributors equipped with adapted terminals and via the company's mobile banking app.

Customers can withdraw, deposit, and transfer money pay bills, buy phone credit, and make payments to merchants.

The solution also digitises corporates' payment flows. "Soon, financial services like payday advances, credit, savings products, and international transfers will be added," the company adds.
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15 September 2017

All You Need to Know About the Nokia 2, a Budget-Friendly Smartphone

It seems like only yesterday that Nokia, the fabled Finnish company behind the indestructible Nokia 3380, rose from the post-Microsoft grave with three new smartphones running Google’s Android operating system: The Nokia 8, the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3. But it’s just getting started.

Thanks to a strategic agreement with HMD Global, Nokia plans to release as many as six or seven phones in 2017. Leaks suggest the next might be the Nokia 2, a budget-friendly phone with a massive battery.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Nokia 2, including the rumored hardware, price tag, and release date.

Specs

The Nokia 2 won’t compete with flagships like the Apple iPhone X or Google Pixel, if leaked hardware specs are any indication. Instead, it’s shaping up to be Nokia’s answer to budget smartphones like the Lenovo Moto E4

Benchmarks in July suggest the Nokia 2 has a 5-inch HD (1,280 x 720 pixels) screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 or Snapdragon 212 processor paired with 1GB of RAM, and software based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Federal Communications Commission filings show it will pack a 4,000 mAh battery — the biggest on a Nokia handset this year —  and 8GB of internal storage.

Design

Product renders of the Nokia 2 (as first reported by Evan Blass) show a phone in line with Nokia’s new design language. Thick bezels pad the top and bottom, and a silver-accented band runs the length of all four sides. The corners are slightly curved, like the iPhone’s, and there is no home button to speak of; the only physical buttons are the power button and volume rocker on the right-hand side.

There is not much more to be gleaned from the renders, but the Nokia 2 appears to have a single front camera, a vertically oriented rear camera and flash, and a tiny back-firing loudspeaker in the lower left corner. The pic shows two colors, black and white. And if the LTE indicator on the screen is anything to go by, the Nokia 2 will support high-speed 4G cell networks.
Release date and price

We have a pretty good idea of what the Nokia 2 will look like, but we don’t know when it will be released.

Earlier rumors suggested that it would debut at Nokia’s London event on August 16 or its IFA press conference on August 31, but those dates came and went without an announcement. FCC filings tend to be a good indication that the launch date is not far away.

The Nokia 2’s pricing is easier to guess at. MySmartPrice claims the Nokia 2 will cost about $109, fitting squarely between the Nokia 3310 ($52) and the Nokia 3 ($157). That is a reasonable assumption — judging by the low-end hardware, it will almost certainly be cheaper than the Nokia 8 and Nokia 6.

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Auckland University of Technology Wins Overall Excellence Award for Innovation in ICT Education

Auckland University of Technology wins Overall Excellence Award at Microsoft Tertiary ICT Innovation Awards

Auckland University of Technology has taken the top prize, the Overall Excellence Award, at the Microsoft Tertiary ICT Innovation Awards. Presented at the Tertiary Education ICT Conference, the prize celebrates excellence in technology.

The Auckland University of Technology also received the Microsoft Excellence in Technology for Students Award trophy and $3,000 of Microsoft Innovative Technology Pack in recognition of its cutting-edge work.


Derek McCormack, Vice Chancellor of AUT said: “It is a real honour for our innovative Student Digital Workspace to win the Microsoft Excellence Award, and a great pleasure to be bringing the trophy back to AUT again. What is particularly gratifying this year is the recognition of our collaborative approach with our ICT Services, Student Services and Marketing teams, and the large part our students have played in this achievement.”

“Student Digital Workspace is a platform that supports and enhances the experience for each and every one of our students,” added Liz Gosling, CIO of AUT. “By doing this AUT now has a space that not only makes studying and learning enjoyable, fundamentally Student Digital Workspace is a place that our students want to come to and learn together.”

Katrien Pagnaer, Higher Education Lead at Microsoft New Zealand, said, “The conference theme for this year, Shaken, Not Stirred focuses on sharing key issues and opportunities for ICT in tertiary education, now and into the future. Along with 60’s spy chic, the theme investigates the impact digital innovation is having on higher education sector. We hope these awards will continue to encourage others in the sector to make the most of what technology has to offer.”

Held in Wellington as part of the 36th Annual Tertiary ICT Conference, the Microsoft Innovation Awards celebrate ICT excellence within the tertiary education sector. The two categories for the 2016 awards were:

1.    The Microsoft Award for Technology innovation: Otago Polytechnic for Enterprise Service Transformation.
2.    The Microsoft Award for Excellence in Technology for Learning, Research or Students: Auckland University of Technology for their Student Digital Workspace.

The Microsoft Innovation Awards is another example of Microsoft’s commitment to the education sector in New Zealand. Other initiatives include the Partners in Learning programme, local tertiary education alliances, and leading software solutions designed to facilitate learning through the use of ICT.

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14 September 2017

Broadband Can Help Achieve Sustainable Development Goals

DURBAN - A report released by the United Nations (UN) Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development says that broadband will play an important role in development.

According to the report broadband technologies today are a driving significant transformation in lots of sectors that are related to development such as health, food security, financial inclusion and education.

Therefore broadband will play a key role in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are:
No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health and Well Being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water and Sanitation
Affordable and Clean Energy
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action
Life Below Water
Life on Land
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Partnerships for the Goals
Digital technology and ICTs (information communication technology) offer big opportunities to help enhance the lives of people and improve development results. They also help achieve three of the goals mentioned above.

The report details the many ways that technology and ICTs are improving food security and putting an end to hunger; helping to improve health and well being and securing quality education that is inclusive for everyone.

Technology related to broadband are effective tools to promote nutrition including improving agriculture systems, bettering flexibility of food systems that could be affected by the economy or the climate and helping to improve knowledge of food choices.

Health in relation to technology have been important to improve the health of people in the past two decades. Now there has been a shift from making eHealth a small part of healthcare to making it central to strategic health planning. Broadband can serve as the support for future health systems by providing national eHealth strategies.

Broadband and ICT’s can be used in health sector to train health professionals through e-learning, connect distant communities with clinics and introduce electronic medical records.

Education in association with broadband can be used to boost education systems, increase access to information and drive learning.

The report states that ICT’s must be implemented into planning, curriculum, teacher training and schools.

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Samsung to Create US$300 Mln Fund for Connected Car, Autonomous Technologies

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's tech giant, said Thursday that it will create a US$300 million fund to strengthen its autonomous driving and other auto-related startups and technologies.

The Samsung Automotive Innovation Fund will focus on connected car and autonomous technologies, including smart sensors, artificial intelligence, connectivity solutions, automotive-grade safety solutions, security and privacy, according to Samsung.

The fund's first strategic investment will be in TTTech, a leader in functional safety, deterministic networking, real-time systems and complex software integration for an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) and automated driving platforms, Samsung said.

In addition to the fund, Harman International Industries, acquired by Samsung earlier this year, has established a new autonomous and ADAS business unit, Samsung said.

The two will focus on engineering, high-performance computing, sensor technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as connectivity and cloud solutions that enable ADAS and automated driving, it added.

Samsung has secured licenses for on-road testing of autonomous driving software and hardware under development in South Korea and California.

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ICT Education: The Loss of the Next Generation

The education system of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago must be reformed to cater for the next generation (Generation Y and the following).

The situation is so perilous that if we do not act quickly, intelligently and structurally, and begin this discussion and implement certain changes, Trinidad and Tobago as we know it today and during the years of plenty, may have economic problems, mass migration and experience heavy recessionary periods, following our once prosperous twin-island-state economy and ways of living.

We cannot continue to educate our human capital as we are doing and did over the past decades. The education system must equip graduates with more than certification via obsolete and ineffective learning methodologies.

Education today is not any more related—or proven—on what we achieve, in terms of formal education certifications only, but on what we can do; what we can produce; and how we can help our community, our country and the world. Too often as a nation we talk and give examples of successful educational systems. The time has reached where we must act.

There is growing interest and concern, globally, in the relation prevailing between education systems and whether and how the acquisition of 21st century skills could be part of the curriculum.

These skills are valued in the labour market. With growth stagnation and unemployment soaring worldwide, educators are mandated to focus more on producing graduates with skills that feed into labour demand and support the sustainable increase of employment.

Education policy- and decision-makers must be aware of the importance of transforming the curriculum, facilitation methodologies, classroom environments, assessment practices, cultural ideologies and ensure 21st-century thinking and competencies are seamlessly served throughout our education system. The time for politics in education cannot be an issue. The heritage, prosperity and economic sustainability of the country is at stake.

The 21st century is a unique era where change happens at alarming speeds and where these changes are felt globally. From access to the Internet to apps and driverless vehicles, almost everything has felt and responded to the new technological inventions, whether we want to believe it or not.

Teaching and learning have not been spared either, and has progressed from the era of the 1960s through the 1990s and have undergone even more transformations in the 21st century, in terms of pedagogy, curriculum, knowledge, acquisition of content for all disciplines, being a lifelong learner and what type of graduates this era requires.

Unfortunately, not all educational systems, institutions and countries have made the transition and reforms or are willing to do so. Trinidad and Tobago belongs to the group which has not been reforming its education system to meet the needs of the 21st century.

Education is key and the more advanced societies and economies are facing the challenges through reform based on research, analysis and practice. What is also clear is that the most successful educational systems today have been reforming their philosophy and implementing reforms based on the changing needs of their society and globalisation.

The time for the discussion to begin is now. The time for reform is now. The time to think about our future as a nation is now. Education has a very important part to play in this venture. The five-year plan proposed by the present Government is expected to ensure:

1. The establishment of an overarching information and communications technology (ICT)-driven (“digital”) agenda in the Education Policy;
2. Training and professional development of teachers and other educators;
3. Provision of adequate and appropriate ICT infrastructure in schools;
4. Curriculum reform to include ICT-infused lesson plans for students; and
5. Establishment of an ICT Steering Committee.

These plans are excellent. The best edu­cation systems in the world possess them; the difference is that they systematically implement their reforms. We as a nation here in Trinidad and Tobago always seem to be well informed in terms of what is to be done.

The problem continues to be the will at implementation. But now is the time to alter this. As policy and decision makers, an opportunity has arrived to put nation first and prepare our next generation for a world that we know nothing about.

The least we can do is create a platform from which graduates will have the competencies to develop themselves and become life-long learners. A comprehensive plan is required and if 21st century competencies are not a part of the policy, then it is futile. Does anyone want to start the dialogue? Is anyone interested in education reform?

Visit Source ...Steve Warner

Online Language Learning Market to Make a Huge Impact in Near Future in Global Market and Forecast up to 2017-2021

Online language learning consists of digital content and solutions that facilitate the learning of
languages through ICT tools and platforms, such as mobile apps, e-Books, games, videos, audio clips, digital software, learning lab equipment, and online tutoring. These tools and avenues are interactive, allow real-time feedback, and enhance learning processes as they involve different formats to impart information. Among the languages spoken globally, English has emerged as the most preferred language to learn followed by Mandarin Chinese.


New research report on Online Language Learning presents an in-depth study of the market. Providing a brief history about the market, the report analyses the entire value chain of the market and points out the key drivers and restraints affecting the growth of the market during the forecast period. The report also analyses the market attractiveness and the effect of Porter’s Five Forces on the various factors governing the overall Online Language Learning market.

Companies Profiled in this report includes, Linguatronics LC, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone Inc., Speexx, Sanako Corporation, Lesson Nine GmbH, SANS Inc., Culture Alley, EF Education First Ltd., Voxy,  Inc.

For Sample copy of this Report visit @: http://qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=52335

The report studies the different product segments and end-user applications segment of the Online Language Learning market. Compiling important data from relevant sources, the report estimates the growth of individual segments of the market. Also, the market size and the growth rate of each of the market segments have been discussed in the report. The report pays very special attention to the growth exhibited by the Online Language Learning market in key geographic segments and talks about all the favorable conditions propelling the market growth. Growth trajectory of the market across the key geographic segments is discussed in the report.

Reason to Access the Online Language Learning Market Research Report:

The report is presented in a clear and concise manner so that readers can understand the market structure and dynamics effectively. Recent trends and developments in the Global Online Language Learning market have been analyzed. Opportunities leading to the growth of the market have been analyzed and stated. The report focuses on the global Online Language Learning market, and answers some of the most critical questions stakeholders are currently facing across the globe. Information about the size of the market (by the end of the forecast year), companies that are most likely to scale up their competitive abilities, leading segments, and challenges impeding the growth of the market are given.

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Information Technology Job Offers at IIT-Bombay Dips this Placement Season

MUMBAI: The information technology sector, which usually hogs the limelight during placements at the Indian Institutes of Technology, picked fewer candidates than the previous years, indicating that the industry was at its low point. On the other hand, research and development companies (R&D) saw an upswing and hired many more IIT-B graduates in 2016-17.

Interestingly, companies across most sectors, barring finance, consulting, FMCG and PSUs, picked more MTech candidates than BTech students. For instance, the IT space picked 79 MTech candidates versus 73 undergraduates. R&D companies also hired 49 postgraduate students and 37 BTech graduates.

But this year, fewer IIT-B students bagged annual salaries of over Rs 11 lakh during campus placements. While 435 candidates were offered these top-slot jobs last year, in 2016-17, 403 candidates saw salary offers crossing the Rs 11-lakh mark this time.
A total of 158 jobs were offered to IIT-B graduates on day 1 of campus placements. In all, 305 recruiters landed on campus and made 1,114 offers taking the average annual salary to Rs 11.41 lakh. The Powai institute did not reveal its 2015-16 average annual salary offer. The total number of international firm offers this time was around 67 and there were 59 pre-placement offers.

"Over the years, pre-placement offer has been a growing trend of hiring talent from IIT-B," said the placement report. For the placement season 2017-18, which began in July, 110 students have received pre-placement offers till Wednesday. "Despite the challenging market situation, IIT-B managed to maintain good interest among the recruiting firms. Over the years, there has been a gradual increase in the number of companies visiting the campus," stated the placement report.

Interestingly, 'budding' start-ups were avoided for the 2017-18 placement season as similar offers from the previous year were either delayed or revoked. "But still, the informal work culture, opportunity to make immediate and visible contributions and chance to own equity seem to attract students to start-ups," it said.

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Foundation Harps on Digital Information Literacy

THE Gani Adams Foundations (GAF) has joined the world to celebrate the World Literacy Day.

Fifty-one years ago, United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)  proclaimed September 8 as International Literacy Day to mobilise the international community to promote literacy as an instrument for empowerment.

The Osun Hall of the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja venue of the event, was filled with intellectuals, cultural enthusiasts, media practitioners, teachers and pupils who lent their voices to the importance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the 20th century.

GAF’s Chairman/Managing Director, Otunba Gani Adams, who was excited with this year’s theme: ‘Literacy in the digital world’, underscored the need for Africans to shift from ‘analogue operation’.
In her lecture titled: ‘Literacy in a digital world’, Dr Kemi Ojemoghaat of the Department of Adult Education, University of Lagos (UNILAG), described digital literacy as a sine qua non to living, adding that technology dictates communication and interaction within mankind.

She called on the government to make digital literacy affordable, and create a link between the teaching of ICT in schools and industries.

She said: “A survey conducted by Research ICT Africa in 2011, disclosed that 70 per cent of non- internet users in Nigeria say affordability is the main reason for not using the internet. The majority of internet users in Nigeria access it exclusively using mobile devices. Smart phones and tablets have become very popular in Nigeria.

“Nevertheless, a mobile broadband cost is high for most people in a country like Nigeria where low per capita incomes subsists.’’

She continued: “The ICT curriculum does not provide the skills that industry value. Despite support from the government, many ICT teachers still do not have the qualifications or knowledge to teach the computing curriculum. Given the pace of technological advances, it will always be a challenge for schools to keep up with the latest innovations.”

A retired professor of African Philosophy at UNILAG, Sophie Oluwole, lamented the loss of Yoruba oral tradition, which according to her, forms the bedrock of knowledge acquisition.
Ifa, Oluwole explained, is a warehouse of knowledge, which cuts across all disciplines including ICT, if acquired.

“If Ifa has over 256 odu and yet our fore fathers without the knowledge of reading and writing, were able to not only memorise, but also passed same to the next generation. Unfortunately, the influence of modern religions have made those practice look fetish or Satanic to an average Yoruba. But I can tell you that Ifa is the bedrock of intellectual knowledge which can be learned to derive new inspirations in engineering, science,and ICT, just name it.”

Oluwole said it was not too late for Nigeria to ape Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and Malaysia, which have attained technological advancement through adoption of their mother tongue as official languages.

Adams said he was praised the UN for the choice of the theme.

“I love this year’s theme,” he said.

“Truth is, the world is going digital and the United Nations through the theme, is challenging us to drastically reduce our analogue way of doing things.

“Some developed societies no longer conduct their activities manually. Even some corporate bodies and institutions are going digital. Some conduct paperless meetings. This reduces work load or hauling of papers and files from one office to another.

“For instance, the mobile phones we use have several applications beyond mere making and receiving calls; unfortunately, most of us only use it to make calls, and failing to utilise other apps for knowledge possession.”

Adams said GAF had identified with the UN through propagating, organising interactive sessions and giving educational materials to schools.

Source...

Micronet Offers SQA ICT Courses

MICRONET International College (MIC) is offering the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) courses in Brunei Darussalam, providing quality education and wider options for enthusiasts dreaming to join the ICT industry.

Working across the United Kingdom and internationally, Scottish Qualifications Authority is based in Scotland (UK) and acknowledged by government organisations, universities, businesses and individuals throughout the world. SQA is sponsored by the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate. SQA courses offered at the college are accredited by the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council (BDNAC).

The SQA courses available at the college range from National Certificate to Higher National Diploma (HND) level. Those with four GCE ‘O’ Level or four IGCSE ‘O’ Level passes, or BDTVEC Skill Certificate 2 in Information Technology or other acceptable qualifications are eligible to apply for the SQA National Certificate in Mobile Technology.

Upon completion, learners can proceed to the Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Information Technology or NCC Level 4 Diploma in Computing. Learners can further leverage their skills as they progress to HND, such as the SQA HND courses of HND Computer Science, HND Computing (Software Development), HND Computing (Networking) and HND Computing (Technical Support).

Upon graduation, learners can pursue their degree locally or abroad.

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13 September 2017

Local ICT Players: the Impact on Work Integrated Learning

In the spirit of good corporate citizenship, organisations both in the public and private sectors in Namibia have an active role to play when it comes to Work Integrated Learning (WIL) internship initiatives by the local Tertiary Institutions. La Trobe University defined Work Integrated Learning as an umbrella term used to describe a range of approaches that integrate theory with the practice of work within a purposefully designed curriculum.

In Namibia specifically, it has been found that many tertiary students have limited options when it comes to internship opportunities even though it is an academic requirement during their final year of studies before obtaining their respective qualifications.

However, some students have experienced challenges in this regard and as a result, they have had some delays with obtaining their qualifications when they have not had an opportunity to complete the work integrated learning programme. Another concern is that most graduates lack real world experience as they have not been exposed to work integrated learning.

The purpose of the WIL programme ultimately is for students to undertake an internship to enable them to apply theoretical knowledge gained from their studies in a practical setting. Tertiary institutions look to the various industries to provide controlled working environment in the form of job placement opportunities in this regard.

Although different organisations may have different requirements and arrangements as far as their WIL programmes are concerned, those who have incorporated this initiative in their operations have made a significant impact in this regard. In fact, most Namibian professionals started out as interns and with hard work, dedication and the right attitude they grew in their professions.

Green Enterprise Solutions, a local company that provides Information and Communication Technology (ICT); has also opened its doors to college and university students for internship opportunities. The company has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Namibian University of Science and Technology to take in their students for work integrated learning.

Over the past six years to date, Green has housed a number of students from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), University of Namibia (UNAM), Institute of Information Technology (IIT), International University of Management (IUM) and Lingua College.

For Green, the internship programme offers a wide range of opportunities for students to gain insight in the technical and administrative programmes of ICT, namely in software development, infrastructure technologies, networking and security, warranty services, project management, sales and marketing.

The duration of Green internships is between three to six months or longer, depending on the internship guide and requirements as well as performance of the interns.

At an induction session earlier last week, Green’s managing director Llewellyn le Hane highlighted that as a Namibian company, it is important to actively participate in this programme else Namibia will not have local capable resources to contribute to the development of Namibia with bespoke ICT solutions.

Present at the event was Carol Millward, NUST’s industry liaison officer who motivated the NUST intakes to take this opportunity seriously and make the most out of it. Millward added she was humbled to have been part of this session and hopes many other industry players will continue to support NUST and other tertiary institutions in this programme.

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Open Educational Resources Critical to Sustain Africa's Higher Learning


According to Professor Johannes Cronje, Dean of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the sustainability of higher education in Africa is inextricably linked to freely accessible and education-focused online resources or open educational resources (OER).

Cronje presented a keynote at the 10th annual eLearning Update, an event he organised, and said, "OER would be something similar to Wikipedia, or classes that Harvard, Yale or the Khan Academy make available for free. Typically, any resource that people make available for educational purposes."

In a post-event interview with ITWeb Africa, Cronje said there needs to be more OER available throughout Africa, which continues to face a shortage of teachers and classroom space.

"With OER at the moment in South Africa, what we see is that there's a strong move towards using them, but we have a problem with producing them. And that often has to do with universities and even the government's general policies around intellectual property.
"So if you produce them (OER), people could say that you are giving away intellectual property, and we're saying, 'actually you're not, but simply contributing to a growing selection of OER'," he continues.

Cronje also believes that there is not enough financial investment in Africa's higher education and compares the education system in Finland to that of Africa to emphasise his point.

"Look at the amount of money the education system in Finland spends on a child, where you have 15 students in a class, with a teacher who has a master's degree and a teacher's assistant, as opposed to 40 students with one teacher in the South African classroom ... where does the teacher get time to change their ways if they need to do all that preparation and so on?"

Other ICT leaders have also expressed the need for Africa to rapidly adopt technology in education.

At the Responsible Business Forum, which took place recently in Johannesburg, ICT leaders underlined the significance of digital, innovative and remote education.

Huawei South Africa's deputy CEO Jacky Zhang said ICT can create new learning platforms and make radical improvements in the quality and availability of education, while Shane Wall, HP's CTO and global head of HP Labs, warned the continent will experience a shortage of six million primary school teachers by 2030.

The message to accelerate adoption has filtered through to businesses and NGOs, many of whom are participating in eLearning conferences to help address challenges and identify opportunities – including the eLearning Africa conference taking place in Mauritius from 27 to 29 September.

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World Congress on Information Technology opens in Taipei

The World Congress on Information Technology officially opened Sept. 11 in Taipei City, drawing nearly 4,000 captains of industry, government officials and IT experts from 80 countries and territories for one of the most influential high-tech gatherings in the world.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said in her opening address that the event represents an excellent opportunity to share best practices and strengthen international collaboration in promoting the digital economy and smart applications.

According to the president, the government is leaving no stone unturned in transforming Taiwan into a smart nation. Measures like the Asia Silicon Valley and DIGI-plus initiatives will establish the country as a benchmark in fostering emerging technologies and strengthen supply chain integration with major economies across the world, she said.

Taiwan welcomes foreign businesses and talents to explore the nation’s economic environment and cooperate with local companies in the development of innovative products and services in such fields as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, Tsai added.

In his address, Minister without Portfolio Wu Tsung-tsong, who is responsible for technological development policies, said Taiwan is willing to share its expertise in digital economy promotion with countries around the world. In this regard, he announced the launch of the Digital Nation Alliance, an annual forum to boost international collaboration and address the key issues highlighted at the WCIT.

Co-organized by the Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and U.S.-headquartered World Information Technology and Services Alliance, the 21st WCIT is themed Living the Digital Dream.

Running through Sept. 13 in Taipei, the WCIT features business-to-business matchmaking, a CEO summit on IoT innovation, a high-tech exhibition, keynote speeches, a leaders’ round table on circular economy practices, and a raft of parallel conferences and activities. In addition, various preshow events were staged Sept. 10, including matchmaking sessions and the Gogoro Bike Carnival, which showcased products from the Taiwan-based electric scooter manufacturer.

Launched 39 years ago in Barcelona, the congress has taken place annually since 2016. It is the flagship event of WITSA, whose members make up 90 percent of the global information and communication technology market. (SFC-E)

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12 September 2017

iPhone 8 Leaks Reveal Name, Colors and Features





A few days before Apple finally unveils its next iPhone, more details about the device are coming into focus — including what Apple's going to call it.
Several well-sourced leaks have trickled out iPhone details ahead of the phone's Sept. 12 debut, covering everything from the colors Apple will features on the new phone to new features like face recognition and animated emoji. Here's a rundown of what's emerged about the iPhone X, which is apparently what Apple plans to call its new high-end phone.

What's In a Name: iPhone X

That's right: firmware spotted by developer Steve Troughton-Smith indicates that Apple is going with iPhone X as the moniker for its 5.8-inch phone with an OLED screen and minimal bezels. The name is likely an allusion to the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, which first hit the market in 2007.

MORE: iPhone 8 vs. Note 8: How They'll Compare
But that doesn't mean an iPhone 8 won't be part of Apple's lineup. That same firmware hint found by Troughton-Smith also mentions an iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. These are likely the modest updates to the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus that Apple has been planning to release alongside the iPhone X.
While those phones won't be quite the radical departure from past iPhones that the iPhone X is expected to be — they'll likely keep the LCD screens that Apple has used on its phone instead of the OLED panel slated for the iPhone X — they're still expected to introduce some improvements over Apple's current phones. For one thing, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are likely to feature an A11 CPU; they're also expected to add wireless charging, which would necessitate a glass design.

Those changes are apparently enough to convince Apple to go with the iPhone 8 naming convention instead of tacking on an "S" as it's done with previous updates to the iPhone 5 and 6 lineups.
Colors: White, Black, Gold
You had a good run, rose gold. But a research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who tends to be wired in on Apple's component plans, contends that the next iPhone will come in white, black, and gold casings.

That's largely consistent with previous reports on the iPhone's expected colors, though those reports claimed that Apple would opt for silver, black, and gold. The gold color has been described as "champagne gold" in some quarters, though it has a more copper-like hue to it.

The more interesting part of Kuo's report on colors, which was published at 9to5Mac, concerns the notch on the front of the iPhone. Regardless of the color of the phone's casing, Kuo says that notch will be black.

That's significant, as it will help give the iPhone X an appearance of an edge-to-edge screen. While the new phone is expected to minimize bezels on the top and bottom of its display, the new design will reportedly feature a notch that dips down into the top of the screen, to house both the front camera and ear-piece. Making the notch black will cause it to stand out less, though it still could be problematic when you run apps with a lighter background.

Other Features

Meanwhile, 9to5Mac also got its hands on the gold master for iOS 11 and has found more details about what you can expect from the next iPhone.

MORE: Hidden iOS 11 Features

Let's start with facial recognition, which is expected to replace TouchID as the way you unlock your phone. (With the screen taking up most of the real estate on the iPhone's front, there's no place for a TouchID sensor, and Apple's reportedly been unable to find a way to make it work underneath the display.) The iOS 11 GM calls this feature Face ID and includes an animated tutorial for setting it up.
Expect a new look for emojis in Apple's Messages app. Called Animoji, they're animated emoji characters — 9to5Mac's report includes a dog, cat, robot and monkey — that will incorporate facial tracking and voice recognition in their animations.

9to5Mac also found a new camera feature called Portrait Lighting, which is an enhancement to the depth-of-focus feature Apple introduced with last year's Portrait Mode on the dual lens iPhone 7 Plus. There are few details on the feature, but 9to5Mac speculates that it's related to using the flash when creating a bokeh effect on photos.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Pre-orders Highest Among Note Series

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) on Tuesday said pre-orders for its Galaxy Note 8 premium smartphone have hit the highest-ever for the Note series, beating its predecessor Note 7 over five days by about 2.5 times.

Samsung is banking on the device to protect its market dominance as it competes with Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) latest iPhones due to be unveiled later on Tuesday. Note 8 sales begin in the United States, South Korea and elsewhere on Friday.

Pre-orders reached about 650,000 Note 8 handsets over five days from about 40 countries, making the initial response “very encouraging,” DJ Koh, president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile communications business, said at a media event.

The device succeeds the short-lived Note 7, whose battery fires resulted in Samsung pulling the device from the market after just a couple of months at a cost of billions of dollars.

Its reputation tarnished, the world’s biggest smartphone maker by market share nevertheless decided to retain the Note brand after a survey showed 85 percent of 5,000 Galaxy Note users expressed brand loyalty, Koh said.

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Digital Technologies Can Boost Literacy, Education: Experts

Islamabad :A ceremony was organised at to mark the World Literacy Day here on Saturday at Islamabad Model College for Girls, Sector I-9/1.

The guest speakers including former MNA Bushra Anwar, Area Education Officer Dr Shafqat Ali Janjua, Jamil Asghar Bhatti, and Sibtain Raza Lodhi highlighted the importance of literacy and education for personal and social growth.

The speakers urged the provincial governments to increase the education budget and take up serious efforts to increase literacy and address the challenge of out of school children. As many as three teachers Tasleem Naz, Nourin Fazal, Mahjabeen Aslam and Kiran and five students of the college including Saba Solangi, Kushaf, Maria Ahmad, Ashna, and Barrera Ahmad also spoke on the occasion. A group of students also sang a song especially prepared in the context of spreading education.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed who was the guest of honour said that the digital world provides immense connectivity, networking and learning opportunities for the ICT literate students, youth and the teaching professionals. On the other hand, it helps in high calibre remote teaching to the children living in far flung parts of the country.

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Business Opportunity in ICT Revolution


President Robert Mugabe has said local business leaders should always strive to be employers, taking advantage of the revolution happening in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

“We do not want to be always employees, we also want to be employers, even better employers,” Mugabe said at the official opening of the Bindura Community Information Centre on Saturday.

The centre is the eighth to be officially opened by Mugabe following those in Masvingo, Manicaland, Matabeleland North,
Matabeleland South, Midlands, Mashonaland East and Murombedzi.

ICT, Postal and Courier Services minister Supa Mandiwanzira said the ministry was doing a lot in the ICT sector, urging the business community to take advantage of the revolution.
“The initiative to computerise our communities is also a huge opportunity for the business community. You were interacting with them on Thursday, and one of the most important things industry must do is to retool and this includes a very important component which is ICTs.

“The business community should see the opportunity on the work that we are doing through you President. These computers are imported, but they should be assembled in this country, the smart phones we are importing should be manufactured in this country. We are inviting the business community to see these opportunities,” he said.

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Tackling Cyber Security Breaches


Internet accessibility has only enabled the critical role of information technology in our daily lives. It has always been an inevitable part of organizational functioning, however access to the internet puts a lot of power in the hands of organizations and individuals alike.

Some recent examples include the leaking of several episodes from the wildly popular Game of Thrones series. While fans eagerly awaited to see what happens next, little did they realize that this excitement would be dampened by spoilers spread across the internet and social media.

The latest season of the hit fantasy TV show has been marred by several cyber security breaches. Apart from the hackers’ attack, the channel itself leaked the penultimate sixth episode accidentally.

This has been an example of C-suite executives everywhere that even one-time cyber-security threats can greatly hamper a business, regardless of its size. In spite of its scale, the company has been reeling, attempting to fix holes in their cyber-security procedures while keeping up with Game of Thrones fan hysteria.

In fact, its size makes it more vulnerable to the negative impacts that such instances can have on its reputation and revenue. Organizations must ensure that they accord top priority to data security as any low-level threat can percolate to the wider network and cause the organization to face financial penalties, lose revenues, incur customer wrath and have its brand image and future business suffer.
The cons of a security breach

A Drain on Money and Other Resources


The first and foremost impact of a breach is the economic losses to an organization, which go beyond just sales. Once confidential data is leaked, companies would need to spend heavily on forensics to investigate the breach as well as re-establishing stricter security protocols. Lawyer fees, filing of lawsuits and payment of fines to data protection authorities, all add up. Further, resources of time, energy and money are diverted to fire-fighting rather than growth and development. Companies should just avoid incurring double costs and disruptions by having cybersecurity hygiene from the get-go.

Loss of trade secrets/Disruption of Operations


Computer hacking primarily involves theft of proprietary and confidential information such as research, strategies, and financial reports. Compromised information and intellectual property can make an organization fall behind its competition by affecting its business operations and continuity.

Loss of trust and valuation


Customer relationship is built on trust and such attacks can lead to loss in reputation for a service provider. Cyberattacks can damage the reputation of a company and shake the faith that its customers place in it. A study conducted recently has shown that there is a strong relation between cyber breach in a company and its share price performance with some breaches having wiped off as much as 15% off companies' stock market valuations. For instance, Yahoo’s massive hacks raised questions on the company's deal to sell itself to Verizon Communications.

The lesson to be learnt


It is imperative for companies to be proactive about putting resilient systems in place to safeguard a company against possible cyber-security threats. There are courses available which can equip people with the core concepts of network security and an in-depth understanding of cybersecurity mechanisms. Here are some other things to consider for professionals and executives in any organisation working with technology-based systems:

Invest in protection


This assumes importance as technologies which help protect against possible breaches can detect network intrusions before hackers have the chance to access sensitive data. Assessing and identifying organizational vulnerabilities and then formulating procedures to avoid them is the very first step. Some companies choose to employ a security firm for this or many prefer specialised training for their own trusted and employed professionals.

Educate employees


Very often, employees may unknowingly download viruses, install unauthorized software, register weak passwords or transfer work files to their home computers. This can result in data breaches and vulnerabilities. It is important to educate employees about best practices and how they can use the internet securely. Besides the education of employees, management and senior executives should also undergo basic training. One such course that we offer at Acadgild is 'Ethical Hacking' which introduces people to hacking concepts, network security, viruses, sniffers, cryptography and more.

Encrypt company data


There is research to back the fact that about 60% of those companies who faced a data breach did not encrypt their data. This is an essential step to avoid possible hacking and loss of information.

Screen vendors


Organizations that provide any third-party with access to confidential data, must do some research on their policies. This will help in understanding whether they comply with security best practices. The first Game of Thrones leak occurred owing to an outsourced agency that did some work for HBO’s Indian content distribution partner.

In conclusion

Apart from all the above measures, organizations should have a contract in place that protects them from liability in case of a security breach. Technology is bringing the world together and therefore, the likelihood of cyber-attacks will only amplify in the future. However, companies should constantly update themselves about both the scale and sophistication of cyber security threats and take adequate precautions to safeguard themselves.

(The author is President and Co-founder, Acadgild. Views expressed above are his own)

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