October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Initiatives like Cybersecurity Awareness Month are great because they remind us to shake it up a bit. Do something different. Inject some fun into it. After all, if you don’t get buy-in from your staff and colleagues, its just a box-ticking exercise. We've put together 5 simple ideas you can action in your organisation.

At heart, we are all optimists. We’re also very trusting. When it comes to tech; the internet, devices, software — we believe that by default they are secure. The reality is they’ve become so complicated that it's impossible to avoid security issues and errors. We need to take ownership of our security. Because of the interconnected nature of everything we do, no one provider can take that responsibility so it's up to us.

The Data Protection Commission has issued a warning that from October website owners will no longer get away with offering a banner that says "OK" to all cookies. We set out the three essential steps you need to take to make sure your cookies are done right.

We're all optimists by nature and we're all busy. This doesn't bode well for dealing with our cybersecurity. With 43% of all cybercrime aimed at small business, I've been working on a solution that gives small businesses a piece of the cybersecurity pie. And it's based on my 'just one thing' principle which does away with the overwhelm and the fear factor.

The WhatsApp Hijacking scam is doing the rounds again. Here's everything you need to know and to protect yourself. Social Engineering is designed to trick us into handing information over - the best way to protect yourself is to make sure security settings look after you when your guard might be down.

Do you backup your WordPress website? What security plugins should you install on your WordPress website? Every day Google takes down thousands of sites for phishing and malware. We break it down into simple tasks you can do (even if you're not techy) and show you how to protect your business website.

Everyone is navigating the regulations required for re-opening, all the whilst trying to run a business and recover economically. Whether it's your staff or your customers or even kids attending sports activities, you might be taking temperatures on arrival. And there are data protection implications. Download the guidance from the Data Protection Commission.

Hackers only need to be lucky once. You need to be lucky every time. Here are 5 tools you can use in business to help keep you safe. No technical expertise required!

Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts have become the normal way to hold meetings and classes now. All these platforms have inherent risks, especially for our children. While this article focuses on Zoom, many of the general recommendations would apply to any of the platforms. Advice and recommendations for teachers and parents.

If someone gets into your email account they really do have the keys to your kingdom. There's enough personal info in your stored emails for them to take over your identity in minutes. Password reset requests are your biggest risk. Take 10 minutes to follow the steps towards a safer Gmail account.

Has your Zoom account been hacked? If you've re-used your password its possible they're just logging in with your details. Are you worried about zoombombing and how safe Zoom is to use? We help you with a handy list of which settings to use on Zoom to stay safe and secure.

With remote working a viable option for reducing the spread of Covid-19, what should employers consider? Having a remote working policy in place is your first step. Put in place clear guidelines setting out your expectations and best practices to follow. Top-of-mind should be cybersecurity. Your team may be accessing the corporate network and bear in mind there will be less stringent controls in place to protect your data. We set out what to consider and how to stay safe when working from home or remotely.

As employers, you may have questions and concerns about data protection and how it relates to managing COVID-19 in your workplace. The Data Protection Commission has released some helpful guidance for you. Typical questions include whether you can disclose information about employees to their colleagues, and what questions you can ask of visitors to your premises.

Create a cyber aware workforce with security awareness training. Fear is counterproductive, empowerment works better. We educate through personal, interactive sessions bringing the user onboard by explaining the 'why' behind cybercrime. Key is having the knowledge to act and become part of the solution, not the problem. Download our free security awareness questionnaire to see how cyber aware your team is.

Barbara Martin Coppola, Chief Digital Officer for Ingka Group explains the steps to embed data ethics into everything they do in a simple and transparent way. Ikea puts the customer in control of their data with an interactive privacy policy that's rooted in good UX design. Is this the future of data privacy and privacy policies?

Why do I need a Privacy Policy for my website? Can I copy someone else's privacy policy? How do I make a privacy policy? I don't have a website, why do I need one? Find out why your Privacy Policy is such an essential document, especially if you're a small business.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. If GDPR is still on your list of 'to do's', fear not —we've got you and its never too late to start. Take it 'one bite at a time'. Start with where you're visible and where you're vulnerable. With an increase in security breaches and ransomware attacks, customers and website visitors are now much more aware of GDPR and with it, their rights to data privacy. Don't get caught out.

Allow me to share my Twitter tale with you. The website was finally ready to go live so I announced I was officially in business. The 140 character limit didn't give me space to talk about the clients that came before the website. But there's always one, especially on Twitter....

Travelex are just the most recent high profile victims but Ransomeware is a growing trend and everyone is vulnerable.All it takes is someone clicking a link in a spam email or activating macros in a malicious document without having proper security software in place.In a few seconds, all your data will be encrypted and you'll have just a few days to pay a ransom in bitcoin to get it back. And there's no guarantee you will.

Cyber Security: 10 things you can do today that will make a difference. 1. Password Manager - The vegetables of the internet - you know they're good for you and you should use one but....Installing a password manager is the single thing you can do that will have the most impact when it comes to security. Manage your movers and leavers. Stop the same password being used in multiple places. Get rid of that excel spreadsheet that has all your passwords written down. Instantly you're more secure.

At the heart of data protection is ethics, sound business practice and accountability. If it doesn't feel right, chances are it isn't. Reducing the volume of data you store, the less at risk you are and the more targeted and efficient your marketing can be. How many people have an email box of sent items they mean to clear out?

The first two pillars —Know your Data and Protect your Data — cover the fundamentals of GDPR. The third pillar— Love your Data— is your reward at the end. The size of the reward is up to and will depend on how far you want to venture into Business Intelligence. My recommendation, give it a try. Once you realise how powerful your data is the rewards are infinite.