Written by: Evan Leonard, President
Last year I mentioned how cloud computing and on-demand services are becoming increasingly available to a broader amount of businesses and consumers alike. This year, the cloud continued to grow and adapt, but people are forgetting the security flaws that come with this shift in technology. “Available Anywhere, Anytime” translates to “Susceptible Anywhere, Vulnerable At All Times”. People using these services generally have a minimal understanding of technology, and it’s up to the providers of these services to secure its data and educate their customers.
One of the most interesting of these “breaches” was the alleged breach into SnapChat, a social networking mobile application. SnapChat allows you to send pictures to someone that promise to automatically delete after a designated period of time. However, people don’t realize that once the pictures “self-destruct” they are still stored somewhere; and so, there was news earlier this year that someone “hacked” into their servers. People panicked that the “private” pictures they shared, along with their personal account information would be on display for all the world to see (aka: The Snappening). The company immediately refuted the claims that their data-center was breached, and instead pointed out that the hack was done through a 3rd-party add-on, which SnapChat points out in their user-agreement they do not support such services. This worries me because even if the provider is doing all they can, the rest is still on you. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of these types of “breaches” in 2015.
After 21 years of business, each seems to bring new adventures and challenges to overcome. 2014 was no different. We grew again this year yet at the same time needed to deal with lots of changes. Changing a tire on a moving car is very difficult, and trying to change two is nearly impossible. With all the changes we made from policies & procedures to personnel, it created new challenges for us as well.
With the commitment from employees and ownership, we were able to overcome these obstacles with the goal of becoming a better company. You really know what kind of people and clients you have when faced with adversity. As a company, and more importantly as a team, we rose to the occasion, dug in and worked hard. I am proud of our employees because they showed how much they cared. They care not only for themselves, but for the clients we serve and the company they work for.
In 2015, I expect our clients to benefit from these changes and for all of us to have another successful year. Technology evolves fast, faster than any person or business. The digital revolution may be a few years underway now, but CHIPS recognizes the need to adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace, and we embrace our willingness to change in order to provide a better experience for our clientele.
I would like to personally thank each and every one of our clients for another great year. At CHIPS, our goal is not only to optimize your technology, but to optimize your business as well. If there is anything we can do to better service your company, please let me know (eleonard@chipstechnologygroup.com) since we take tremendous pride in making our client’s technology experience a great one. I can’t thank you enough for allowing CHIPS to be your partner in servicing you for all your technology needs.
