What Would Happen if I Continued Using WindowsXP?
So WindowsXP ended its mainstream support cycle around 2009. It's only been receiving security updated since that time and they're scheduled to shut down around April 8, 2014.
Moving off of WindowsXP in favor of a more modern operating system (Windows7, Windows8, Mac OSX, or Linux) would be greatly desirable. The longer time goes on beyond April, the more at-risk your machine becomes. XP is a vulnerable operating system.
But let's pretend for a minute that you wanted to keep XP for a while longer? What would happen? Will is just stop working?
No, actually. It will keep working as it had been. Here's some of the risks though:
1. Over time, your system will become increasingly more vulnerable to threats that emerge beyond April 2014.
2. New software won't be made for XP, so content from stores or delivered over the web will stop working for you over time.
3. New antivirus definitions won't be shipped to you and will also increase your vulnerability.
4. You will become a target. Virus writers know that humans don't like change and that you're hanging on to that old machine, and they'll write code to exploit the fact that you're still using it.
5. New hardware isn't going to work because OEM's won't be writing driver software for them on the XP platform.
Sure, it'll continue to work, but staying on XP won't be a great strategy for a business looking to meaningfully control their technology risk. Doing so will only exacerbate the risk. And if you're running any kind of point of sale (POS) software on this platform, you'll fall out of PCI compliance, further putting your firm at risk.
if you own a business, don't take chances. Replace the XP box at your earliest opportunity. Regrettably, there's no upgrade possible here ... The box pretty much needs to be replaced. Talk to you tech professional for getting this done before too much time goes on beyond April.
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Friction
Friction is the measure of error rate and lost time associated with human interactions in a business process. Here's why you should you be tackling friction in your small business ... and why it matters to you as an individual.
Replacing labor is only part of the problem. Think about how technology improves customer service and satisfaction.
This is an image of a woman enjoying one of 7,000 McDonalds kiosks in their European stores.
McDonalds installed the kiosks to reduce friction.
Friction are human touch-points in your business process.
It's any time that labor must intervene to get something done.
Labor:
- Is inherently unreliable. They may or may not show up for work; may require sick or family leave; may require more training to do the work with higher quality.
- Is inherently error-prone. Humans make mistakes. Especially in repetition.
- Is inherently slow. People can only work so fast. They are limited by their limbs, mind, focus, and attention.
- Is inherently costly. Add up the opportunity cost of slow, error-prone, and unreliable to determine a basis for their expense, and, a for a return on technology investment.
Thus, technology investment is used by businesses to reduce friction, reduce human interaction, and either contain the cost of growth, or, lower costs to an organization.
If your company isn't investing in technology to reduce friction, your competitors are, every day building themselves the capability to work faster, smarter, and less expensively than you.
US Corporations have experienced the most profitable years on record recently because of their fervor in attacking friction. They're driven by the profit motive. Businesses will never stop investing in technology to lower labor's influence in their processes.
So you must ask yourself two questions:
1. In what ways are you investing in technology today to reduce friction and remain competitive?
2. In what ways am I redundant as labor - do I create friction - and thus at risk at losing my job?
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10 Things You Can Do to Enhance Your Privacy and Security Online
Safeguarding your Personal Private Information (PPI) and thwarting identity thieves is your responsibility; nobody else is going to do it for you. And if you aren't taking reasonable precautions, you're likely to become a victim. Here's a couple of practical tips for safeguarding your PPI from wrong-doers.
Get a Secure Physical Mailbox.
Take a look at your mailbox. You know: that little tin drop box used to house your most confidential PPI ever? If you can't lock it, why are you using it? Remedy that. Get a secure mailbox at The UPS Store or your local postal service. Addendum: make all of your critical utility and consumer banking payments electronically and reduce the need for physical mail entirely. The less PPI that transfers in the actual mail, the better.
Get a Dedicated Credit Card.
Set up a credit/debit account with your financial institution that's exclusively used for all of your online purchases. It should be a unique account and separate from all of your other assets. Run online purchases through this account. Kill the card and account at any time without any real consequence to your actual banking accounts.
Use Complex Passwords.
A complex password is a password that's at least 10 characters long, mixed-case, with meta-characters like punctuation in it. Example: G0lfc0urs3! - read as "Golfcourse". Why? It takes a typical microcomputer 5 minutes to hack a simple password and over 500 years to crack the variability of a complex password. The time it takes to hack a complex password is an effective deterrent. Yeah, it's tough to remember, and that's the point. Convenience is the enemy of security. Don't make it convenient for somebody to hack you.
Don't Use the Same Password Everywhere.
Okay, sure, using multiple passwords can be a pain, but - hey, didn't I just say this? - convenience is the enemy of security. If somebody hacks one account and it's easy to guess the credential to other accounts. That kind of behavior only makes you more vulnerable.
Ditch Facebook ... or Constrain It.
Facebook is a huge repository of consumer PPI and it's only becoming more sophisticated at revealing private details about your life to others. Those details make it easier to case (or investigate) who you are and what you do online. Leaving Facebook, though, may not be entirely an option, so your next best approach would be to constrain what Facebook shares about you. Check out Facebook's Privacy Settings and seriously limit what Facebook shares about you.
Ditch Microsoft Windows ... or Constrain It.
The Microsoft Windows operating system is less secure than Mac O/S or Linux; security experts recommend avoiding using the product. Still, chances are, your behaviors are already changing and you're using more secure operating systems found on your phones (iOS and Android) for transferring critical PPI, and that's probably a good thing and a strategy for containing your risk. If you can't abandon Windows, at least curtail your banking and utility payments on the platform in favor of paying by mobile apps. The less PPI you share on Windows, all the better.
Use Google's Chrome Browser. On Every Device. Optimize it's Privacy. Install HTTPS Everywhere.
Google Chrome is a browser designed around better Internet security. It's faster and more secure than Windows Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox. Chrome is free and available for all platforms: PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. Install Chrome and optimize it's privacy features. Then, install HTTPS Everywhere: a free tool built in to Chrome that forces a secure connection to the places you go on the Internet.
Invest in Teathering.
Teathering refers to using your cell phone as a data hotspot. Carrier plans that include teathering are really inexpensive these days and are considered a standard feature. Instead of using public wifi access points (which can be designed as a honeypot to have unsuspecting users connect to it and expose PPI), you'd want to teather your laptop or tablet computers against your mobile device. Your cell carrier is ultimately more secure than any random wifi hotspot you might find in the field. It'll help keep the information you transfer confidential and private.
Reduce Your Attack Profile.
Be conscious of where you share your personal private information; who you give your business card and personal information to. Question why somebody wants a critical identifier like a driver's license or a Social Security Number and even consider not doing business with these people. Limit your applications for credit and your banking products to a single provider. Don't sign up for everything you see online and delete online accounts that are no longer in use. Shred any physical documents instead of throwing them into the mail. Sit down with your spouse or partner and discuss strategies for limiting each other's exposure. Be conscious and take specific actions to reduce how someone could acquire your PPI and exploit a vulnerability.
Be Conscious of Social Engineering.
Imagine being in a checkout lane at the supermarket. You have somebody behind you looking at their phone. Meanwhile, you remove your credit card and swipe it, then, enter a PIN code, into a reader device in plain sight. All the while, the guy behind you on the phone is recording your activities, capturing your card data and PIN on video. Your assumption of privacy got the best of you. Be aware of your surroundings and of those who may be using electronic devices around you. Take immediate action to protect yourself.
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