Is there really any benefit to giving my staff IT training?

I have been investigating this subject and have found the following article on the HR Review website, you can read it here http://bit.ly/1N9tUv4

The headline is It costs over £30K to replace a staff member - yikes!

The headlines

Replacing members of staff incurs significant costs for employers: £30,614 per employee. There are two main factors that make up this cost:

• The Cost of Lost Output while a replacement employee gets up to speed
• The Logistical Cost of recruiting and absorbing a new worker

The report reveals that a major cost implication for firms replacing staff is the lost output a company experiences during the period of time the new worker is getting up to speed - the cost of them being less effective until they reach their "Optimum Productivity Level" The findings unveil that, on average, workers take 28 weeks to reach optimum productivity which has an attached cost of £25,181 per employee. This is by far the dominant cost factor for replacing a departing employee.

The logistical cost of replacing an employee incorporates expenditure such as advertising costs and agency fees, as well as invested time such as interviewing prospective candidates. On average businesses spend £5,433 on logistical costs, with the following factors contributing:

• Hiring temporary workers before the replacement starts: £3,618
• Management time spent interviewing candidates: £767
• Recruitment agency fees: £454
• Advertising the new role: £398
• HR time spent processing replacement: £196

So I have been doing some research on the how to reduce that cost by keeping your existing staff and the benefits to them.

On this page http://bit.ly/1jgmMRF Small Business Trends, there is a really good article worth reading

Basically it says

An engaged workforce who possess the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise is crucial for any organization who wants to achieve high levels of business success. In any challenging and competitive business environment, learning and development has never been more important as a means to keep employees engaged and maintain that competitive advantage.

There is a short term view to slash or even remove training budgets but this will inevitably produce dire long term consequences. Thriving organizations rely on their people to perform consistently well.  This can only be achieved if they are feeling engaged and motivated.

The right training and development can greatly enhance employee engagement by nurturing talent and helping people to learn new things and improve their performance.

Most people want to feel that they are doing a good job and that they are valued by their organization for the part they play. They prefer to have variety in their work and see development potential in their role.

Learning and development provides a way to address human and professional needs and greatly improves employee engagement. Companies who invest in their people through training and development are also viewed more favourably by employees than those in organizations who don’t. Employees must see the benefits to themselves of undertaking training activities. This is where many good intentions fall short.

Organizations who are keen to demonstrate their commitment to their people can sometimes get carried away with the “sheep dip” approach to training – leaving some people confused about the rationale behind attending it. Employees have to see the link between where they are now and where they want to get to and how training is going to bridge this gap, without this being made explicit, organizations run the risk of training and development being viewed as a chore instead of a reward.

The answer is to link training and development to specific objectives, just like any KPI's that would normally be set and understood.

Done efficiently, learning and development will then provide the means to motivate and engage employees like never before. People will feel valued for their contribution and they will understand that the organization supports them to be the best that they can be.

Developing people really is key to having an engaged workforce and achieving business success

Innovative Technology Coaching (ITC) is regarded as one of the North West’s leading IT coaching and training providers. We believe passionately in helping our clients succeed.

Our aim is to help businesses of all sizes improve their performance and increase productivity via IT training enhancements and interventions designed to empower the individual. Improving IT productivity has a direct impact on top and bottom line performance.

Having good Computer skills is almost a mandatory requirement for employees as businesses depend more and more on their IT systems. Having good Computer skills can mean that you will be able to perform tasks that your competitors aren’t able to and you are able to work more effectively with the programs that businesses use.

Your staff can get work done in a more efficient, better organised and timely manner. Making better use of spreadsheets, word-processing or presentation programs can help to organise your thoughts but more importantly if you can use these programs more effectively you will be able to use their features to communicate both internally and externally.

We will work with you and your employees to determine how we can help you maximise your systems and improve productivity

Windows operating systems Windows 98, Vista 2000 XP Windows 7 8.1 and Windows 10

Microsoft Office products (and equivalents) We have a particularly high level of expertise in Outlook, Excel and Word)

We can help businesses use the features within their existing software to produce information with richer content.

We will do everything we can to meet our clients expectations. With this kind of bespoke service we can really find out what you need and plan sessions specifically for you. We can make notes together, tailored to your sessions, so they will make sense to you later if you need them.

Malware - another Internet based Difficulty

This is a very good article I copied from this website http://bit.ly/1Wlv9h0  - A very good website full of great information. After all, there is no point in reinventing the wheel!

Ransomware is a form of malware that gives criminals the ability to lock a computer from a remote location - it then displays a pop-up window informing the owner that it will not be unlocked until a sum of money is paid. In some cases, the only usable part of the computer is the number keypad to enter a PIN to enable payment to the criminals. The best-known variety of ransomware in recent times is called CryptoLocker.

An additional twist is that an accusation of illegal activity or a pornographic image appears on the locked screen, making it more difficult for some users to seek help from anybody else, and simply resort to paying the ransom. 

In some cases these are known as a "your money or your life" virus'.

The Risks

Getting started.

For most people, it is recommended that an all-in-one internet security package as being more than adequate.

You should exercise caution about opening attachments or clicking on links in emails, and visiting unfamiliar websites.

Safe Internet Use - Some valuable tips on using the internet safely.

A few simple rules about dealing with spam and scam emails, Viruses & Spyware

A basic understanding of computer viruses and spyware.

Your computer could be infected by ransomware such as CryptoLocker when you inadvertently:

• Open a malicious attachment in an email.
• Click on a malicious link in an email, instant message, social networking site or other website.
• Visit a corrupt website - often these are of a pornographic nature.
• Open infected files from web-based digital file delivery companies (for example Hightail - formerly called YouSendIt, and Dropbox).
• Open corrupt macros in application documents (word processing, spreadsheets etc).
• Connect corrupt USB connected devices (eg memory sticks, external hard drives, MP3 players).
• Insert corrupt CDs/DVDs into your computer.

Avoiding Ransomware

• Do not reply to, or click on links contained in, unsolicited or spam emails from companies or individuals you do not recognise.
• Visit only websites you know to be reputable.
• Ensure you have effective and updated antivirus/antispyware software and firewall running before you go online.
• Regularly back up all your data, including to a USB-connected device stored remotely from your computer. This is because some ransomware can also infect your cloud-based storage.

If you have ransomware on your computer

To detect and remove ransomware and other malicious software that may be installed on your computer, run a full system scan with an appropriate, up-to-date, security solution.
If your computer has been locked by ransomware, seek professional advice from a trustworthy source.

A quick tip on finding your mouse on the screen

Ever lose the place on your screen where your mouse is? Here is a littke tip that you can use and it works on anything you may be doing on your windows computer

Open your control panel by on your keyboard pressing the Windows key & R which will bring up the below

This will open the run command window so as above type “Control Panel” and press ÒK

This will open the control panel. From there select your mouse as shown below

Open the pointer options tab as below 

 

Click the option for “show the location of pointer when I press the Ctrl Key” then press ok. If you would like to set other options you can set them on this tab before pressing OK.  

Close the control panel with the "x" at the top left of the panel.

Hope this helps you. I find it invaluable

Rick

Phishing

According to Wikipedia

Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. You can take a look here if you want to read more

http://bit.ly/1Wup8P9

Every day I am sent phishing e-mails, some of them look very convincing and some are so rediculous it is alomst comical.

There are usually tell tale signs that make them easy to spot.

I'll show you a message I was sent recently and how I spotted that it was a Phishing message




The first tell tale sign is I don't have a BT account so that gives the game away immediately - These people make up anything that looks plausable

The email is then set to make me think that I have to act immediately. or I will lose my mailbox.

This is when I recived the message

Wednesday 28th October  and I am told that I must act before the 31st because it says so!

So naturally I think I must get this done, I can't risk losing my information

But hang on something doesn't seem right.

If I look at the sender it patently isn't from BT, it says so if we look a bit closer and look at what I have been sent there are a few errors

The message says bt@comms which is ridiculous. it would be from a proper address, something like someone@somewhere.com or someone@somewhere.co.uk so this is blatently wrong

Then next to the "name" we see the actual link, Ecurlin@aol.com which is where a message would be sent if you replied to it. I can also check this by looking at the contact information in the message

If I click on the reply button the reply address looks decidedly dodgy

So alarm bells are really setting off now.

But there are other things I also am looking at that also show that this is a very dodgy message. Taking a closer look there are three links I am offered but I can check by hovering my mouse over any one of them and see where the link is looking to take me to, just like below

It is now possible to see where these links go. I wasn't stupid enough to click them and see what could happen.

So I a message sent to me that looks innocent is proven to be very dodgy and I have showm you the giveaways.

If a message comes through to you that looks wrong it is better to be safe than sorry. Be cautious especially if you are asked to type in any of your banking details.

Rick

Hacking of institutions

With all these reports about hacking and Scams, what do I need to know?

The internet is an amazing resource. I have unlimited availability to unlimited subjects, all through a convenient slim box that sits on my knee.  

I once heard someone say that they could show their Grandma a small box they keep in their pocket that can give you all the information you might ever need instantly including traffic reports, the latest news, watching TV or films and is a camera taking moving colour pictures and even allows you to make or receive phone calls and small messages she wouldn’t believe you. If I then told her that the thing it is most used for is taking pictures of my cat and letting my mates see them she’d have me sectioned!

Remember, there are dark and dodgy places on the internet just like anywhere else in the world. The problem is that the criminals on the internet exploit the innocence and naivety of users. These crooks are exceptionally clever and can make there scams very believable

The first and most reported are when Banks, Businesses or Academic institutions are hacked.

We have no control over their systems holding our information we have to trust them with our information.  These are like the recent news items about TalkTalk for an example and when the information is stolen it can be sold to a wide variety of scammers and it is usually the case that your existing password is tried for any other internet service. 

I have a lot of my customers who have only one or two passwords that they use for most of their internet security. I know it is a real pain but I strongly recommend that every service that needs a password will have unique one and please don’t ever disclose them to anyone. No reputable Internet based supplier will never ask you for your password.

I know it isn’t a great idea to write them down in a book but I also understand it becomes very difficult to remember them so use a book but please keep it away from your computer.

I have been talking to my clients about the possibilities open to them when generating something suitable.My advice is to consider the following tips

• Make your password at least digits long
• Make sure that you have upper and lower case letters
• Make sure that you have numbers
• Use special characters.

Most systems asking for a password will prefer this but some won’t accept them, if they don’t the web page will make it very 

So for example using my name I could use R1chard. It is 8 digits long, has upper and lower case letters, a number and a special character. I have started with a capital letter, replaced the letter I for a number 1 and added a full stop at the end. However it is usually recommended not to use your own name and don’t ever name your pet after your password.

I’ll put out another blog out soon about Hacking, Phishing and Scams in the next couple of days.

Weren’t we told that computers would be more reliable and faster?

And what happened to the paperless office we were supposed to be enjoying by now?

It has been announced that M&S suspended its website last night after a technical problem meant customers were able to see other people's details - http://bbc.in/1KER86q

Unlike the TalkTalk fiasco they generated their own problems. Their servers weren’t hacked so this has to be an Internal problem. I used to do that job for the NHS and the problems with things like that were alwys down to one of their staff making mistakes (excuses with your P-45)

The Money saving expert website have exposed a huge data security flaw that affects both the Halifax and Bank of Scotland. You can see it here http://bit.ly/1HcuQJ1

All this on the recent news that account information held for the customers of TalkTalk has been hacked - again! There hasn't been any concrete news yet to say what has been lost or stolen. I think that in reality there  will be a lot of their customers who will be scrutinising their accounts rather closely for now. I know thwt I would!

But here is a fly in the ointment. Nothing has been announced about what TalkTalk are going to do to identify what is a breach of security as a result of hacking  and what they will consider as scammers who are ripping people off. I have found another article on the Money Saving Website that is worth a look  http://bit.ly/20arpOH

It is a really good website.

So all I can suggest is that you change your passwords if you haven't done so already, check your statement(s) closely and report any problems to TalkTalk and your bank immediately.

My next few blogs will show you how you identify Phishing and other scammers

TalkTalk hacked

Police are investigating a "significant" cyber-attack on Wednesday October 21which may have led to customers' credit card and bank details being compromised.

TalkTalk said that names, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, telephone numbers, TalkTalk account information, and credit card and bank details may have been accessed in the attack.

At the time of publishing, TalkTalk customers were still unable to access the account section of the website. What's most worrying, however, is that TalkTalk says that "not all of the data was encrypted", potentially making it easier for intruders to access.

TalkTalk has confirmed that it received a ransom note from somebody claiming to be responsible for the attack. TalkTalk's chief executive Dido Harding told the BBC: "I personally received a contact from someone purporting - as I say, I don't know whether they are or are not - to be the hacker, looking for money."

Reports suggest that it is possible that the information would be sold off on the dark web, a part of the World Wide Web that requires special software of authorisation to access. If bank details have been stolen, the value of the information, he said, would depend on a number of factors.

What you need to know

As always I suggest that you immediately change your banking and online passwords. I know that I keep saying this but it is important that you have different passwords for online accounts.

It is a good idea that you monitor your bank accounts for any signs that fraudulent activity that may have taken place. TalkTalk have suggests checking your credit report.

If you use the Money Saving Expert website http://ow.ly/TLvSq you can check your credit status. It was once felt that if you were continually checking your own credit status you could compromise your score but this is not the case and you can see more about this here http://ow.ly/TLxDX

If you feel that there is a problem then contact both your bank and national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud, which can be reached on 0300 123 2040.

To make any changes to your TalkTalk account, you are advised to phone TalkTalk on 0800 083 2710 or 0141 230 0707.

I have a family who were contacted by someone claiming to be from Talk so please be cautious with any emails or calls you receive from anybody claiming to be from the company. If people have access to your personal information, it will be easier for them to craft a convincing fraud email.

Do everything possible to verify the legitimacy of the person, including ensuring the email is from a legitimate @talktalk.co.uk address. In particular don’t follow any links from any email claiming to be from TalkTalk, if you are concerned create your own e-mail.