Zinc Blog

While there are plenty of cybersecurity protections for your business’ technology, it is just as critical that you and your team are prepared to stay as secure as possible. To accomplish this, we wanted to share a collection of cybersecurity basics to get you started on the right foot.

For your business to achieve true business continuity—meaning you can maintain your operations regardless of disasters or issues—a data backup is a critical element of your preparations.

As such, it is critical that your backup is designed to be as comprehensive and reliable as possible.

ZIP files, the affectionate nickname for compressed folders, are quite useful for businesses. However, some employees don’t realize just how useful they can be or the benefits they are foregoing. Let’s discuss what a ZIP file is, how it can contribute to productivity in your office, and how to make one.

Data privacy is no laughing matter, and the more people learn about it, the more seriously they tend to take it. It’s quite common for you to face privacy threats in day-to-day life. Today, we want to look at some of the concerns that everyday users should be aware of with data privacy and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

All businesses need financial management and accounting, whether it’s with a full-fledged team of accountants or a single employee. Small or large, you can bet all businesses can benefit from software that streamlines this process. Today, we’re focusing on Intuit Quickbooks and its many shortcuts which make it an accessible solution for all businesses.

There has been a good deal of controversy about how personal data has been collected, sold, and used over the past few years. Companies of all types package and sell data to create a valuable extra revenue stream for their business, and while this should be thought of as a side effect of all the data that is created by people, it can also create some pretty difficult situations to try and navigate. Today, we’ll take a look at the data-broker loophole, how it works, and what can be done about it.

News flash: just because you’re a smaller business doesn’t mean you’re a smaller target for cyberattacks. You’re not immune, and you can certainly fall prey to the unfortunate reality of the modern cyberthreat landscape. If anything, small businesses are the perfect target, and we’ll explain why.

Blockchain technology is in the zeitgeist, but few people know how to explain it to someone else. They might think that it’s something to do with Bitcoin, to which they would be right, but it’s more broad than that. Today, we want to explore what the blockchain is and some of the ways businesses are using it.

Software is a big part of how businesses operate today. It helps with everything from managing schedules and paying employees to creating products and selling them. Simply put, businesses need software to run smoothly.

You may have noticed a particular icon on some of the websites you’ve visited. An orange box with what looks like waves emanating from a dot in the bottom-left corner, this icon indicates that the website uses something called RSS technology.

So, what is RSS, and what is it for?   

Downtime is a silent but powerful business disruptor. The moment operations grind to a halt, teams scramble to identify and resolve the issue. But imagine if you could avoid that chaos altogether. That’s our goal for today’s blog—to help you take steps to prevent downtime before it starts.

While now may not be the most dangerous time to run a business, it is arguably a contender. Businesses are more reliant on digital technology than ever, meaning that these businesses also have to deal with more threats than ever. One such threat: the phishing scam.

Subscription services are all over the place these days, and we’re willing to bet that you have a couple of lingering subscriptions that you’ve either forgotten about or don’t care enough about to cancel immediately. The Federal Trade Commission, however, seems to care enough to take action with a ruling that makes canceling subscriptions easier. Businesses won’t be able to add more hurdles to their subscription cancellations, which is good for end users.

Would you trust a bank that locks its doors at night but leaves all the money sitting in a big pile on the floor? Probably not—if someone got through the door, they could take all the money without any trouble.

This is kind of how cybersecurity used to work. If someone got into a company’s network, they could see and use anything they wanted. But now, many businesses are using a better system called zero-trust security.

Cybersecurity is super important for any business today, and it can make the difference between a business staying safe or failing because of a cyberattack. While there are many things you need to do to protect your business, there are some key steps you can start with to keep it secure. Let’s go over what you should do.

A lot of people don’t take cybersecurity and data privacy seriously enough, and that puts both them and others at risk. We’ve all gotten used to sharing personal information online—whether it’s on social media, shopping websites, or other digital services. But if we’re not careful, this can lead to big problems like hackers stealing your identity or money. When people don’t use strong passwords or turn on two-factor authentication, they leave gaps that hackers can take advantage of. These gaps don’t just affect individuals—they can lead to bigger cyberattacks that hurt entire organizations or communities.

Nobody likes getting big, unexpected bills from tech companies—neither the business owners who have to pay them nor the employees who might feel responsible for causing them. Small businesses face a tough choice: spend money to keep employees productive or save money and deal with slowdowns.

"I don’t need to worry about cybersecurity… my business is too small to be in the crosshairs of hackers."

This is one of the most dangerous mistakes a small business can make when it comes to cybersecurity. If you think this way, it shows you might not understand how modern cyberthreats work. Let’s break it down and show you why this mindset can be risky.

Today’s businesses need an established cybersecurity strategy. It’s as simple as that.

However, many businesses need guidance to create this strategy, which is why the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed a framework for proper cybersecurity protection. Let’s walk through this framework and discuss what you need to do to meet its requirements.

You may remember the hubbub and hullabaloo that ensued when Josh Allen, a digital artist, won first place at the 2022 Colorado State Fair’s Fine Arts Competition in the Digital Arts/Digitally Manipulated Photography contest with an image—"Théâtre D'opéra Spatial"—that he had created using AI. Allen continues defending his work, now butting heads with the Copyright Office.