Central Illinois' IT Experts

Keep in mind that these are only preventative measures; we can’t guarantee that whoever you’re shopping through is protecting your data adequately, so if the retailer is known for suffering from big data breaches (think Target), perhaps your patronage will be best served elsewhere.

Do Your Research
Going off of the previous point, you’ll want to investigate a little bit to see how well the retailer handles their security. By this, we mean simply going online and seeing if they have been the victim of a massive data breach in previous years. If they have, see what they did about it and whether or not they learned from their mistakes. After all, it would be unfair to judge them on something that happened years ago if they have had a clean record ever since. If you’re unsure or unsettled by any data breaches, there are always other options to shop at, so don’t be too worried.

Check the Physical Vicinity of ATMs
Sometimes you might need some cash in your pocket for a purchase, and while you might think thieving is your biggest problem, ATM scamming is a serious contender. This happens when an ATM has been tampered with to send your banking credentials to a third party--in this case, a hacker. You should always check to see if the ATM has been fitted with devices on the card reader slot, as well as any kind of device attached to the back of it. For example, if the ATM has panels on the back missing, it’s a good sign that perhaps you shouldn’t use that particular machine. Furthermore, make sure that you only use ATMs in well-traveled areas with security cameras, as the chances of the ATM being tampered with are significantly lower.

Be Careful of Wireless Connections
Wireless communications are a significant weak point this holiday season, as public Wi-Fi is notorious for being much more dangerous than any protected network. This is largely in part due to the fact that these networks don’t require a sign-in, and any device can just access it unimpeded. You should keep your devices from accessing these networks automatically, as the data flowing to and from them could be under watch by scammers.

Keep an Eye On Your Devices
As always, the threat of device theft is omnipresent in locations where a lot of people gather. Pickpockets and thieves know full well how much valuable data can be found on these devices, and they might even try to use them for their own purposes. Alternatively, they could sell the devices to make a quick buck or sell the data on the black market to fund further thieving initiatives.

This holiday season be prepared for anything. For more great tips and tricks about how to stay secure with your purchases and online interactions, subscribe to Decatur Computers Inc.’s blog.

Why Your Account is So Valuable
While the Internet has been about sharing information, many users out there trust it to keep their personal data safe and accessible only to them. Understanding the origins of the Internet and where it’s heading are both critical to keeping your Google account’s best interests in mind.

The Foundations of the Internet
At its most rudimentary level, the Internet was designed to provide access to information to everyone. J.C.R. Licklider of MIT coined the term “Galactic Network” in 1962, and this network was designed to share data and programs across computers. They are then connected to the entire world. Of course, the concept for the World Wide Web itself was credited to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who knew that the Internet had to be built around the concepts of openness and accessibility. He stated, “Had the technology been proprietary, and in my total control, it would probably not have taken off. You can’t propose that something be a universal space and at the same time keep control of it.”

The modern Internet has largely been implemented in this way. It is a space where there is no centralized point of control, which promotes an accessible environment that isn’t prone to censorship (easily, at least). Considering how the Internet is built to share information, it’s laughable that anyone can keep anything on it private.

Changes Over Time
As the Internet changed and evolved, security and privacy became more of a necessity. Much of the data sent along an Internet connection could be seen as confidential, so a method to keep it secure while in transit is required. These developments eventually created a situation where an “internal openness” was created--sort of like a microcosm of the Internet itself, only internally for a business or user. Data could be shared on a need-to-know basis, but it wasn’t a pain to do so. It’s even possible to use the Internet for personal connectivity and growth. These reasons, and many more, are why Google has become such a force to be reckoned with in the technology space.

Google
While Google was originally most known for its search engine, it has since evolved into countless other productivity solutions, including its G-Suite of applications for business: Google Drive, Google Docs, Business Directory, Google Maps, and more. Even those using Google for their own private purposes can take advantage of these services. For example, Gmail is used by both business professionals and individual users to an immense degree. How heavily does your organization rely on Google? How much do you use it in your everyday life? How much trust do you place in this singular account?

Another Perspective
To take a look at how Google affects a user’s computing infrastructure, let’s dig a little deeper into what it offers.

Taking Features Into Accounts
A key part of why Google accounts are so effective for users and professionals is that one account is used to access countless Google services. All you need to do is log into your Google account and you’ll have access to not just Gmail, but other services associated with it. Some online services even offer the ability to help you make a new account using your Gmail account, making it easy as can be to get going. For the sake of simplicity, many people just use their Gmail account for all of their accounts, which make sense to a degree. After all, Google has adequate security standards, and the convenience of Chrome saving passwords cannot be overlooked.

Unfortunately, all of this combines to create a situation where any accounts created using your Google account will be forever linked to that account, meaning that anyone who has access to your Google account will then be able to access any accounts created by it.

An Eye-Opener
For an idea of how many accounts are accessing your Google account, you go here and navigate through Sign-in & Security > Apps with Account Access. You will then see all the applications that have access to your account, including any websites that might have credentials saved by Google Smart Lock. What’s your list look like? If it includes your bank, you could potentially fall victim to financial fraud and abuse. For example, if someone has access to your email, they could change your password, gaining access to any accounts linked to it. In other words, your email could become a gateway for hackers and other cyber criminals to access your important accounts and services.

Granted, the convenience of using your Google account for these services makes it irritating at best to avoid using it, so the only alternative you have is to seriously consider security measures to place a safety net around your account. While there isn’t an automatic Google system to automatically protect it from threats, you do have us to help you out. We’ll discuss how you can go about reducing the odds of your Google account falling prey to hackers and security threats.

How to Keep Your Account Safe
It’s important to remember that in order to optimize your Google account’s security, you have to put in the work. This means consistently applying what you learn today to take an active role in your account’s security. Here’s a list of what you can do to keep your Google account locked down from threats.

Passwords and Basic Account Security
Passwords are the cornerstone of improving your account’s security, and you should always exercise best practices when choosing a password. However, you also want to consider where you’re accessing an account from. For example, you don’t want to access your Google account from any public points of access. These kinds of endpoints are notorious for having malware and other dangers lurking just beneath the surface. To truly minimize the risk of your Google account falling prey to these threats, you’ll have to minimize your use of your Google account in public places or on a public Wi-Fi signal.

Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication can go a long way toward keeping your account secure. There are multiple kinds of 2FA methods available, but one of the most interesting ones is Google Authenticator. You can use one-time authentication codes that you can use if you don’t have access to your mobile device in the moment. These can also be reset at any time, keeping your security managed and up-to-date, even if the list is lost. For more information about how these security features work, as well as how to set them up, log in to your Google account.

Security has never been as important as it is today, so take steps now to keep your Google account secure. To learn more, reach out to us at 217-475-0226.

In-Cell Charts and Sparklines
One of the biggest downsides to line after line and row after row of numbers and labels is that it becomes difficult to visualize any patterns. Both of these functions resolve that by providing clear visual cues.

Excel’s Sparkline option displays a miniaturized line graph, bar graph, or win/loss chart within a cell. This adds an added layer to the visualization. So, let’s say you want to track how many sales were made of a certain product or service offering. With a line graph Sparkline, you can create this quick reference:

You also can go even more in-depth with your styling, applying custom rules to your cells to display more granular information. Let’s assume that your goal for these specific sales was to complete at least 16 per month. Utilizing conditional formatting can make it even more obvious when this goal was (and wasn’t) reached.

With your data selected, select Conditional Formatting from the menu ribbon. Click Manage Rules and access your newly-created rule for the data set. You can then play with some of your options. In this example, we decided to use arrows as our icon style and identify 16 as both of our top values and 15 for the bottom. After you hit Apply, your data should appear like this:

As a result, you can see much more quickly which months saw enough sales to reach the set goal, and which did not. This makes it easier to identify other events that may have influenced these numbers and act accordingly.

Turning Pies into Sunburst Charts
A sunburst chart is effectively the combination of multiple pie charts into a single, unified representation. This helps you to spot important patterns that may have been missed if the graphs were left separated.

For example, let’s say you serve a variety of industries, and have specific services for each, with each service divided into tiers. By labelling each industry as 1,2, and 3, with services A, B, and C, and the tiers X, Y, and Z, you can create a sunburst chart that allows you to compare how these sales play as a part of your incoming revenue.

One this data has been divided as pictured, you can apply the sunburst chart to see the following hypothetical:

So, while you can see from the data that service 3CY outperforms any other on this chart (most by a considerable margin) by reviewing the data, the sunburst chart provides considerably more insight into this fact - primarily, the significance of such a difference. From there, you can again examine some of the factors surrounding these outcomes and adjust accordingly.

Raising the Bar with a Thermometer Chart
Thermometer chart are great for providing some motivation to your team toward a goal, although it does tend to be used primarily for financial benchmarks. However, this one can be a challenge, so be careful as you follow along.

Sticking to the sales usage, let’s say our penultimate goal is $150,000, and there has been $37,163.48.

• In Excel, insert cells that look like this:
  
• Selecting them, click Insert, and under the Column Chart options, add a Clustered Column Chart item. With this item selected, click Switch Row/Column in the menu bar at the top of your screen.
• Right-click the Total Sales bar and select Format Data Series, then in the Series Options page, select Secondary Axis. You should now only see one bar, with labels on both sides.
• Right-click the label on the left and select Format Axis. The Axis Options Pane should appear. In the box for Maximum, type in your goal of $150,000. Repeat this process for the label on the right.
• Right-click the Goal Bar and select the Format Data Point option. Under Fill & Line in the menu that appears, select No fill and make the border a Solid line. Repeat this process with the Total Sales Bar, skipping the “No fill” part and selecting the color you want instead.
• Finally, you can delete the labels on the bottom and sides (if you wish), as well as the horizontal lines, leaving you with the finished product:

What kind of data would you express better, now that you have these tools to leverage? Share your thoughts in the comments!