September 2017

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the biggest change in data protection laws for 20 years, and when it comes into effect on May 25th, 2018, it intends to give European citizens back control over their personal data.  Businesses are collecting more personal data than ever before. But with the GDPR policy coming into effect next year, are small businesses ready to make changes to how they collect, store and use their data?  Could your business take a £310,000 financial hit? Sounds painful, right? That figure is the average maximum cost of a data breach, up from £115,000 in 2014.    What is the General Data Protection Regulation Law? It is a new set of rules governing the privacy and security of personal data laid down by the European Commission. The new single data protection act will make major changes to all of Europe’s privacy laws and will replace the outdated Data Protection Directive from 1995.  The collection and use of personal data has been growing rapidly. Websites, apps, devices – everything we use creates data which is all going somewhere. And a lot of the time people don’t know where or for what reason, leaving a lot of customers unhappy. That’s where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes in. It is a new set of rules governing how businesses collect, use and share data from EU citizens and people within the EU. This doesn’t just mean businesses within the EU, but any business globally that does business inside the EU. Its impact won’t just be felt in Europe though, as it will have wider implications for companies across the world that hold data on the continent. While great news for individuals, it presents complex problems for companies.   Why is there a new law? The new regulations have been changed to ensure personal data and the rightful owners of the information have power over how their data is processed and used. Under the new rules, individuals have more of a legal “right to be forgotten”, which means they will be able to ask that businesses delete their no longer necessary or accurate personal data. Individuals can do this now, but the new rules mean that there will be more of a consequence.  However, that’s not the only reason, one of the main intentions is to simplify the regulatory environment. But there is a huge grey area about how it will apply in real life. The laws mean that in theory people could ask social networks like Facebook to delete their profiles entirely.  Laws relating to freedom of expression will stop “the right to be forgotten” extending to news articles. But there is the potential for individuals to transfer their data from one service to another more easily – which is great news for consumers, making it simpler to swap utilities, insurance or ISPs. Cybercrime – will it really affect my business? Rising levels of cybercrime are also a crucial factor in the quest for data compliance. The storing aspect of GDPR refers to how businesses keep customer data safe – if there’s a breach and customer data is compromised and you aren’t compliant then there will be fines to pay. Some SMEs assume that because they’re smaller in headcount and profit margin relative to multinationals, they’re not on the radar of hackers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’re not investing in security, training and data compliance about how to work securely then you’re an easy target. In other words, you might not have the same potential value to a hacker but you might be a lot easier to hack. Studies from the Federation of Small Businesses (FBS) show that 66% of small businesses have been a victim of cybercrime. Shockingly a small business will be a victim of four cybercrimes every two years. The amount lost totals billions.   Tell me about the fines and Penalties! And importantly, you’ll be hit by the same fines and penalties from GDPR. Once GDPR comes into force on 25th May 2018, you could be fined up to €10 million (£7.9 million) or 2% of your global turnover (whichever is greater) for lesser breaches.  Or for more severe breaches, €20 million or 4% of your turnover – whichever is greater. Add this fine to the cost of the time your business is out of operation post-breach, to loss of earnings, loss of reputation and loss of customers, and most businesses would be out of action in one fell swoop. But don’t forget that while data security is a large part of GDPR, at its core, this regulation is about the correct use of data.   The next steps Don’t delay your preparation. It’s essential that you don’t stand still. GDPR isn’t waiting for anyone, so the longer you take preparing and thinking about resources, the longer it’s going to be before you’re in a better position to prepare. Involve your whole business. Stats from PWC have revealed that 30% of small businesses suffer breaches due to the actions of their staff. Educate people at every level of the business and help them understand why their section of the business is being involved. Auditing is essential. Undertake a discovery exercise to find out where the data audit could save your business. Start by defining exactly what counts as personal data. Currently, that’s any data that can be used to identify a person, such as HR records, customer lists and contact details. Marketing departments, for example may be using platforms like Dropbox, Evernote, Zoho or Slack, which each contain their own ecosystem of personal data. This should include everything from auditing existing data to collecting and using data going forward. The customer experience needs to be first and foremost in their minds. The new regulations will also include genetic, mental, cultural, economic and social information as well. You need to understand exactly what information you hold, which could be anything from old emails to data lists or cookies. You also

Recently ‘women in tech’ has become a buzz phrase. Never has technology and the female among us made the news, in such an eye-opening way. Sheryl Sandberg, made us ‘lean in’ at the boardroom table, don’t sit back and feel excluded from the important discussions that men have. And James Damore got fired because he openly leaked the hiring premise at Google based on gender and/or race. Which begs the question – what is the problem? It’s not a gender issue it’s a people issue… You’re either technically minded or you’re not! Right?   From the scandals involving gender bias at Uber and Google and the resignations of two prominent investors because of accusations of sexual harassment, the last few months have seen an intense focus about how issues of workplace sexism and discrimination are addressed, especially in Silicon Valley.   Here at Think Cirrus, we’re here to support people and business owners, whether they’re male or female. However, we do believe that the Information Technology world, especially the world of I.T. support and tech businesses in general, are very heavily male orientated and jargon rich. Which is why one of our missions is to de-bunk the myths and just help you grow your business, so you don’t have to think about your tech working effectively, it just does.   We don’t want you to have to create male business partners just so you can get stuff done… we want to talk to female bosses who take their I.T. and their businesses seriously.  We heard of a scenario last year, and it deeply frustrated us. Two Los Angeles artists, Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer, started a company called Witchsy, an online marketplace for art with an odd, unconventional sensibility. The pair bootstrapped the venture and brought in $200,000 in sales, with 80 percent of the transactions going back to the creator of the item that was purchased. But they found themselves running into the same roadblock repeatedly.   Gazin and Dwyer told Fast Company about some of what they experienced as they worked to grow their company — for example, a developer attempted to delete everything he had worked on for them after Gazin wouldn’t go out with him. While most of the time they weren’t up against outright sabotage, the reception they got to their questions was often condescending or demeaning.   Until these two female entrepreneurs came up with a solution. They created a third co-founder, a male partner aptly named Keith Mann. “It was like night and day,” Dwyer told Fast Company. “It would take me days to get a response, but Keith could not only get a response and a status update, but also be asked if he wanted anything else or if there was anything else that Keith needed help with.” Gazin noted that Keith would always get addressed by name, while the two women did not get the same courtesy.   If you are a female entrepreneur and need tech help – that’s ok. But please don’t feel like you need to create ‘a man’ to speak to us.  We’re here to support female bosses blossom! From managing your cloud to supporting you if anything goes wrong. We do need men, but we don’t need them to communicate with other men!!

  One of our aims is to explain the tech jargon, so you know what is going on. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss cloud computing with help and reference to various other techies out there. Starting with an excerpt from an article of the Internet of Everything’s (http://www.futureofeverything.io) website: “In recent years there’s been a lot of talk about cloud computing and cloud storage specifically, like the Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, and DropBox. But, what is cloud computing? Google will tell you: “Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.” What that means for consumers is all of your files are in one place that you can access from anywhere with an internet connection. What that means for businesses is a workspace their entire team can interact in regardless of where they are in the world. But, is simple file storage the only use consumers will have for the cloud? And for businesses, will SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS come to dominate the market?” So. what does this all mean? Saas, Paas, Laas – more things we’re meant to understand. Here is an explanation from the tech wizards at www.jisc.ac.uk: “Cloud computing in a nutshell Cloud computing is a portmanteau term encompassing everything from infrastructure as a service (essentially renting someone else’s server equipment) through to software as a service (typically websites that someone else runs for you). In the middle, there is a platform tier providing the micro-services that power the likes of Android and iPhone apps, and also many web-delivered services. A cloud allows users to access application, information, and data of all sorts on an online level rather than by use of actual hardware or devices. A company offering reliable cloud technology allows for computing to be done in a much more shared way, as a cloud provides a service rather than a product. Users get and share their information in a way that can allow them to access and give access to the whole world or any groups of people within their cloud.” We hope that has helped you to understand what cloud computing is. We hope that you’ll be able to make more informed decisions. Here at Think Cirrus we’re a Microsoft Cloud Partner – this means we can get hands on and really support with your cloud services. According to a new Microsoft report you’re all now thinking about the cloud before anything else… if you have an internet connection, you can work safely and secure anyplace, anytime. Links Section: https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk/contact-us/  https://partner.microsoft.com/en-GB/cloud-solution-provider http://www.futureofeverything.io www.jisc.ac.uk

  As a new member of the chamber and a small start-up I.T. business, which is just over two years old, we’re super delighted to know that our efforts have been recognised. We have been shortlisted for the Power Solutions Award for Customer Excellence in 2017 in association with the West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce. Customer service is embedded in everything that Think Cirrus does – from our vision and ethos, to our terms of business – our clients are important to us.  Our mission is to debunk I.T. myths of the past, by implementing the best tech for you and your business – no jargon or worry. We’ll do this by communicating differently and by thinking about you. We’ll provide I.T. support and customer service, whilst building real relationships.  Colin Brew, Chief Executive Officer West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “I am delighted to let you know that you have been chosen as a finalist and will now go through to the next stage of the selection process. The quality of the nominations this year has been outstanding so it is a real testament to the work you do at Think Cirrus that you have been selected as a finalist.”   Initial Consultation  Its starts at the initial consultation. We’ll assess the current environment and develop a plan that’s workable.  We’ll look at the immediate I.T. issues and then analyse data, behaviour, downloads, overall consumption and usage of technology before suggesting further services, support or change moving forward.  Once established, we’ll arrange a monthly review and communicate a weekly highlight report. We’ll listen to feedback, and ensure the service they receive is continually evolving. We become the outsourced I.T. team.   Communication and 24/7 Support Open, honest and consistent communication is key. We work with hospitality businesses and by nature they do not operate a 9 – 5pm office model, this in turn needs a flexible and robust customer service approach. We’ll ensure our team are available and monitoring systems in case of emergencies. The world of technology is never quite predictable. We use several channels to communicate, from email to WhatsApp, we’re ‘always online’.   Doing the right thing We believe in doing the right thing for our clients and their businesses. We’ll look at forecasting and planning in collaboration with our clients so they are fully engaged and on board with their journey of business expansion and growth. This means that we’ll hand hold them every step of the way. Every year the West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce recognise the excellent work amongst the members. Here is a list of the other awards and the other shortlisted nominations.