Tag Archive for: Season

Houston expert shares tips for navigating cybersecurity challenges amid the holiday season

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It’s a grinch’s cyber-playground, and this holiday season, you’re at risk — even if you think it won’t happen to you.

The good news is you can protect yourself from scams and fraud. Just remember that cybercriminals don’t discriminate, they can prey on anyone.

These statistics may surprise you:

  • Anxiety about having a mobile device hacked differs by demographic; low-income Black women rank mobile security as their number one concern, while the general population ranks mobile security as their third largest concern, according to a recent Recon Analytics survey of more than 3,297 U.S. consumers.
  • 44 percent of millennials have been victims of online crime in the last year and 31 percent admit they share their passwords with others.
  • Romance scams resulted in the most financial losses for adults aged 60 and over
  • Younger consumers took fewest actions after being notified of a data breach affecting their identity/online accounts in Q1 2022
  • Nearly 50 percent of American gamers have experienced a cyberattack on their gaming account or device
  • 47 percent of women who live in cities say their identities and/or data has been compromised in the past 6 months due to lack of home internet protections, compared with 53 percent of city men who say the same thing, according to a recent Recon Analytics survey.

People everywhere, regardless of gender, race, income level, education, or age, deserve to feel safe online. And yet, many aren’t aware how to protect themselves, don’t make it a priority, or wait to act until they are alerted to suspicious activity.

With words like malware, phishing, spoofing, and encryption, learning to protect yourself can feel like a college-level course. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated.

Top 5 ways to guard against cyberthreats

By following five simple steps, you can start to protect your network, devices and data from many digital threats.

  1. Understand cyberattacks are real. One of the first hacks was documented in 1963 and today, nearly 60 years later, hackers are attacking phones and computers every 39 seconds. Cyberattacks continue to grow in number every year.
  2. Be proactive. Don’t wait for an attack to happen. Monitor your accounts daily so you are…

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‘Van der Valk’ Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: La donna è mobile

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Ok so: last week we got our gang back together to solve a super creepy serial killer case, all while watching our pal Euro Cash make leaps and bounds in his personal growth. This week seems to be off to a decidedly more sparkly start, with a mysterious person examining a honkin’ big diamond. And lest you think this is some kind of romantic situation, in the background, we pan out to reveal… a very dead body. Yikes!

Meanwhile, our favorite goth besties “enjoy” a night on the town (at least as much as Euro Cash appears to enjoy anything).

Euro Cash: Check it out: I got Sniffer some wildly fancy dog treats!
Hassell: Yeah, whatever man: I have dirt. Big Cheese knows that Clooves lies about taking care of his mum! Doesn’t that bug you?
Euro Cash: I’m trying to be less bothered in general. What, are you annoyed?
Hassell: YEAH BUDDY. In that vein: check out this interaction at the bar! Why do men keep flirting when they don’t stand a chance?
Euro Cash: No clue. I never flirt with anyone, beautiful women just appear on my boat. My guess is that a lot of guys don’t like to admit defeat.
Hassell: Well that lady isn’t going home with those dudes, but I might be in luck here.

While she gets her flirt on, elsewhere in the city, a man with absolutely unhinged-big glasses mixes together blood and what looks like ashes, then pours the paste into a heart shaped cutout in a diamond. Truly bizarre; can’t wait to find out wtf is going on here.

Back at the bar, Euro Cash is about to absent himself so Hassell can capitalize on her flirting when he’s backed into a corner by Lena. Folks, he doesn’t play it even a little bit cool, and stammers over the introduction.

Hassell: LMAO, my guy, disaster. Nice to meet you, Lena, this will be fun.
Euro Cash: Well, I’ll just get my dog treats and we can go! BYE!

Amazing. Also amazing?…

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How to easily scale your mobile workforce and devices for the peak shopping season

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Retailers are under constant pressure to streamline processes and become more efficient while looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction levels. These challenges are heightened during the lead-up to the festive season when the flow of goods in and out of Distribution Centres (DCs) and stores increases, and processes and workflows are put under strain.

Coming out of the pandemic, many retailers are trying to maintain lean operations to help speed up business recovery and struggling to find enough workers to meet demand. The outcome is that these businesses generally run a core team of full-time staff throughout the year, but then they will look to employ seasonal workers on a short-term basis to meet the demands of the industry’s traditional peak season.

While this process allows businesses to manage staff costs throughout the year, it unfortunately also puts pressure on retailer and DC managers to ensure short-term workers understand the processes and technologies and can operate as accurately and efficiently as permanent employees. 

Given the heightened activity many retail and warehouse environments experience in the lead-up to the peak shopping season, and the challenges around trying to incorporate less experienced seasonal workers, what should Australian businesses know to help them prepare? 

Utilise technology to improve processes

Regardless of if a DC is operating in a quiet or busy period, the practice of processing an order and shipping the right product at the right time to the right destination remains the same. In periods of peak operation, the pressure to ensure accurate orders are being distributed is heightened. 

Returned incorrect or incomplete orders must be repacked and redistributed, which impacts customer satisfaction, with 63% of customers wanting improvements to the returns and delivery processes in retail and 67% wanting real-time visibility into their Christmas orders from the moment they are processed. 

Warehouse stocking, order fulfilment and backend order processes all need to be robust enough to handle a huge ramp up in demand. This demand spans many operational departments, and technology needs to be implemented across as range…

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What to know about the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season

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June 1 marked the official start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. The season will run through Nov. 30, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says it is expected to produce “above average” activity — which would make this the seventh above-average season in a row.

Hurricanes are considered the most powerful weather events on Earth, according to NASA, which makes understanding them and preparing for them of utmost importance.

Clouds of Hurricane Ida (Aug 28, 2021) on a topographic map of the Gulf of Mexico.  / Credit: Frank Ramspott / Getty Images

Clouds of Hurricane Ida (Aug 28, 2021) on a topographic map of the Gulf of Mexico. / Credit: Frank Ramspott / Getty Images

What are the hurricane categories and what do they mean?

Hurricanes are graded on a scale of 1 to 5. Based on the storm’s sustained wind speeds, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used to prepare residents for a storm’s potential damage.

The National Hurricane Center explains that “major” hurricanes are classified as Category 3, 4, or 5 because of their “potential for significant loss of life and damage,” and those major hurricanes are responsible for 85% of all hurricane damage. While Category 1 or 2 hurricanes are less dangerous, they still require preparation and safety measures against damage or injury.

Category 1

Sustained wind speed: 74-95 mph

“Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days.”

Category 2

Sustained wind speed: 96-110 mph

“Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage: Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads. Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last from several days to weeks.”

Category 3

Sustained wind speed: 111-129 mph

“Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks…

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