Stop and think before you click and share

If you’re sharing personal information on social media, then you’re opening the door for villains in cyberspace and beyond.

There are more than four billion Internet users around the world today – and they’re spending a lot of time on social media. Content is viewed, shared, and downloaded on a massive scale. Every 60 seconds, 347 222 people are scrolling through Instagram; 87 500 people are tweeting; and 1 million people are logging in on Facebook.

Social media can be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends – but it can be risky, too. Especially when people start sharing personal information about themselves, their loved ones, or their friends. Both cybercriminals and real-world fraudsters could use such sensitive data for any number of schemes, including identity fraud, mobile scams, or phishing attacks. When it comes to posting on social media, privacy is paramount. Take these precautions, and take control of your social profiles.

#1 | Read the fine print when you sign up

It’s all too easy to skip through the Terms & Conditions, the Disclaimers, the Privacy Policies, and the User Agreements when you’re setting up a new social profile. This kind of documentation is often lengthy and complicated, but it’s important to know your rights, and the rights of the service provider, from day one. Don’t just tick the boxes and move on: understand what permissions you’re granting to the social network concerned and how your account data is going to be used and managed.

#2 | Choose the strongest privacy settings you can

Many social networks allow you to restrict content access to certain groups of people. Facebook, for example, lets you customise the privacy of each post, so you can opt to share it with the Public, with Friends, or with Specific Friends (selected individuals). This is a useful feature for controlling the visibility of your words and pictures. Check the settings of your social profiles to see the enhanced privacy options available – and then take advantage of them.

We’ve included links to the relevant information pages from the most popular channels, in the list below. Bookmark them for future reference, or take a few moments now to learn more about the privacy controls on your favourite social site.

#3 | Take care when you share

It’s tempting to share the daily details of your life on social media, especially when you’re enjoying a holiday or celebrating an event. But stop and think about how such information could be used by other people. A photo of your new big-screen TV, for example, might seem harmless. But what if you’ve listed your residential address in your public biography? A real-world villain could use that geographic data to locate your house, monitor the property, and then pick a suitable time to break in and steal your new TV! Don’t make your personal data public. Sensitive information – like your full name, date of birth, residential address, email address, and mobile number – is valuable to you. It’s valuable to scammers as well. Protect your privacy by being discreet on social media.

Have you heard? October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month – a collaborative global campaign involving governments, educational institutions, agencies, and companies like ours to ensure that people are empowered to be #CyberAware in their daily lives. BUI is proud to be a 2019 NCSAM Champion organisation! Follow along on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter for more tips and resources to help you #BeCyberSmart this month and every month!

BUI is an official Microsoft Partner in South Africa, and an award-winning leader in identity and security solutions.

October 9, 2019
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Are You Being Safe On Social Media?

Our commitment to ensuring business continuity – even in the face of disruption – has been recognised by the British Standards Institution.

We’re proud to announce that we have earned ISO 22301 certification after a rigorous independent evaluation by the British Standards Institution last month. The ISO 22301 badge is recognised internationally and sets the standard for Business Continuity Management Systems.

“This certification highlights the strength of our company’s business continuity strategy,” says Gayle Roseveare, our Chief Operating Officer (COO) here at BUI. “It proves to our staff, partners and customers that we’re prepared for any eventuality – and that we’re able to serve and support the people who rely on us, no matter what. Our ISO 22301 badge represents our commitment to effective risk management, organisational resilience, and reliability – even in the face of disruption,” notes Roseveare.

What is ISO 22301?

Developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation, ISO 22301 lays out a framework to help companies like ours create, implement, and maintain a comprehensive business continuity management system (BCMS). The main aim is to ensure that companies are protected against unforeseen business challenges and equipped to respond and recover when such events do occur.

“BUI is a global company with offices in East Africa, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States,” says Roseveare. “On any given day, our teams are provisioning cloud infrastructure, monitoring and securing digital environments, and delivering a wide range of IT services to customers. We operate around the world and around the clock – and we have to be able to do so continuously. Whether there are power outages in South Africa or internet connectivity issues in Europe, we need to ensure we can deliver uninterrupted services to our customers. Our ISO 22301 certificate validates our planning for disruptive incidents and disasters.”

Why is ISO 22301 certification important?

“In an unpredictable business climate, it pays to be prepared,” explains Dhiren Boodhia, our Group Governance and Compliance Manager. “And that goes double for service providers like us. To earn our ISO 22301 certificate, we had to demonstrate that we have a thorough BCMS in place; that the staff in our various offices understand the BCMS and the processes required to sustain it; and that we are focused on maintaining business continuity and sustainability regardless of market uncertainties and challenges. I think the ISO 22301 badge is an important differentiator – especially when customers are looking for a steadfast technology ally that is as dedicated to legal and regulatory compliance as it is to protecting the business resources of the organisations it works with,” he says.

For customers who choose to partner with BUI, there are five key benefits, adds Boodhia.

Consistency. ISO 22301 emphasises the importance of consistency when it comes to best practices and business processes. “We’ve been assessed on our capabilities around risk assessment and impact analysis as well as our strategies for mitigating disruptions. Our teams excelled in every area – and that means our customers can expect the highest standards of service and care from everyone at BUI,” says Boodhia.
Data protection. With the cyber threat landscape evolving so quickly, data privacy and data security are critical considerations for customers. “ISO 22301 includes extensive conditions for data protection and data recovery,” notes Boodhia. “Our ISO 22301 badge, together with the ISO 27001 certification we achieved for our commitment to information security management, should give our customers even greater confidence: we handle all data respectfully and safely.
Faster recovery. “ISO 22301 requires us to have a holistic strategy in place to deal with disruptions and disasters. It also mandates a detailed recovery plan to ensure that downtime is minimised – for our company and for the business organisations we serve,” says Boodhia. “BUI customers can be assured that, in the event of an issue, our teams will follow a step-by-step framework to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”
Greater compliance. By achieving ISO 22301 certification, BUI has met the global benchmark for business continuity management, adds Boodhia. “Many of our customers operate in highly regulated industries, like financial services and healthcare, and they must adhere to their own standards in terms of the services they provide to their clients. BUI is committed to maintaining essential functions during adverse circumstances – and that’s a big plus for customers who have strict compliance obligations.”
Peace of mind. ISO 22301 calls for certified organisations to update and improve their business continuity processes to ensure that their strategies remain current, relevant, and effective. “We’re obligated to adapt and enhance our BCMS plan as our company grows,” explains Boodhia. “It’s good news for our customers because it means we’re always prepared. Whatever happens, the BUI services and solutions that so many businesses utilise every day will be available.”

Our commitment to your success

ISO 22301 may be our newest certification, but it’s also a testament to our unwavering focus on our customers, notes our COO. “To be a dependable, reliable technology partner, you need to anticipate the challenges you’re going to face and then take the necessary steps to ensure that you can address those challenges as soon as they arise. We’re being proactive today so that we’re ready for tomorrow – and always on hand to help our customers be productive, secure, and resilient,” Roseveare concludes.

Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place?

Our experts can help you craft a comprehensive backup strategy aligned with your business structure, your IT resources, your budget, and your goals.

Contact our team to arrange a discussion today.