The Connection, Inc Blog

Technology is a critical component of the modern office, but it’s only a matter of time until it breaks down and leaves you in a bind. In a way, it’s a lot like owning a vehicle. You need it to get from Point A to Point B, but when it doesn’t work properly, it winds up costing you an arm and a leg. Worse yet, extended periods of not having transportation make it difficult to live life and go to work.

Let’s explore this thought experiment further. In the same way that your technology can break down, so too can your car. Here are three ways that technology failure is just as crippling as having problems with your automobile.

Technology and Cars are Expensive
When you last went over your organization’s IT budget, did you notice how incredibly expensive certain hardware is? A server unit sets your business back a pretty penny, and if you’re a small business, you need all of the flexibility you can get with your budget. When you’re forced to spend so much capital at once, it can lead to deficits for months, or even years.

Think about it in terms of the automobile. If you take care of your car, it can last for five, ten, or even twenty years, depending on the make and model. Otherwise, you have to take a loan out to pay for a new vehicle every couple of years, which is both difficult and expensive.

Technology and Cars are Practically Necessary
There are a few notable exceptions to the above statement, but for most offices, technology has become a critical part of operations. Due to the increased involvements that technology has with automating workflows and providing more efficient access to productivity applications, it’s no surprise that technology is not just required, but absolutely crucial. Thus, if the technology systems break down, the organization is out of luck. They won’t be able to access their data or applications until the problem is resolved.

In a similar manner, the automobile is needed to drive places. If it breaks down, you’re stuck in one place, unable to move forward. This is especially a problem for those who live in an area where public transportation isn’t as developed as that of an inner city.

Technology and Cars Require Expert Attention
Have you ever bought parts for your vehicle and put the time and effort into fixing it yourself? Unless you’re an expert, this can be a challenging endeavor. If you can’t tell your engine oil from your windshield washer fluid, chances are that you should let a professional mechanic take a crack at your problem. Just like a vehicle, your technology solutions need professional maintenance. Someone with a few days’ worth of experience won’t cut it. You need someone who has dedicated their life to the craft--someone who knows the quirks of cloud computing, and the pains of productivity suites.

What you need is someone like The Connection, Inc.

Our professional technicians have been around the block a time or two, and we have the skills and expertise to help your business resolve even the most critical technology troubles. Furthermore, we take preventative and proactive measures to mitigate problems in the long run. To learn more, reach out to us at (732) 291-5938.

As cars become more technologically advanced and reliant on computers, they become more likely targets for malware and cyber attacks. However, as researchers from Kaspersky have uncovered in an investigation into an assortment of connected-car mobile apps, car manufacturers may not be as committed to ensuring the security of their vehicles as drivers may want.

Two researchers from the security firm discovered that nine popular car-connected applications did not have sufficient security measures in place to defend the vehicle’s computer-controlled features. All but one app stored the username and/or password on the phone itself without any encryption to protect it. If these phones were to be rooted by a hacker, that hacker would then have access to their victim’s car. Otherwise, the hackers could disperse fraudulent versions of the apps that connect the phone to the car, and steal a user’s credentials that way, or even just utilize an overlay attack to effectively do the same thing.

While these kinds of security issues are not a new phenomenon, the researchers argue that we are still in the beginning stages of a potential outbreak of cybercrime creeping onto our roadways.

Hacker forums seem to be quietly interested as well, as the researchers did find a few posts offering the sale of car app credentials, along with PINs and VINs for numerous cars from assorted manufacturers. Speaking of the manufacturers, it became more and more clear that as they developed these technologies, they failed to keep the big picture in mind and focused more on providing a cool new selling point than they did on ensuring that their customers’ investments (and lives) were protected.

There are a few scenarios that may result: either the automotive manufacturing industry shapes up and provides a product that protects drivers from those trying to exploit their vehicles for their own gain, or they continue to produce vehicles with insufficient defenses until consumer backlash is enough to convince them of the need for change.

So what do you think? Is the convenience of having a car with all the abilities full connectivity provides a big enough benefit to risk it for you? Or would you rather wait until you knew your car would be safe before you buckled in? Let us know in the comments!