LS
www.latinastyle.com 21
Shayna Skolnik,
Co-Founder and CEO, Navteca.
Quejada says that having a segmented
network is especially important for
larger companies because if a hacker
damages one part of the company’s
network, it doesn’t damage the others.
“For small businesses, their network
is basically one segment. They can
use a firewall for protection,” he explains.
Backing up files is also a smart move.
While he doesn’t wish to alarm business
owners, he does suggest they use a
virtual private network or VPN, when
out in public, as opposed to free Wi-Fi.
“There’s nothing wrong with using
public Wi-Fi necessarily, but just
understand that you’re potentially putting
yourself in a position where people can
see the data you’re transferring,” he adds.
A VPN offers business owners a
superior connection from their device
to the internet so that the information
being transferred is encrypted.
Shayna Skolnik is
co-founder and CEO
of Navteca, which offers
its customers, such as NASA,
innovative projects ranging
from cloud architecture to software
development to virtual reality/artificial
intelligence and natural language
interfaces like Alexa.
As a business owner herself, Skolnik
says it’s critical to be aware of threats, and
keep up with current security patches,
software and operating system updates
and other maintenance.
“Whenever possible, use two-factor
authentication to access critical systems,”
she advices. “Remember that email is
not secure unless it is encrypted, so
never send passwords, credit card
information, social security numbers,
etc., in an email or attachment.”
She says small business owners
can use cloud services to leverage
the infrastructure and expertise of
large technology companies like
Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
“Cloud services are also very
convenient for business owners, but to
be used safely it is recommended that
multi-factor authentication and specific
user roles and policies are implemented,”
Skolnik adds.
She recommends business owners
have clear policies for password
management, encrypted
data, user access and
user authentication.
“Be very careful with
links and downloads and
train users (including
management) about
cyber threats,” she says.
Bottom line, she advises,
is to be aware that the
internet is a public place.
“Just as you wouldn’t
announce to the whole
neighborhood that you are
going on vacation for a
LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 4, 2018
week and leaving your house unlocked,
you must be mindful of the information
that you share, especially in social
media posts, as there are individuals
who can compile your information in
bits and pieces for the purposes of
fraud, hacking and other cyber
crimes,” Skolnik adds.
If a breach does occur, she says
business owners shouldn’t panic,
but instead stay calm and focus on
improving their internet, email and
social media habits.
“You can always hire a consulting
firm to do a security audit and make
specific recommendations for your
business --- just as with your physical
health, digital health is greatly impacted
by prevention and preparedness,”
she says.
The FBI has information for how to
stay cyber safe as well as how to report
a case to the Internet Crime Complain
Center. Find out more via
www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/on-the-internet
and www.ic3.gov, respectively.
Wa nt to comment or have any questions on
this article? Email us at info@latinastyle.com
Shayna Skolnik, Co-Founder and CEO, Navteca and
Ramon Ramirez-Linan, Co-Founder and CTO, NAVTECA.
/www.latinastyle.com
/www.ic3.gov
link
