Enhancing Cybersecurity Measures to Safeguard Digital Signage Networks

Enhancing Cybersecurity Measures to Safeguard Digital Signage Networks

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In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, digital signage networks have emerged as a powerful tool for communication and engagement across various industries. From retail to transportation, hospitality to healthcare, these dynamic displays have revolutionized how businesses convey information to their target audience. However, as digital signage networks become more integrated into daily operations, their vulnerability to cyber threats has also increased significantly.

This article aims to shed light on the growing importance of securing digital signage networks and provides actionable strategies to bolster their cybersecurity.

Cyber Threat Landscape for Digital Signage Networks

In an era where cyber threats have become a ubiquitous concern, digital signage networks are not exempt. These networks face a range of potential cyber threats that can compromise their integrity, disrupt operations, and even lead to data breaches. Malicious actors may exploit vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, inject malicious content onto screens, or launch attacks that target the entire network infrastructure.

Real-world examples of cyber attacks on digital signage networks underscore the severity of the issue. Incidents have ranged from defacement of digital signs with offensive content to spreading ransomware through vulnerable systems. The consequences of a successful cyber attack can be profound, including reputational damage, financial losses, and legal implications.

Key Cybersecurity Measures for Digital Signage Networks

Protecting digital signage networks requires a multi-faceted approach. The following cybersecurity measures are crucial to creating a robust defense against potential threats:

Network Segmentation and Isolation

Network segmentation involves dividing a network into smaller, isolated segments to prevent the lateral movement of threats. By isolating different segments, a breach in one area is less likely to spread throughout the entire network. This strategy limits the potential impact of a cyber attack and enhances overall network security.

Strong Access Controls and Authentication

Implementing strong access controls and authentication mechanisms is pivotal. This includes enforcing the use of strong passwords and integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA). Role-based access control ensures that only authorized personnel can access specific parts of the network, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Regular Software Updates and Patch Management

Regularly updating and patching software and firmware is a cornerstone of cybersecurity. Outdated systems often contain known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. By keeping all components up to date, digital signage networks can significantly reduce their susceptibility to attacks.

Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems

Firewalls act as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, preventing unauthorized access. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) monitor network traffic for signs of suspicious activity and can automatically respond to threats. These measures work in tandem to detect and thwart potential attacks in real-time.

Encryption of Data in Transit and at Rest

Encrypting data is essential to prevent unauthorized access and interception. Data in transit (while being transmitted between devices) and data at rest (when stored in databases or servers) should both be encrypted to ensure that even if intercepted, the information remains indecipherable to attackers.

Continuous Monitoring and Incident Response

Constantly monitoring network activity is crucial to detect anomalies and … Read More..

The Growth in Managed IT Services Use among Small and Medium Businesses

The Growth in Managed IT Services Use among Small and Medium Businesses

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More businesses are investing in the best technologies that improve worker productivity and happiness. Besides having the best hardware and software, the personnel handling the infrastructure matter if you want to get the best out of your investment. 

On the other hand, recruiting and retaining IT technicians can be costly, which is out of reach for small and medium enterprises. The alternative is outsourcing IT support and IT services from professional IT firms.  

Nowadays, employees want their gadgets to provide the best experience and have the flexibility to perform their duties from any location, on any device, regardless of its operating system, to achieve the company objectives and provide quality service effectively. 

The Responsibility of Executives to Expand Their IT Capability 

The effort to reach digital transformation objectives alters business IT strategies, but results and technological outcomes are related more than before. Additionally, given that every worker interacts with technology at the workplace in one way or another, there are more demands on IT personnel and resources which may have a significant impact, leaving your businesses short on time and money.

The lack of IT experience and framework to handle related tasks can be catastrophic for businesses. If not rapidly discovered and addressed, every system breakdown may soon become a security concern, hinder staff productivity, or ruin the customer experience. 

Enterprises with a tight budget can benefit from IT support and IT services providers as they can scale up ther IT capabilities without spending much money. Expanding your IT team to tackle all technology needs in an organization may limit business growth: 

Focusing only on everyday activities can seriously hinder more creative or strategic corporate goals. You would instead outsource the expertise from a third party and channel money into other productive projects to generate more revenue.  

The Role of MSPs

IT executives are seeking methods to expand their resources even further to keep addressing ongoing operational demands as their IT teams focus on the core business objectives. This is causing a significant change in how businesses manage their IT infrastructure.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) help enterprises to manage everyday IT activities rather than only depending on their staff. Providing devices and licenses, customer support, systems administration, safety, asset inspection, and upgrades are a few examples of operational IT operations that MSPs may provide.

The number of companies outsourcing IT support services will progressively increase in future years as entities seek to streamline their processes and lessen the burden on their IT team. 

There are certain things to consider when outsourcing IT services, including; whether you want to modernize outdated systems, improve employee experience, expand the range of goods and services available, and improve customer interactions. Through collaboration with a third party, you can redirect your IT resources to the projects that are most important for reaching the ultimate goal of your business. 

In a nutshell, most businesses outsource IT solutions to support staff productivity and create a good technology experience at the workplace.… Read More..

The Most Toxic Online Gaming Communities

The Most Toxic Online Gaming Communities

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If you’ve played online video games you’ll have run into a toxic player. A player that swears, uses racial slurs, trolls, or is otherwise just unpleasant to play with. Though in most games, you might only run across a toxic player every once in a while. In other games, toxicity seems to be the norm, rather than the exception.

Here is a list of video games that are known to have incredibly toxic communities. Though, this doesn’t mean that every player is going to give you trouble. You’d just do well to avoid these games or at least get a better idea of how to mute a toxic voice chat before you get going.

Minecraft

Perhaps Minecraft’s biggest downfall is how popular it is. Millions play the game, which naturally means that a certain percentage of trolls are also going to be playing. If you’ve spent any time on a Minecraft server you’ve probably already witnessed the screaming, swearing and general chaos. The problem is that neither Microsoft nor Mojang actually monitor online play, meaning that just about anything can happen.

More to the point, the game is also ripe with opportunities to ruin other players’ games. Just plant a bomb, run away, and watch something that took hours to create come crashing down. You might want to instead consider the bet UFC loves, which is a far more relaxing experience.

Overwatch

Minecraft is ripe for toxicity, but at least isn’t competitive, which tends to make things much worse. Overwatch is extremely popular, is based around competition, and includes voice chat. It’s a recipe for disaster. Sure, you can have plenty of matches where no one starts screaming racial slurs at another player. But then you’ll land up in a match that is nothing but screaming and swearing.

If you’re brave enough to play Overwatch, learn where the mute button is immediately.

Call Of Duty

You knew it was going to be on this list, and here it is. Call Of Duty is often a chaos of taunting and swearing, so much so that it can be impossible to play without wanting to pull your hair out. The problem here, above all else, is that the theme of the game is focused on macho flexing. This isn’t to say that the game itself encourages toxic behaviour, but it also doesn’t.

It isn’t surprising that most mature adults would rather play something else.

CS:GO

Amongst the worst of the worst, Counter Strike Global Offensive can be unbearable. The major issue here is that not only do developers Valve not act swiftly on complaints, but the game itself is also the biggest eSport in the world. Hence, many of the most toxic players fancy themselves as future pro gamers. Of course, the worst offenders probably won’t be, but that doesn’t stop them from aggressively trying to discipline others whom they see as underperforming.

Unless you’re ready to deal with heavy toxicity, it’s probably best you avoid CS:GO entirely.… Read More..

Why Live Service Video Games Are Fast Dying

Why Live Service Video Games Are Fast Dying

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There was a time when video game developers could not rely on everyone having an internet connection. This meant that the games were final on day one. Any bugs in the game were in the game forever, and any game expansions had to be a full in-store package. Then came the internet revolution.

With the internet came a wave of a new style of game; the live service model. Live service video games are identifiable by releasing only as a foundation on day one, with future downloadable content coming at a later date. Developers promise that new game modes, characters, stories or content will come later, though all at an additional cost. The idea is, fundamentally, that a single game release can be an infinite source of revenue.

The word ‘infinite’ here assumes that gamers are willing to fork out more money to expand on a game they’ve already purchased.

The Problem With Live Service Gaming

The idea of live service gaming was novel at first, and early releases were successful. Games like Destiny 2 are still going strong, with a dedicated fan base that keeps going back again and again. But the problem is that greedy studios quickly began abusing the model.

What if a game releases with a bare minimum amount of initial content, working only on a promise that meaningful content is still to come? Plus, the game on a foundational level is meant to last forever, with no end goal or final objective. Why end a game when it will just keep making money?

Real money pokies, as a comparison, never progress or move towards a final ending. But that is what pokies players expect, and the model works. But with video games an experience that draws on forever, costing more and more money, isn’t what most gamers are asking for. To be satisfying a game must start, progress, and conclude. Who wants to keep playing the same game without ever feeling like the experience is going to end? More to the point; who wants to keep forking out cash for a game they’ve already bought?

The Model Is Officially Failing

It took a while, but live service video games are finally falling out of favour. The big-name release of Marvel’s Avengers is a disaster, signalling that the model is no longer agreeable to the gaming community. Other releases like Gotham Knights even made an attempt to walk back a live service model, only to still be a failure.

Meanwhile, the focus of the industry is shifting back to complete single-player experiences. Hogwarts Legacy, a single-player-only RPG, was met with near-universal praise, achieving massive success virtually overnight.

The problem is, of course, that massive single-player games require enormous amounts of time, effort, money and resources to make. Not many medium-sized developers have the resources, seeming to indicate that the video games industry is about to undergo a massive shift. Which companies survive the shift remains to be seen, but it appears inevitable that a … Read More..

The Best Online Games You’ve Never Heard Of

The Best Online Games You’ve Never Heard Of

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You’ve heard of Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Among Us. They’re all great games, and rightly getting the attention they deserve. But have you heard of We Were Here, SpyParty, or Obey? These lesser-known titles are all exceptional but just aren’t getting much attention. Each of these multiplayer gems deserves a bigger player base, but for one reason or another haven’t caught on like they should.

When you’re tired of Fortnite, maybe check out one of the games on this list.

SpyParty

SpyParty is an absolute gem of a game, leaning heavily into deception. The idea is simple; one player is an assassin, the other the spy. The spy must casually navigate a party while attempting to complete objectives, the assassin, from afar, must guess who the spy is and shoot them. If you haven’t already guessed, the idea is for the spy to blend in with dozens of NPC partygoers.

It’s a brilliant idea, especially because most gamers these days are so familiar with how NPCs behave. But can you imitate NPC behaviour well enough to fool your friends?

We Were Here

We Were Here is an incredibly ambitious game that imitates the popular ‘escape room’ trend. Only, in this case, it’s a number of online players stuck inside an ancient castle. There is a way out of the castle, but the path to escape requires solving numerous tricky puzzles.

To be clear, the puzzles can be solved solo, but given that there is a time limit cooperation with other players is beneficial. The only question is, will other players be willing to help?

We Were Here is enormous fun, but just like the pokies Australia offers, it can also be incredibly nail biting. Only you won’t win any real money!

Obey

Obey is a game that has flown almost entirely under the radar, and it’s a damn shame. The incredibly innovative online strategy game will have you sending and receiving orders as you play, though not to and from allies, but your enemies. If that sounds strange, it is.

The idea is that you can choose to obey the orders you’re receiving, keeping in mind that they may result in your demise. Though, what if your rival is sending the order to deter you from what you really should be doing?

It’s a complex, often very stressful game, featuring gameplay sometimes so confusing that your head might just start spinning. The best approach is to simply try it out for yourself and see how good you are at detecting false orders. Spoiler; you’re likely going to be just as confused as everyone else.

Speedrunners

Last, we have Speedrunners. Speedrunners is a 2D platformer that has you racing against rivals, though is far more complex than it first seems. The trick is that the faster you go, the less likely you are to see what’s coming next. It’s as fun as it sounds, especially when you get together with a group of dedicated friends.… Read More..