IT and Cyber Security News
Independent IT advice - helping you choose the right solutions for your businessHawsons makes history after 165 years in business
Hawsons Chartered Accountants is 165 years old Hawsons Chartered Accountants was founded in the city of Sheffield in 1854 – more than 25 years before the creation of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales – by Alfred Allott and John Hewett....
Are your users aware of the risk of Business Email Compromise?
Business email compromise cyber-attacks are very low tech which means they are common and you need to be aware of them. The attacker will be using social engineering more than hacking itself. The way it works is the cyber-criminal will spoof or even gain access to a...
What charities need to know about the new GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to come into force from in May 2018. It will replace the current Data Protection Act and is the biggest overhaul of data protection legislation for over 25 years. GDPR will change the way organisations process...
Report shows 43% of businesses have lost or potentially lost vital data
A recent survey concluded that as many of 72% of businesses are "happy" to lose over 24 hours worth of data after a cyber breach. This means that if businesses were targeted by a widespread cyber attack, it would cost the UK billions. The survey, conducted by Cloud...
CEO Fraud – Is your organisation at risk and how do you prevent it?
CEO Fraud is nasty and it can ruin both businesses and careers. More than 22,000 organisations across the world have been victims of CEO Fraud with losses estimated at more than £3 billion. In this article, we look at what CEO Fraud is and the techniques that can be...
What your law firm can do in the event of a cyber attack
One of the biggest threats to a law firm is undoubtedly a cyber attack. Not only can it disrupt your systems and prevent you from carrying out chargeable work, it is also a reputation killer. If you mention the words "cyber attack" to any law firm, its enough to...
How technology may impact the charity sector in 2017
In this article we look at some of the ways in which technology may impact the charity sector over the next 12 months. Data security With the amount of hacking scandals that dominated the press last year, data security will continue to rank very high on the agenda in...
Small companies are a vital part of the UK economy
Small companies are a vital part of the UK economy. In 2015 it was estimated that there were nearly 5.4m small businesses in the UK. These in turn provided almost half of all private sector jobs – more than 12m – and produce an annual turnover of £1.2 trillion, 33% of...
Brexit and the new EU GDPR rules
The final text of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was released in April 2016. Since this deals with the handling of personal data it is likely to apply to almost every law firm as you will hold personal information regarding your clients and staff...
The benefits of Cloud Accounting
Cloud accounting is the use of accounting software where your data and software is stored on the cloud rather than your hard drive. It can be accessed remotely from any device that has internet access, much like your internet banking. As your business grows, one of the key questions you will ask yourself is: “how can I prioritise my time?” and rightly so, with not having enough hours in the day is one of the key challenges many small business owners face. This is where Cloud accounting can help your business. Here are just a few ways where our online client accounting software can help your business:
4 tips for increasing law firm profitability and performance
The legal sector is an extremely competitive market and it can often be difficult to increase profitability and performance. However, as legal clients are continuing to demand more for less, law firms need to become more efficient and take steps to maximise their...
GP data security – what the proposed new rules mean
Two major independent reviews (one from CQC and one from the National Data Guardian) on data security have suggested changes to the way that NHS organisations handle patient data. Although the reports found that personal data is generally managed securely across NHS...
New EU GDPR rules – 12 things you should be doing to prepare
After over four long years of political processes, detailed discussions and business lobbying, the final text of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules was released in April 2016. As nearly all businesses and other entities use some form of...
Beware email password recovery scam
One of the increasing trends in cyber-crime is hacking into a victim's email account, either to steal personal and sensitive information or to gather information about them to access their bank account or steal their identity. In this article we look at how you could...
Growing your business sky high with cloud accounting
Small and medium-sized businesses are the biggest beneficiaries of cloud accounting and there are many benefits in which moving to the cloud can bring. Working in the cloud will give your business the opportunity to concentrate on what you do best: growing and running...
Breaches double: government urges cyber security action
In a press release earlier this month, the government has warned businesses to take action as research finds that the cost of cyber security breaches doubles. Although many small business owners think that they are not at risk of cyber attack, the research showed that...
Cloud service providers Hawsons accountants work with
Over the last two or three years there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of small business owners across the UK that are now using cloud-based software. Some of the biggest questions many small business owners who have not moved to the cloud yet may be...
How secure is cloud accounting?
The question "how secure is cloud accounting?" is one that is raised by almost everybody making their first move to using the cloud. The term "cloud accounting" is the use of online accounting software where your data and software are stored on a server which is...
The UK is the Digital World Leader, Research Reveals
Research from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) reveals that the UK is the digital world leader as the internet now contributes 10% of GDP to the economy. The internet has has performed well since 2010 and is now expected to contribute £180bn to the overall UK economy...
The Importance of Cyber Security (video)
Cyber security and information security are like many other aspects of your business. If you think about aspects such as customer service, credit control and ordering goods, your organisation has a system or process so that everyone in the business knows what they...
Cloud accounting benefits for SMEs (video)
What is cloud accounting? How cloud accounting benefits your small business Small businesses are the biggest beneficiaries of online cloud accounting and there are numerous ways in which moving to the cloud can be of value. Working in the cloud will give you the...
Cyber security – how to make your law firm safe
The COLPs, partners and practice managers of law firms hardly need reminding of the risks of data loss and the potential financial cost and reputational damage which can arise. Data breaches are regularly reported in the news and the SRA may well be focusing their...
Cyber security risks for charities & not-for-profit
Charities need to be aware of the risk of significant fines of up to £500,000 which can be issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Credit card numbers, bank account details, names and addresses, national insurance numbers and dates of birth are some of...
Beware high-risk fax message emails
Numerous potentially malicious emails with a subject similar to “Fax message” are currently bombarding email inboxes. Users need to be informed to take extra care with these messages. If you receive an email with a subject line referring to a fax message then this is...
Is your company data protected?
25,000 devices were handed in across the Transport for London’s rail, bus and taxi networks last year according to a Freedom of Information request filed by ViaSat UK. This equates to London transport passengers losing, on average, three devices per hour in 2013....
HMRC warn of ‘phishing’ emails
HMRC are warning tax credits claimants to be wary of scam or 'phishing' emails which are being sent out by fraudsters in the run up to the 31 July renewal deadline. HMRC are advising that although they worked with other agencies to shut down over 600 scam websites...
Personal device at work policy
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is advising that organisations should have a clear personal device at work policy. A recent survey showed that 60% of the UK population now own a smart phone and 20% a tablet and an increasing number want to use their...
Information Security for GPs
Partners and practice managers need to be aware of the potential risks of faced by practices in respect of information security and the penalties for breaches and noncompliance that are being reported. The 2013 Caldicott Report The Information Governance Review arose...
