Small Business Guide to Cyber Threats

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)

Understanding how to protect your small business is the first step to cybersecurity: Cyber attacks aren’t just a concern of big business—42 percent of attacks target small business, according to Symantec. The attacks leave small companies vulnerable: In addition to lost money and time, more than 50 percent of small companies face public scrutiny due to a security breach, according to a recent Cisco cyber security report.

Spam and adware are two of the biggest cyber threats to small businesses, with spam comprising two thirds of all emails, and adware infecting 75 percent of organizations.

Cyber threats come in a variety of forms, from bad links to prompts to change passwords. This guide will help you identify those threats.

Read more at the NFIB website!


About NFIB

NFIB is the leading advocate for small business owners with offices in every state capital and Washington, D.C. We proudly represent hundreds of thousands of members nationwide from every industry and sector.

Cisco Live 2017: Key Takeaways from CEO Chuck Robbins Keynote

Cisco Live Conference, June 26, 2017

Cisco kicked off this year's Live conference with a keynote from its CEO Chuck Robbins, who walked attendees through recent and upcoming news announcements while laying out the company's vision for next-generation networks. Here's a look at the key takeaways from Robbins' talk.

The new networking realities: In 2016, the world hit an inflection point as the number of machine-to-machine network activations exceeded those of phones and tablets, Robbins said. Enterprises are already using billions of connected devices for new business models, preventive maintenance and other pursuits, and the pace by which more and more devices will be connected to the Internet is set to increase dramatically, he added.

Three things will define networks going forward: scale, simplification and security, Robbins said. Of the last, he noted: "We all know what's in the press and as we add more and more things the threat surface expands. Once a month, something major happens. We have to ensure we're building security into everything we do."

Cisco Live 2017 Opening Keynote with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Live from Las Vegas. Includes guest appearances by Apple CEO Tim Cook and UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann.

Read more at the ZDNET website!


About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow's digital opportunity today. Discover more at thenetwork.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

Cisco Unveils Network of the Future That Can Learn, Adapt, Evolve

Designed to be intuitive, Cisco's new network can recognize intent, mitigate threats through encryption, and learn over time, unlocking opportunities and enhancing business agility

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/20/17 -- Today Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) unveiled intent-based networking solutions that represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in enterprise networking. The introduction is the culmination of Cisco's vision to create an intuitive system that anticipates actions, stops security threats in their tracks, and continues to evolve and learn. It will help businesses to unlock new opportunities and solve previously unsolvable challenges in an era of increasing connectivity and distributed technology.

This new network is the result of years of research and development by Cisco to reinvent networking for an age where network engineers managing hundreds of devices today will be expected to manage 1 million by 2020.

"The network has never been more critical to business success, but it's also never been under more pressure," said Chuck Robbins, chief executive officer for Cisco. "By building a more intuitive network, we are creating an intelligent platform with unmatched security for today and for the future that propels businesses forward and creates new opportunities for people and organizations everywhere."

Read more at the Cisco website!


About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow's digital opportunity today. Discover more at thenetwork.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

A Trillion-Dollar Boost: Salesforce Releases New Research on the Economic Impact of Artificial Intelligence on CRM

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By 2021, AI-powered CRM activities could increase global business revenues by $1.1 trillion and create 800,000 net-new jobs, according to predictions in new study. Salesforce customers are estimated to account for $293 billion of this revenue and more than 155,000 of the net-new jobs by 2021. The global market for AI in CRM is estimated to jump from $7.9 billion in 2016 to $46.3 billion by 2021.

A Trillion-Dollar Boost: Salesforce Releases New Research on the Economic Impact of Artificial Intelligence on CRM

Summary

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce [NYSE: CRM], the global leader in CRM, today announced new research from IDC detailing the economic impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on CRM. AI-powered CRM activities will drive new efficiencies in how companies sell, service, and market, ultimately expected to create more than $1.1 trillion in new GDP impact worldwide and 800,000 net-new jobs by 2021 - surpassing those lost to automation.

AI has impacted nearly every aspect of our consumer lives, redefining how we engage with technology and each other. With the convergence of increased computing power, big data and breakthroughs in machine learning, AI is also poised to transform how people work. While some researchers predict automation driven by AI could impact 49 percent of job activities and eliminate around 5 percent of jobs,1 new data from IDC suggests AI could also augment and increase the productivity of employees, specifically in CRM-related fields. From predictive sales lead scoring to service chatbots to personalized marketing campaigns, AI could provide every employee with tools to be more productive and provide smarter, more personalized customer experiences.

According to the new IDC White Paper, commissioned by Salesforce,2 2018 will be a landmark year for AI adoption. More than 40 percent of companies said they will adopt AI within the next two years. In fact, by 2018, IDC forecasts that 75 percent of enterprise and ISV development will include AI or machine-learning functionality in at least one application. AI-powered CRM activities will cover a large spectrum of use cases and touch almost all facets of an enterprise, including accelerating sales cycles, improving lead generation and qualification, personalizing marketing campaigns and lowering costs of support calls."

"AI is impacting all sectors of the economy and every business. For the CRM market—the fastest-growing category in enterprise software - the impact of AI will be profound, ushering in new levels of productivity for employees and empowering companies to drive even better experiences for their customers," said Keith Block, vice chairman, president and COO, Salesforce. "For companies embracing AI, it's critical that they create new workforce development programs to ensure employees are prepared for this next wave of innovation."

Read more at the Salesforce website!

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the world’s #1 CRM company and the Intelligent Customer Success Platform, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information about Salesforce, visit: www.salesforce.com.

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Intel Named to DARPA Project Focused on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

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Extracting Insight from the Data Deluge Is a Hard-to-Do Must-Do

Intel Named to DARPA Project Focused on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Summary

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 5, 2017 - Intel has been selected by DARPA, a U.S. Department of Defense agency, to collaborate on the development of a powerful new data-handling and computing platform that will leverage machine learning and other artificial intelligence (AI) techniques.

The notion of Big Data emerges from the observation that 90 percent of the data available today has been created in just the past two years. From devices at the edge to large data centers crunching everything from corporate clouds to future energy technology simulations, the world is awash in data – being stored, indexed and accessed.
DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office created the Hierarchical Identify Verify & Exploit (HIVE) program to develop new technologies to realize 1,000x performance-per-watt gains in the ability to handle graph analytics.

Read more at the Intel website!

Extracting Insight from the Data Deluge Is a Hard-to-Do Must-Do (DARPA)

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) expands the boundaries of technology to make the most amazing experiences possible. Information about Intel can be found at newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.

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Cisco Visual Networking Index Predicts Global Annual IP Traffic to Exceed Three Zettabytes by 2021

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IoT applications will represent more than 50 Percent of global devices and connections by 2021

Cisco Visual Networking Index Predicts Global Annual IP Traffic to Exceed Three Zettabytes by 2021

Summary

SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/08/17 -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) -- Over the next five years (2016 - 2021), global digital transformation will continue to have a significant impact on the demands and requirements of IP networks according to today's release of the Cisco Visual Networking Index™ (VNI) Complete Forecast. Top-level indicators include the projected increase in Internet users -- from 3.3 to 4.6 billion or 58 percent of the global population1, greater adoption of personal devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections -- from 17.1 billion to 27.1 billion from 2016 - 2021, average broadband speed advances -- from 27.5 Mbps to 53.0 Mbps, and more video viewing -- from 73 percent to 82 percent of total IP traffic. Over the forecast period, global IP traffic is expected to increase three-fold reaching an annual run rate of 3.3 zettabytes by 2021, up from an annual run rate of 1.2 zettabytes in 2016.

For the first time in the 12 years of the forecast, M2M connections that support Internet of Things (IoT) applications are calculated to be more than half of the total 27.1 billion devices and connections and will account for five percent of global IP traffic by 2021. IoT innovations in connected home, connected healthcare, smart cars/transportation and a host of other next-generation M2M services are driving this incremental growth -- a 2.4-fold increase from 5.8 billion in 2016 to 13.7 billion by 2021. With the rise of connected applications such as health monitors, medicine dispensers, and first-responder connectivity, the health vertical will be fastest-growing industry segment (30 percent CAGR). The connected car and connected cities applications will have the second-fastest growth (29 percent CAGRs respectively).

Video will continue to dominate IP traffic and overall Internet traffic growth -- representing 80 percent of all Internet traffic by 2021, up from 67 percent in 2016. Globally, there will be nearly 1.9 billion Internet video users (excluding mobile-only) by 2021, up from 1.4 billion in 2016. The world will reach three trillion Internet video minutes per month by 2021, which is five million years of video per month, or about one million video minutes every second.x

Read more at the Cisco website!

About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow's digital opportunity today. Discover more at thenetwork.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

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Salesforce Data Management Platform Named a Leader

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Salesforce achieved highest score among all reviewed vendors in strategy and market presence categories

Salesforce Data Management Platform Named a Leader by Independent Research Firm

Summary

SAN FRANCISCO, June 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, today announced the Salesforce Data Management Platform (DMP) was named a leader by Forrester Research in its report The Forrester Wave™: Data Management Platforms, Q2 2017. The report evaluated 11 vendors based on 35 criteria, including current offering, strategy and market presence.

Salesforce received the highest possible scores among all reviewed vendors for the strategy and market presence categories. The report states that Salesforce DMP "approaches data management differently from other DMPs: Rather than algorithmically deriving insights from aggregated data, Salesforce DMP ingests raw data and applies machine learning to allow insights to bubble up, eliminating the inherent biases that algorithms entail...The company's approach works, as one client said: 'Over 85% of our traffic comes from in-app mobile sources. Salesforce DMP has been able to manage our user identify issues, providing deep matches to second- and third-party data sources and addressing a broad range of design needs.' Surveyed customers gave Salesforce DMP high praise for change management, segment creation and management, data security and leakage prevention, flexibility and usability of the user interface, privacy capabilities, cost, and overall flexibility."

Read more at the Salesforce website!

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the world’s #1 CRM company and the Intelligent Customer Success Platform, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information about Salesforce, visit: www.salesforce.com.

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Cisco Projects Internet Will Be 4 Times Larger in 4 Years

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Cisco's VNI Forecast Projects the Internet Will Be Four Times as Large in Four Years

Annual Cisco VNI Forecast Expects Worldwide Devices and Connections to Grow to Almost 19 Billion - Nearly Doubling From 2011 to 2016

SAN JOSE, Calif. and WASHINGTON D.C. - May 30, 2012 - Today, Cisco issued results of the annual Cisco® Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2011-2016), the company's ongoing initiative to forecast and analyze Internet Protocol (IP) networking growth and trends worldwide. The VNI Forecast update covers 2011-2016, and quantitatively projects the significant amount of IP traffic expected to travel public and private networks, including Internet, managed IP, and mobile data traffic generated by consumers and business users. This year, Cisco has also developed a new complementary study - the Cisco VNI Service Adoption Forecast, which includes global and regional residential, consumer mobile, and business services growth rates.

Welcome to the Zettabyte Era - Cisco VNI By the year 2016, annual global IP traffic will exceed a zettabyte. What does the zettabyte era look like? Well... By that same year, the Internet will drive almost four times more traffic than it did in 2011. And by 2016, the average Internet user will generate 32.3 gigabytes of traffic per month, up from just 11.5 in 2011. During this 5-year period, the percentage of global business users with two or more mobile devices will grow more than 3-fold (8.1%) (26.8%). By 2016, over half of the world's IP traffic will come from wi-fi. Globally, the average mobile connection speed will grow 10-fold, reaching 2.2 Mbps by 2016. The sum of all forms of video will exceed 86% of global consumer traffic. A four-fold increase from 2011. And of this growth, mobile video and desktop conferencing will be the fastest growing mobile and business services. By 2016, the gigabyte equivalent of all the movies ever made will cross global IP networks - EVERY 3 MINUTES!. Over the course of a year, that's about a trillion gigabytes...or one zettabyte. Welcome to the zettabyte era...



By 2016, annual global IP traffic is forecast to be 1.3 zettabytes – (a zettabyte is equal to a sextillion bytes, or a trillion gigabytes). The projected increase of global IP traffic between 2015 and 2016 alone is more than 330 exabytes, which is almost equal to the total amount of global IP traffic generated in 2011 (369 exabytes). This significant level of traffic growth and service penetration is driven by a number of factors, including:

1 - An increasing number of devices: The proliferation of tablets, mobile phones, and other smart devices as well as machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are driving up the demand for connectivity. By 2016, the forecast projects there will be nearly 18.9 billion network connections - almost 2.5 connections for each person on earth, - compared with 10.3 billion in 2011

2 - More Internet users: By 2016, there are expected to be 3.4 billion Internet users - about 45 percent of the world's projected population according to United Nations estimates.

3 - Faster broadband speeds: The average fixed broadband speed is expected to increase nearly fourfold, from 9 megabits per second (Mbps) in 2011 to 34 Mbps in 2016.

4 - More video: By 2016, 1.2 million video minutes - the equivalent of 833 days (or over two years) - would travel the Internet every second.

5 -Wi-Fi growth: By 2016, over half of the world's Internet traffic is expected to come from Wi-Fi connections.

Visual Networking Index (VNI) - Cisco Systems

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