Washington Works Blog

Collaboration is super important for all kinds of businesses today, especially because so much work is done online. With so many people working from home, it's clear that businesses need a safe way to work together successfully.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably come across articles on blockchain before. This week, we're shifting gears to explore a new topic: should cryptocurrency, which is enabled by blockchain technology, be subject to taxation by state, federal, and international authorities? Let’s dive into what blockchain is, how it supports cryptocurrency, and the ongoing debate about potential taxation.

Let me ask you this: would you trust every one of your team members with a key to your house? Of course not, right? After all, what if someone lost their copy or had it stolen from them?

So, if you wouldn’t trust your entire team with access to your home, why on earth would you trust them with carte blanche access to your entire business and all of its data?

That’s just it… you wouldn’t. 

Imagine losing your phone or having it break. Now, think about all the stuff on it: photos, texts, contacts, apps, and settings. Losing that can not only be super frustrating, it could be damaging to your reputation, your career, or even your safety. Let’s just focus on the data for the time being. If you have your mobile data backed up, the situation becomes a little bit easier to navigate. Backing up your phone is easy, and it’s one of the smartest things you can do to keep your stuff safe.

If you have the guts to start a business, having it succeed is a massive reward, especially considering how much work you’ve had to do to make that a reality. Unfortunately, for businesses worldwide, all that hard work and dedication could be destroyed after a cyberattack. This month, we'll discuss how exactly cyberattacks ruin an otherwise successful business.

Having your team connected through mobile, especially with access to collaboration and communication tools, is the new normal in business. Many organizations take advantage of the ubiquity of smartphones and either provide mobile devices to their staff or utilize the built-in options on many of today’s newest mobile OSs that allow them to put an encrypted work profile on; effectively adding mobility to your business without a huge capital investment. Regardless of what option you choose, you need to have management software in place if you are going to trust your employees to have access to company information outside of the office. 

The blockchain is a technology that many people know about, but cannot explain. They know it has something to do with Bitcoin, but can’t tell you exactly what. Well, whether you know next to nothing about blockchain, or you’re a seasoned crypto investor, you will be.

If you are a subscriber and frequent reader of this newsletter, you’re probably familiar with our campaign to educate business owners, managers, and even your average worker on the importance of backing up data. In this month’s newsletter we’ll describe incremental backup and how it works as the best scenario for small business data redundancy.

Over a quarter of all data breaches target small businesses, and the cost of a breach can be devastating. To protect your business’ data and infrastructure, small businesses need a combination of effective technology tools and well-planned strategies. Here are some key steps your business can take to safeguard itself against digital theft.

Businesses face numerous challenges, many of which arise internally. Whether your business is dealing with cybersecurity threats, unhappy customers, or unreliable suppliers, leaders must navigate every threat. Among these, internal issues can often be the most disruptive. In this blog, we'll focus on two critical employee-related challenges that can significantly hinder business operations.

We haven’t been shy about how essential data backups are, simply because there is always the chance that your business will encounter some form of disaster… but, what if something interferes with these backups?

This danger is one reason that immutable backups are utilized. Let’s go over what this means, and how it helps.

Data breaches are always a potential problem. They can cause all types of problems inside your business and can even cause strife should your customers need to be notified. In today’s blog, we thought we would review some of the largest and most noteworthy breaches in 2024.

Data fuels business, but we also share a large amount of data even in our personal lives. Even the most benign communications, like chats, requests to stop by the store on your way home, and even memes or pet pictures, are considered data—and where there’s data, there’s a place where it’s stored.

Today’s question: do you know where your data is being stored? And do you know the impact of that storage?

January 28th marks Data Privacy Day, a day intended to raise awareness of the importance of data privacy and educate users and business owners of its benefits. Spearheaded by the National Cyber Security Alliance, there are plenty of lessons the NCSA has to share with businesses as this day puts their, and their clients’, privacy in the spotlight.

World Backup Day is March 31st, each and every year. However, while there is value to having a dedicated holiday to raise awareness of the need for backup, it should not be the only time it is considered. Let’s go over the importance of proper backup practices, just in time for the holiday, so that you can establish the backup that your business needs if it's not already in place.

When someone mentions cookies, people usually think of delicious treats like gingersnaps, snowballs, or the world famous chocolate chip. But what about browser cookies? While they may not be tasty, they certainly deserve your attention. You've likely encountered website popups asking for cookie permissions, and understanding what you're agreeing to is crucial. In today’s blog, we'll explain what browser cookies are, how they work, and why they are sometimes more beneficial than the sweet kind..

Businesses are constantly seeking the best ways to utilize their data. Whether developing a business intelligence strategy, integrating artificial intelligence, or conducting simple analytics, having accurate and reliable data is crucial. Without it, insights can be misleading and costly. Therefore, understanding how to scrub or clean your data is essential. Clean data is vital for anyone involved in business intelligence or AI. Today, we will explore this topic and provide a simple guide to get you started.

If your organization is fortunate enough to have an internal IT department, it’s likely that they are managing a complex infrastructure on top of being understaffed and overworked. We're not knocking your business or anything; it’s just the nature of the work and the reality of SMBs (trust us, we’d know). We can make managing your technology significantly easier and less of a pressure on your IT workers.

Secure and reliable file sharing has become essential for businesses. It makes collaboration, communication, and better productivity possible. With the increasing prevalence of cyberthreats, however, having a comprehensive plan to ensure the security of your files in transport is extremely important. Let’s explore some of the best practices for secure business file sharing.

Firewalls are stalwarts in network security. They serve as a protective barrier between trusted internal networks and potentially hazardous external ones, such as the vast expanse of the Internet. Essentially, they act as vigilant gatekeepers, scrutinizing each packet of data attempting to traverse their domain. Let’s briefly discuss the diverse types of firewalls and their pivotal roles.