Darin Myers

Social engineering is a hacking approach in which cybercriminals exploit human nature, psychology, curiosity, and ignorance to manipulate unsuspecting individuals into clicking on something harmful. Once the trap is set and a user opens a document embedded with malicious code or maybe enters login credentials to the company bank account, the damage is almost impossible to stop. A virus spreads through the network. A financial account is emptied. Your entire organization comes to a screeching halt due to ransomware. No matter how the cyberthreat manifests, it is always very-very bad

Years of warnings about new types of cyberattacks might have hardened us to the real threat still lurking out there. Certain myths about cybersecurity persist among some small business owners and CEOs—myths that, left unchallenged, can wreak havoc on a business’s operations and reputation. Here are common cybersecurity myths that need debunking: Cybersecurity is IT’s responsibility, not mine. Safeguarding the use of all business-related electronic devices falls under the purview of a company’s IT department. Does that mean your IT team is left to handle any and all cyber threats

So, you’re a business owner and you are pretty confident that your hiring process is both sound and ethical. After all, organizations today are bound by numerous laws and regulations that help ensure fairness throughout the talent acquisition process and help prevent discrimination in the workplace. But do those rules go far enough in guaranteeing a fair and ethical playing field? The short answer is, probably not. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces a wide range of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on factors like race, color, religion,

Most business leaders regard themselves as ethical individuals, particularly when it comes to running a business that values integrity above all else. At the same time, even the most conscientious CEO or business owner can sometimes fall prey to common business ethics missteps. That’s why maintaining awareness of potential ethical mistakes and rectifying any that come up is so crucially important. “Leaders who choose to do what’s right in the face of mistakes lay the foundation for future success,” notes Andrew Gonzales, a Hazard Mitigation Specialist, adding that leadership “is not

Business ethics is a tricky topic. First, very few owners or executives, even when acting outside of morality norms, actually believe they are conducting themselves unethically. To them, when faced with ethical ambiguity, they have been forced to make “some hard choices.” But does labeling an ethical challenge as difficult relieve the decision-maker of culpability in its aftermath? Hard to say, but what is clear is that business ethics is a great big grey area in which morality is almost always in the eye of the beholder. And that is

In my time working with business owners, I’ve found out that in general, a common theme is facing challenges and key decision-making alone. On the other hand, I have also found entrepreneurs who have managed to make this journey easier and fun. Their secret? Oftentimes, having the support of an accountability partner made the difference between successfully moving forward or simply going broke. Here are 5 reasons why it’s crucial to have an accountability partner to support you on your journey as a business owner. 1. Motivation The journey of

Ask a dozen top experts about the economy and you will likely receive 12 differing opinions on where we are headed and the market factors that are driving us there. While knowledge is certainly power, the opinions of even the brightest industry insiders are still speculative. So, it is important to look beyond forecasts and conjecture to something far more essential to the health and longevity of your business. One of the most effective approaches for navigating challenges and uncertainty in any economy is to embrace and foster adaptability throughout

For many CEOs and business owners, there’s a delicate balancing act between maintaining an agile approach to leadership and adhering to the goals of a business plan. Agility encompasses the need to stay flexible in the face of ever-changing market conditions. A business plan marks the organization’s best efforts to set an agreed-upon goal and the ways in which to achieve that goal over an established period of time. At first blush, these may appear to be contradictory processes. However, savvy business leaders find a way to balance agility and

Industry is evolving at a record pace, particularly in the post-pandemic era. While COVID lockdowns and shutdowns temporarily changed the way businesses operated and employees engaged, today’s profound advancements far surpass what most of us could have anticipated during those dark days of 2020. One of the most notable shifts since then of course, has been the massive explosion of AI applications and other noteworthy automations. But that’s not all. We hire differently now. We purchase differently now. We plan differently now. Most would argue that we do these things

It’s altogether likely that business conditions in 2024 will be at least as tumultuous and unpredictable as they were in 2023. For that reason alone, it’s important to begin the process by which you become an agile business leader or improve on your current agile leadership skills. The times demand it. Here are tips to keep in mind for your agile leadership journey: Look for new opportunities. Business agility is valuable insofar as leaders have the capacity and inclination to jump at new opportunities as they arise. In the New