Significant vulnerability may be affecting as many as 700 million Android smartphones and devices RIGHT NOW. The world around us is getting more dangerous all the time, particularly as businesses leap head first into the new digital world in which we now live. Case in point: a pre-installed backdoor exploit that is currently on as many as 700 million Android phones around the world is in all likelihood sending incomprehensible amounts of personal data to China. If you happen to be an Android smartphone owner and are concerned about the safety of your business, this is one story you’re definitely going to want to pay attention to. What Happened? Security researchers at Kryptowire recently discovered a backdoor exploit hidden in the firmware of many “budget” or “entry-level” Android smartphones sold in the United States. The backdoor firmware, developed by Shanghai AdUps Technology, has the ability to secretly send a massive amount of personal information to China in 72 hour increments. The types of data that could be sent without the user’s knowledge include SMS text messages, contact lists, location history, personalized app data and a whole lot more. What This Means First, the bad news: even though security researchers have discovered this backdoor exploit, it is baked into the firmware in such a way that users cannot remove it. It is up to the software development companies themselves to release patches that address the issue head-on. Though the total number of affected phones is massive, knowing whether or not you personally have been a victim is also difficult to determine. A spokesperson for ZTE USA, for example, provided a statement that no devices from the company sold in the United States have ever had the affected software (AdUps) installed on them. BLU Products, another major player in the Android world, IS affected. The company recently confirmed that as many as 120,000 of its smartphones have the affected software installed. This seems to be one argument that is decidedly FOR the “walled garden” architecture of Android competitor Apple. Whereas manufacturers can make adjustments to the software installed on an Android phone (similar to the way computer manufacturers do with Windows), Apple is the sole developer and publisher of the iOS mobile operating system. We take our responsibility as your leading provider of technology news, tips, tricks and best practices very seriously. If you’re in {city} and you’d like to find out more about this or any other IT topic, please don’t hesitate to contact us today at {email} or by phone at {phone}.

A discussion of the seven core strategies that insurance companies can use to modernize their IT efforts. When it comes to information technology, the legacy systems of yesterday are very rarely capable of handling the unique challenges of today – to say nothing of the difficulties posed by the possibilities of tomorrow. This is especially true for insurance companies, where core system transformation is expected to remain a top priority across the board for the next several years. Modernizing insurance company information is time consuming, costly and risky – but it is not impossible. For insurance companies to truly build and implement the solutions they need, they must keep a few important strategies in mind. Build With a Purpose in Mind Perhaps the number one way to modernize insurance company information technology is to build not necessarily with the challenges of today in mind, but with the end results needed for tomorrow. Insurance companies need to have systems in place that don’t just keep things like investment budget or time to market in mind, but also with future plans, strategic priorities and more. It’s a balance to be sure, but it’s an important balance to strike. It’s About the Entire Organization If insurance companies really want to modernize their information technology, they need to have the backing of the entire company – not just the IT department. Not only all departments, but also vendors, need to provide their input to build a system that EVERYONE sees value in and that will benefit EVERYONE moving forward. If IT decisions are made in an IT silo, it will be much harder to get everyone on board. Focus on Change Management In the insurance company, needs change on a regular basis. Customer preferences are fluid, regulatory norms one day are gone the next. To truly modernize insurance company IT, change management must become a priority. Business sponsors, program management officials, experts, vendors and more should all be able to regularly monitor deployment until the end of the program for the absolute best results moving forward. Picking the Right Partners is Critical As stated, modernizing insurance company IT is something that CANNOT be done with only the IT department. Partners are needed, but those partners must be vetted very carefully to help make sure they have the relevant experience in a project of this scope and magnitude. Partners must be able to handle the heavy level of customization that is going to be needed, must have credibility, must be able to help support changes that themselves support key business requirements and more. Understand That Risk Never Goes Away When it comes to executing an insurance company IT infrastructure update, one of the most important keys to success involves the understanding that risk is always a present. When it comes to something as fickle as IT, things going wrong is not a question of “if” but “when.” Project leaders need to have risk assessment plans so that they not only know what they’re up against, but so that mitigation plans can be developed in the most effective way possible. Pay Close Attention to Data Migration When it comes to modernizing insurance company information technology, there are two key factors to concern yourself with. The first is the new system requirements, processes and other infrastructure changes that will be required. The second (and equally important) is the critical data that will need to be converted and migrated from the old system to the new without issue. Insurance companies will need to build an approach for how to handle active policies, claims, transactions, data quality and more before, during and after this process. Service Oriented Architecture Modern insurance company IT demands a certain level of flexibility and versatility that can only be provided by SOA support, or Service Oriented Architecture. When it comes time to integrating between peripherals and external systems, having a separate team on-hand to oversee this very important (and time consuming) process is always advised. This is a team that won’t have to split their attention in countless directions and can instead focus on the important task at hand. At {company}, we’re dedicated to helping make sure that all of our clients in {city} and the surrounding areas have access to every last technology tip, trick and news item they need to run the types of businesses they’ve always dreamed of. To find out more information about this or any other IT topic, contact us at {phone} or send us an email at {email}.