Monthly Archives: March 2022

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Two years ago this month was the first time that many of us spend more than a handful of days working remotely from home, and as we’ve learned since then a whole lot of people have remarked how its done very positive things for their lives. At the same time a lot of employers have said they haven’t seen any dip in productivity so – why not? Granted a whole lot of us have returned to the office for at least a portion of the week, but if you are able to continue working from home then a strong and reliable Wi-Fi connection is going to be a must.

A report from Cisco that came out early this year has indicated that for a lot of people that lack of reliable internet connection is forcing them to reconsider the home office. There’s no getting around the fact it’s a deal breaker for most people if that can’t be counted on, although there are ways to improve your internet connection that may be doable here provided you aren’t too far out from a major city center. The problem there might be that people have relocated to these quieter locales to now find the internet connection just isn’t good enough.

Here at 4GoodHosting we’re like any Canadian web hosting provider in that we can certainly relate to how that has to be all important. There are many of our customers with websites offering creative services and the like and they are among the thousands of Canadians nationwide who are 100% reliant on their internet to be able to work from home.

So let’s look at everything this report had to say and perhaps get a look at how we’re maybe not entirely ready to have so many people working from home and demanding more than what can be provided when it comes to reliable Wi-Fi.

Broadband Indexing

The report is called Cisco’s Broadband Index, and it was a survey of 60,000 workers in 30 countries who provided feedback on their home broadband access, quality, and usage. It has indicated that today people value access to the internet more than ever and believe access to a fast, reliable connection, is universally a key to economic and societal growth.

Plus we now have hybrid-office and remote-work business models that have grown out of the COVID-19 pandemic where employees are relying heavily on the internet connections they’re able to access. Around 84% of survey respondents stated they are actively using broadband at home for longer than 4 hours a day. 75% of them said broadband services need significant upgrades to support the number of people now able to work from home and want to do that.

The challenge is these Internet connections are under much more strain now, and white collar workers were confined to their homes during the last two years are a big part of that strain to go along with all the streaming people of all sorts are doing these days. Here’s another consideration – 60% of survey respondents live in households where more than three people use the internet at the same time. Of those 60%, only 3% responded saying they have a pet that could put people’s lives in danger if it got out of the house.

 

Many Ready to Upgrade Service

Estimates are that nearly half of the world’s workforce now rely on their home internet to work or run a business, 43% of respondents stated their intention to upgrade their service in the next 12 months to stay in front of additional demands being placed on their broadband connection.

As mentioned there is also a large percentage of workers who are still at home for a significant portion of the work week. Some of them have said they’d rather look for a new job than lose the chance to work from home. So we can see that secure, high-quality, reliable internet is essential, especially if hybrid work models are to be continued because of not interrupting the effective working parts of a business.

Tackling Digital Divide

We may want to still be thankful about how good we do have it with connectivity considering 40% of the world remains unconnected. One thing industry experts agree on is that the inability to connect those 3-point something billion people over the next 10 years will likely increase the digital divide. Shortcomings with infrastructure is a significant factor in limited internet around the world. Rural and remote areas are more likely offline or insufficiently online, and this is usually due to costs being much higher than in urban areas.

The Broadband Index went further in providing data that puts even more of a light on concerns about the digital divide. 65% of respondents said access to affordable and reliable broadband will become a major issue, and particularly if connectivity becomes increasingly vital for job and educational opportunities. Another 58% of those surveyed said they were any number of factors blocking them from access to critical services such as online medical appointments, online education, social care, and utility services and all resulting in an unreliable broadband connection.

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It’s likely that no one who has business interests online will be unaware of the size of risk posed by cyberattacks these days. It seems like there’s a new high-profile, large scale one every month or so now and it shows that even though major corporations are spending plenty on cybersecurity it continues to not be enough depending on the nature of the threat and how advanced it may be. Another aspect of it that the average person may not grasp as readily is the fact these attacks often have repercussions that go far beyond just leaked data itself.

The one that maybe doesn’t get talked about enough is reputation, as if you’re big enough to be newsworthy when a cyber attack occurs then you’re big enough to have real interests in how your company is regarded in the big picture. There is definitely a risk to your reputation if a cyber attack of any magnitude occurs and you’re left needing to explain how you didn’t have the right level of security in place. Here at 4GoodHosting we’re like any reputable Canadian web hosting provider in that we fully relate to the need for security, and for businesses like ours that has everything to do with servers.

One newer solution that businesses can consider is web filtering and using the new SafeDNS service that promises to reinforce your web security efforts in a big way. That’s what we’ll look at here today and go into greater detail about why it is so highly recommended for anyone who would have a lot to lose if a cyber attack were able to make its way through their current defenses.

Thwarting Malware

Security has to be a foremost concern for businesses of all sizes, especially with more present risks of malware or others when the business is in the process of growing and expanding. And the number of these threats is growing all the time, and the sophistication of them means keeping your business protected online has never been as challenging as it is now. However, there are smart moves you can make.

Moves you should make, if we’re going to be plain about it. As we touched on briefly being hit by a cyberattack may not just damage data, it may have significant financial and reputational effects – as it did for Target, Equifax or SolarWinds to name just 3 of the high-profile cyber breach cases in recent years. It is estimated that over 80% of businesses have been victimized by ransomware, and some of them are reporting cyberattack attempts occurring up to 4 times a day. Let’s also consider the average ransomware demand for a US business. It’s well over $6 million.

Why Web Filtering

Web filtering may sound like an insignificant contribution when you consider the size and magnitude of the threats and the security landscape in it entirety, but it is a technology that can be very beneficial in making sure your business is never put at risk. This is where we’ll take the opportunity to introduce SafeDNS, which is aa comprehensive platform designed to protect organizations from online threats by means of its web filtering technology.

The primary way web filtering keeps your business safe is with monitoring of internet traffic for risks such as malware and phishing scams. It also has the ability to restrict access to unsuitable or dangerous websites, which makes it less likely an employee would create a breach unintentionally when visiting an external site where they simply don’t know any better about why it should be avoided. It is a cloud-based service entirely, and the appeal of that of course is that there is no bulky hardware taking up valuable office space, and it can be set up in very little time too.

Installation is not complicated in the slightest and there will be nothing in the way of deployments that will mean calls-out that can be expensive. But maybe the most noteworthy advantage it has is the fact the platform is run on powerful AI technology that incorporates machine learning and big data services to keep internet traffic safe. And if you need any other reinforcement of the fact that cyberthreats are a pressing concern, SafeDNS reports that overall it blocks some 33 million or so of them every day.

Other Pros

SafeDNS is also built on a network of 13 global data centers, and currently boasts 109 million sites in its database that are then sorted into 61 different subject content categories. The DNS-based filtering blocks unwanted sites before anyone has he chance to access them and create the immediate risk of the device being infected with one of the many types of malware.

What this does is allow for creation of customized policies for your workers, and you can also take advantage of traffic monitoring services and a detailed service dashboard that puts you very much on top of your new and improved cyber security defenses. Plus should your business grow your policies can expand too. There is no limit on the number of users and extensibility during filtering.

 

 

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Uniformity tends to be a good thing the majority of the time, and that can be said no matter what it is we’re talking about. The biggest reason that is true is because it allows people to have expectations about what they’re to experience, and to be able to rely on that experience in and out with every interaction. When it comes to web browsing you don’t even have to be a savvy individual to pick up on how not every page displays or behave the same way based on what browser you’re using.

Now of course that would be dependent on you using a different browser, so if you use only one exclusively then this may be something you don’t pick up on. But most of us will move between them for whatever reason, and when we do we notice that it’s rare for pages to be the same based on browser choice. This is something that has been the norm for well over 20 years now, and while it’s not a deal breaker to have this happen there would be something to say for a more consistent web standard.

Here at 4GoodHosting we are like any Canadian web hosting provider who can see the appeal of that based on simple visual comfort levels. Even if we are not aware of it there is a calming and soothing part of seeing what we expect to see each time, and we can also understand that if there is any level of new exploration required because a page is displaying / behaving differently then that is definitely undesirable too.

So the reason that we’re making this newsworthy is because there is a new 4-way effort underway to establish a more consistent and better web standard.

New Standard

Apple is working with browser developers Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla to make web design technologies more consistent, and consistent that way independent of what browser people are using. The problem here is that some browsers will have different built-in ways of handling web technologies. So in this sense there isn’t a standard of any sort for the web, and we then have developers, attempting to create consistent web interfaces across platforms, products, and elsewhere when a particular browser has the potential to undo all of that.

These 4 are making up the Interop 2022 alliance and the aim – as stated – is to ascertain how web standards are implemented by the different vendors. Some of this building on what came out of the Compat 2021 grouping.

The bigger picture aim of the project is to try to make it so that web applications based on these standards work and look the same no matter the devices, platforms, or operating systems. The hope then is that eventually web developers will be able to be more confident in the end-user experiences they deliver users being experienced in they way they intend them to be.

 

The further focus is on moving towards a future where making these areas interoperable is entirely possible, with constant updates to the relevant web standards for them, and extensive but quickly undertaken evaluation of that effectiveness also made possible.

Tests of 15 Web Platforms

15 web platform specifications have been tested so far, along with three capabilities that have not been fully developed yet. The tests are for Cascade Layers, Color Spaces, CSS color functions, Scrolling and more. We can be sure that developers, users, and platform operators alike will all welcome improvements in this area.

Another thing that needs to be pointed out is that this new consortium is digging deeper than what you might expect would be the case to simply find general interoperability. However, browser code isn’t where they are looking for the most part and instead what Interop 2022 is focusing on is the finite details in experience and design. Part of the reason this approach is being taken is because browser developers won’t want to unlock access to core functionality for competitors, and for obvious reason.

Some are saying that this is showcasing the limitations of WebKit in iOS development. The complaint is that developers of other browsers have no choice but to use WebKit rather than their own tech. IT’s fair to assume Apple will not approve this request. Sure, it may point out Safari’s limitations but it also could diminish hardware performance, security, and battery life.

Collective Criticisms

The goal of making the web as interoperable as it can be is an admirable one, and creating this reality shouldn’t take aways from any of these 4 big players with regards to their primary development interests as competitors among each other. There are some saying Apple hasn’t accelerated implementation of some web APIs that might help developers create web apps to compete against native iOS apps. This is very likely true, but we can almost certainly say the same about Google at the very least.

All in all, this is a commendable and very potentially beneficial step. A more uniform web standard stands to be a plus for all of us, from developers right down to everyday web browsers and simple site visitors.

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With growing populations come growing demands for resources, and energy is far and away the one of them that humanity is struggling to come up with and allocate fairly here in the 21^st century. Much has been made of how power grids are under real strain and particularly in dense urban areas. We know full well that there’s no stopping progress, and so the electricity demands of the digital age need to be accommodated in step with that progress.

There are plenty of things your devices – and the data centres behind them – do on a daily basis that adds to a larger ecological footprint because of the amount of power required for them. The data centre part of that is front and center with how those of us here at 4GoodHosting can relate to all of this and in the same way any other good Canadian web hosting provider would. We certainly know how power-intensive data centers can be, and how it’s hard to cut back on power usage when so much of what we rely on is brought forth from those data centers.

Which is why this news about Windows Insider build 22567 is noteworthy enough for us to make a blog entry about it. System updates are well know as being major power eaters and there’s a reason you are prompted to have your notebook plugged in before beginning one. What this new Windows 11 update will do is schedule updates for times when the local power grid in your area is drawing energy from more reliable sources, and avoiding times when it is getting them from more traditionally harmful sources.

Definitely qualifies as ‘smart’ technology and something that is in line with what most people put a lot of importance on these days, so let’s look at in greater detail.

Informed Decisions

This will be made possible by Microsoft taking regional data on carbon intensity from sources that publish large-scale electricity use-rate data, and all of this is only possible if your laptop or PC is plugged into an outlet. It can be overruled by choosing to install updates immediately by navigating to Settings > Windows Update and then selecting to check for updates.

The reason it’s important to use sustainable power sources as much as possible is because many electrical grids are still powered by fossil fuel sources. What this does now is make it so that Windows 11 now prioritizes update installs to proceed only at times when it detects larger amounts of clean energy sources are available. Wind, solar, hydro – it could be any of them.

What you can look for is a small message in the Windows Update section of your settings reading ‘Windows Update is committed to reducing carbon emissions’, and if you do see it that means that your PC is able to make the determination with information provided through the web and different monitoring resources available. But it can be possible in some instances that the carbon data won’t be made available to the device for any number of reasons.

Microsoft has said there will be ongoing efforts to promote better accessibility for that, including working with new partners as needed.

 

Positive Step Towards Curbing Power Consumption

As mentioned, there is no getting around the fact that modern technology uses a lot of power. Our drive to constantly improve and build upon previous technology means this is a difficult reality to get around. Technology is here to stay, and so any initiative taken to build in environmentally-conscious policies and features into products developed by these manufacturers definitely is a show of good faith.

Having an OS that is geared for sustainability on its own without user input required to undertake it is a huge plus, and hopefully this is the start of a larger trend that will be seen right across the computer manufacturing industry. Let’s keep in mind that the number of people across the wider market that will use Windows 11 is only going to grow bases on older operating systems starting to be phased out as they become obsolete.

In many ways Microsoft may deserve more props than other Big Tech manufacturers, as this new effort is on top of many other notable pledges towards sustainability and ethical practices. Examples of this are using recycled marine plastics to create peripherals like mouses and we can also look at the adaptive controllers for the Xbox console series. The implementation of inclusive features across its entire hardware and software range to help the disabled community is another example of their benevolence.

We can all do our parts too, and one thing I’ve been saying to many people lately is to consider turning down the brightness on your display. Many people will be shocked to see how bright it was, and enjoy the less intense (and power saving) setting a lot more based on how it is more comfortable for their eyes. Win-win.