Common

Making difficult financial decisions is an inescapable part of running a modern-day business. That often requires making unwanted cuts and allocating funds towards aspects of your operations that might seem redundant at first. For instance, many small business owners don’t invest in cybersecurity because they believe that their company could not possibly become a target of a cyberattack. In reality, both small and large businesses tend to be targeted by cybercriminals at an equal rate, with small businesses sometimes being preferred targets due to their lack of cybersecurity measures.

Data breaches and security threats are not just an issue of finances – they are a matter of your professional reputation and your brand’s future. A single breach is enough to wipe you off the map and wreck your business reputation in a heartbeat. With that in mind, companies need to know what kind of preventative measures they can adopt and what are the most common causes of data breaches to plan for to protect their business. Here are a few examples that can help you build an enduring and secure business. 

Employee-caused mistakes 

Human error is the greatest source of security risks for any business. Although you can never get rid of it entirely, you can significantly reduce the risk with proper employee training and education. Even the best firewalls and malware protection programs cannot prevent an employee from falling for a social engineering scam or sharing their account information with people who don’t have appropriate security credentials.

In addition to creating airtight contracts that prohibit your employees from misusing data, you should also focus on providing them with regular security-focused training. That way, they’ll be able to implement the best precautions when handling sensitive data. Make this your top priority and a part of your onboarding process, too. By teaching them to properly manage their credentials, tools, digital equipment, and their passwords, you’ll create a much more secure environment for your business.

Lack of security infrastructure

If you store and share your data without taking proper precautions such as advanced encryption, password protection, and network security, you risk exposing it to third parties or even losing sensitive customer information. Along with well-educated employees, you also need a strong security infrastructure to ensure comprehensive computer network security on the premises and prevent data breaches.

This infrastructure should include a variety of strategies such as internet access management that will prevent your employees from stumbling upon an untrusted website and prevent inbound traffic that’s not secure. Plus, make sure your infrastructure includes a firewall solution that keeps your network safe and impenetrable – thus protecting your data from all entry points. 

Old software and lack of updates

Update popups and invitations to upgrade your existing software might seem annoying to an untrained eye, but they are actually one of the most useful features your software has. Why? Because these timely updates serve to provide security patches and ensure that you’re using the most up-to-date versions of your tools. Using current versions of software is important because outdated ones can jeopardize your data due to potential security vulnerabilities. Regular maintenance of all your devices and timely software updates are essential for keeping your business data secure. 

Poor password protection

Your employees may find password management difficult; and if they don’t work in IT, they may not understand just how important it is. It’s a distressingly common practice for employees to use and reuse poor passwords for all of their business accounts like project management, CRM software, analytics tools, etc. This alone is enough to wreak havoc on your entire security strategy as poor password practices can expose all of your sensitive and valuable data to cybercriminals. 

The simplest and most effective solution is to regularly train your employees on the latest preventative security measures and provide them with password managers that will help them handle their accounts more easily. 

Poor malware protection

Much like so many other forms of software, malware has become incredibly versatile and potent. The term encompasses a variety of different malicious programs that infiltrate your applications and systems. They’re usually downloaded unwittingly and can easily infiltrate a seemingly legitimate program or application and sneak their way into your databases. From ransomware programs, Trojans, all the way to adware, malware programs can be a nuisance, but also a severe threat to your organization – hence the need to treat them accordingly.

Inexperienced employees and non-IT staff might come across this type of program and unleash it on your data without ever realizing their mistake. Without traffic monitoring and restrictions, they could visit an untrustworthy or compromised website and expose the company systems to malware. 

As an additional matter, failing to back up your data regularly and securely means you risk losing it to ransomware for good.

Cybersecurity has been the main source of business problems for a while now. Still, with the right investments and prevention in mind, you can protect your organization both from external malicious attacks, and internal missteps and data misuse that are often unintentional. By eliminating the problems that can lead to a data breach, you can reduce the risk at the source and keep your company safe and your business, employee and customer data secure.

Bad Credit? No Problem! Common Questions Asked About Bad Credit Title Loans

Having a problem with your credit? Dealing with less than satisfactory credit is not something anyone wants to deal with, but it’s a reality that you unfortunately face. The problem is that many lending companies are not as forgiving of your credit.

When lenders consider giving money to clients, they first check out your credit score to see if you would be a good candidate. A bad credit score may make them consider looking the other way.

However, not all is lost just because of a low credit score. You can still get bad credit title loans if you’re ever in a situation where you need cash fast. Keep reading to find out how it works, and if it’s right for you.

What Are Bad Credit Title Loans?

As said earlier, getting a loan without stellar credit can be a challenge. However, you can still get the money you need by giving your title in exchange for a loan.

Here’s how it works. You would take the title of your car to a loan center that works with clients with bad credit. You would then give your title to a lending company, who in exchange would hand you the funds you need.

The process is specifically geared to help people just like you to get back on their feet when no one else is willing to help.

How Hard Is It to Get a Loan?

Getting a loan is actually quite simple!

With most bad credit title lending companies, you don’t have to jump through hoops just to get the funds you need. The actual application and transferring of the loan is a short process, and you can get your money on the same day.

You can even go online to start the process of getting a title loan, and the process is entirely streamlined and easy to do.

Will I Get My Title Back?

Absolutely! Your title is only held by the lending company until you finish repaying the loan. After you pay the loan off, you get the title to your car returned to you.

The title only does to main things for the company: it gives them an actual monetary value that they can give you in loan money, and it acts as collateral to protect their assets.

After you pay off the loan, they have no reason to hold on to your title any longer. It will be released immediately and returned to your hands in a few business days.

We Can Help You Budget

Now that you know how to get bad credit title loans for your needs, you may want to learn ways to save and budget the money you already have. We can help you do just that.

At Budget and the Bees, we love finding ways to make the most out of your dollar. We cover ways to advertise on a limit, how to pay off your debt quickly, how to organize and invest your funds, ways to travel smartly, and so much more.

Ready to get started? Check out our site to learn all about what we have to offer you. We’re sure you’re going to love what you see here!

What Is Metal Fabrication and What Are the Common Types of Processes?

It’s not often that you stop and think: what is metal fabrication? All the metal in your life is probably already shaped and perfected for everyday use.

So how does it come into existence anyway? In this article, we’ll tell you what metal fabrication is and the common types of processes.

What Is Metal Fabrication?

As you know, metals are naturally found on this planet. You may have some basic knowledge of how we mine and gather the raw materials, but the process of turning them into something like a chair or light fixture is a complete mystery to you.

Well, there are several steps along the way, one of which is metal fabrication.

When the raw metals have been mined, they’re sent to a company to be made into premade shapes so other companies can assemble them into a complete product. Usually, they’re sent to a contract manufacturing business that can offer turnkey services to their customers.

The Common Types of Processes

There are several ways manufacturers turn raw metal into the shapes and sizes that their customers want. Below are some of the common types of processes used.

Casting

This is one of the oldest processes used in metal fabricating. In this type, you pour molten metal into a mold, and once it cooled off, it’d have the shape of it. As you’d expect, this method is commonly used, as the possibilities are endless when it comes to getting specific shapes.

Casting is a cost-effective way of metal fabrication since the metal’s shaped in one step. With other types of fabrication, it may take several steps before the final shape is achieved.

Cutting

Cutting is the most commonly used type of metal fabrication. There are 2 types of cutting: raw and premade.

With raw cutting, the manufacturer is responsible for cutting down sheets of metal that haven’t been shaped yet. With premade, they may receive preformed shapes that need to be cut down to size.

With the advances in technology, the process of cutting can be done now with lasers and plasma torches.

Welding

Welding may be tied with cutting for the most popular metal fabrication process. You may be familiar with it, or at least have heard of it since it’s widely used.

In this method, two pieces of metal are joined together, usually through an application of heat at the point of connection. The two pieces can be anything or any shape, so long as they’re metal. Most metalworkers use this process when working on their projects.

Folding

Folding is probably the most complicated process in this whole list. Sometimes, pieces of metal are joined at a 90-degree angle, but they have a sharp edge. The process of folding aims to get a 90-degree angle bend in metal, but with a blunter edge.

This process can produce objects that are easier to work with, but unfortunately, folding needs to be done with high-tech equipment. Because of this, folding isn’t often done and instead, other processes are used.

Machining

All the other processes of metal fabrication in this list have been about joining together metal. However, the rest of the items on this list are about taking away metal.

Machining is a general term for removing pieces from metal. This can be as simple as trimming the edges so the metal is the right shape or size for the customer, or it can be drilling holes through the sheet.

Manufacturers usually perform machining by using a lathe. This machine rotates the metal so workers don’t have to manually manipulate the pieces themselves.

Punching

Punching is specifically putting holes into a piece of metal. This is done by putting the sheet onto a die, which is a unique tool that both cuts and shapes metal. There are 2 reasons for using punching, the first of which is to make holes where other parts can latch onto.

The second reason is called blanking. Blanking is done when a smaller part is needed from a large sheet of metal. Therefore, that part is cut out of the piece and used for another purpose.

Shearing

If you were to think of the opposite of welding, then it’d be shearing. Shearing is the process of making a clean cut down a sheet of metal. A common way shearing is done is by feeding the piece through a metal-cutting machine; this is done similarly to how timber is cut (horizontally).

To cut vertically, the opposite is done; the metal stays still while a cutting tool passes over it. The third method of shearing is the “paper cutter” method. The sheet of metal is placed on the cutting tool with the edge hanging over. The blade is then lowered to cut the sheet into two.

Stamping

Like with punching, stamping utilizes a die. However, punching creates a hole, while stamping doesn’t. Instead, this process creates raised parts in the metal.

Stamping is incredibly useful for putting patterns, letters, and other images on metal. As you would with an ink stamp, you’d using metal stamping to replicate designs across multiple sheets of metal. This is a very quick and cheap way to fulfill large orders.

Now You Know

Now you know the answer to the question: what is metal fabrication? The next time you’re out with friends and family, surprise them with this bit of trivia. They’ll be completely shocked that you know so much about metal fabrication and will be intrigued.

Check out our other blog articles for some more interesting topics.

The Most Common Signs and Causes of Hair Loss

You may not realize it, but you lose around 50 to 100 hairs a day. In fact, everybody does.

What happens if you start losing more? Losing your hair is a horrible feeling. It can result in self-esteem issues, depression, embarrassment and a general lack of confidence. While hair loss is much more common in men, it can also affect women too.

The reasons for hair loss are vast and vary from person to person. Some people experience slow and gradual loss over many years and others lose their hair in a matter of months. Regardless of how it’s affecting you, it always helps to educate yourself.

Let’s go over some of the common signs of hair loss and possible causes.

Signs to Watch Out For

Hair loss manifests itself in different ways. There are a number of symptoms to watch out for. These symptoms could be connected to the reason you’re losing your hair, so make sure to examine your scalp and keep a record of what’s going on.

It’s important to see your doctor if you think you’re losing your hair prematurely or as a result of other health issues. First, look for the following warning signs.

Thinning

Gradually thinning hair is the most common way men and women experience loss. The thinning process often occurs over the course of many years.

For men, thinning begins as a receding hairline. It starts on the sides near the temples and increases in depth over time.

Women, on the other hand, experience a general thinning over the entire head. A good indication is if your part is beginning to increase in size.

Bald Spots

One of the most frustrating signs of hair loss is a bald spot somewhere on the scalp. This can be very embarrassing, as sometimes it happens rather quickly.

Men experience this much more often, though it’s possible in women too. It’s a common symptom of male pattern baldness. A bald spot may start relatively small towards the back of the head and increase in size.

Itchiness

One of the early signs of hair loss is an itchy or irritated scalp. If this starts happening suddenly and you don’t have a history of dandruff, it may mean your hair’s falling out.

It’s possible your scalp has a build-up of sebum, which causes itchiness. Sebum is the oil in your skin. If the pores on your scalp are clogged with sebum, the hair follicles may get blocked.

Keep in mind that an itchy scalp could be the result of a number of things. You’ll need to see a doctor to determine the exact cause.

Your Hair Grows Slower

If you notice you don’t need a haircut as frequently, this could be one of the signs of hair loss. Male pattern baldness occurs because your hair follicles enter a resting phase as you get older. This means your hair won’t grow as fast.

Physical Evidence

You may also notice evidence of loss in the shower when you wash your hair. You may also see more falling out when you brush or comb your hair.

You can also look for hair left on your pillow when you wake up. These all could indicate you’ve started to lose your hair.

Possible Causes

Now that we’ve gone over some of the common signs of hair loss, let’s look at reasons why it could be happening.

Remember, everyone’s different and your genetic makeup may have a lot to do with losing your hair. However, there are some environmental and health-related issues that may cause it as well.

Stress

Too much stress seems to wreak havoc on all aspects of our health, and hair loss is no exception.

Stress affects your blood pressure, and often this means your scalp isn’t getting good blood flow. If you’re under constant stress, don’t be surprised if you notice your hair falling out.

The good thing is you can reverse the amount of loss by finding ways to reduce stress.

Hair Care Products

Unfortunately, many brand name hair care products include harmful chemicals. Your skin absorbs these chemicals when you wash or style your hair. Over time, the result could be hair loss.

If you suspect this is happening, try switching to all-natural products and see if the loss stops. Capillus offers a wide range of products to help with hair recovery.

Pregnancy

Some women experience hair loss during pregnancy as a result of both stress and hormonal changes.

It’s also common after the physical and emotional stress of giving birth. Some women notice hair loss in the weeks after their baby is born. This typically stops and hair grows back within months.

Not Getting Enough Protein

If you can’t discover a cause after seeing signs of hair loss, it may be connected to your diet. This is something many people overlook. The good this is, you may simply need more protein.

When your body doesn’t get enough protein, it naturally rations the protein it has. One of the ways it does this is by cutting back on hair growth.

Heredity

This is one of the most common causes of going bald. You may be genetically inclined to lose your hair. This goes for both men and women.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to fight heredity. However, talk to your doctor about what you can do to slow down the process.

Medications

Certain prescription medications cause hair loss in many people. Some common medications that do this include antidepressants, painkillers, and blood pressure medication.

If you notice accelerated hair loss when you start a prescription, speak to your doctor right away.

Watch for These and Other Signs of Hair Loss

Dealing with hair loss is both embarrassing and a jolt to your self-confidence. If it’s inevitable, the best thing you can do is accept it and try not to stress. Remember, worrying about it could just cause more hair to fall out.

Paying attention to the warning signs and causes above could give you a jump on slowing or preventing the process. If you think you need extra help, speak to your doctor about your options.

For more articles on staying healthy, check out our blog today.