
180 Interstate North Parkway
Suite 550, Atlanta, GA 30339
By: Jennifer Vaden, Student Business Services (SBS) Consultant
Many institutions have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic hit, with resource scarcity becoming commonplace. The question of how to accomplish more with less is getting tougher to answer. Meanwhile, students and parents expect a high level of service and support. This has created an environment in which colleges and universities must be creative with the financial and human resources we have to meet student and parent demands. Now is the time to reap the benefits of outsourcing.
Outsourcing a service to a third-party vendor can position an institution to improve operational efficiency, reduce overall costs, and enhance flexibility for its employees. Even though the word “outsourcing” may elicit a negative reaction as some inevitably link it to the act of laying off workers, outsourcing does not have to be all or nothing. Outsourcing can be approached as a partnership utilizing both institutional and third-party resources to significantly improve a service that is vital to students and parents. Many shared student services teams have embraced these partnerships to better meet customer service demands.
The first step is to assess which operational tasks, such as customer service, credit balance refunds, or financial aid verification, may be good candidates for outsourcing. Before exploring a partnership, however, it is imperative to start with what you know, namely, what is your data telling you. Achieving a high level of service and operational efficiency often requires a deep understanding of trends in volume, needs, and student and parent behavior as well as the productivity and capacity of your employees to meet those service demands. Today’s students live in an on-demand world in which waiting more than five seconds to receive a response can feel like a lifetime. Students and parents expect shorter wait times as they believe that the service level should be commensurate with the high costs associated with attending an institution of higher learning.
At one private four-year research institution, the business peaks align with the start of the Fall and Spring semesters, registration periods, and our yield season in April. Outside of these peak times, student and parent service demands tend to level out considerably. This presents a staffing conundrum. During peak times, far more staff are needed than are currently employed on the team to meet the higher demand for our services; however, in non-peak times, current internal staffing levels can meet the lower demand. Based on a thorough data analysis, it was clear that supplement staffing was needed for phone coverage. This would lower wait times and reduce complaints that sometimes were escalated to senior staff or even the presidential level.
Consequently, the institution engaged a third-party vendor to manage incoming calls rather than hiring additional benefited (W2) employees. The specific department was designed or resourced to staff seasonally whereas third-party vendors and servicers specialize in staffing for shifts in volume and activity. A third-party vendor can help you reach an optimal level of staffing to meet operational needs during the high, and shoulder, seasons.
Given the financial constraints facing many institutions, outsourcing a service is a decision worth considering especially if the demand for that service fluctuates throughout the academic year. The internal costs to hire, train, and retain benefited employees can be substantial. Budgetarily, direct costs to cover salary and fringe benefits for additional staff positions can add up rather quickly, making it more difficult to obtain the funding required to meet demands.
Outsourcing can be a viable alternative. The cost of a contract with a third-party vendor should typically be less than what an institution would need to budget to hire internally to meet the demand during peak times. In the instance mentioned above, the annual cost equates to approximately four internal frontline staff positions. However, the third-party vendor easily scales the staffing coverage beyond four positions to easily meet peak season demands. Bringing the service back in-house would cost nearly twice as much and result in overstaffing outside of peak times.
When factoring in the time and allocation of managerial staff to onboard and train new employees, the indirect costs quickly mount up. Moreover, complex learning curves often create situations where new employees are not able to significantly contribute for some time, requiring current employees to pick up the slack. This can increase burnout among current employees.
In this case, the third-party vendor is responsible for hiring, onboarding, and training their staff to support the client’s institutional needs. The institution supports the vendor as needed to ensure the content and quality are up to standards. This arrangement generally frees up managers to focus on more pressing service issues and reduces the burden that would otherwise fall on current employees. Considering the direct and indirect costs, outsourcing is a pragmatic solution.
Establishing a partnership with a third-party vendor can also provide you with the flexibility to focus on more than just day-to-day operational needs. There are important nonoperational needs that require managers to take their teams offline. Meetings, staff training and development, and campus events are a few of the reasons that operations may need to close temporarily. With a third-party vendor, operations can continue uninterrupted while you can dedicate time to grow and support your staff members. This flexibility benefits the leadership level as well. You now have the bandwidth to focus on the greater vision for the student experience because operational needs are being met efficiently and effectively.
Consider outsourcing operational needs to a third-party vendor when the data suggests it’s a smart option and your leadership asks you to be more creative with resources. Achieving cost savings, enhancing efficiency, maintaining compliance, and boosting flexibility are only a few of the benefits that await you when you embrace outsourcing as a viable solution.
If you’re just beginning to consider outsourcing, pinpoint the most time-consuming tasks. What takes your staff’s attention away from direct service to students? Most often, it’s back-office processes ranging from the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) to reconciliation and verification. All these functions are required by federal regulations. Outsourcing them to a trusted partner gives you peace of mind that you’re in compliance and the added efficiencies give you a real operational advantage. Contact FAS to learn how outsourcing is key to strengthening financial operations, optimizing enrollment, and enhancing the student experience.
By: Staff
Financial aid offices keep track of dozens, even hundreds, of important dates. These range from application processing cycles, regulatory reporting deadlines, and software updates to campus visitation events, staff meetings, and even personnel vacation requests. So, a financial aid operations calendar gives institutions a real advantage. It empowers the financial aid office to plan for important dates, complete tasks on time, and manage workloads effectively.
Getting started is easier than you think. Often a “low-tech” approach is helpful. This could be a paper calendar or a whiteboard positioned in a high-visibility spot. Start with the academic calendar on your school’s website or in the catalog. Overlay that with information on your financial aid processing cycle, and other key information. When you’re ready to move it online, most email systems provide a shared calendar option. Also, web applications such as Calendly and Monday.com have free and low-cost subscription services.
Once you create a calendar, make it a living document, and revisit it frequently. Ask for feedback from everyone in the office, and perhaps from stakeholders in other departments. Share your operating calendar with other departments and request a copy of theirs. Include a calendar review in staff meetings at least once a month. An update-to-date calendar can reveal things that otherwise might be overlooked. Some tasks may not require much lead time. Others could need more. Are there large projects which hinge on many small tasks being completed? Will too many people be out of the office at a busy time of year?
Near the end of the year, do a calendar self-assessment. Did you miss any deadlines? Did a project need more time than was planned? Was too much time allotted for another? What you learn about this year makes next year’s calendar even more effective.
An operating calendar is a powerful tool for planning and achieving the financial aid office’s goals. It keeps projects on track and even helps to ensure the staff maintains a healthy work-life balance. Need help creating an operating calendar? FAS can help! Reach out today for a no-obligation consultation.
By: Christy Blakney, Student Business Services (SBS) Consultant
Collecting and reporting correct information on IRS Form 1098-T seems to continually cause challenges. The good news is that there are no substantive changes to reporting for the 2022 tax year and past year challenges for properly reporting pandemic relief (HEERF) funds have been firmly answered. The Internal Revenue Service previously clarified that the emergency relief funds paid directly to students, or for which the student directed to be applied to their account balance, should be treated the same as any personal payment.
Note that the IRS guidance only applies to funds under Section 3504 (additional Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant funds), Section 18004 (HEERF), Section 18008 (Howard University, Gallaudet University), Section 314 of the COVID Relief Act, and Section 2003 of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). It may not apply to funds that came through the states under the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund under Section 18002(c)(2) of the CARES Act. Institutions that received those funds from their states could use them to fund institutional grants to students. Absent guidance to the contrary, those grants to students should likely be reported on the 1098-T in the same manner as other institutional aid, especially for state tax reporting purposes. Additionally, funds received by the institution and used to “write off” delinquent student account balances may need to be reported to the student on a 1099-C as a cancellation of debt. Be sure to consult your tax office for applicability.
While school officials want to be very clear that we will never provide tax advice, you should provide information that lets them know how each amount reported on the 1098-T was calculated. The IRS allows institutions a wide range of flexibility in reporting to allow for differences in policy and timing but that is exactly what makes a 1098-T confusing to some taxpayers. Many taxpayers expect the form to report “plug and play” amounts similar to a W-2 or 1099 but unfortunately, that is simply not true. Providing a detailed supplement of the calculations is not always feasible so it is important to clearly state your school’s policies with regard to items such as treatment of deposits, exemptions, waivers, contracts, and also the school’s choice of reporting spring charges (Box 7 option). These helpful tips can be reported on your own 1098-T FAQ site or as a communication that accompanies your 1098-T form.
At a minimum, sharing the link to the IRS FAQs may help reduce questions directed to your office and will support your calculation method for reporting amounts on the 1098-T.
And, finally, make sure you continue to follow IRS guidance to send a written solicitation (e-mail and other electronic communications are considered “written”) to any student who has not provided their taxpayer identification number (TIN), e.g., Social Security number. Best practices suggest sending this solicitation at least twice before sending your file to the IRS. Rules require schools to file 1098-Ts even if the student fails to provide his/her TIN. Proof of an annual request protects the institution from being assessed penalties for filing a 1098-T without a TIN. Also, consider working with your Registrar’s Office to coordinate this information-gathering function. Also, be sure you “check the box” on the IRS copy of your 1098-T file indicating you have complied with this solicitation requirement during 2022.
If a student fails to provide you with their TIN prior to the institution submitting their 1098-T file to the IRS, the IRS indicates that you should not issue a corrected form simply to add or correct personal information. Corrected forms are only necessary if reported amounts were calculated incorrectly and are being changed.
Student Business Services can help your institution review its existing business practices related to 1098-T and other reporting requirements. Together, we can develop a comprehensive managerial reporting plan that is easy to execute and ensures you will meet regulatory deadlines. Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation.
By: Lisa Seals, Senior Consultant
Getting ready for a new academic year can be a time of reflection or pulling your hair out. It’s a time to determine what has worked well, what could be improved, and what must totally be re-evaluated or reinvented.
All Student Services, or Enrollment Management, departments are crucial to the new academic year setup. Using the right information from each area in the setup process not only streamlines operations but also maintains compliance measures and ultimately gives students a better experience. Each department has specific requests and requirements of the Financial Aid Office. Mapping out everything that is needed, why it is needed, and the timelines to be met is a great starting point.
Gathering data, from certain departments, helps to set reasonable timelines to get these steps set up in your ERP systems and to produce actual or estimated offers to all students, but specifically the first-time, first-year incoming students.
What would you ask for?
What is a reasonable timeline? Meeting with the various student services departments will be helpful during this process. Generally, the Admissions Office and Senior Leadership have a target date for first-year, incoming students to receive offers from the institution. With that in mind, make sure that you have the new academic calendar as well as updated tuition and fee rates, and housing costs. Also, confirm the IT Department’s timeframe for importing the new award year’s data into your ERP system.
We know that we can use estimated data for this information. Most institutions want to now use actual tuition and fee rates while establishing a cost of attendance. The goal is to have finalized information to complete the setup processes, and not have to redo anything. What do you use?
Let’s set up the system! We’ll get into that soon!
By: David Glezerman, Executive Consultant
As we approach the new year and start thinking about personal and professional New Year’s resolutions, it’s a good time to think about how to optimize how we communicate and interact with our students, families, and other institutional stakeholders.
Too often, institutions have relied on a single contact method to deliver information to their students—usually a school-provided email address. But students report being overwhelmed with emails from the “.edu” address coming from multiple institutional offices with a variety of news and information. The result is that students tune out and ignore all school emails, regardless of the value or urgency of the message.
Thoughtful communicators have found that schools can coordinate their efforts through increased collaboration across departments to reduce and simplify information requests and messaging via email channels. Student service offices should regularly review the types and content of their written communications to students, both electronic and U.S. Mail, to simplify and improve how and what is being delivered and when. Seeking out options for sending fewer, but more focused, correspondence can improve mail opening rates and lead to more timely bill payment and responses to information requests.
Revising your messages to provide clear and concise language can help in setting expectations and achieving desired results. If your message sounds too robotic and bureaucratic, is peppered with acronyms, and fails to clearly spell out what you need or expect, your message likely will get little or no attention. Consider enlisting your institutional marketing department or working with student advisory groups to help rewrite messages that will lead to better response rates and generate fewer questions that lead to office visits, phone calls, or emails.
Using a multi-channel communications strategy not only will be more appealing to students’ varying preferences but will also most likely increase individual reads and actions. Whether using text messaging, portal checklists, or chat features, using different communication tools, both separately and in tandem, will help your institution reach students and also demonstrate your commitment to quality service delivery.
Let us review your institution’s current business practices and related communications. Together, we can develop a comprehensive program to help manage your student accounts receivables and communicate with your students in a service-friendly and compliant manner. Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation!
By: Bob Covey-Robbins, Consultant
What does it mean for an institution of higher education to be administratively capable? Why is it important? Whose job is it to ensure that a school complies with administrative capability requirements?
Administrative capability is carefully evaluated when a school’s application for certification or re-certification is reviewed by the Department of Education. The school must demonstrate administrative capability. 34CFR§668.16 extensively outlines the conditions for administrative capability. In short, it means that the institution has the people, expertise, systems, technology, policies, and procedures to effectively manage Federal Student Aid programs.
The institution must designate someone to be responsible for administering FSA programs, but it also must ensure that the person is supported by an adequate number of staff needed to effectively administer the programs. There is no specific formula for determining the number of staff needed. It must be determined by the number of students applying for financial aid, the various financial aid programs the school administers, the technology used, and how much administration is automated.
Many schools are currently struggling to maintain an adequate number of staff to remain in compliance with the daunting number of Title IV statutory and regulatory requirements. According to a US Chamber of Commerce article, today, there are 2.9 million fewer people in the workforce than there were in February 2020, and even if every unemployed person were to gain employment, there would still be a labor shortage (Ferguson, 2022).
Has the financial aid office workload lessened with declining enrollment? Many would say that it has actually increased since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Expanding the modality of financial aid counseling to include remote advising, administering HEERF funds with its frequent changes in federal guidance and reporting requirements, and more recently, the addition of Fresh Start student loan default relief. The number of students seeking a Fresh Start at a school can bring a significant increase to the financial aid office workload.
Declining enrollment has led to decreases in operating budgets, making it even more difficult to retain valuable staff as more attractive employment opportunities arise outside of higher education administration. Creating entry-level financial aid office positions may add staff, but those staff need extensive training, supervision, and coaching as they become proficient in their new role. For many schools, the cost of new aid officer training programs offered by state, regional, and national associations is out of reach.
The harsh reality for many financial aid offices is that they are facing the perfect storm of increased demand for services, staffing vacancies, continuous audit pressures, shrinking budgets, and, ultimately, concern about maintaining the school’s eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs.
To provide the needed services to help families with financing higher education, while maintaining legislative and regulatory compliance, more schools are seeking interim staffing solutions. Services can range from filling a financial aid director’s role to outsourcing daily financial aid processing tasks. For many schools, using a trusted partner for interim staffing and outsourcing processing tasks provides a more cost-effective means to providing quality student service, while maintaining compliance and making a valuable contribution to the school’s enrollment management efforts.
By: Joyce Sonenberg, Senior Consultant
Monday morning, the start of a new workweek. Off goes the alarm, and off you go. Comb your hair, throw on some clothes, grab a coffee, check that all is right with the world, and head off to the office. The office? Wait a minute. Where is the office? The office may be in the corner of your bedroom, the empty spot in the basement, or the remains of what used to be the linen closet. The fact is the office can be anywhere. Because, in this world, you are a full-fledged remote worker.
If you are a remote employee, you are far from alone. If you currently are not working remotely, chances are that you may soon be. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates over 25 percent of all Americans will be working remotely by 2025, which translates to over 36 million people. That’s a whopping 87 percent increase compared to pre-pandemic figures. Other research suggests even higher increases as workplace dynamics continue to evolve. Regardless of the numbers, sooner or later you may find that your office is just down the hall—the hall in your home, that is. Working remotely can be chaotic, stressful, and frustrating. It can also be very satisfying, rewarding, and unleash a level of professional creativity that can change the trajectory of your career. Let’s aim for the latter. Here are a few tips to consider as you head to your office.
Maintain a professional workstation.
Be organized. Practice the time-honored cliché, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Run your home office just like you would your location office. Keep your stock of office supplies at an acceptable level. Have adequate amounts of printer ink, paper, notepads, pens, pencils, staples, and zip drives. Remember, you oversee the office supply department. Unnecessary trips to the office supply store are inefficient and waste time and money. Make sure you have up-to-date technology. Your home computer may be a bit less sophisticated than what you are accustomed to in the on-site office, but you should be able to come fairly close. If you need two monitors, then get two monitors. If you need a dependable audio headset, then get one. You can’t expect to work efficiently without the proper tools. Check with your internet provider to ensure your connection speed and capacity can handle your needs. Create a practical workstation or desk that provides ample elbow room for notepads, calendars, your keyboard, and your mouse. Don’t forget a comfortable office chair as you will be spending many hours in it. Choose your home office area to be in as distraction-free an environment as possible. Often easier said than done, but it will benefit both you and your family members in keeping the peace. Re-organize at the end of the day so you are ready to start fresh in the morning. You’ll thank yourself for it each day.
Present a professional image.
Okay, so you don’t have to dress like you are making a presentation to the Board of Directors. However, you are a professional, working with other professionals, from your professional office. True…a home office, but a professional one, nonetheless. So, business casual at the least? Yes. T-shirt and sweatpants? No. If you look and feel professional, you will demonstrate professional work behaviors which can directly impact your relationships with students, parents, and other staff. Remember, remote workers reside from coast-to-coast, time zone-to-time zone, and even globally. Look good and be at the top of your game.
Maintain your focus.
Treat remote work like a real job, because it is. When you are in your home office, you are at work so schedule your day appropriately. Use and pay attention to your calendar. Keep your supervisor informed of personal, sick, or vacation days. If you are a director, maintain a schedule for your staff and share it with them.
Even though you are working from home, you may still require daycare. We love the little ones, but we do not typically bring them to the office. Household chores like laundry, shopping, lawn care, and home maintenance are distractions that are not part of a normal workday, so schedule them for your off days. Sure, you can load the dishwasher, but accomplish this task during a scheduled coffee or lunch break. It’s easy to get bumped off task when working remotely from home.
Stay connected with your staff.
Staff can’t just pop into your office and “touch base” with you like in the past. Likewise, you can’t as easily provide directives or clarification face-to-face either. It’s more important than ever to stay connected with your staff. Reach out to them often. Keep them in the loop. It isn’t difficult to achieve this, you just need to use different methods or tools. Hold regularly scheduled brief daily check-up meetings at the beginning or end of each business day. Informal individual or group end-of-the-week chats can help to build both trust and teamwork and assist staff to become more comfortable and efficient with the remote environment. There are several reliable platforms available for use in this approach. ZOOM and Microsoft Teams are commonly found in most offices. Use them to share both your and the staff’s calendars, assignments, and directives. Email and conference calls are very useful and time-tested methods. Remember, you’re not functioning as a hermit. You are still working with your team. Engage them often and encourage them to do the same.
Stay connected with your students.
Students are the reason you are there. Providing quality service to students while working remotely often requires extra effort. Make sure you reach out to the students often and assure them they will receive the same level of attention as if they were standing at the front counter of the campus FA office. Develop staff schedules that clearly identify email and telephone response responsibilities, both for receiving and returning student and parent inquiries. It may be particularly important to monitor staff performance in this regard. Take the time to review the financial aid office portion of the school website and clarify any confusing instructions, confirm contact phone numbers, and email addresses, and important dates on the calendar.
Final Considerations. Whether you’ve elected, or have been directed, to work remotely, it doesn’t appear to be a work style that is on the decline. Regardless of which resource is cited, most indicate a steady growth in U.S and international remote workers. Is it right for you? Of course, only you can decide. There are many areas to consider when contemplating a remote employment position.
Control of your work schedule is a strong attraction for those considering a remote position. While it is convenient in some respects, that flexibility does not mean the remote workforce is made up of slackers. Remote workers say they often average 45 – 55+ hours on the clock per week. A significant number of remote workers reported they felt obliged to work more than 8 hours a day and often worked 10 to 12 hours a day, frequently putting extra time in on weekends. Many workers acknowledged that knowing when to shut down and disengage was one of the biggest challenges they encountered while working remotely. Scheduling breaks, taking a walk, eating properly, and prioritizing time with family are important considerations. On the flip side, workers generally stated they felt more focused on their responsibilities, experienced less job-related stress, and are 35 to 47 percent more productive. Remote workers often reported an increased sense of self-esteem and professionalism.
Would you like some help navigating the new realities of work? Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate how your staff and office are structured. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation.
Withholding academic transcripts for outstanding student account or loan balances has been a primary debt collection tool for many years. Though recently under fire as harming many students (see our March 2022 Tip), this issue is drawing attention both from state regulators and legislators and, now, from the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). While 16 states have enacted laws or are proposing legislation to halt or reduce the campus practice, which is seen as inhibiting students’ academic careers or employment opportunities, the federal agency’s recent Supervisory Highlights report cites the “blanket” usage of the transcript sanction as unlawful.
The recent report came on the heels of an announcement earlier this year that the agency would examine operations of colleges that act as lenders. In this case, the CFPB has interpreted student accounts as a form of lending or credit offered to students by schools. While definitions may be subtle or subject to various interpretations, the CFPB report links transcript withholding to provisions under the Dodd-Frank Act, which prohibits unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices (UDAAP) because of potential financial injury to consumers.
Though the CFPB cannot enact laws, it has rulemaking and enforcement authority to deal with any consumer financial product or service. The agency also partners with other federal departments on many financial initiatives, and could work with the U.S. Department of Education to potentially promulgate new rules or guidelines.
Senior leadership at colleges and universities should have this issue on their radar from both a service delivery and compliance perspective. Presidents, chief financial officers, registrars and enrollment management leaders need to understand and weigh their existing policies and procedures on withholding academic transcripts and other services. A joint statement signed this month by 22 higher education associations urges college leaders to “have a clear understanding of institutional policies regarding transcript and enrollment holds, and be prepared to explain how they determined these policies to be effective and fair.”
In states where no restrictions currently exist, government relations staff should be monitoring legislative activities since constituent complaints have often led to proposed laws. In other cases, complaints to state attorneys general may trigger new rules or legislation.
Institutions also should engage their general counsel or an outside attorney to help interpret these laws and requirements and adjust their business practices and policies to become and/or remain in compliance. Bringing institutional resources together to review and update policies and procedures can have a positive outcome for students and finances with minimal impact on institutional resources. The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) provided guidelines for schools to consider in an April 2022 statement.
So much of our correspondence, business and personal, is by electronic means. A colleague may contact you about scheduling a meeting. Or, perhaps you receive an email alert from your bank about activity on your account. It includes a link and asks you to log in and confirm account information. In either of those cases, you have received an email from what appears to be a legitimate and familiar source. But is it real?
The best policy is to verify the content before trusting it. Did the language in that email from your colleague seem different than how they normally sound? Maybe the email from your bank had its logo, but the content was not as usual. Did it sound unprofessional or contain misspelled words? Think twice before you click on anything. Once you’ve clicked that link or attachment—it’s too late. Considering calling that colleague and asking this that email, about the meeting, was actually from them. If you’re concerned about the email from your bank, open a new browser and log on to the account directly. If there are any notifications about your account, you’ll see those once you’re logged in.
If you are receiving suspicious phishing or spam emails, your coworkers are likely receiving them as well. Reporting this to your IT department or cybersecurity officer should be the first action you take to prevent a breach. Groups looking to hack into your institution’s systems are more likely to get through if they have targeted everyone in the company with a blast email. It only takes one person clicking on the wrong link for hackers to gain full access. This is powerful leverage against your institution, and they often demand ransom payments.
The sooner you report suspicious activity to your technology experts, the sooner they can take measures to both alert employees and prevent future content from reaching employee inboxes. It’s also important to note that while a specific attack may get addressed quickly and resolved, there will most certainly be another one down the road. Hackers understand there is tremendous financial value to acquiring your institution’s data, and they’re relentless in new ways of gaining access to confidential information. This is why staff must remain alert and vigilant at all times. It also emphasizes the importance of incorporating cybersecurity training and measures into your operations.
It’s so easy to remember your pet’s name or the make of your first car. So, you may use that password for all your personal accounts, apps, and social media platforms. However, this may not be the best option for accessing accounts at work. It a good policy to keep work and personal separate. While you should also strongly consider using different passwords for each of your personal accounts, for business activity, you should always use completely different protocols for your logins and passwords. This is a must-do to protect against a data breach.
The media frequently reports on different customer platforms being breached and all user login and password data getting exposed on the dark web. Once hackers have your login and password, they can use bots to go from one website to the next, in seconds, trying your information to see if they can get into a valid account. If you’ve used the same password for all your accounts, you’re even more at risk. Now magnify that if you have used the same passwords for your business activity. It’s easy to see how quickly that can snowball. Now is the time to check all your online access and updates those usernames and passwords.
Websites continue to increase the complexity of username and password requirements. It’s not uncommon for a website to require 12+ characters, of varying types, and a combination of upper and lower letters. It’s tempting to create a list of them and save it on your computer. That way it’s handy when you can’t remember one of them. But what if hackers gain access to your computer, and you don’t know you’ve been breached? You’ve, essentially, handed them the playbook for retrieving all your information. They will access accounts and vanish before you even know what’s happened.
There is an easy way to avoid this scenario – don’t store your passwords on your computer. When creating passwords for your business accounts, consider utilizing a formula. This allows you to have a different password for each business account by applying a method to how you arrive at the password for each individual account. This is just one solution you can put in place – there are many other methods you can utilize to protect not only your passwords but also all your critical business data.
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Suite 550, Atlanta, GA 30339
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