How To Protect Your Clients' Privacy

As technology continues to advance, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep personal and client information confidential. As you take advantage of the software, programs and other tech tools available to keep your client data organized, it is critical to ensure you are also keeping this data safe.

Here are five steps to protect your clients’ information and privacy:

1. Start with Layers of Protection
   Your first line of defense starts with walls of protection. Not literal walls, of course, but firewalls. By adding firewalls and anti-virus software to your servers and computers, you are setting up layers of protection against cyber threats like viruses, Trojans and other harmful coding that could potentially break into your client data.
    
2. Always Encrypt Your Data
   Then, once you have added your protective layers, focus specifically on the data itself. Always encrypt your data to require a pin or password to access the programs, files or other locations where client information is accessible. This way, the only way to get into the information is by knowing the encryption code. Consider 2-step authentication when possible.
    
3. Keep Access Restricted
   Limit who knows the encryption code to those within your business, and then restrict it even further to only those who actually need access to the information. By doing this, you are keeping the information available only on a need-to- know basis, which helps keep your clients’ privacy protected.
    
4. Have a Plan
   Once you have everything in place, your client data should be well protected; however, you should always be prepared in the event of a breach. Know what you are going to do if a breach happens so you can alert your employees and the clients affected. This is critical for the clients to be informed in order for them to take the steps necessary to monitor their personal information.
    
5. Plan Ahead and Be Prepared
   Ultimately, when it comes to protecting your clients’ privacy you want to be as prepared as you possibly can be to stop a breach from happening in the first place. A good rule of thumb is to research any programs or applications you plan to use before installing or using them to make sure they have the layers of protection you need to keep the data safe. Learn how Virtual Halo is dedicated to keeping personal information secure by contacting our representatives.

Virtual Halo is always looking an ways we can strengthen the encryption and security of our clients data. Because it's smart, because it's right and because that's what our clients want. Personal safety, protection and peace of mind.

Telling Someone You’re Lost Is As Easy As Two Taps

Being in a dangerous or uncomfortable situation is a frightening experience. With adrenaline pumping through your veins and the fight-or- flight response kicking in, it’s critical to make the right decision at the right time to keep yourself safe. If you’re lost and you can feel yourself start to panic, take a deep breath and calmly pull out your phone or Apple Watch.
With Virtual Halo, your personal safety app, installed on these devices telling someone you’re lost and need help is as easy as two quick taps on the screen. Here’s how it works:

Check-In To Let Them Know You’re OK

If you’ve gone off the grid or you’re simply traveling away from home, Virtual Halo lets you send a quick, simple message to your preset list of emergency contacts that lets them know you’re okay. You can even opt to send your location for an extra sense of safety and security. In 2018 this feature is expanding to allow you to automatically check in with your contacts throughout the day, with the option to immediately notify them with your last known location if you do not respond.

Send an Instant SOS If You’re Not

On the other hand, if you are not okay and find that you’ve lost your way, sending an SOS is as easy as tap-tap on the screen of your phone or Apple Watch. Virtual Halo comes equipped with a panic button that will send an instant SOS notification to your emergency contacts that lets them know you’re in danger. This comes in handy when you’re lost, because it sends GPS coordinates of your last known location with the SOS so they can send help directly to you.

Go Adventuring with Confidence

Before your next adventure begins, be sure to plan ahead and download Virtual Halo to your devices. Having an Apple Watch on your wrist with the app ready to go is a quick and efficient way to send an SOS if you do happen to get lost. It’s an intuitive personal safety app designed with you in mind, so you can go adventuring confidently, and get help if you need it.

Why Your Child Should Have An iPhone

We live in a very mobile and tech-savvy society. Smartphones and iPhones are found everywhere, in the hands of the old and young alike. And for good reason.

Modern smartphones have become miniature computers with their capabilities and processing power. This has allowed them to become essential tools in everyday life for virtually everyone - most especially children. Children have adopted the technology as part of a societal norm, using them for social communication, keeping track of their schedules for school and sports and even researching for class assignments.

But there are two essential reasons why your child should have an iPhone:

1. iPhones Help You Stay Connected

You have a busy schedule, and with classes, sports and other social events in your child’s life,
they do, too. How can you stay on top of everything? The iPhone lets you sync calendars so
you can see what your child is doing and when, and it also gives you an avenue to stay in
constant communication if anything should change. And you don’t even have to call each other
to do that anymore. With the iPhone you can send a quick iMessage with an update.

2. iPhones Let You Know Where They Are

It’s a big world out there, so one of the first things you should connect on your phones is Find
My Friends. This app lets you see where your child is on a GPS-like map. This is handy for
parents with busy bee children with full calendars so you can always keep an eye out to make
sure they’re safe at a game, birthday party or otherwise.

iPhones As Safety Tools

Ultimately, as a parent, you want to keep your child safe. And the iPhone is a great way to do
that, quickly and easily. Once you have the phone set up with basic features and Find My
Friends, go to the app store and download Virtual Halo. This safety app gives your child access
to help, instantly, if they need it. It also lets them check in with you with just the touch of a button to let you know they’re safe, without taking time away from their social life. And for the really tech savvy family, the app now works with the Apple Watch with LTE connectivity, so they don’t even have to unlock their phone.

Going Hiking? 5 Things You Should Take With You

From expanses of trees to flowing fields of flowers and cascading waterfalls, there is a virtually endless supply of beauty to be found in the nature around us. Hiking is an ideal way to get out and explore these surroundings without increasing your carbon footprint or greatly disrupting the natural state of these areas - all while getting in some cardio.                              

To prepare for your next hiking trip, there are a few basics you should plan to bring with you both for your wellbeing and your safety:

Food and Water

As you hike, your body is going to be burning energy. Even in cold weather you are going to need to refuel regularly with food and water, and getting enough water intake is critical to avoid hypothermia and altitude sickness. Be sure you bring plenty of healthy, energy-boosting snack bars that contain the nutrients your body is going to need to replenish itself, and lots of water so you don’t run out.

Safety Items

When you go hiking, you are entering into land that belongs to nature; this includes wild animals like bears and snakes, and uneven paths. Stay alert at all times while on your hike, and have safety items prepared in case anything were to happen. These items should include, but not be limited to:

• Fire for warmth
• Flashlight for light
• Knife or multipurpose tools for emergency situations
• Whistle to call for help

First Aid Kit

Along the same lines as safety items, make sure you pack a first aid kit. Especially on rougher hikes it can be easy to slip or fall, and you want to have access to supplies to clean any wounds and bandage them until you get back to safety. First aid kits often include other items like thermal blankets as well, which can come in handy in the event you get lost or turned around and can’t make it back before dark.
 

GPS/Compass/Map

To help make sure you do make it back and don’t get lost, bring a GPS and compass or map to help you find your way no matter where you are. Remember that in some areas of nature your GPS will not be able to get a signal, do don’t rely on this technology alone.

Your Phone

One of the most valuable things your phone can do, aside from acting as both a camera and GPS, is help let family and friends know where you are. This is vitally important in case anything were to happen to you while hiking. Use the Virtual Halo app to easily send check-ins to let them know you’re safe, or an SOS if you’re not. In fact, it was through a strenuous hiking trip that led the developers to create the "Going Out" feature that will let your emergency contacts know that you may be in trouble if you don't get back by the time you intended when you set out on the trailhead.

Put Your Safety First

Hiking is a rewarding experience, and will undoubtedly give you memories to cherish for a lifetime. But remember to always put your safety first. When you’re packing for your hike, be sure to include all basic necessities like water, food, a first aid kit and safety items. Then, download Virtual Halo and bring your phone so you have quick access to help if you need it.

Simple Ways To Give Seniors More Freedom While Still Checking In

As people age it can be a shock needing to become more dependent on those around them. It can be difficult for the elderly members of the population to maintain their sense of independence, but it’s often critical in order for them to stay happy and healthy.

If you have a loved one that needs more care while still holding on to their independence, try these simple ways to give seniors more freedom while still checking in:

Take Advantage of Delivery

One of the most convenient things about modern society is the ability to go online and have virtually anything delivered directly to your door. This covers clothing, groceries and even medications. If your loved one insists on having their freedom, but you still want to make sure they have all the basic necessities covered without intruding on their space, try taking advantage of delivery.

Check In on Your Phone

As the body becomes more fragile seniors may become injured more easily and need additional care. If you are concerned about their safety but they insist on holding on to their freedom for as long as they can, download the Virtual Halo app to their mobile phone. Let them know that with the app they can quickly and easily contact you with an SOS message if anything happens, or just check in now and then to let you know they’re okay so you don’t start sending hundreds of texts or calling dozens of times a day (because we all do when it comes to the care of a loved one).

A Blend of Independence and Care

When it comes to keeping their independence, seniors can be quite stubborn, even if they know it’s time to rely on others. Help them maintain their freedom with a blend of independence and care by helping them meet their basic needs and letting them check in with you more often than you check in with them. Virtual Halo is the perfect way to feel confident they can reach you if they need to, while still giving them the space they ask for.