Thanks to our Supporting Member Pegasus One for this thought leadership article outlining best practices for startup software products:

12 Key Challenges IT Teams Must Overcome to Successfully Implement Business Intelligence

Business intelligence (BI) is an essential part of any organization’s IT strategy, as it allows decision-makers to understand and analyze data in order to make informed business decisions.

However, implementing BI solutions can also present a number of challenges for IT teams. In this article, we will discuss some of the common challenges faced by IT teams when implementing BI, and how they can overcome them.

1. Data Integration and Management: One of the main challenges of BI is integrating data from various sources and managing it effectively. This can be especially difficult if the data is coming from different systems or is in different formats. IT teams must ensure that the data is properly cleaned and standardized before it can be used for analysis.
2. Data Security and Privacy: Another important consideration for IT teams is data security and privacy. BI systems often handle sensitive information, such as financial data or customer data. It is crucial that this information is kept secure and that proper measures are in place to prevent data breaches.
3. Scalability: As an organization grows, the volume and complexity of data that needs to be analyzed can increase significantly. IT teams must ensure that the BI solution they choose is able to scale to meet the growing needs of the business.
4. User Adoption: For BI to be effective, it is important that it is adopted and used by as many people as possible within the organization. IT teams must ensure that the BI solution they choose is easy to use and understand, and that they provide adequate training and support to help users get the most out of the system.
5. Data Quality: Poor data quality can significantly impact the...

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Thanks for this article excerpt and its graphics to to OC Startup Council Supporting Member Pegasus One.

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A Thought Leader Guest Post from Greg Morrell of OCSC Member Company Active Cypher:

Coronavirus’ Remote Work Nightmare

Costa Mesa Startup helps to bridge the gap in Remote Data Protection with free offer.

Since being discovered in late 2019, COVID-19 has sadly killed thousands and disrupted much of the world economy. Much of the world is in lockdown, major world events are cancelled, and a slew of companies are increasingly telling their employees to “stay home”.

As more workers operate remotely, Orange County cybersecurity startup, Active Cypher, sees IT departments struggling to ensure the same levels of cybersecurity the office provides. Active Cypher’s Chief Strategy Officer and Microsoft/Cisco veteran, Mike Quinn, comments, “it is becoming clear that the economic ramifications of the Coronavirus, may extend on a secondary front as hackers take advantage of increased utilization of personal devices, and lack of secure Wi-Fi, amongst other blaring vulnerabilities.”

Malicious actors have already begun misinformation campaigns on social media while using the serious subject for spear phishing.

Direct attacks to insecure endpoints could ultimately lead to more major incidents of data loss. Already in the past few months, companies ranging from Clearview AI (a facial recognition company) to Wawa (the convenience store), have faced data breaches exposing billions of customer records. With consumer privacy laws such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which came into effect January 1, 2020, economic consequences of data loss will be compounded. Last year alone, European data protection authorities enforcing GDPR fined Marriott International $110 million and Google $50 million. While those amounts may be a drop in the bucket for large corporations, “expect more fines to come,” says Quinn.

Beyond the confines of an organization’s walls (with its nearby IT support and tech-savvy colleagues to help), the frustration of some employees may lead to major gaps in security. Companies should, unfortunately, expect an increase of non-compliant activities, including the use of personal devices and lapses in the proper classification of sensitive data. “When the cat’s away, the mice will play (and not follow security protocols),” comments Active Cypher’s President, Greg Morrell.

The stresses on IT departments as large portions of their firm go suddenly remote, will also contribute to security lapses as attention is diverted from the monitoring of threats and prevention to setting up loaner laptops, connecting new machines to home printers, resolving longstanding WiFi issues, and painstakingly dealing with the technologically challenged. In effect, the sudden jump in remote work has opened a Pandora’s box for IT professionals, as every employee’s home network, becomes a potential support ticket nightmare and an unknown vulnerability.

In order to prepare their companies for remote work, IT leaders must quickly take steps to secure their data end-to-end. VPNs, if not already utilized, should be immediately deployed along with password managers. Perhaps more importantly, data should be secured at the file level as a last line of defense. “Securing all home offices and ensuring employees maintain compliance with security practices will undoubtedly be a monumental task. Companies need to move to safeguarding their files immediately, as gaps in security will take time to close,” Quinn explains. “We formed Active Cypher with the strong belief that data security is a social right. Obviously, the exposure of data created by remote work greatly perturbs us.”

To help with this effort, Active Cypher has offered new and current clients the use of its quantum-resilient security solution free of charge for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. “It’s a small step in these tumultuous times to making sure our clients’ businesses return to normalcy and avoid potentially catastrophic breaches,” concludes Quinn.

Thanks for this Guest Post and its graphics to Greg Morrell, President of OCSC Member Startup Company Active Cypher.

Want to share your advice for startup entrepreneurs?  Submit a Guest Post here.