Tap into these tips to make your company safer from cyber attacks. Photo via Getty Images

Imagine waking up tomorrow to find out that all of your critical information (trade secrets, financial data, customer lists, etc.) is gone. While working to find out what happened, you order lunch online, only to find out your bank account has no balance.

That scenario happens every day to business leaders just like you. Here are 5 tips everyone should know, which will help reduce cyber security risks.

Tip 1: Know what you need to protect

If you don’t know where your data is kept, how can you protect it?

From hardware like laptops and cell phones, to critical software including accounting and HR, spreadsheets used to calculate financial reports, OneDrive accounts, Google Drive, and “C” drives, there are numerous places your critical data could be kept. Work with your managers to identify every piece of hardware, software, and where the critical data is kept.

Tip 2: Turn on multi-factor authentication for everything you possibly can.

Whenever possible, someone should need a username, password, and a code from an authentication app, text code, e-mailed code, something that’s a unique identifier that randomly changes in order to access critical company information. Alternatively, you can rely on biometrics (fingerprints, facial recognition, etc.) as your third line of protection.

Tip 3: Know who has access to the data and implement basic user access rules.

Everyone should have their own username and unique password. Generic admin accounts, shared user accounts, etc. should never be allowed. If you’re only paying for five licenses but have 10 people accessing the software, stop being cheap and pay for more licenses.

Log in to your bank’s website (or go to a local branch) and run a report which lists who has access to the online banking system and what they can do within it. While you’re at it, get a report of everyone with signature rights for checks and make sure it’s properly updated.

Run a report of all users for each software you listed above which includes what level of access they have. Does their access match their job requirements? Remove all access that isn’t required for their job. You can add access back later if they need it. This can also help you identify employees who might have too many responsibilities.

Now go through the rest of the software, network folders, and the other items you listed above and do the same exercise. Going forward, whoever “owns” the data in each system (banking, accounting, HR, etc.) should approve all access to that data.

Tip 4: Back up that data — often

You most likely have a folder on your computer that has important information in it like Financial spreadsheets, HR files, customer data, and marketing plans. If you selected that folder and hit the delete key, then you opened the recycle bin on your desktop and the folder wasn’t there, how bad would your day be?

Now that you know the location of files, folders, software, and other important data points, turn on an auto-backup process and test that process about once a quarter. If you use something like Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, or similar cloud services, most will provide free backup support. However, before you do that, require all employees to move important files off of their “C” drive and into network folders.

Tip 5: Implement antivirus software

I’ll be the first to say that I hate antivirus software. Why? Because it typically slows down your computer while it runs in the background and flags items like the spreadsheet you use every month as a “potential threat”.

Even so, the aggravation is worth it in the long run.

There are tons of antivirus software options. If you think about protecting your home, you don’t need armed guards, attack dogs, and a feral cat. You do need someone to glance out the window to see who is at the door. If it’s a group of zombies trying to eat you, then you need to have the ability and resources to protect your home. Pick an antivirus software that matches your budget and get it in place. Don’t overthink it, just get it going.

One last bonus tip I’ll leave you with — have random test “phishing” emails sent out to everyone (including yourself) in your company. The number one cause of cyber security issues in businesses is internal users clicking on fake emails.

------

Thomas Mullinnix is the founder of Houston-based Re-Vision Management Consulting LLC.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Houston palliative care company integrates with Epic platforms

epic scale

Patients and medical teams using MyChart and other Epic Systems' software will now be able to access Houston-based Koda Health's AI-enhanced end-of-life planning platform.

The Houston-based palliative care company, which was born out of the TMC's Biodesign Fellowship, has integrated its advance care planning platform with Epic, one of the most widely used electronic health record (EHR) systems in the U.S., according to a news release.

Epic estimates that more than 325 million patients have a current electronic record in its systems.

“This is a significant milestone for our mission to make advance care planning scalable, meaningful, and seamless,” Tatiana Fofanova, CEO and co-founder of Koda Health, said in the release. “By integrating into systems already used by care teams, we help eliminate friction and ensure that care delivery honors what patients truly want—especially during serious illness and at the end of life.”

The partnership will streamline processes for both patients and clinicians. Users will be able to drop advance care plans directly into the Epic charts, which will be accessible through MyChart for patients and proxies and through Epic Hyperspace/Hyperdrive for care teams. Doctors can also initiate and manage advance care plans through a simple Epic order for patients.

According to Koda Health, its platform saves an average of $10,000 to $15,000 per patient. Roughly 85 percent of users complete advance care plan documents when using the platform, which is four times the national average.

“We developed Koda to give providers the time, training, and tools to guide these critical conversations," Dr. Desh Mohan, co-founder and chief medical officer at Koda Health, added in the statement. "Our integration now makes it possible to operationalize ACP at scale—aligned with value-based care goals and clinical reality.”

The company announced a partnership with Dallas-based Guidehealth, which integrates into primary care workflows and allows providers to identify high-risk patients, coordinate care and reduce administrative burden. Guidehealth works with more than 500,000 patients

Koda Health was founded in 2020 and closed an oversubscribed seed round for an undisclosed amount last year, with investments from AARP, Memorial Hermann Health System and the Texas Medical Center Venture Fund. The company also added Kidney Action Planning to its suite of services in 2024.

Xfinity goes all-in with new national internet plan

Everything's Included

Following the successful launch and positive consumer reaction to Xfinity’s new 5-year guarantee, the nation’s largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) has launched its everyday pricing (EDP) structure with four simple national Internet tiers that include unlimited data and the advanced Xfinity WiFi Gateway for one low monthly price.

This move is part of the company’s broader strategy to give consumers simple, predictable, all-in plans for the best WiFi in the market. All plans include a line of Xfinity Mobile at no additional cost for a year.

“We said we were going to go ‘all-in’ on a new pricing strategy and we are delivering with our 5-year price lock and our new everyday price plans," says Steve Croney, chief operating officer, Connectivity & Platforms at Comcast. "Now all our Xfinity Internet packages are built on simplicity and transparency — no hidden fees, no confusion — just the best, most reliable and secure WiFi that sets a new standard for the ultimate connected experience. We’re coming out swinging with a superior WiFi product that easily beats the competition at an even better price point for customers.”

 Xfinity pricing table Graphic courtesy of Xfinity

Xfinity delivers the fastest, most reliable* WiFi experience with multi-gig speeds, a low-lag connection for gaming and streaming, the capacity to connect hundreds of devices in the home, and unbeatable wall-to-wall WiFi coverage.

The Xfinity WiFi Gateway blankets the home with cybersecurity protection and provides other advanced WiFi features and parental controls, all easily accessible in the newly redesigned Xfinity app, allowing customers to optimize and manage their WiFi experience in the home.

An unlimited line of Xfinity Mobile is also included at no cost for a year with these plans.

Only Xfinity Mobile customers have access to WiFi PowerBoost, a game-changing feature which increases Xfinity Mobile speeds up to 1 gig — no matter the plan they choose — when they are connected over WiFi in the home or anywhere else on the Xfinity WiFi network, the largest and fastest in the nation.

With 90 percent of mobile traffic traveling over WiFi, Xfinity Mobile is created for how customers use their mobile devices, combining the nation’s best WiFi with the most reliable 5G network.

Consumers can sign up for Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Mobile online at www.xfinity.com or at their local Xfinity store.

---

*www.opensignal.com

Houston startup funding surpasses $1B in 2025 despite national slowdown

by the numbers

Houston-area startups raised more than $1 billion in venture capital during the first half of 2025 — almost double the haul for the first half of last year.

According to the new PitchBook-NCVA Venture Monitor, Houston-area startups raised $417.2 million in the second quarter of this year, compared with $281 million during the same period last year. In the first quarter of 2025, local startups collected $607.5 million in venture capital, compared with $281 million during the same period a year earlier.

Based on those figures, Houston-area startups picked up slightly over $1 billion in VC during the first half of this year, compared with $535 million in the first half of 2024.

Nationally, startups gained almost $70 billion in VC in the second quarter, down 25 percent from the same period a year ago, the PitchBook-NCVA Venture Monitor says.

Nizar Tarhuni, executive vice president of research and market intelligence at PitchBook, explained that “the VC landscape continues to navigate a fragile recovery” and is constrained by economic uncertainty.

However, startups in certain sectors are poised to attract a great deal of attention and venture capital over the next several years, according to the report.

“Companies operating in AI, national security, defense tech, fintech, and crypto — sectors aligned with the administration’s priorities — are attracting disproportionately more investor interest, and this trend will likely continue throughout President Donald Trump’s term,” the report says.

The AI sector accounted for 64 percent of VC deal value in the first half of 2025, according to the report.