Domain & Mail Reputation and what it means to you

What is Domain and IP Reputation?

Domain Reputation is the rating your domain (the website address) that your specific domain has, this rating is obtained from the specific domain not the IP address its self, currently the IPV4 system does not use domain reputation, the newer IPV6 networks will utilise the domain reputation 

IP reputation is the rating your ISP (Internet Service Provider) has based on the specific IP address used by your Hosting and/or mail server.

How IP Addresses are used

Many ISP or Hosting Providers give you an IP address from the "Pool" of Addresses they have purchased, these IP addresses are often used on hosting servers that are shared amongst their users.
This is the disadvantage of using "out of the box" or "Off the shelf" hosting providers, as the odds are you are on a shared server with hundreds if not thousands of other websites.

as your email address uses the same hosting provider in most cases, it also means that the IP address is also used for your emails, this results in hundreds if not thousands of users sending and receiving emails from the same IP address as you.

Currently an estimated 86% of all email traffic is actually spam emails, and many of these come from the very IP address you are using right now to send emails.

How to check your email reputation?

There are a number of sites that you can check your reputation, one of the better ones is here: http://www.reputationauthority.org/index.php

the Reputation Authority is a site were you enter your web address and get an easy to follow report on how your domain stacks up.

What now?

1. if you find your domain has a poor rating, contact your hosting provider and request then fix the issue (this may not do much especially if you use "Off the Shelf" hosting (Cheap hosting is often shared and most vulnerable to poor ratings)
2. Find another hosting provider (the more expensive suppliers are often far better as they monitor the IP and the ratings, and remove users and email accounts participating in spamming activities) 

Available Now on iTunes & Google Play

What it does:

This Credit Calculator gives you a guide to possible savings based on your responses to the questions, the complex formula has been tried and tested by the Apps Owner: Credit Mediation Services

What we did:

Working with the team at Credit Mediation, we strived to understand what the formula did and how to take a manual system and create an app that produces the same results as the existing system.

After a lot of testing the app is not availabel on the play stores.

Give it a try you may be surprised at the results!

@RedbackDigital #App Developer Perth

Found an interesting article answering the question we all ask:
"What if Everyone in the world came to the same place and jumped all at the same time?"

This article is probably one of the best answers to this question we have seen

Enjoy the read: https://what-if.xkcd.com/8/ 

Protecting your business from Ransomware Attacks

While Australia has managed to avoid the worst of the current global ransomware attacks, virus, ransomware and other malicious attacks are an ever-present danger in our continually developing reliance on technology.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware in simple terms is a software program designed to stop or block access to your device, whether your smartphone, laptop or desktop computer, Ransomware can be installed onto a device by simply visiting a website or opening an email attachment, in many cases you do not know you have been attacked until its too late.

Attackers often hold your device to ransom (hence the name) forcing you to pay money to get your device back.

How to Prevent Ransomware?

There is no definitive solution to ransomware or viruses other than avoiding technology and not using the internet. The best we can do to prevent infection is to follow these simple steps:

• Keep your Computer & Devices UPDATED
  If your devices or computers are not updated, all the vulnerabilities that operating system developers (Microsoft, Apple, Google etc) find and create patches for, will remain an open door for hackers to insert these malicious software programs into your computer or device.
  Keeping everything Updated will help minimize the number of ways hackers can get in.
• Have good internet and virus security installed on both your computers and mobile devices:
  There are many types of virus protection programs out on the market, some advertise they are the best, but unfortunately, they fail to back up their claims with actual results.
  We recommend ESET Security Suite https://www.eset.com/au/ for both your PC and Mobile Devices.
• Have your information ie. documents and images etc backed up on a non-connected device like an external drive and lock it away.
  While being locked out of your device is a big pain and detrimental to businesses, the loss of important information is the most crippling thing. Most computers and devices are not that expensive for everyday use, if your data is backed up on a daily basis, replacing the computer if you still get attacked, can be a far cheaper and faster way to be back operating.

What do I do if I am Attacked?

First, don't give the hackers any money or enter into any of their demands, this only fuels the hacking industry.

Disconnect everything from the infected device and disconnect it from the internet.
Contact a reputable computer IT provider as they may be able to fix or bypass the ransomware.

Summery

Prevention is the key, once you are attacked it’s a long and difficult road most often resulting in a massive loss of data and replacement of a device.

 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Mobile App

 Nowadays, technology has given us the entire world at our fingertips! Mobile Apps are a fast growing industry that businesses must take advantage of. Since many people are now using the mobile for checking out the latest news, social media profiles and other online transactions, it’s time for you to adapt. Knowing your market is not enough, trying out all the marketing avenues, like mobile presence, will eventually pay off.

 Mobile search visibility is taking the stage this year, according to the studies. This was for the obvious reason, mobile devices are handy and they keep you updated 24/7 as compared to your desktop. Mobile devices have grown so rapidly that the mobile is now the leading digital platform for media consumption.

 Google has already released an update for companies who are using mobile responsive websites as their platform – a business website has to be a mobile-friendly website. If your site is not mobile friendly, then you are not providing your visitors a good user experience. As a result, most will likely leave the site in a very short space of time. Check your website to see if it passes the user experience test here: Mobile-Friendly Test Tool
If you want to be able to rank on the Google mobile search results then get your website mobile friendly.

But what about more?
What about something that improves your internal processes, or provides an even greater user experience for your customers?

 Consider a Mobile App

 Why do you need a mobile App for?

 Be available on their mobile devices around the clock.

 Coming up with a beautiful and friendly mobile site is one thing, however, you need to understand the strategy that you're going to use as well. Get your mobile business site to the next level and get an App. Since they have already downloaded your app, there’s no need for them to look elsewhere or look for your competitor’s sites. Your business is their number 1 option they have. You can also provide a message chat available on your app to improve customer interaction.

 Drives more traffic.

 The more people who know about your app, the more potential customer you can reach, and eventually might lead to your business goals. Mobile apps can take your business ahead of your competitors (that is if they haven’t got one yet). If you don't have any idea where to get one, we can provide you one, and we can make it all happen for you.  Redback Digital can produce high-quality Apps for businesses or individuals. Also, our websites are responsive and mobile friendly, we stay on top of the latest in web design techniques and build all our sites to the current Google requirements.

Visible brand promotions and sales right at their fingertips.

 No escape, your customer will be updated with all of your business information, including business promotions and sales instantly. We all know how important accessibility is, especially if your business provides services. Businesses need a mobile presence to stay connected with its customers. There are a lot of mobile developers that are geniuses in dealing with mobile applications and can provide mobile solutions but you can never go wrong with Redback Digital. Redback™ Digital's App Development team can help your business integrate your existing systems into a single system, to save your business either time or improve productivity.