We are familiar with the term phishing, but cyber-criminals have come up with another new variant. SMS phishing or smishing is nothing but another phishing technique that is undertaken through SMS. It is a mobile security attack. Usually a link is messaged to a user, which when clicked directs them to a site that contains malware and thus injects virus into their mobile phones. This is done to gain access to user’s personal & private information stored on their cellular device.

Nowadays, more & more people are transacting online through their smartphones and many of them might have saved their login credentials on them as well. This fact encourages cyber criminals to attack users & gain sensitive information saved on their hand held devices.

Most Common Types Of Smishing Messages

Have you ever received text messages with a notification regarding an urgent update, a link that can help you get cash backs & discounts or a deal to get a new credit card? Let’s take a look at the broad category of messages that are usually sent

• General – These types of messages play with your emotions and use a friendly tone to trick you into clicking the link. They may be as simple as, “Get tax refund”, “Checkout our photos” etc.
• Business – They masquerade themselves as a business entity or financial institution. Generally, they send a message such as, “Update your account information or else you would not be allowed to avail online services”, “Click on the link to get a discount coupon” etc. The words are chosen very carefully to stimulate immediate action.
• Contest Winner – This is the most commonly used way to entice innocent users. A malicious link is sent to the user along with an SMS that says, “You have won 1000$” or “You are lucky winner of the contest”. A person tends to click the link out of general inquisitiveness & excitement and loses his/her personal information to the hands of cyber criminals. 

How To Avoid Smishing Scams

• Don’t Click On Any Link In The Message – Try not to be fooled by such messages. Make sure that you do not click on any link sent to you in a message from an untrusted source or unknown number.
• Don’t Reply Or Call Back- If you are wary of the content that has been messaged to you then do not call back or reply on that number. Replying might invite even more spammed message on your number. Also you can block that number for once and all.
• Install An Anti-Virus Software – Always be proactive. The smartest move to avoid a smishing attack is to install an anti-virus software beforehand. This will help in preventing a virus to be injected on your device at the first place.

For more information on mobile security, contact Centex Technologies at (855) 375 - 9654.

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KILLEEN, Texas – March 15, 2018 – Centex Technologies is pleased to announce our achievement of the Silver Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions competency as part of the Microsoft Partner Network Program.

In this era, where we are progressing towards a technological boom, businesses too are aggressively moving towards automating their processes. Modern business process automation tools have significantly transformed the operations and fostered better integration of processes. This is often done to minimize the effort and channelize it in a better and useful way. From simple tasks to complex processes, businesses might just automate their operations to save time, effort & operating costs as well as reduce the redundancy. Let’s just go through some benefits process automation has for businesses –

• Better Quality – It involves technology aided devices to perform the tasks which ensure better quality of work by minimizing chances of error. Since every action is identically performed, the results are often very reliable and accurate.

• Consistency – Since the processes have been automated, there exists a certain level of consistency in the way a product or service is delivered to the customer.

• Time Saving – Much before business process automation was ingrained into our systems, business operations & tasks were performed by employees manually. This increased the risk of error and also took more time. Automation has reduced the human effort with repetitive tasks being done by machines. This adds value to the business by properly channelizing the abilities of their employees into creative and cognitive tasks.

• Efficiency – When business processes are automated then employees are able to perform better even with less resources. It ensures that the systems run smoothly and the business is able to leverage maximum benefits out of it.

• Reduced Costs – A task when done manually follows a slow pace and often costs more than what it does when automated. It significantly reduces the operating costs and minimizes wastage.

• Streamlined Operations - Also known as Workflow automation, it has enabled businesses to streamline their processes. They have been able to optimize their workflow by eliminating unnecessary tasks.

• Accountability – It enables business owners to prepare a database and find out who is responsible for what task. They can even held people accountable in case an issue arises.

• Customer Satisfaction – People are able to get reliable and consistent results which in turn increases their level of satisfaction.

Factors That Should Be Considered While Choosing Which Processes To Automate –

• Employee Involvement
• Level Of Complexity
• Volume ( In Terms Of Task/ Operation)
• Possibility Of Standardization
• Availability Of Technology
• Cost Involved

Business Processes Which Can Be Automated -

• Operation Management
• Project Management
• Customer Support
• Communication
• Purchase Order Management
• Job Applicant Tracking etc.

Business process automation is a strategic decision taken to improve the productivity. To know more about business process automation, contact Centex Technologies at (972) 375 - 9654.