Incolink

What is good mental health?

The World Health Organisation says good mental health is a state of wellbeing in which every individual acknowledges his or her own vulnerabilities and potential without the need to compare and/or judge them to other people’s standards. That they can cope with normal stresses of life because they attend to, and have strategies in place for their self-care and nurturing their relationships.

How can we support a good spectrum of mental health? The following are some tips to help maintain mental health: 1

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Be kind and compassionate to yourself; learn to trust your inner wisdom and not rely on others. Value yourself; listen to your own needs, if you mean no, don’t say yes, and vice versa. Take care of your physical health; eat and sleep well, exercise and find time to enjoy yourself. Surround yourself with good people; healthy support equals better outcomes when a person is struggling. And, if possible, laugh more and access some hugs, because: • Laughter releases stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. • Hugging (where it is COVID safe) releases Oxytocin and

Endorphins: ie, makes you feel good and it can also lower blood pressure, alleviate fears and anxiety and is a natural stress reliever.

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Give of yourself and feel gratitude for what you have. Learn how to deal with stress through good self-care, playfulness and humour. Allow some space for being quiet away from technology; learn to pause and reflect, and listen to what your body and mind are telling you. Set realistic goals and standards, when you judge yourself, try not to do it to a standard of perfection, as this doesn’t exist.

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Break up the monotony, do something different. 10 Avoid alcohol and other drugs, especially under stressful moments. 11 Get help when you need it, seeking help when feeling vulnerable is a sign of strength not weakness.

If you want to discuss health and wellbeing you can contact the team at Incolink. Members can access 24x7 counselling on 1300 000 129. Employers can also ask us about Incolink Assist, a bespoke employee assistance program.

Solar energy’s bright future

Innovative technologies and rising consumer backlash against utility bills are motivating more Australians to consider solar PV as an energy yield option.

Australia is already a world leader in rooftop solar. Two million of the country’s 13 million homes are fitted with panels. The technology is about to be even more popular with the International Energy Agency recently declaring it cheaper than power generated by new coal and gas developments.

Plumbers can expect to install more solar systems into the future, traditionally they are hot-water systems. Photovoltaic panels are more cost effective than ever and challenging traditional gas and electric hot-water systems for price and efficiency, Master Plumbers Chief Technical Advisor Gary Bath says. “I think the real push for PV and solar water heating was actually taking the edge off some of those energy bills and what was really attractive to most Australians was the ability to be nearly cost neutral in terms of putting energy back into the grid,” he says. Solar panels have become more efficient in recent years in tandem with a rise in manufacturer output resulting in price decreases. It all adds up to somewhat of a no-brainer for households.

However, with these changes has come a decrease in the feed-in tariffs, or money paid for excess energy pushed back into the grid. Tariffs vary from state to state. In Victoria, they range from 10.3 to 14 cents per kilowatt hour. Falling tariffs have influenced many consumers to opt for energy storage sources, such as batteries, so they can utilise their own excess energy gain instead of feeding it back into the grid.

Bath says this trend will lead to “We need to fast-track innovative a rise in off-grid homes. technologies instead of making “One of the biggest changes that them so slow to get approved and consumers are faced with now is then we’ve missed the boat. we’re heading into an area where “We need to start thinking about we were so reliant on the energy this new space because plumbers grid, be it reticulated gas or are going to have to change or reticulated electrical, so the next we’re going to get left behind. frontier is houses being completely self-sufficient,” Bath says. “We’re all changing so education “So, you add a battery capacity or a technologies is key and it’s not storage capacity where that wasted only in plumbing, it’s probably in energy that would ordinarily get everything, even the way we do pushed back into the grid goes business today.” into storage instead. “We’re not too far away from off-set the costs of solar thermal people being wholly independent panel installation, but Anderson from energy grids.” warns the rebates are largely for Norm Anderson’s plumbing aging technologies that no longer company NSG Plumbing has represent good value for money. been installing solar panels across “They can’t give away the current commercial and residential sites for rebates for thermal solar because decades. Anderson, who is also the it’s old technology and you’ve got Vice-President of Master Plumbers, to spend $10,000 to get $1000 says the move to renewable energy back,” he said. is gathering speed and plumbers and understanding these innovative Government subsidies have long need to keep pace. Solar Victoria currently provides “It’s brought about because of awareness of climate change,“ he says. “But COVID has also made people think a rebate of up to $1850 for solar panel system installation. Eligible households can also claim a discount on the cost of a solar hot a bit more and water system governments are looking at stimulating the economy and creating jobs, and Falling tariffs have influenced many consumers to opt and a solar battery. The government organisation is many of them have for energy storage also investing to come from the sources, such as $9 million into renewable sector. batteries, so they a subsidised can utilise their own workplace excess energy gain training scheme instead of feeding it called The Solar back into the grid Homes Program. It estimates the program will oversee the installation of 700,000 solar PV systems, 60,000 solar hot water systems and 10,000 solar batteries. Master Plumbers General Manager Training and Industry Development Brendan Gould says plumbing apprentices are trained to install solar thermal hot water systems, but the Solar Home Program would help them understand new technologies such as batteries and off-grid homes. Consumer demands and expectations that Plumbers have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet their energy solutions is driving a new frontier of training and education. More than ever, the plumber is pivotal in providing solution-based advice and options to meet water heating needs using devices such as the AC.THOR power manager device. These technologies are running parallel with everyday consumer demand change towards a smarter energy platform for sustainability with services providing operating cost reduction as well as meeting a self-consumption trend on the back of recent environmental and global health events. “If we look at a solar hot water system that has its own closed system where it produces its own energy to operate and uses power to heat water and energy to run the system as well - that’s one of the areas we would be looking at for a potential increase in training opportunity in relation to these new technologies,” he says. Emerging technologies in the renewable energy sector are likely to keep both residential and commercial plumbers busy in the foreseeable future. Gould says the eco-innovations will keep the industry moving forward. So, use what you can create prior to resending back to a grid system to provide true self-consumption using the latest technologies creating energy yields for water heating needs. “Looking at the environment, plumbers play a really key role with what we do with water retention, waste water, reducing water usage and effectively how we use renewables to heat our water supply,” he says. “As an industry we’ve been quite fortunate to be at the pointy end of sustainable innovations and we’ve got a great deal to offer in the space for sure.”

How to tackle cyber threats

If it wasn’t already a high priority, cyber security has become even more important thanks to COVID-19, Kate Jones reports.

With the bulk of Australia’s workforce now working from home, businesses are reaping the benefits of remote working but also finding their IT systems are more exposed to serious security threats. Household infrastructure isn’t designed to guard against cyber attacks, particularly when there are multiple people at home using numerous devices across the same network. are now turning to cyber security strategies to strengthen their data, their finances and ultimately, their livelihoods.

In a PwC survey of more than 3000 technology and business executives, 96 per cent said they would adjust their cyber security strategy due to COVID-19 and half are more likely now to consider cyber security in every business decision. One strategy businesses can consider is the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Essential Eight – a list of eight essential mitigation steps businesses can adapt to stave off cyber security incidents. In a recent webinar, Peter Fraser, sales engineer at WatchGuard Technologies, outlined the risks presented by remote working and how the Essential Eight is designed to help. “The landscape has changed rapidly, so with COVID-19 and what that’s forced us to do from an IT perspective, your business operations have needed to change and adjust accordingly as we work from home,” he said.

“We now have these landscapes where we talk about the attack surface and the attack surface has increased – we’ve got devices everywhere, we’ve got home

… we’ve got devices everywhere… we’ve got home routers that may or may not be up to scratch when it comes to security

routers that may or may not be up to scratch when it comes to security, we’ve got businesses opening entry points and it’s ultimately led to this concept of zero trust. “Zero trust is the new way in the cyber security industry we’re starting to talk about building these networks in that everyone must establish who they are, where they’re coming from and why they are needing access to certain pieces of network before that data is released.

“We’re dealing with organisations overseas that are trying to disrupt our businesses. So the Essential Eight’s charter is to protect you, your families and your business and make Australia the safest place to connect online.” The Essential Eight, explained below, aims to prevent malware (malicious software), cyber security incidents and make it easier to recover data and system availability.

1 Application control

This is basically keeping a closer eye on the apps running on your networks. Ensure only applications approved by a business or administrator are allowed to run.

2 Patch applications

Update your software to prevent bugs in code, which can be manipulated to gain entry or deliver an attack to a network.

3 Configure Microsoft Office macro settings to block macros from the internet

Block macros, which are applications with an office document, from the internet. Fraser advises only allowing screened macros either in trusted locations with limited write access or digitally signed with a trusted certificate.

4 User application hardening

Configure web browsers to block Flash, or ideally uninstall it, along with ads and Java on the internet. Disable unneeded features in Microsoft office, web browsers and PDF viewers to prevent against dodgy code that may leave your business exposed.

5 Restrict administrative privileges

This is an easy step many businesses are likely to already have in place. Know who is an administrator to your network and restrict the number of administrators. Regularly revalidate the need for privileges.

6 Patch operating systems

Whether your business runs Apple, Microsoft or Linux, it’s vital to ensure your operating system is up to date. “Make sure when you get those pesky update notifications for windows that you do update because they do contain security fixes,” Fraser said. “If they find a security issue, a security vulnerability or buggy code, they can be used to compromise your system, so you keep it up to date. It’s very important to patch your operating system.”

7 Multi-factor authentication

It’s likely you’re familiar with multi-factor authentication through the use of cloud-based email or banking systems. In addition to one piece of evidence to gain access to a website or application, such as a password, you are asked for two or more and this could be a phone number or answer to a personal question. “Multi-factor authentication can’t be understated,” Fraser said. “If you’re not currently exploring the roll out or already have the multifactor authentication, you are leaving your business open to an unacceptable risk. Multi-factor authentication is the biggest security thing you can have in my opinion to protect people walking through the front door and making attacks easy.”

8 Daily backups

Another easy step most businesses are performing daily. However, for many busy business owners, they can put this to the wayside. Daily backups can guard against the loss of a company’s digital assets including the loss of private information.

In addition to daily backups, businesses need to regularly test the backups are working.

It may seem overwhelming, but developing your cyber security strategy can be broken down into simple steps your business can come to grips with over time. It may be a 12-month strategy your business tackles on its own or with the help of a third party. Either way, securing your business against cyber attacks can no longer be ignored.

For more information on the Essential Eight and how to implement it, visit www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/ view-all-content/essential-eight