CATERING TO YOUR WHIMS
‘TEACHING MUSEUM’
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JUNE 18, 2018 | VOL. 54, No. 25
YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
westfaironline.com
As cyberthreats grow, so does Norwalk’s Apex Technology Services BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
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Rochelle Dede and Nicole Maddox, co-owners of the Stamford location.
Office Evolution joins Stamford’s burgeoning coworking scene BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
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he ever-expanding coworking sector in Stamford has added another competitor. Office Evolution, a B2B franchisor of coworking centers nationwide, opened its first Connecticut location
on May 30 at 750 E. Main St., not far from the likes of Serendipity Labs at 700 Canal St., Comradity at 845 Canal and Workpoint at 290 Harbor Drive. What sets Office Evolution (OE) apart, say franchise co-owners Rochelle Dede and Nicole Maddox, is its flexibility. “A lot of these places are gearing towards millennials, which can tend to leave nonmillennials feeling left out,” Maddox said. “We want to send the message that we’re open to everybody. Our clients can make their space their own by painting the walls or decorating it as they want to.” The 10,000-square-foot center offers 34 private furnished offices, as well as a large coworking lounge, » EVOLUTION
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ybersecurity has increasingly become one of the major concerns for corporations and small businesses alike, with any number of well-publicized data breaches at the likes of Equifax, Target and Facebook costing companies potentially millions of dollars, not to mention shaking consumer confidence in who’s handling their personal information. In May, Gov. Dannel Malloy introduced a new cybersecurity plan that seeks to increase security in state agencies and the General Assembly, establish municipal cyber defenses and implement other measures to prevent unauthorized access to government and personal information. Recently, the U.S. State Department issued a report in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump calling for recommendations “on the nation’s strategic options for deterring adversaries and better protecting the American people from cyberthreats.” Nevertheless, “In our experience, many businesses are woefully unprepared for attacks,” according to Larry Szebeni, a founding partner and chief operating officer at Apex Technology Services in Norwalk. Instead, he said, “They are hoping for the best.” A huge problem most companies miss are simple system patches, Szebeni said. “Virtually all software has security holes found over time. Once exposed, the software vendor will patch the affected systems. Hackers keep track of these holes and look for systems that haven’t been patched. Once identified, they are very easy to break into.” The hack at Equifax, which last September said that cybercriminals had accessed some 145.5 million of its American consumers’ personal data, could reportedly cost it well over » CYBER
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