Around Edmond: Citizen’s Bank of Edmond blazes the way for small businesses. Edmond Chamber closes micro grant applications. Phishing is on the rise.

Hi everyone. It’s Tuesday, for those whose days are blurring together. Today, I am in production of a new issue of EdmondActive so that it’s ready when my printer opens, and preparing articles sent over by local businesses and service providers.

I will highlight that Edmond Wine Shop at 15th & Boulevard is offering online ordering at Edmondwine.com for contactless pay and curbside pickup. Today just happens to be National Beer Day, and they have 700 selections to choose from, so skip the big box stores and order and pickup safely…

A note from Jill Castilla about what Citizen’s Bank is doing in our community

One thing we all have right now is “text neck” from excessive use of our phones during this time.

Dr. Jared from Awaken Chiropractic at 3409 S. Broadway provided some insight into our posture.

Why Posture Matters

Why does posture matter? Your posture is easily the most important thing you have that you are probably not aware of. When your shoulders are back, chest is forward, and head is over your shoulders, you are literally placing less tension on your muscles and joints by being in the correct position. Now, everyone in Oklahoma City is under a shelter in place order, meaning that a lot of people have much more free time, and a lot of people are going to use that time to look down at their phones. Before the shelter in place, a lot of people already had symptoms of text neck (yes, that is an actual diagnosis!). The major signs of text neck are forward head posture, meaning that your head sits forward of your shoulders, and rounded shoulders. This posture places a large amount of stress on the muscles responsible for supporting the head and can cause the curve that is responsible for supporting the head to straighten or even go away. In fact, every inch forward your head is from the correct position adds 10 more pounds for your neck muscles and spine to carry! 

Mood, pain and mental clarity are all influenced by posture and can turn into a debilitating, chronic issues if the correct steps are not taken¹. Even depression is correlated with incorrect postures.² This is because improper posture can cause the spinal cord to stretch, creating debilitating interference to the communication between your brain and body. This stretching is known as adverse mechanical cord tension and can cause the spinal cord to shorten by as much as 7mm!³ That extra tension on your spine decreases spinal and neural integrity, leading to dysfunction and dis-ease in your body. Above is an example of how this can happen.

What can you do about it?

The most effective thing you can do is invest in your health by investing in a good chiropractor. Chiropractic care has been shown to help increases spinal and neural integrity, so that you can get the most out of your body, which means you get the most out of your LIFE! This allows your body to self-correct and come to a place of ease and effortlessness, meaning minimal tension, minimal interference and maximum energy and functionality.

At Home

There are also steps that can be taken at home that can help support your adjustment and help restore the proper curvature in your neck. This is a simple exercise to help you keep your head on straight:

1. Lay on your back on the floor with your knees bent
2. Place a neck orthotic or rolled towel in the middle of your neck (C5)
3. Leave the orthotic or towel there for 1-2 minutes or to your tolerance 4. Add 30 seconds to 1 minute per day up to 5 minutes total

Now is the perfect time to take a more proactive approach to your health, and posture is an easy, yet extremely vital starting point. Do not wait until it becomes something that is interfering with your quality of life. Start NOW! We are meant to function at 100%. We can do more, give more, serve more and BE MORE when we function at 100%. You only have 1 spine. What are you doing to take care of yours?

Phishing Threats for Businesses and Individuals due to Covid-19 and What You Can Do to Stay Safe

By Diana Giles / President of Skyline IT Management

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, phishing and malware attacks are on the rise at a dramatic rate. These emails take advantage of factors that make people even more susceptible right now than they usually would be. First, people are hungry for COVID-19 information right now. It is easier than ever to get someone to click on an email promising to show the latest “Coronavirus Impact” map or a list of the “cases in their area.” Second, many families and businesses have been severely impacted financially by this crisis and are awaiting or applying for disaster relief funding. They are likely to be quick to provide the information scammers request that is “needed to ensure their funding doesn’t get delayed.” The Small Business Administration has a page dedicated to warning business owners about fraud and phishing scams related to disaster loans and grants. Third, many people are working at home in a more relaxed environment and on less secure devices. They may let their guard down a little, making them more vulnerable. 

The threats of email attacks are real and dangerous. Not only are individuals and companies scammed out of substantial amounts of money, but these emails can often deliver malware or ransomware payloads that will cripple an organization. The use of infectious attachments has increased dramatically. All it takes is one careless click. So, how do you protect yourself and your business from these attacks?

First, it is vital to understand where your home or company is most vulnerable. People are the weakest link by far in any IT security. No security product can be 100% effective in all circumstances. IT professionals take a layered approach to security, and one of those layers is educating people. It may go against your nature, but here is what you need to do to be vigilant:  

Question Authority

Phishing attacks use social engineering to play on their victim’s emotions. An employee who receives an urgent request from their boss or other company authority like HR is likely to respond quickly, possibly without questioning what they are asking them to do. Someone waiting on their disaster relief check who receives a request for personally identifiable information (PII) is more likely to hand it over, giving the attacker access to their bank account. A phone call or direct email (not a reply) questioning the legitimacy of an email request could save the day. 

Assume The Worst

In American courts of law, we are innocent until proven guilty. With emails, we should take the opposite approach. Assume that every email is unsafe unless you are confident otherwise. It seems very skeptical, perhaps, but healthy skepticism keeps you safe.

Be Slow To Respond

As mentioned before, getting a quick response is usually the goal of attackers. Our human nature makes us respond quickly out of courtesy, the desire to get our work done, or fear. Any time you receive an email that requires a response from you of any kind (a click, a download, a reply with information), pause and ask a few things first:

• Can I go to a known website directly to handle this?
• Does it seem too good to be true?
• Am I responding out of fear or urgency?
• Does it really make sense?

You Can Help

The FTC and the SBA each have web pages to collect information about these scams and threats. Use these links to report incidents of fraudulent or dangerous emails to thwart the criminals behind them as soon as possible.

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov

https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/oversight-advocacy/office-inspector-general/office-inspector-general-hotline

Skyline IT Management wants to help. If you need advice or assistance navigating your business technology in response to the COVID-19 crisis, please contact us at skylineitmgmt.com and follow @skylineitmgmt on social media for other helpful information.

Local leaders have been trying to help as many consumers but also businesses here in Edmond. Janet Yowell of the EEDA and Sherry Jordan announced a micro grant program that topped out within 5 days, Jill Castilla and her team lead by Josh Pape worked into the middle of the night Saturday night to be able to launch the SBA Payroll Protection Act’s lending with the delay coming from issues of access to community bankers nationwide, Erika Lucas of Stitch Crew worked tirelessly for self employed and start ups to find the help they needed and also US Congresswoman Kendra Horn, who helped with necessary guidance to make sure everyone had the information and access they needed to perform under these unique circumstances.

I am excited for the upcoming summer months to see more helpers come to light. We are all a part of Edmond’s successful outcome, so, STAY HOME, and if you can’t at least wear protective covering over your nose and mouth, wash your hands and don’t touch your face.

Check back tomorrow as we continue Around Edmond daily!

Sherri