In several conversations with numerous internet providers, we realized that the desire to help subscribers protect themselves online is common. But (obviously there would be a catch), how can you educate your users and offer tools to protect them when browsing the internet?
The benefits of such actions not only act in favor of the subscriber but also the internet provider, which reduces support calls, adds value to the provider's portfolio among many other benefits that you will see throughout this post.
What are the dangers of using the internet without protection?
Maybe we've already gone through the digital revolution and didn't even realize it. The truth is that the internet is no longer just a tool for leisure and work, and has become a real war for the search for confidential information and cyber attacks in search of money, be it traditional or the much talked about digital currencies.
Every week we publish news related to internet security, and we have no shortage of inputs to fill the newsletter with cyber attacks.
The dangers when browsing the internet are countless, but among the most common are:
- Viruses – There are several types of viruses and they are all harmful to the device, acting in different ways and causing various problems such as system slowdowns, copying files, recording activity, among others.
- Malicious links – Malicious links are spread through advertisements, emails (including fake ones, coming from known senders), advertising windows, among others.
- Phishing attacks – Typically through fake pages , this fraud aims to acquire personal information from internet users, trying to trick visitors into placing their details on fake websites that are identical to the real ones.
- Spam – These are mass messages sent in an unauthorized manner with the aim of filling the recipients’ email inboxes.
- Ransomware attacks – With the aim of encrypting the victim's data, this type of attack is propagated in several ways and usually requests payment to decrypt the data. Very common and on the rise this year, ransomware attacks have hit many users on the internet.
- Extortion – Bad people on the internet look for financial advantages all the time. Lay users such as children and teenagers can easily be persuaded by people like this. Caution with websites considered harmful or of low credibility is important in these cases.
- Inappropriate content – Not every type of internet content can be seen or consumed by all users who browse it. Pornography and violence content, for example, is inappropriate for children and teenagers, just as games and betting may not make sense for users to consume during their work hours. Inappropriate content is one of the most common dangers on the internet and should be taken seriously.
How can the internet provider help subscribers protect themselves?
Knowledge and information is never in excess. Providers that transmit knowledge to their subscribers maintain a collaborative relationship and also bring benefits to the provider and not just to the subscriber.
Educating subscribers about the dangers of the internet can reduce support calls due to virus infections or slowness on the network, be it home or business, for example. Furthermore, warning customers about these dangers can generate a feeling of concern on the part of the provider towards the subscriber, naturally retaining and building customer loyalty.
Spoiler : at the end of this text we provide the Security and Prevention Booklet for Internet Users , which you can customize with your provider's logo and offer more knowledge and information to your subscribers.
Protection Tools
Not only guiding your subscribers, but also offering internet protection tools can add value to the provider's portfolio and make the protection process a little more automated.
There are some tools or Value Added Services (VAS) that providers can use. Among the main ones, focused on internet security, are:
- Antivirus – Considered one of the basic and essential systems for internet security, antiviruses can considerably improve protection against viruses and malware on computers and cell phones.
- DNS Filter – The DNS filter is a solution for managing access rules based on DNS queries, filtering what is allowed or not to be accessed by the end user. When active and configured correctly, it offers an extra layer of protection, preventing access to websites considered harmful or inappropriate for all devices (computer, cell phone, TV, tablet, printer, etc.) connected to the internet.
Value-added services can bring benefits to subscriber and provider
Firstly, according to Anatel , the Value Added Service (SVA) is any and all provision of auxiliary services to the telecommunications activity. Generally implemented as extra services in internet providers, their function is to offer additional experiences to the customer, such as antivirus, video and audio streaming, unlimited access to social networks, content filtering, among many others.
In the video below you will be able to understand the main differences between SVA and SCM, and also the benefits of making an SVA available in your provider's portfolio.
As we said previously, but more succinctly, value-added services bring benefits not only to the subscriber, but also to the internet provider:
- Tax optimization – One of the great benefits for the internet provider is the small tax burden imposed on the value-added service. Unlike the Communication and Multimedia Service, SVA taxation is governed only by the federal agency and responds to state tax rules, making the use of these services more profitable for the provider, after all, the tax burden is lower.
- Competitive advantage – Offering additional services to the internet may interfere with the user’s choice of which internet provider to hire. Not only that, useful services that are actually usable by the subscriber become a permanence factor, reducing the number of unsubscribes.
Security and Prevention Booklet for Internet Users
According to a survey carried out by IBGE, more than 82% of households in Brazil have access to the internet and use it daily for various tasks. But what makes this data important is not the number of connected users, but rather the number of people who are concerned about the security of data traveling on the internet and the problems that a leak can cause.
In 2020 alone, more than 8.4 billion attempted cyber attacks hit Brazil, therefore, we believe that any internet user deserves to at least have knowledge about the types of cyber attacks and the main ways to protect themselves.
In order to help internet providers raise awareness and deliver information about internet security to their subscribers, we at Lumiun have developed the Security and Prevention Booklet for Internet Users . The material was specially created for this audience with topics such as:
- What is internet security?
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- Most common cyber attacks
- Good habits internet security
- Accounts and passwords
- Social media
- Computer security
- Mobile device security
- How can your internet provider help?
The material is completely free and customizable , where you can place your provider's logo and information.
We hope that this text, together with the material we make available, will help you and your provider to have a relationship of trust and proximity with your subscriber, offering greater security when using the internet free of charge.
Until later!
