The CEO's Digital Survival Guide: A Practical Handbook to Navigating the Future

by Nathan Whittacre

Overview

A Guide to Creating the Best Data Communications and Networks for Your Business

No business can function without the effective design and implementation of data communications and computer networks. Yet these IT functions remain poorly understood and difficult to build strategy upon. However, every CEO needs to ensure that their organization has a powerful data communications strategy to succeed, as innovative landscapes continue to shift, challenging their operations at every turn. And one way to stay above the chaos and still operate efficiently is by having the right computer network to back it all up, safely and securely.

But most CEOs do not have time to become computer network experts, although it is crucial that they understand the constantly evolving technical dangers that can disrupt and destroy their business model. Even for leaders without a strong technical background, Nathan offers the tools for CEOs to be able to analyze what they need to implement in their organization’s overall digital strategy.

In The CEO’s Digital Survival Guide: A Practical Handbook to Navigating the Future, Nathan Whittacre gives access to the fundamentals of basic operations, features, and the limitations of different computer networks available today. Nathan has years of experience creating systems and processes to help CEOs run their businesses. He gives an easy-to-follow overview of what every CEO needs to know in order to be able to systematically understand, analyze and implement the right system for their organization to protect their infrastructure against external and internal threats. He explains best practices and discusses the most current technologies that are available.

This book reveals everything you need to know about:

• Creating the best system for your organization
• Protecting Information Assets
• Cybersecurity
• Technology systems for business
• Network Design and Business Continuity
• Access Control and Surveillance
• Computer networks
• Linux
• Data security
• Encryption
• Information Systems Security
• IT services
• Internet services
• VoIP phone systems
• Small- and medium-sized business computing
• Virtualization
• Cloud computing
• Windows networks
• Microwave and millimeter RF technology
• Wide area networks

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642256307
Publisher:	Advantage Media Group, Inc.
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	314
Sales rank:	1,029,828
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

NATHAN WHITTACRE is one of the founders of Stimulus Technologies, a fast-growing managed service provider. Stimulus Technologies is focused on providing technology that works to businesses, including IT services and systems, Internet and VoIP. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his website is www.stimulustech.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
About The Author
Introduction
Keeping Your Place in the Future
Chapter 1
A Digital Self-Assessment
Chapter 2
Business Planning and Analysis
Chapter 3
Internal Cybersecurity—Protection from Inside Threats
Chapter 4
External Cybersecurity Part 1: Endpoint Threats from outside the Organization
Chapter 5
External Cybersecurity Part 2: Infrastructure Threats from Outside the Organization
Chapter 6
Social Engineering
Chapter 7
Physical Security
Chapter 8
Network Design and Business Continuity
Chapter 9
Workforce Management—Hybrid, Remote, and Outsourced Workforces
Chapter 10
Business Accounting Systems
Chapter 11
Laws and Compliance
Chapter 12
Documentation, Policies, and Procedures
Afterword
Epilogue

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“I have worked with Nathan for over twenty years in all facets of information technology, including cybersecurity, database management, and networking. He is, in essence, the soup to nuts in the IT world. Nathan is thorough in his research, the layout of a plan, working with team members on execution of the plan, and finally, a well-thought-through implementation.”
—Colt Vollmann
President, VSR Industries

“If you own or are responsible for a business, you must read The CEO’s Digital Survival Guide! The world of technology gets harder to navigate every year, but the reliance on it increases. Nathan has created a clear and easy-to-understand guide that condenses what a CEO needs to know to make the best risk-based decisions for their business’s IT systems and information security.”
—Leia Kupris Shilobod
CEO InTech Solutions; author, Cyber Warfare: Protecting Your Business from Total Annihilation

“Nathan brings technical savvy and real-world know-how to business. His practical knowledge and professionalism keep networks running while eliminating security threats. Nathan’s application of technology and thorough advice provide a powerful combination that significantly accelerates business growth.”
—Brad Mishlove
CEO, Catapult Groups

“I have worked with Nathan Whittacre and his company for over twenty years. He has helped to guide us through the complex worlds of computers, networks, and, most importantly, security. He has a special ability to learn our needs and help us implement them in a safe, secure, and cost-effective manner. I have found that he has a special ability to explain complex technology issues in ways we can understand. I have called him the everyman’s genius and I stand by that.”
—Jim Hazle
System administrator, DOCS Management Services

Editorial Reviews

10/09/2023

Whittacre debuts with a valuable roadmap to using technology in the business sector. Pairing his passion for hiking with a slew of practical guidance, he uses “guideposts” to help navigate the sometimes-complicated material, offering professional know-how, helpful resources, risk areas, assessment tools, and insights on decision-making for each main concept. Beginning with a “digital self-assessment,” Whittacre walks readers through the core components necessary to successfully build and use technology systems: infrastructure, cybersecurity, compliance, backup and disaster recovery, business strategy, and the cloud. Though the path may seem complex, the destination, he writes, is simple: “making your company better through technology.”

The information is daunting, but Whittacre’s practical style transforms it into digestible steps. He’s quick to point out the advantages of employing the right technology, urging business leaders to be proactive and diligent. Cybersecurity is a prominent theme throughout, and Whittacre recommends a layered approach to ensuring network security, the first step of which, he asserts, is staying up to date on hardware, including replacing technology that has outlived its usefulness. He covers all the security bases, clarifying topics from acceptable use policies to efficient firewalls, and provides step-by-step instructions for establishing security parameters (tackling concepts like encryption, mobile phone protection, and more).

Whittacre’s practical definitions, hands-on assessments, and convenient diagrams (ranging from flow charts to spreadsheet examples) remove the intimidation factor, making this guide a wealth of concise, interactive information that any company will find beneficial. His words of caution may feel ominous, but the intent is to ensure professional longevity: "Business owners and management teams that ignore or delegate away the responsibility of technology will not survive.” He closes with policy and procedure suggestions, along with a call-to-action for business leaders to replace obstructive habits that interfere with company change. This is a user-friendly approach to a complex—and extremely relevant—topic.

Takeaway: A comprehensive roadmap to implementing technology in business.

Comparable Titles: Jill Dyché’s The New IT, Perry Carpenter and Kai Roer’s The Security Culture Playbook.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

I have worked with Nathan for over twenty years in all facets of information technology, including cybersecurity, database management, and networking. He is, in essence, the soup to nuts in the IT world. Nathan is thorough in his research, the layout of a plan, working with team members on execution of the plan, and finally, a well-thought-through implementation.”
—Colt Vollmann
President, VSR Industries

“If you own or are responsible for a business, you must read The CEO’s Digital Survival Guide! The world of technology gets harder to navigate every year, but the reliance on it increases. Nathan has created a clear and easy-to-understand guide that condenses what a CEO needs to know to make the best risk-based decisions for their business’s IT systems and information security.”
—Leia Kupris Shilobod
CEO InTech Solutions; author, Cyber Warfare: Protecting Your Business from Total Annihilation

“Nathan brings technical savvy and real-world know-how to business. His practical knowledge and professionalism keep networks running while eliminating security threats. Nathan’s application of technology and thorough advice provide a powerful combination that significantly accelerates business growth.”
—Brad Mishlove
CEO, Catapult Groups

“I have worked with Nathan Whittacre and his company for over twenty years. He has helped to guide us through the complex worlds of computers, networks, and, most importantly, security. He has a special ability to learn our needs and help us implement them in a safe, secure, and cost-effective manner. I have found that he has a special ability to explain complex technology issues in ways we can understand. I have called him the everyman’s genius and I stand by that.”
—Jim Hazle
System administrator, DOCS Management Services

From the Publisher

2023-09-27
The owner of an information technology services firm offers a guide to mapping out an organization’s tech strategy.

Hiking enthusiast Whittacre, who runs Las Vegas based IT consulting firm Stimulus Technologies, envisions this book as a sort of technology “trail guide,” supporting his belief that “the business owner, CEO, and anyone involved in major business decisions should have a fundamental understanding of how technology works inside the business.” He kicks things off with an initial “digital self-assessment” to rate one’s current level of knowledge and implementation in six areas: infrastructure, cybersecurity, compliance, backup and disaster recovery, business strategy, and cloud computing and services. Whittacre then expands upon these topics in 11 subsequent chapters, explaining, for example, why it’s important for management teams to understand and agree on “recovery time objective” (“The maximum amount of time that service can be offline between a disruption of service and restoration”) and “recovery point objective” (“the amount of acceptable lost data”) when it comes to backup and disaster recovery. The author offers particularly urgent advice to undertake cybersecurity measures, sharing war stories and calling it a “big mistake” for small business owners to think they won’t be subject to attacks. He also touches on how to protect systems and use technology to handle an increasingly hybrid/remote work environment. In addition, the book includes glossaries and further “Checkup” assessment tools. Whittacre covers a wealth of technical topics in an accessible and engaging manner while also making a convincing case that having a working knowledge of IT “should be one of your core competencies.” The book is well organized and designed throughout, serving as a readable, sequential road map and a ready reference guide to consult as needed. Whittacre acknowledges the key role that internal and external experts play in managing and improving a business’s tech systems, and he offers practical tips for making progress, such as “Try to improve one or two questions over a three-month period.”

A passionate and comprehensive overview of business IT issues.

Kirkus Reviews