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  1. So long, everyone, and thanks for the great opportunity, SDN
    The time has come for me to free up more time for personal projects and move closer to retirement. So this is my 695th and final blog for SDN.
  2. 20+ Gift ideas for the techie on your list
    With Cyber Monday billed as the biggest online shopping day of the season, here are some cool gadgets to inspire your gift-giving. We asked SDN Communications employees for their suggestions, too. Take a look at some of their responses, along with a few other eclectic ideas to consider.
  3. What to gift a retiring writer? A few words of appreciation for Rob Swenson
    It’s hard to know what to gift someone retiring. By that point in their life, their desire for material things diminishes. So, what to give Rob? I decided on something a writer most values: words.
  4. Grants help S.D. make headway to extend lifeline, connect rural areas
    With the help of two years of state and federal grant programs, telecoms serving rural South Dakota are adding nearly $100 million in infrastructure and significantly improving broadband services in underserved areas.
  5. 7 ways to ruin an Internet scammer's day
    Recently, while navigating the internet, an SDN customer received what appeared to be a security window pop-up that encouraged the customer to call an 800 number because his system might have been compromised.
  6. TV documentary on connecting rural SD is worth seeing
    Bringing good, broadband connectivity to remote areas of South Dakota is a historic undertaking nearly as challenging and potentially as rewarding as was delivering electricity to rural residents in the mid-20th Century.
  7. ICYMI: October was also National Co-op Month
    Rushmore Electric Cooperative and its member cooperatives have stepped up to the challenge of bringing a collective, affordable power supply to rural western South Dakota. It's grown and evolved over the past seven decades. And that ongoing investment is worth celebrating beyond National Co-op Month.
  8. Plan for crisis, lead with confidence
    When a worst-case scenario comes true, being prepared is key — no matter the industry. Knowing what to do can help employees navigate and manage solutions.
  9. New business environment brings fresh cybersecurity needs
    Email is the most common communication method fraudsters use to trick people out of information or money. They also use texting, however. So be suspicious of any unexpected links in texts you receive on your smartphone.
  10. One political issue everyone agrees on and it benefits South Dakota
    Jennifer Fritzsche calls fiber the “connective tissue” that enables today’s online trends. And thanks to public-private partnerships with the state of South Dakota and the federal government, even more people and businesses in South Dakota are getting access to broadband connectivity.
  11. Review the past to grasp the future of connected devices
    The International Data Corporation, a global provider of IT information and other market services, has estimated that by 2025, the average person will interact with connected devices nearly 4,800 times a day. That’s about one interaction every 18 seconds.
  12. The year of the pandemic internship - How SDN made it work
    “We had a number of our interns hired by the time the pandemic hit, and we felt an obligation to them, especially since some of them need internship credits to graduate,”
  13. Healthcare industry has a big job and a big target on its back
    Ransomware is often the weapon of choice when healthcare facilities are attacked. Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services appears to be one of the most recent victims of an attack on a healthcare institution.
  14. New grants will improve connectivity in the Black Hills and across S.D.
    The coming expansion of broadband connectivity in the northern Black Hills has businessman Matt Keck feeling joyful. “It’s like Christmas Day,” said Keck.
  15. USDA Awards $6 Million Grant to SDN for High-Speed Broadband in Rural SD
    ReConnect Funding to Connect 487 Rural Households to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity
  16. Good, ongoing training is key step to keeping devices secure
    Potential vulnerabilities in the still-emerging new normal is a natural topic for the second week of October, which is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. “Securing Devices at Home and Work” is this week’s official theme.
  17. Cybersecurity is important for home work stations, too
    It’s a good time for a cybersecurity checkup for home-based workers and their employers. Jake VanDewater provided a good review list Sept. 30 during the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce's third annual Sioux Falls Cybersecurity Conference.
  18. Infographic: Weaponization of Social Media
    Cyber thieves are using social media platforms to collect data about people and use it against businesses to steal data and other valuable information. Download our infographic to educate employees in your business.
  19. Beware of the ‘weaponization’ of social media sites
    Compelling statistics help explain some of the growing internet threats facing consumers, businesses and institutions. And a Dakota State University instructor shares 10 ways to keep unwanted hackers out of business networks at the 2020 Sioux Falls Cybersecurity Conference.
  20. ‘Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.’- A vital theme for special month
    It’s not an exaggeration to say that the integrity of the nation’s networking infrastructure plays a huge role in the well-being of the U.S. economy and safety. The integrity of democracy itself, depends, heavily on secure forms of electronic communication.