iPhone outdated, says Blackberry boss

Apple's iPhone is outdated, according to the chief executive of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion.

Thorsten Heins made the comment on the eve of the much-delayed launch of the new touchscreen BlackBerry in the United States. AT&T begins selling the Z10 touchscreen BlackBerry on Friday, more than six weeks after RIM launched the devices elsewhere.

Heins also told The Associated Press that a new keyboard version of the BlackBerry won't be released in the US until two or three months from now. He previously said it would be eight to 10 weeks, but now he's saying it could be delayed an additional two weeks.

Both the touchscreen and keyboard models are part of RIM's attempt at a comeback after the pioneering brand lost its cachet not long after Apple's 2007 release of the iPhone.

Heins said a lack of innovation at Apple has left iPhone's user interface outdated. He noted iPhone users have to go in and out of applications and the device doesn't allow for multitasking like the new BlackBerry Z10 does.

"It's still the same," Heins said of the iPhone. "It is a sequential way to work and that's not what people want today anymore. They want multitasking."

RIM's new software allows users to have multiple applications open like on a desktop, he said, noting that with BlackBerry you don't have to close an application to check an email.

"We're changing it for the better because we're allowing people to peak in the hub," Heins said.

Heins said the iPhone was revolutionary five years ago, but he said it's now "just kind of sitting there."

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined comment.

But the delay in selling the new keypad BlackBerry, called the Q10, complicates RIM's efforts to hang on to customers tempted by the iPhone and a range of devices running Google's Android operating system. Even as the BlackBerry has fallen behind rivals in recent years, many BlackBerry users have stayed loyal because they prefer a physical keyboard over the touch screen found on the iPhone and most Android devices. But the temptations to switch grow with each additional delay, despite favorable reviews for new system.

Heins said the Q10 keyboard version BlackBerry is just not ready yet and said part of the reason is out of his control.

"It's our job to deliver the right software package and the right software quality to the carriers," he said. "Then it is on the carriers to decide how intense they want their testing cycle to be and that really can range from a few weeks to three months."

US carriers reportedly haven't made testing a priority because RIM, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, has dramatically lost market share. The US has been one market in which RIM has been particularly hurting, even as the company is doing well overseas. According to research firm IDC, shipments of BlackBerry phones plummeted from 46 per cent of the US market in 2008 to 2 per cent in 2012. The iPhone and Android now dominate.

Heins said the company has to regain market share in the US for BlackBerry to be successful.

"You got to win here to win everywhere else," he said. "That's just the way it is. We've lost market share quite a bit, to put it mildly, and we absolutely need BlackBerry 10 to turn us around."

Heins said initial sales in other countries are encouraging, but he could not release numbers ahead of RIM's earnings report next Thursday.

"I get more and more excited every day," he said. "I really have to make sure I stay grounded and I don't lose my sense for reality. But for the whole company this is so important to finally be here, and to see people buying it, after we were told 30 months ago when we started that two quarters down the road we would be bankrupt, we would be out of business."

-AP

New FTC Rules Specify How to Disclose Sponsored Tweets

The Federal Trade Commission has recently updated its rules for online advertising.  The focus in the new rules is on short social media messages, such as Twitter tweets, as well as ads appearing on small mobile screens.

The FTC’s rules give specific guidelines on when and how to disclose sponsored tweets or paid ads.  One key recommendation in the new rules: use the word “Ad” in tweets when a tweet is sponsored, as these example tweets from the FTC document demonstrate:

Social Media and Small Mobile Screens Change The Rules

In a statement announcing its updated guidelines entitled “Dot Com Disclosures,” the FTC said the rules take into account “the expanding use of smartphones with small screens and the rise of social media marketing.”

The FTC’s updated rules reflect an evolving marketplace. The use of social media and smaller mobile screens have made messages smaller â€" in the case of Twitter, as small as 140 characters. And some celebrities and others are paid for the social messages they post.

The FTC says, “consumer protection laws apply equally to marketers across all mediums, whether delivered on a desktop computer, a mobile device, or more traditional media such as television, radio, or print.” With the new guidelines the FTC wants to reduce false or misleading claims made through ads that are masked as social media posts. The rules aim to keep businesses compliant with disclosure laws, which require people to clearly show that a message is sponsored and that the poster is being paid to send that message.

Even though sites like Facebook and Twitter offer paid advertising messages as part of their business models, some brands approach individual account holders to promote their products through a Facebook post or a Twitter tweet. Unlike official sponsored messages, if individual account holders put up their tweets of Facebook posts for sale, the nature of a  message as a paid ad may not be clear.

Forbes reported in January on a deal between Samsung and The Associated Press for the media giant to Tweet “Sponsored” messages that advertised the tech company’s presence at the Consumer Electronics Show. AP’s Tweets began: “SPONSORED MESSAGE:” and that would be compliant with the FTC’s updated guidelines, even if it bristles executives at Twitter.

What The New Rules Require

The new rules reinforce that ads must be disclosed, and disclosures must be “clear and conspicuous” â€" regardless of where or how they appear. The FTC update discourages hiding a disclosure for a sponsored tweet or “space-constrained” message behind a hyperlink. Someone seeing that tweet on its own may not follow the link and see that disclosure.

The agency is also against disclosures made in a message separate from the one containing the ad message.  An example of this would be a disclosure that someone is a paid spokesperson in one tweet, then a separate tweet containing a product endorsement without a disclosure. Even just three characters “Ad:” will satisfy the FTC’s new rules on these messages, according to a Wall Street Journal take on the release.

The FTC guidelines have extensive detail.  They consist of 22 pages, with another 26 pages of specific examples, including screenshots of how to disclose sponsored tweets and how to display ads on mobile screens.

According to the FTC document, “The ultimate test is not the size of the font or the location of the disclosure, although they are important considerations; the ultimate test is whether the information intended to be disclosed is actually conveyed to consumers.”

Here are the full guidelines:

Know Thyself: How Self-Awareness Impacts Your Sales

Sales is about relationship building. Gone are the days of explaining, cajoling and persuading people to buy what you have to sell.

With competition greater than it’s ever been, salespeople are well served to pay attention to themselves, how they are feeling, what they need and how they interact in order to succeed.

This awareness will help them in their relationship building.

Emotional Awareness

There are a couple of aspects of self-awareness to consider. The first is emotional awareness. Emotional awareness is understanding how you are feeling and how those feelings are translating into actions.

An example of this is how you feel as you prepare to cold call. If you are uncomfortable with the process, that discomfort can be relayed to the prospect on the other end of the phone.

Having an awareness of that discomfort helps you reset your emotional state so your performance isn’t impacted negatively.

Self-Assessment

This is where self-assessment comes in. It’s important to do a gut check before any interactions with prospects or clients.

How are you feeling What can you do with those feelings

Self-assessment also includes understanding your strengths and challenges. Dr. Phil says we can’t change what we don’t acknowledge.

Knowing where you are is the first step in adjusting and educating yourself.

Self-Confidence

Another part of self-awareness is self-confidence. Self-confidence is when you have a certainty about your worth and capabilities. You can see how awareness and assessment help you get to this state.

Having self-confidence in sales allows you to make those cold calls and go on those sales appointments. You are sure of what you know and how you conduct yourself, so you are comfortable with the prospect.

Self-confidence is critically important in sales for two reasons:

• First, those people who aren’t self-confident tend to overcompensate and appear aggressive and obnoxious. No one likes them or wants to do business with them.
• Second, the other danger is coming across as unsure. While you may know you are just feeling unsure, the prospect may read it as disbelief in the product or service.

Remember that they don’t know you yet. They don’t know that your self-confidence is in question. All they see is discomfort. Their translation of that can be very dangerous to your goals.

Self-Talk

Self-talk is a key element of self-awareness. Going through the process of self-talk before a sales call or before picking up the phone can mean the difference between winning or losing the sale. This is the place where you reconfirm your confidenceâ€"not only in yourself but in your product or service.

Doing some self-talk after an appointment can be equally valuable. In this case you walk yourself through the call and assess how you did, what you learned, and where you ended up.

This awareness before, during and after your interactions with prospects and clients will help you stay on top of your game.

Your success will increase because you will be present and engaged at every step.

Self-Awareness Photo via Shutterstock

Unlock The Full Potential Of Your Business: Add An Affordable Executive Leadership Team

Online media and mobile technology companies are growing at an unbelievably rapid pace. Just with mobile services alone, The International Telecommunication Union reports that 6 billion people in the world subscribe to a mobile service, which totals about 87% of the world’s population.  This means businesses are surfacing everywhere looking to capitalize on the development of applications, devices and programs for these emerging technologies.

These small businesses may run into a few problems, though, like tight budgets and a lack of leadership advice within their organizations.  Because of these problems, technology startups often find themselves in great need of marketing and  sales and development assistance that’s usually only available through the executive leadership at larger companies with bigger bank accounts.

However, there is a solution. Some companies are now stepping in to provide executive leadership solutions in a somewhat unique fashion.  This help comes not just in the form of a few consultants, but a fully-committed leadership team that can provide the specific technological insight and results needed to drive profitability for the small business. This means many startups can get the benefits of an experienced council through a model that still increases their ROI. They do this by saving on the costs of the senior personnel through a time-share approach.

“Emerging mobile and online media technology companies typically cannot afford top-level marketing and business development executives needed to achieve the next level of their success. In many cases these companies don’t need a full-time executive, which complicates filling leadership roles even further.”  said Roger Pavane, one of the managing partners at Fractionality, a company providing this service to small businesses.

Unlike the more common practice companies have been utilizing with consulting and advising firms, this business approach doesn’t focus on just a few consults. Instead, this is a fully-committed team that is dedicated to the smaller, day-to-day revenue generating work that more typical advisers or consultation teams do not care to focus on.

eSoft InstaGate 604

The InstaGate 604 from eSoft is an appliance we have seen come back year after year with an array of great features and functionality at a reasonable cost. It offers a stateful firewall with deep packet inspection capabilities, proxy-based scanning, real-time threat monitoring, scanning of both web and email for worms and viruses, and protection from bots and other network attacks.

This product can be loaded with functionality by using specific SoftPaks made available from eSoft, allowing for complete customisation of features and services. 

We found the InstaGate 604 is about as plug and play as a network security appliance can get. The initial setup process takes just a few minutes and the appliance is pretty much up and protecting the network with just a few clicks of the mouse.

To begin the setup, we plugged the InstaGate into our network so it could grab a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)-assigned address. Once it had an address, we were able to access the web-based setup wizard through a web browser. This helped us get a base configuration in place, as well as download and update the SoftPaks that were registered to the appliance. After this was complete, we were able to access the web-based management console for all further administration and management. 

We continue to find this appliance to be one of the easiest appliances to configure, use and manage. On the policy and management side, most configurations are as simple as on or off, but that does not mean this product lacks flexibility or granularity. It can be easily configured for a multitude of environments. It also features a solid dashboard that is centred around the ThreatMonitor, which shows real-time reporting of events and traffic, with clear charts and graphs that are easy to read even at a quick glance.

Documentation included a short quick-start guide that detailed the initial setup process, as well as a full user guide that provided many screenshots and step-by-step instructions on device and feature configuration and overall device management procedures. All documentation was well organised and easy to follow. 

ESoft offers 90 days of no-cost phone support to help get the appliance up and running. After this, customers can purchase phone support on a per incident basis or as a yearly subscription for unlimited 24/7 assistance. Also available is a plan that includes unlimited phone support, hardware care, software updates and a hot swap service. All customers can also access a web-based help area that includes product documentation and a knowledgebase.

At a price of c£1,315, we find this product to be excellent value for the money. ESoft InstaGate 604 is powerful enough to protect some of the larger environments with an impressive feature set, but it has a price tag that even small environments can easily handle.

FortiGate-60C-POE

The FortiGate-60C-POE from Fortinet offers a combination of the functionality of a security appliance with the capabilities of a power over Ethernet switch POE. It can protect the perimeter of the network with a firewall, intrusion prevention system and IPsec and SSL VPN, along with providing direct connectivity to power small Ethernet devices and access points.

This product also features many network security functions, including web content and URL filtering, application control and anti-virus, along with botnet protection and data leakage protection capabilities. 

This offering can be configured and managed in multiple ways for added flexibility. FortiGate-60C is compatible with FortiGate's FortiExplorer setup application. This can be run from a Windows- or Mac-based system to easily and quickly configure the appliance using a wizard-based structure. It can also be manually configured without the use of the wizard through the web-based management interface or the command line interface.

We chose to run FortiExplorer to configure the appliance. We found this method of setup to be easy to follow and we were up and running within minutes. 

For more granular configuration, the web-based management interface can be accessed after the appliance is configured. We found this interface to be quite easy to use overall and a lot less awkward than some of the older versions of the FortiGate interface. We found the interface intuitive to navigate and we were performing advanced configuration with no trouble at all. Overall, we found this appliance to include many robust and configurable options and features.

Documentation included a short quick-start guide and a full administrator guide. The quick-start guide provided simple step-by-step instructions for each of the initial setup scenarios, as well as an overview of the appliance specifications. The administrator guide focuses on configuration and management of the product with many step-by-step instructions and configuration examples. Both guides also included many screenshots and diagrams. 

Fortinet offers various levels of support contract lengths and assistance levels. Customers can purchase support in one-, two- or three-year increments and at eight-hours-a-day/five-days-a-week or 24/7 levels. This help includes phone and email technical support, as well as software and firmware updates and hardware replacement in case of failure. Customers can purchase additional professional services from Fortinet, including on-site visits and dedicated support engineers. There is a support area online at no cost that includes product documentation, a knowledgebase and other resources.

At a price of c£1,315, we find this little appliance to be excellent value for the money. FortiGate-60C-POE offers a full suite of perimeter security features, along with the added functionality of an Ethernet switch to power access points and other devices - all from one easy-to-manage unit. It offers a comprehensive feature set at a reasonable cost for almost any size environment, but really shines for smaller enterprises.

Check Point Threat Prevention Appliance

The Threat Prevention Appliance from Check Point provides full-scale threat protection at the perimeter, as well as incorporating with endpoint security applications to provide a comprehensive security infrastructure.

This appliance consists of several components that Check Point refers to as security blades. These include: firewall; identity awareness; advanced networking and clustering; IPsec VPN; mobile access; IPS; web URL filtering; and anti-malware. These blades all function together in a single appliance that can be centrally managed through the Check Point SmartConsole. 

We found setup and management of the appliance to be much simpler than many of the Check Point products we have seen in the past. It seems as though Check Point has started to refine its product integration with the SmartConsole management junction.

The initial setup is done in two stages. The first is to set up the appliance itself. This is done by connecting the device to the network and running through a web-based setup wizard on a machine connected to the same network. This wizard helps get a base configuration in place on the appliance, including network and administrator information. Once the appliance has a base configuration, it can be integrated with the SmartConsole dashboard installed on a machine in the management network. All further configuration and management can now be done through the SmartConsole. 

This tool offers a lot in the way of configurability and management functions. The SmartConsole dashboard offers a multitude of configurable security functions that help optimise the security capabilities of the Threat Prevention Appliance. Each software blade of the appliance can be easily managed and fine-tuned directly from this console, which can also manage other Check Point products. This integration allows for easy management across the entire network infrastructure.

Documentation included a getting-started guide and several administration guides in PDF format. The getting-started guide provides a great amount of detail on initial configuration steps to get the appliance up and running, while the various administrator PDFs focus on specific blades of the appliance. We found all documentation to be well-organised with many screenshots, diagrams and configuration examples. 

Check Point offers standard, premium and elite support levels to customers as part of an annual contract. These services include various levels of phone- and email-based technical help, as well as product replacement and on-site assistance. Customers can also access a large support area on the website that includes product documentation, downloads, a knowledgebase and other resources.

At a price of c£18,750, it may seem a little steep. However, we find Check Point Threat Prevention Appliance to be very good value for money. This price, while it does not include support costs, includes nine software blades to provide full perimeter threat protection. These blades combined with easy management and integration tools offer a solid threat management bundle.

Dell SonicWall NSA E8510

The NSA E8510 from Dell SonicWall is a monster security appliance designed for the large enterprise environment. It features a firewall and integrated intrusion prevention system that scans all network traffic for Trojans, software vulnerabilities, application exploits and other malicious code. 

Aside from the powerful IPS, this product also provides granular user-based application controls that manage bandwidth, control web access, restrict file transfers and scan email attachments preventing data leakage.

The appliance we were sent from the vendor was already licensed and contained an initial configuration, so we did not have a chance to go through the initial setup process. What we can say however, is that the setup process looks quite straightforward based on the documentation. 

The first step is to register the appliance with SonicWall by creating a mysonicwall account. After the appliance is registered, the initial configuration is done by accessing the web-based setup wizard using the default IP address of the appliance. This setup wizard allows for selection of the deployment mode and assists in getting the appliance up and running with a basic configuration.

This tool features options that allow for deployment in almost any environment. It can be deployed as a full security gateway appliance, in conjunction with another security device, such as an existing firewall or router, or in tandem with another SonicWall appliance providing additional security functionality. 

Aside from deployment flexibility, this product also includes a lot of configuration and policy options. Firewall and security policies can be made to be as granular or as broad as needed with the comprehensive policy engine that is included on the appliance. Each policy rule includes many checkable and configurable options.

Documentation included a detailed getting-started guide that illustrated the steps necessary to get the appliance up and running with an initial configuration, as well as information on deployment options. Other documentation included a full administrator guide and a few supplemental configuration guides. The PDF administrator guide includes a high level of detail on how to configure and manage the appliance and its features. It is well organised and includes many screenshots, step-by-step instructions and configuration examples. 

Dell SonicWall offers support and maintenance contracts in one, two, and three-year increments. Customers can purchase support at various levels of phone- and email-based technical assistance and other options based on contract level. As part of its support offerings, SonicWall also offers access to a knowledgebase and product documentation and downloads.

At a price of £32,565 for total secure bundle for one year, this product features quite the price tag. We find it to be good value for the large enterprise, but probably overkill and far too expensive for smaller environments. However, it does have a lot to offer in the way of features and functionality - if you can afford it. Dell SonicWall NSA E8510 offers robust security features with the high capacity throughput that is needed for even the largest of environments.

Dell SonicWall NSA E8510

The NSA E8510 from Dell SonicWall is a monster security appliance designed for the large enterprise environment. It features a firewall and integrated intrusion prevention system that scans all network traffic for Trojans, software vulnerabilities, application exploits and other malicious code. 

Aside from the powerful IPS, this product also provides granular user-based application controls that manage bandwidth, control web access, restrict file transfers and scan email attachments preventing data leakage.

The appliance we were sent from the vendor was already licensed and contained an initial configuration, so we did not have a chance to go through the initial setup process. What we can say however, is that the setup process looks quite straightforward based on the documentation. 

The first step is to register the appliance with SonicWall by creating a mysonicwall account. After the appliance is registered, the initial configuration is done by accessing the web-based setup wizard using the default IP address of the appliance. This setup wizard allows for selection of the deployment mode and assists in getting the appliance up and running with a basic configuration.

This tool features options that allow for deployment in almost any environment. It can be deployed as a full security gateway appliance, in conjunction with another security device, such as an existing firewall or router, or in tandem with another SonicWall appliance providing additional security functionality. 

Aside from deployment flexibility, this product also includes a lot of configuration and policy options. Firewall and security policies can be made to be as granular or as broad as needed with the comprehensive policy engine that is included on the appliance. Each policy rule includes many checkable and configurable options.

Documentation included a detailed getting-started guide that illustrated the steps necessary to get the appliance up and running with an initial configuration, as well as information on deployment options. Other documentation included a full administrator guide and a few supplemental configuration guides. The PDF administrator guide includes a high level of detail on how to configure and manage the appliance and its features. It is well organised and includes many screenshots, step-by-step instructions and configuration examples. 

Dell SonicWall offers support and maintenance contracts in one, two, and three-year increments. Customers can purchase support at various levels of phone- and email-based technical assistance and other options based on contract level. As part of its support offerings, SonicWall also offers access to a knowledgebase and product documentation and downloads.

At a price of £32,565 for total secure bundle for one year, this product features quite the price tag. We find it to be good value for the large enterprise, but probably overkill and far too expensive for smaller environments. However, it does have a lot to offer in the way of features and functionality - if you can afford it. Dell SonicWall NSA E8510 offers robust security features with the high capacity throughput that is needed for even the largest of environments.

Check Point Threat Prevention Appliance

The Threat Prevention Appliance from Check Point provides full-scale threat protection at the perimeter, as well as incorporating with endpoint security applications to provide a comprehensive security infrastructure.

This appliance consists of several components that Check Point refers to as security blades. These include: firewall; identity awareness; advanced networking and clustering; IPsec VPN; mobile access; IPS; web URL filtering; and anti-malware. These blades all function together in a single appliance that can be centrally managed through the Check Point SmartConsole. 

We found setup and management of the appliance to be much simpler than many of the Check Point products we have seen in the past. It seems as though Check Point has started to refine its product integration with the SmartConsole management junction.

The initial setup is done in two stages. The first is to set up the appliance itself. This is done by connecting the device to the network and running through a web-based setup wizard on a machine connected to the same network. This wizard helps get a base configuration in place on the appliance, including network and administrator information. Once the appliance has a base configuration, it can be integrated with the SmartConsole dashboard installed on a machine in the management network. All further configuration and management can now be done through the SmartConsole. 

This tool offers a lot in the way of configurability and management functions. The SmartConsole dashboard offers a multitude of configurable security functions that help optimise the security capabilities of the Threat Prevention Appliance. Each software blade of the appliance can be easily managed and fine-tuned directly from this console, which can also manage other Check Point products. This integration allows for easy management across the entire network infrastructure.

Documentation included a getting-started guide and several administration guides in PDF format. The getting-started guide provides a great amount of detail on initial configuration steps to get the appliance up and running, while the various administrator PDFs focus on specific blades of the appliance. We found all documentation to be well-organised with many screenshots, diagrams and configuration examples. 

Check Point offers standard, premium and elite support levels to customers as part of an annual contract. These services include various levels of phone- and email-based technical help, as well as product replacement and on-site assistance. Customers can also access a large support area on the website that includes product documentation, downloads, a knowledgebase and other resources.

At a price of c£18,750, it may seem a little steep. However, we find Check Point Threat Prevention Appliance to be very good value for money. This price, while it does not include support costs, includes nine software blades to provide full perimeter threat protection. These blades combined with easy management and integration tools offer a solid threat management bundle.

Cyberoam CR2500iNG

Cyberoam CR2500iNG unified threat management appliance offers a multitude of security and threat prevention features for the network perimeter. 

It features: a stateful inspection firewall; intrusion prevention system; full gateway anti-malware suite; anti-spam; web content management; SSL VPN; web application firewall; and controls for instant messaging applications, among many other security and reporting features. It also offers identity-based controls integrated across all of the appliance functions allowing for granular security controls based on user authentication and role.

We found deployment and configuration to be easy and straightforward. The initial deployment is done by simply connecting the appliance to the network and browsing to the default IP address with a web browser on a machine connected to the same network. When we accessed the web-based interface for the first time, we were taken through a brief setup wizard that helped us not only set up the basic appliance configuration, but also allowed us to put a base security policy in place. After the initial setup was complete, we were able to manage and fine-tune our configuration using the intuitive web-based management GUI. 

This tool offers quite a lot of deployment and policy flexibility. The appliance itself can be deployed in either gateway or bridge mode. Gateway mode allows the appliance to replace an existing firewall, router and perimeter security device, while bridge mode allows for keeping the existing devices and adding additional security using the Cyberoam appliance.

Aside from deployment mode, this appliance features full identity-based security functions. Some of these include: firewall rules; IPS policy; application and web content management policy; quality of service (QoS) policy; and data leakage prevention policy. This identity-based policy allows for granular content and security control based on the needs or restrictions of a user or group of users. 

Documentation included a short quick-start guide that provided a few simple steps to get the appliance up and running with a basic configuration, as well as a full user guide and several other supplemental configuration guides. The user guide featured full explanation of the product features and functions, while illustrating configuration and use of the product through many screenshots and configuration examples. We found all documentation to be well-organised and easy-to-follow.

Cyberoam offers customers no-cost, eight-hours-a-day/five-days-a-week phone- and email-based technical support, along with access to an assistance area via the website. This includes product documentation, knowledgebase and other resources. Customers can also purchase 24/7 premium support as part of an annual cost. Customers must purchase subscriptions to some of the services on the appliance to receive updates and upgrades. 

At a price just under £13,799 for just the appliance and a total cost up to around £21,699 for the appliance and a year of subscriptions to the various services provided by the appliance, this product comes with quite the price tag. However, we do find that it offers a very reasonable value for money, despite its high cost.

The Cyberoam UTM appliance offers much more than just a perimeter security device, it offers a high level of granular security controls that can keep the network environment safe from many possible threats.

Cyberoam CR2500iNG

Cyberoam CR2500iNG unified threat management appliance offers a multitude of security and threat prevention features for the network perimeter. 

It features: a stateful inspection firewall; intrusion prevention system; full gateway anti-malware suite; anti-spam; web content management; SSL VPN; web application firewall; and controls for instant messaging applications, among many other security and reporting features. It also offers identity-based controls integrated across all of the appliance functions allowing for granular security controls based on user authentication and role.

We found deployment and configuration to be easy and straightforward. The initial deployment is done by simply connecting the appliance to the network and browsing to the default IP address with a web browser on a machine connected to the same network. When we accessed the web-based interface for the first time, we were taken through a brief setup wizard that helped us not only set up the basic appliance configuration, but also allowed us to put a base security policy in place. After the initial setup was complete, we were able to manage and fine-tune our configuration using the intuitive web-based management GUI. 

This tool offers quite a lot of deployment and policy flexibility. The appliance itself can be deployed in either gateway or bridge mode. Gateway mode allows the appliance to replace an existing firewall, router and perimeter security device, while bridge mode allows for keeping the existing devices and adding additional security using the Cyberoam appliance.

Aside from deployment mode, this appliance features full identity-based security functions. Some of these include: firewall rules; IPS policy; application and web content management policy; quality of service (QoS) policy; and data leakage prevention policy. This identity-based policy allows for granular content and security control based on the needs or restrictions of a user or group of users. 

Documentation included a short quick-start guide that provided a few simple steps to get the appliance up and running with a basic configuration, as well as a full user guide and several other supplemental configuration guides. The user guide featured full explanation of the product features and functions, while illustrating configuration and use of the product through many screenshots and configuration examples. We found all documentation to be well-organised and easy-to-follow.

Cyberoam offers customers no-cost, eight-hours-a-day/five-days-a-week phone- and email-based technical support, along with access to an assistance area via the website. This includes product documentation, knowledgebase and other resources. Customers can also purchase 24/7 premium support as part of an annual cost. Customers must purchase subscriptions to some of the services on the appliance to receive updates and upgrades. 

At a price just under £13,799 for just the appliance and a total cost up to around £21,699 for the appliance and a year of subscriptions to the various services provided by the appliance, this product comes with quite the price tag. However, we do find that it offers a very reasonable value for money, despite its high cost.

The Cyberoam UTM appliance offers much more than just a perimeter security device, it offers a high level of granular security controls that can keep the network environment safe from many possible threats.

Unlock The Full Potential Of Your Business: Add An Affordable Executive Leadership Team

Online media and mobile technology companies are growing at an unbelievably rapid pace. Just with mobile services alone, The International Telecommunication Union reports that 6 billion people in the world subscribe to a mobile service, which totals about 87% of the world’s population.  This means businesses are surfacing everywhere looking to capitalize on the development of applications, devices and programs for these emerging technologies.

These small businesses may run into a few problems, though, like tight budgets and a lack of leadership advice within their organizations.  Because of these problems, technology startups often find themselves in great need of marketing and  sales and development assistance that’s usually only available through the executive leadership at larger companies with bigger bank accounts.

However, there is a solution. Some companies are now stepping in to provide executive leadership solutions in a somewhat unique fashion.  This help comes not just in the form of a few consultants, but a fully-committed leadership team that can provide the specific technological insight and results needed to drive profitability for the small business. This means many startups can get the benefits of an experienced council through a model that still increases their ROI. They do this by saving on the costs of the senior personnel through a time-share approach.

“Emerging mobile and online media technology companies typically cannot afford top-level marketing and business development executives needed to achieve the next level of their success. In many cases these companies don’t need a full-time executive, which complicates filling leadership roles even further.”  said Roger Pavane, one of the managing partners at Fractionality, a company providing this service to small businesses.

Unlike the more common practice companies have been utilizing with consulting and advising firms, this business approach doesn’t focus on just a few consults. Instead, this is a fully-committed team that is dedicated to the smaller, day-to-day revenue generating work that more typical advisers or consultation teams do not care to focus on.

Unlock The Full Potential Of Your Business: Add An Affordable Executive Leadership Team

Online media and mobile technology companies are growing at an unbelievably rapid pace. Just with mobile services alone, The International Telecommunication Union reports that 6 billion people in the world subscribe to a mobile service, which totals about 87% of the world’s population.  This means businesses are surfacing everywhere looking to capitalize on the development of applications, devices and programs for these emerging technologies.

These small businesses may run into a few problems, though, like tight budgets and a lack of leadership advice within their organizations.  Because of these problems, technology startups often find themselves in great need of marketing and  sales and development assistance that’s usually only available through the executive leadership at larger companies with bigger bank accounts.

However, there is a solution. Some companies are now stepping in to provide executive leadership solutions in a somewhat unique fashion.  This help comes not just in the form of a few consultants, but a fully-committed leadership team that can provide the specific technological insight and results needed to drive profitability for the small business. This means many startups can get the benefits of an experienced council through a model that still increases their ROI. They do this by saving on the costs of the senior personnel through a time-share approach.

“Emerging mobile and online media technology companies typically cannot afford top-level marketing and business development executives needed to achieve the next level of their success. In many cases these companies don’t need a full-time executive, which complicates filling leadership roles even further.”  said Roger Pavane, one of the managing partners at Fractionality, a company providing this service to small businesses.

Unlike the more common practice companies have been utilizing with consulting and advising firms, this business approach doesn’t focus on just a few consults. Instead, this is a fully-committed team that is dedicated to the smaller, day-to-day revenue generating work that more typical advisers or consultation teams do not care to focus on.

Huawei security issues are result of \'rumors,\' says Huawei executive

Even though Chinese networking vendors Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp. are several months removed from stinging rebukes from the U.S. and French governments, recent statements from one Huawei executive suggest the company remains eager to contradict allegations that it serves as an intelligence-gathering extension of the Chinese government.

In an interview last week with French TechTarget subsidiary LeMagIT, François Quentin, chairman of the board of Huawei France, claimed his company is a victim of "rumors".

Huawei's clash with the U.S. government garnered attention last year. Following a year-long investigation into the threat Huawei and ZTE pose to U.S. interests, the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence rebuked both vendors for providing what it called “incomplete, contradictory and evasive responses to the Committee’s core concerns." The committee labeled the two companies a threat to U.S. national security and suggested they be effectively kicked out of the U.S. telecommunications market and investigated for unfair trade practices, despite what some called "little concrete evidence of wrongdoing."

A similar scene played out in France in July 2012, when French senator Jean-Marie Bockel openly recommended, in a report on cyberdefense, a "total prohibition in Europe of core routers and other sensitive IT equipment coming from China." According to the report, the move was deemed necessary because such network equipment is "highly sensitive" as part of "information systems’ security" for numerous governments, and "nothing would prevent a manufacturing country to implant some sort of monitoring, intercepting or even disruptive system in that equipment."

In his report, Bockel justified his recommendation by stating that, "in the U.S., authorities lately took several measures to limit the adoption of equipment from Huawei and ZTE because of homeland security considerations."

But, according to Quentin, senator Bockel merely conducted what he called "a rather quick investigation, based on interviews -- apart from us. … He went to the U.S. where he listened to what local stakeholders told him."

Quentin added: "He based his conviction on the opinion of people he met in [the] U.S., at first, and then on a context of unconfirmed rumors. I’m not stating he is being insincere. I’m just stating that no one, anywhere, has ever found anything" supporting the congressional committee's findings.

Back in October, Bockel told LeMagIT that he had been convinced that Huawei products posed a threat at the security posture of European governments by "precise, technical details" given by the French national agency for IT security, ANSSI. According to Bockel, ANSSI "had audited enough of [Huawei's] core routers to get convinced" that they could pose a threat to national security.

However, Quentin rejected that assertion, saying that ANSSI "audited [our equipment] as well as other French stakeholders, but they found nothing; nothing at all." He added that some Huawei customers helped conduct that evaluation by putting some equipment at the disposal of the agency. But Quentin said he’s more than ready to cooperate in future evaluations of Huawei's products.

While he acknowledged that some vulnerabilities have been found in Huawei’s equipment, Quentin stated that no vendor can say for sure that its products are free of vulnerabilities. 

Quentin sought to assure customers that his company is a victim of an ongoing misperception among government officials, perpetuated by unsubstantiated "rumors going round and round, getting amplified."

Tech Thursday (3/21): News from Batchbook, Acclivity, Drobo, Mozy and Xero

It’s Tech Thursday from Smallbiztechnology.com. Each week we take a quick look at business and technology news and updates for the small business community and share them with you in a quick and simple round-up.

Batchbook Social CRM Expands With App for HootSuite

 

Now within HootSuite, teams in growing organizations can see full history of contacts, discover most active communicators, coordinate follow-ups across teams, save the best posts to Batchbook and more

Batchbook has announced its social CRM software is now integrated with HootSuite, makers of the market-leading social media management system, enabling business teams to stay socially connected with their contacts on a more personal level. With greater insight into Tweets, Facebook posts and other social conversations, small businesses can build stronger relationships with the right people to grow their business.

The Batchbook application is available in the HootSuite App Directory, a collection of tools and applications that HootSuite users can add to their dashboard to create a customized experience. Users with the app installed can hover over a contact’s HootSuite avatar and then click on “Batchbook profile” to see and edit contact details, recent communications and outstanding To-Dos already saved in Batchbook. Similarly, new contacts can be added into Batchbook directly from the HootSuite dashboard. A nifty
addition, users can also save Tweets or Facebook posts into their Batchbook account as communication records.

See more about the addition of Batchbook to Hootsuite here.

AccountEdge Basic 2 Launches on Mac and Windows

Accounting software app includes improvements to sales, banking, customer management

Acclivity today announced AccountEdge Basic 2 for Mac and Windows. The latest version of their Basic small business accounting software is available immediately and features a long list of enhancements and improvements.

AccountEdge Mobile 2 lets users accept credit cards directly from their iOS devices. Also included in the update to AccountEdge Mobile: quick sale, receive payment on a receivable, and mileage tracking.

AccountEdge Basic is available through the AccountEdge website, accountedge.com, and other online outlets, mail order catalogs, and select retailers. AccountEdge Basic is priced at $99 for new users, and $79 for upgraders. You can see more about the new product here.

Drobo Reaches Milestone By Surpassing One Exabyte Of Storage

Drobo’s Customers in the SMB and Creative Professional Markets Benefit from the Company’s Years of Developing Fast, Easy and Efficient Storage

Drobo, makers of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals,today announced that in aggregate, its customers have purchased and deployed more than an exabyte<>of storage
with Drobo systems. An exabyte is 1,000 petabytes, or 1 million terabytes, or 1 billion gigabytes or the equivalent of 245 million DVDs. Since the first Drobo system was introduced in mid-2007, the company has sold approximately 250,000 systems to creative professionals, prosumers, small businesses and enterprises.

To see more about this amazing milestone, click here.

Spiceworks Cloud Program Helps Mozy Reach 2.4 Million IT Professionals

Mozy integrates online backup service with Spiceworks’

Spiceworks™, the vertical network for IT, today announced Mozy® by EMC® has joined the Spiceworks Cloud Program. As a member, Mozy’s cloud backup technologies are now integrated into Spiceworks’ free IT management application, allowing 2.4 million Spiceworks users to access their Mozy account directly from Spiceworks.

The integration of Mozy capabilities into Spiceworks will help IT professionals:

• Understand when the last backup was completed or if there was an error in the last backup process
• See which devices on their network are being protected
• Assess the storage quota for each device so they can reallocate or purchase additional capacity from Mozy
• Receive alerts in the Spiceworks Cloud Services Dashboard or via email when storage capacity is running low.

To see more about the new partnership, click here.

Xero Accountant Survey Reveals Unique Small Business Tax Write-Offs

Provider of Online Accounting Software Offers Tips to Mitigate Tax Time Troubles for SMBs

Tax season has always been overwhelming for small business owners, which may explain why some small businesses (SMBs) have shown questionable judgment, claiming SpaghettiOs, plastic surgery and undergarments as deductions, according to a new survey of accountants. This year poses even greater anxiety based on policy changes from Washington. In fact, the second annual survey from Xero, online accounting software, found that nearly one in four accountants say government regulations and tax policy had the biggest impact on small businesses this year - more than one in 10 attribute this to uncertainty surrounding the “Fiscal Cliff.”

According to the 400 U.S. based accountants polled, the biggest mistake small business owners make is not keeping their financial records up-to-date, followed by a lack of understanding about their tax obligations. To best prepare for the changes ahead while staying on top of traditional challenges, small business owners must know their financials (and financial partners) better.

To see the full results of the survey, click here.

Tech Thursday (3/21): News from Batchbook, Acclivity, Drobo, Mozy and Xero

It’s Tech Thursday from Smallbiztechnology.com. Each week we take a quick look at business and technology news and updates for the small business community and share them with you in a quick and simple round-up.

Batchbook Social CRM Expands With App for HootSuite

 

Now within HootSuite, teams in growing organizations can see full history of contacts, discover most active communicators, coordinate follow-ups across teams, save the best posts to Batchbook and more

Batchbook has announced its social CRM software is now integrated with HootSuite, makers of the market-leading social media management system, enabling business teams to stay socially connected with their contacts on a more personal level. With greater insight into Tweets, Facebook posts and other social conversations, small businesses can build stronger relationships with the right people to grow their business.

The Batchbook application is available in the HootSuite App Directory, a collection of tools and applications that HootSuite users can add to their dashboard to create a customized experience. Users with the app installed can hover over a contact’s HootSuite avatar and then click on “Batchbook profile” to see and edit contact details, recent communications and outstanding To-Dos already saved in Batchbook. Similarly, new contacts can be added into Batchbook directly from the HootSuite dashboard. A nifty
addition, users can also save Tweets or Facebook posts into their Batchbook account as communication records.

See more about the addition of Batchbook to Hootsuite here.

AccountEdge Basic 2 Launches on Mac and Windows

Accounting software app includes improvements to sales, banking, customer management

Acclivity today announced AccountEdge Basic 2 for Mac and Windows. The latest version of their Basic small business accounting software is available immediately and features a long list of enhancements and improvements.

AccountEdge Mobile 2 lets users accept credit cards directly from their iOS devices. Also included in the update to AccountEdge Mobile: quick sale, receive payment on a receivable, and mileage tracking.

AccountEdge Basic is available through the AccountEdge website, accountedge.com, and other online outlets, mail order catalogs, and select retailers. AccountEdge Basic is priced at $99 for new users, and $79 for upgraders. You can see more about the new product here.

Drobo Reaches Milestone By Surpassing One Exabyte Of Storage

Drobo’s Customers in the SMB and Creative Professional Markets Benefit from the Company’s Years of Developing Fast, Easy and Efficient Storage

Drobo, makers of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals,today announced that in aggregate, its customers have purchased and deployed more than an exabyte<>of storage
with Drobo systems. An exabyte is 1,000 petabytes, or 1 million terabytes, or 1 billion gigabytes or the equivalent of 245 million DVDs. Since the first Drobo system was introduced in mid-2007, the company has sold approximately 250,000 systems to creative professionals, prosumers, small businesses and enterprises.

To see more about this amazing milestone, click here.

Spiceworks Cloud Program Helps Mozy Reach 2.4 Million IT Professionals

Mozy integrates online backup service with Spiceworks’

Spiceworks™, the vertical network for IT, today announced Mozy® by EMC® has joined the Spiceworks Cloud Program. As a member, Mozy’s cloud backup technologies are now integrated into Spiceworks’ free IT management application, allowing 2.4 million Spiceworks users to access their Mozy account directly from Spiceworks.

The integration of Mozy capabilities into Spiceworks will help IT professionals:

• Understand when the last backup was completed or if there was an error in the last backup process
• See which devices on their network are being protected
• Assess the storage quota for each device so they can reallocate or purchase additional capacity from Mozy
• Receive alerts in the Spiceworks Cloud Services Dashboard or via email when storage capacity is running low.

To see more about the new partnership, click here.

Xero Accountant Survey Reveals Unique Small Business Tax Write-Offs

Provider of Online Accounting Software Offers Tips to Mitigate Tax Time Troubles for SMBs

Tax season has always been overwhelming for small business owners, which may explain why some small businesses (SMBs) have shown questionable judgment, claiming SpaghettiOs, plastic surgery and undergarments as deductions, according to a new survey of accountants. This year poses even greater anxiety based on policy changes from Washington. In fact, the second annual survey from Xero, online accounting software, found that nearly one in four accountants say government regulations and tax policy had the biggest impact on small businesses this year - more than one in 10 attribute this to uncertainty surrounding the “Fiscal Cliff.”

According to the 400 U.S. based accountants polled, the biggest mistake small business owners make is not keeping their financial records up-to-date, followed by a lack of understanding about their tax obligations. To best prepare for the changes ahead while staying on top of traditional challenges, small business owners must know their financials (and financial partners) better.

To see the full results of the survey, click here.

Ecommerce Entrepreneurs: How Google AdWords Can Help You

As an eCommerce entrepreneur, are you looking for a popular platform to advertise your campaign Are you really struggling to target your audience Well, in today’s world, nothing is impossible.

How about using Google AdWords to advertise your products

This can be one of the most cost-effective approaches for marketing your eCommerce store. All it requires is the constant monitoring of your campaign. You have to keep yourself up to date with upcoming and latest trends and development in the market.

Does that sound tricky and difficult to you

Then read this thoroughly and learn the easiest tactics to handle your AdWords campaign, which will ultimately help you to turn potential customers into real ones.

First and foremost, it’s important to learn how Google AdWords Conversion Tracking can help you with your e-commerce deals.

Ostensibly, you are using Google AdWords to increase traffic for your eCommerce business. For that, a portion of your marketing budget is spent on clicks per week. On the other hand, you also have to maintain your cost after utilizing your daily budget through your campaign setting.

Now, at the end of the week, you have much of the information you need, such as how many clicks you have received on your ads, the final calculation of the sale and the estimates of what you have spent on each click. However, there’s still a problem. You don’t know how many of these clicks are actually getting translated into sales on your site.

Oops! You probably haven’t thought about it, right You must be thinking that if there’s no way to track the value and return of these clicks, then why would you spend money on pay per click ads

Well, there’s a solution in the form of a powerful tool called AdWords Conversion Tracking (Google AdWords Conversion Tracking Guide PDF) , which helps you track ROI (return on investment) based on the number of clicks on your ads. Most importantly, it lets you know whether a click leads to a sale or an action on your website.

Conversion and Keyword Tracking

By this time you must be curious enough to learn why conversion tracking is important. With conversion tracking you can track specific keywords leading to a conversion as well the value of a conversion at a keyword level.

To begin with, let’s see how conversion tracking functions. Conversion tracking requires you to insert a code snippet on the landing page where the visitor lands after a conversion. This page can be either a ‘thank you for signing up in the newsletter’ or ‘thank you for shopping with us’ landing page. Google AdWords provides you with the code you need to insert on the related pages of your website.

For instance, if you want to track the sale of a party wear dress, you would insert the code snippet on the page the customer lands on after purchasing the dress. Here, is an example of when a click translates to a conversion:

1. The customer clicks on the ad and searches for the party wear dress.
2. They browse the website and make a purchase once they find the dress they want.
3. You can now track this purchase with conversion tracking. Moreover, the purchase is also equated with the pertinent keywords “party wear dress.”

Understanding the keyword matching concept is important in order to successfully run the Google AdWords campaign. The right keyword is one of the primary factors for your eCommerce store as well as for the Google AdWords campaign.

Keyword matching is simple. Google points out which keyword searches are the most appropriate for your ad.

Keyword Categories

There are a few categories of Google AdWords keyword matches. How are these categories best utilized to increase your sales

Exact match:  Exact match helps you to run your campaign in an economical manner. Your ad will be displayed according to the exact term you have specified without any variants. It targets only those who are looking for the definite product you are offering.

For example, if you specify the keyword” red dress” the exact match keyword will only show ads on that specific word and nothing else.

Broad match:  The keywords specified to broad match will show ads on a wide array of variation of that particular keyword. The variation may include abbreviations, singular plural forms, or may be acronyms.

For example, if you specify the keyword ‘ dress’ to the ad group, your ad will also be displayed to someone who is looking for ‘short dress’ or ‘black dress’ or may be completely irrelevant as ‘skirts.’ You can receive a wide set of data concerning to the keywords the customers are using to find you.

Phrase match:  A phrase match keyword allows your ad to show for those keyword searches that match your keywords as well as words before or after it.

For example, the keyword is ‘red dresses.” Anyone who is searching for ‘party wear red dress’ is also eligible to view your ad. However, those looking for ‘red gown’ cannot view your ad.

If you have not started using Google AdWords for your eCommerce store, by this time, (I am sure) you will not give a second thought to it.

It is worth spending your money on AdWords to drive traffic and prosper in your eCommerce business.

NYC Events: Upcoming NYC Business and Technology Events (3/22 - 3/28)

Here is a listing of NYC Business and Technology Events for the upcoming week (3/22 - 3/28) that we thought would be beneficial to our small business community in the Greater NYC area.

Have a business and/or technology event coming up in the New York City area that you’d like us to add to our weekly post  If so, email us at eve...@smallbiztechnology.com.

Developing Customer Insights

March 25, 2013 - 6 pm - 9 pm: GA New York City (East), 902 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York , NY 10010

Knowing and understanding your audience is a fundamental part of growing your business. Whether you’re in product development, working on an elevator pitch, or launching a marketing strategy, customer insight can be what gives you the edge in a hypercompetitive world of brand recognition. This workshop will show you how to use methods online and off to learn about your customers and apply those insights to your business.

How To Build The Right Team For Growth

March 25, 2013 - 7 pm: Grind, 419 Park Avenue South, New York, NY (2nd Floor)

Come join us as Joaquin Roca, founder of The People Side and a 13 year vet in helping “NY Startups gracefully scale their human systems”, helps all you entrepreneurs set up your teams and people to be champions.

Getting Started with WordPress

March 26, 2013 - 8 pm - 9:30 pm: General Assembly East, 902 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010

WordPress is the premier content management system for those seeking an easy, user-friendly way to set up and maintain a website. In this class, you’ll walk through the basics of getting your site live quickly and discover various free templates as well as premium resources that require little to no coding skills and will have your site looking polished and professional. Once your site has gone live, you’ll learn how to update and maintain it using the WordPress dashboard, as well as common problems and pitfalls to avoid. Plus you’ll find out how to customize your site to get the exact look you’re going for.

“Recipe for Victory” Seminars

March 27th, 2013, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Nola Studios, 244 West 54th St., 10th Floor, Studio 1, New York, NY 10019

Spend a couple of hours with Sophia and learn about the “recipe for victory” she has been dishing. Do you have an inner conflict with indecision and finding what you are meant to do or be Are you ready to lead the pack instead of following the pack Learn how to:

• Kick Fear to the Curb
• Unleash your hidden greatness
• Do you know your blueprint
• 7 Must Have Traits for Victory (success, triumph)

 

The Next Big Thing : Economic Empowerment Conference

March 28th, 2013,  8:30 AM - 5:00 PM: 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Today’s business world is constantly and rapidly changing. With so much to know, so much to learn and so much to keep up with, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the business tools, technology and ideas that are supposed to help us with our businesses. The 5th Annual Asian American Economic Empowerment Conference will focus on technology and innovation. 

Future of Communications Career Workshop

March 28th, 2013, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM: The Graduate Center of The City University of NY, Elebash Recital Hall, 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street), New York, New York 10016

The Future of Communications’ Career Workshop will focus on educating rising professionals about where the industry is going, why it is changing so rapidly, and what you need to know in order to succeed. Highly regarded industry thought leaders from both brands and agencies will share their personal stories and perspectives with you about topics such as:

• Technology’s growing impact, including the internet, social media and mobile, on how organizations communicate
• The need to understand data, analytics, and technical tools as a core capability of the communications professional of the future
• Why traditional and isolated departments/functions such as PR, Marketing, Technology are OUT and cross-functional/department teams, including agencies and vendors are IN and what does this means for future industry leaders

NYC Events: Upcoming NYC Business and Technology Events (3/22 - 3/28)

Here is a listing of NYC Business and Technology Events for the upcoming week (3/22 - 3/28) that we thought would be beneficial to our small business community in the Greater NYC area.

Have a business and/or technology event coming up in the New York City area that you’d like us to add to our weekly post  If so, email us at eve...@smallbiztechnology.com.

Developing Customer Insights

March 25, 2013 - 6 pm - 9 pm: GA New York City (East), 902 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York , NY 10010

Knowing and understanding your audience is a fundamental part of growing your business. Whether you’re in product development, working on an elevator pitch, or launching a marketing strategy, customer insight can be what gives you the edge in a hypercompetitive world of brand recognition. This workshop will show you how to use methods online and off to learn about your customers and apply those insights to your business.

How To Build The Right Team For Growth

March 25, 2013 - 7 pm: Grind, 419 Park Avenue South, New York, NY (2nd Floor)

Come join us as Joaquin Roca, founder of The People Side and a 13 year vet in helping “NY Startups gracefully scale their human systems”, helps all you entrepreneurs set up your teams and people to be champions.

Getting Started with WordPress

March 26, 2013 - 8 pm - 9:30 pm: General Assembly East, 902 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010

WordPress is the premier content management system for those seeking an easy, user-friendly way to set up and maintain a website. In this class, you’ll walk through the basics of getting your site live quickly and discover various free templates as well as premium resources that require little to no coding skills and will have your site looking polished and professional. Once your site has gone live, you’ll learn how to update and maintain it using the WordPress dashboard, as well as common problems and pitfalls to avoid. Plus you’ll find out how to customize your site to get the exact look you’re going for.

“Recipe for Victory” Seminars

March 27th, 2013, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Nola Studios, 244 West 54th St., 10th Floor, Studio 1, New York, NY 10019

Spend a couple of hours with Sophia and learn about the “recipe for victory” she has been dishing. Do you have an inner conflict with indecision and finding what you are meant to do or be Are you ready to lead the pack instead of following the pack Learn how to:

• Kick Fear to the Curb
• Unleash your hidden greatness
• Do you know your blueprint
• 7 Must Have Traits for Victory (success, triumph)

 

The Next Big Thing : Economic Empowerment Conference

March 28th, 2013,  8:30 AM - 5:00 PM: 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Today’s business world is constantly and rapidly changing. With so much to know, so much to learn and so much to keep up with, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the business tools, technology and ideas that are supposed to help us with our businesses. The 5th Annual Asian American Economic Empowerment Conference will focus on technology and innovation. 

Future of Communications Career Workshop

March 28th, 2013, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM: The Graduate Center of The City University of NY, Elebash Recital Hall, 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street), New York, New York 10016

The Future of Communications’ Career Workshop will focus on educating rising professionals about where the industry is going, why it is changing so rapidly, and what you need to know in order to succeed. Highly regarded industry thought leaders from both brands and agencies will share their personal stories and perspectives with you about topics such as:

• Technology’s growing impact, including the internet, social media and mobile, on how organizations communicate
• The need to understand data, analytics, and technical tools as a core capability of the communications professional of the future
• Why traditional and isolated departments/functions such as PR, Marketing, Technology are OUT and cross-functional/department teams, including agencies and vendors are IN and what does this means for future industry leaders

SC Data Protection Summit: Do not surrender data control by moving to the cloud

A move to the cloud cannot result in a loss of control of data, as due diligence should be done before and during the outsourcing process.

Speaking at the SC Magazine Data Protection Summit in London, G4S technology director Glyn Hughes said that internal due diligence and continual assessment needs to be done when it comes to the cloud.

Hughes said the concept of cloud computing was discussed by his board in 2008, and by 2009 it was called 'sophisticated and scalable', but said that "users need not have expertise or knowledge of the technology infrastructure that supports them". However he said that an early challenge was the opportunities of lower barriers to entry, device independence and standardisation, which "allowed business managers to bypass IT departments".

“Do you surrender control of security and data protection Absolutely not. Data protection control lives with you as you are the buyer not them as the vendor. Also, agile competitors who care less about due diligence can pose a real threat - we saw the potential to be a significant IT change and that has pretty much borne out,” he said. 

Looking to the present, Hughes said that there are now real risks, as the vendors are very different and there is a take it or leave it attitude to contracts and infrastructure, and that managing it by humans remains very important.

“When it comes to support, it can be frustrating if you are used to dealing with vendors and yours is a small voice among many,” he said. 

“Also, you need to have control over your systems and this is the case with cloud systems, and how you can be sure the data is your data. It is down to individual users to apply classifications to data and don't stop mis-classifying it.”

He also claimed that managing risks starts with understanding and education of business of circumventing IT and more often than not, keeping IT and governance in the loop. He encouraged reviewing your risks and assessing again, saying that this is "all based on risk assessment and to do that with cloud, you need to boil down a cloud solution to the data centre, network and assess as if it were on-premise". 

Echoing comments made earlier by the Information Commissioner's Office, Hughes said that just because data is in the cloud, it doesn't mean that you need to do less. He said that G4S has produced guidelines for data protection internally, and concluded by encouraging delegates not to treat cloud as an entity, but deconstruct it "as it is your data".

SC Data Protection Summit: Moving to the cloud does not mean you outsource data protection

Speaking at the SC Magazine Data Protection Summit in London, Dr Simon Rice, group manager (technology) at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said that when you use the cloud, your responsibilities as a data controller do not get outsourced "just because you outsourced".

He said: “This relates to the cloud as it does any other model, as it will operate and process your data as you instruct. You must undergo some due diligence on cloud providers, as a provider could process your data for their own purposes, such as social networks do for advertising, so you may be a joint controller, so you must be aware of what they are doing.”

Rice asked who can see your data and where it is, and that delegates should consider how secure it is. He said that security, outsourcing and overseas transfer rules are new in the data protection world, but there are "old established problems in the new risks".

“Who has access to your data and will you be told about that One is the data centre and everyone using it, so whose data is next to yours Does it matter if they are doing something illegal with the data It all falls under regulatory compliance as well as the Data Protection Act,” Rice said.

He continued his talk by saying that there needs to be a relationship between data controllers, such as a written contract, which is "more than clicking a button, as terms of service cannot be changed".

“Also how do you protect against breaches, as moving to the cloud doesn't protect against these issues Look at how data gets onto a device, if you transfer data onto a USB stick or CD, how do you control that data and who has access to it The key question is on where it is in the world, and get answers to the questions before it is moved out there.” 

Also speaking at the event, Cameron Craig, partner at law firm DLA Piper, said that if you feel that there is an exemption for cloud within the data protection law, then realise there is no exemption, as there is nothing special for cloud as it is standardised by the regulatory framework around it.

He said: “Understand the different layers where your data is going to be held and what type of cloud you are talking about. Private is no different from own environment; public is a little different. From a legal perspective, moving to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model is more in the hand of the supplier, so there is more vulnerability and less control around what you want to put in. Don't just simply take what is offered to you.”

How To Improve Your Operating Performance Through Information Technology

These days, every business and every department is looking for better performance. Let’s look at 3 strategies to improve the company operating performance, through technology options available today:

1. Your organization will be more efficient if IT takes the time to understand what end users really want and need.

Studies often show a gap between what business people consider important, and what the IT department considers important.  Some of that is due to the business staffers and executives not understanding the technical side of how things work. For instance, IT professionals would - quite rightly - rank network security and data encryption as critical needs.  Business users tend to rank those issues as lower priorities, most likely because they don’t understand all the implications.

On the other hand, the IT department may think it is important to give access to enterprise applications on mobile devices, without knowing whether business users even plan to use them that way.

But it’s clear that end users help drive technology choices in a company, simply by virtue of how they choose to use computing devices. A perfect example is the BYOD (bring your own device to work) movement.  It wasn’t that long ago that the IT department ruled with an iron first when it came to choosing which computer devices could be used for company business. Those days are gone. According to one study, only 15% of companies now expressly prohibit using BYOD devices.

IT departments are realizing that rather than fighting against the tide,  it’s a better use of company time and resources to implement tools to manage BYOD devices, and protect the network from intrusion through such devices via malware or when stolen or lost.

It’s all a question of where and how you use your limited resources. Your IT choices can have a powerful effect on your company performance and ability to grow.  Set your priorities carefully.

2. Investigate new options, such as for Ethernet private lines and dedicated Internet connectivity to help balance speed and security, with costs.

The choice isn’t just installing and maintaining your own dedicated network to handle internal computing needs.  Today, various configurations and options on the market, such as Ethernet private lines and dedicated Internet, can bring you security, assured connectivity, greater bandwidth, and faster network speed.

These options also tend to be easier to scale up to accommodate growth. Often the ability to add more capacity is available with a phone call - instead of purchasing more capital equipment, hiring staff to handle it, and so on.

You can tap into these options as a service by paying a monthly fee, while minimizing the need for on-premises equipment to run your network and the staff to maintain it.  So many more options are available today to smaller businesses - ones that even a few years ago only large enterprises could afford.

3. Calculate the bigger picture when considering benefits, costs and return-on-investment for IT needs. 

Let’s take the example of a VOIP phone system in your business.  Consider what’s involved with getting service. If the system goes down, are you relegated to calling the provider only to discover that the provider was a small reseller, and doesn’t have the staff to send someone on premises until late the next day How long can you afford to be without a working phone system How much business will you lose during that time Those kinds of costs are as real as money spent on monthly fees.

And not only do interruptions involve cost, but they can set your business growth plans back.  Consider the impression it leaves with clients and customers when you are unreachable by phone, especially if it happens repeatedly or for an extended period.  And while you’re scrambling to address an IT crisis, team attention is distracted and drawn away from growth of the business.

The key thing is:  look at the overall picture of how information technology supports and furthers the business.  Simply looking at out-of-pocket costs can hinder your business in the long run. Likewise, doing things “the way we always did it” is limiting.  Take the time to investigate all available options and evaluate:

• Resources (Can you afford all the internal staff and capital equipment, or can you minimize these through available external services)
• Increased speed (Are you getting the speed your company needs in implementation and ongoing support, as well as speed of data transfer and computing)
• Reliability (How reliable will your information technology infrastructure such as a LAN network be if handled internally, versus outsourcing to a provider you can rely upon to keep it going 24/7 And what can you reasonably expect from your internal team, especially if they are a small team)
• Security (Does your organization really have the people, expertise and time to anticipate and address today’s sophisticated intrusions and attacks, or is that best left to experts)
• Scalability (Are you paying for just what you need now, and can you scale up quickly for growth)

Finally, consider services as an extension of your internal team. It’s not a question of either doing everything internally versus using external services completely.  Today, think of it as a menu of options you can choose to add to your overall IT mix.

Online Communities: Three Reasons You Might Want To Start One For Your Small Business

As human beings we thrive on interacting with each other. So it should come as no surprise that brands which tend to have a life-cycle of their own, also thrive on being talked off, recommended and, at times, critiqued. Large corporations spends huge amounts of their marketing budgets on engaging clients and trying to get them to talk about their products across various media; online communities being the most notable trend. So what can small businesses incorporate from all this

Here are three reasons you may want to consider starting an online community for your business.

1. Having a website is fair enough, but consumers today are looking to make a much more informed purchase decision. The Local Consumer Review Survey 2012, conducted across local consumers in U.S, Canada and U.K, revealed that 70 percent of consumers read online reviews and 58 percent trusted a business with positive online reviews. Local businesses have an edge over larger businesses in that they already enjoy a certain personal relationship with their customers. Giving an opportunity to existing and potential customers to interact and share on an online community portal could literally land new customers at the door step for smaller businesses.
2. Remember, buyers of your product or service will talk about your business whether you like it or not.  But with a community portal, potential customers could downplay negative feedback with positive affirmations and relevant suggestions from some of the other customers.
3. Having a business community portal is also a great way to engage existing customers, making them know that their opinion matters and for evaluating new business opportunities basis customer inputs.

Starting an online community for local businesses

To get started, set up Google alerts to know what is being said about your business across forums. Google analytics is another great, free solution for identifying websites through which your website has been accessed. If you feel confident of being able to manage a page for your business on Facebook or a community forum on Google Plus, then go ahead. However as your business online community grows, you may need to play the role of a professional ‘community manager’. A community manager is a brand ambassador and a brand monitor. S/he is typically entrusted with the responsibility of conveying all relevant information about your business as well as monitoring what is being said - the likes and dislikes, the needs and wants of your customer in the online world. A more effective way of doing this would be to acquire the services of online community management service companies.

Online Community Management Services

There are several community platforms available today but choosing which one is right for you can be confusing and as always we have done some ground work for you.

Get Satisfaction currently hosts more than 70,000 active online communities. Having been used successfully by brands such as Microsoft, Kiddicare.com and Men’s Health, in January this year the company launched a special package for small business owners with a single community management seat for as little as $49 a month and a 30 days free trial offer. A cool way in which it encourages discussion is via the Get Satisfaction widget. Place the widget against your product or service listings and let potential buyers evaluate the prospect of making the purchase basis feedback from existing users, without even leaving the page.

With clients such as HP, AT&T and Lenovo as part of their portfolio, Lithium is a leading provider of online community management. Instead of replying to individual posts and comments, Lithium lets you integrate the online community with social sites (Facebook and Twitter) and send replies from the most active community members.  Lithium also has a unique gamification feature that recognizes the top contributors in the online community.

Some analysts pip Jive to be the leading provider in social business. CISCO, Hitachi, McAfee and Nike are just some of the big brands netted by the company. Perhaps an ideal solution for much bigger organizations, Jive allows businesses to build both internal (for employee collaboration) and external communities (customer engagement) with a bridge between the two.

While neither Jive nor Lithum have indicated their pricing on their websites, basis information available Get Satisfaction appears to offer a simpler and much cheaper online community management solution that may be better suited for small and medium sized businesses.