Update on Legal Issues in Affiliate Marketing - #AMDays

Editor’s Note: Here’s another installment in our series of  coverage from the Affiliate Management Days conference - this one on the new legal landscape of affiliate marketing. This series of articles is on topics of interest to businesses that offer affiliate programs. More coverage of #AMDays.

Gary Kibel (pictured), Partner at Davis & Gilbert LLP, spoke at #AMDays about legal issues in affiliate marketing.

Gary began with an attention grabbing statement that “as an affiliate manager, you are a trusted advisor.”  As such, affiliate managers need to know enough about the legal landscaping of affiliate marketing to speak wisely to it and provide resources for more information.  This scope extends to online marketing as well.

The highlights of his session are provided below.

Deceptive Advertising

• Be sure your advertising meets the requirements of FTC.
• Disclaimers can be helpful but it should be a good disclosure.
• Disclosure is a fluid concept, dependent on multiple factors.
• Consider the placement of the disclosure.
• Be very careful when you use the word “Free.”
• Omissions can also be a violation and considered deceptive.
• Everyone is responsible from the marketer, to the affiliates, to the affiliate networks.  This means you need to monitor the affiliates’ marketing efforts and make sure they are consistent with your brand’s.

Copyright and Trademark

The first step is to dismiss the myth that everything on the Internet is free.   Copyright is defined as an original work of authorship. This includes images and content.  You cannot grab something online and use it in your promotions.  Photographers are very aggressive when they see their photo online.  Be careful and mindful here.

Trademarks are less stringent. You can use another person’s trademark without permission but you can’t do it in a way that is confusing.

Affiliate Marketing Contracts

Gary also talked about legal issues in affiliate marketing contracts, and what these contracts should include.   I know I will be double checking future contracts for all my online services, not just affiliates:

Contract terms to include:

• Parties to be bound; do not use personal name, use business name.
• A term and cancellation.  Don’t do evergreen contracts that have no end limit.
• Fees - think of penalties/holdbacks.
• Include escalation provisions for disputes.
• IP ownership - make sure you own data.
• Include restrictive covenants.
• Be careful about non-competes and non-solicitation clauses (customers and employees).
• If something goes wrong you need to protect yourself.  Create a limitation of liability.
• Indemnification clauses:  helps if a third party makes claims.

Privacy

And of course, there could not be a legal discussion about online marketing without addressing privacy. It is important for affiliate managers to understand the FTC Fair Information Practice Principles.  Rules may vary based on audience and products.  Here are some key components.

• Be sure to notify consumers about your privacy policies.
• Give them choices to be included or opt out.
• Give them access to communicate with you to opt out or with questions.
• Be sure your data is secure.  Provide a plan of what you will do if the information is no longer secure.
• Be careful what data you collect online.  Just because it is available online doesn’t mean it is wise to collect it.  While there is no law that says social media harvesting is against the law but it could be perceived as unfair
• COPPA - you cannot collect information from children under 13 without a guardian authority.  FTC defined personal information as a consistent identifier. You cannot cookie a user under the age of 13 due to the recent COPPA updates.

Social Media

Gary also discussed social media.  You are responsible for your affiliates as well. So be sure your affiliates are playing by the rules.  Below is a quick summary - but do your research.

• If you are using social media for professional purposes be sure you are familiar with the terms.  They change all the time.
• Endorsement and testimonials:  you need to fully disclose your relationship with the testimonial if they are hired or receive any compensation.  Bloggers need to disclaim if they are being sponsored to promote the product.  This includes free products.
• You cannot make fake reviews on your products.
• Everyone needs to abide by long-held principles of truth in advertising.
• There are no magic legal words. It is about being honest and using clear communication.
• How to disclose on Twitter. Use hastags like #spon #paid  to let people know your relationship with the company. Make sure your blogger affiliates know this.
• Control your content.  Be careful what you say online and what people say online including your affiliates.

Behavioral Tracking

He lightly touched on changes in the industry and a demand for more user control over behavioral tracking.  This could have a huge impact on our affiliate industry because cookies could get impacted as well.

Many browsers are implementing a browser application allowing consumers to choose “Do Not Track.”  It is a voluntary process.   Many browsers are developing within their systems. IE does defaults. Safari blocks 3rd party cookies.  This could have a big impact on affiliate marketing since we are cookie based.  It is important to follow this issue.

Gary’s quick summary was my favorite: Don’t be creepy when you are online.  And I would add: just try not being creepy over all.

Note: Gary’s remarks are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. Please consult your own attorney for legal advice specific to your situation.

Symantec 2013 Threat Report highlights rise in SMB attacks

Small businesses are under attack. That's the clear takeaway from the 2013 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report.

Released this week, the report offers analysis on the past year of Internet information security threats, and is based on data captured from more than 69 million attack sensors stationed in 157 countries.

Symantec identified a significant shift in attackers' tactics: Thirty-one percent of targeted attacks were aimed at businesses with fewer than 250 employees. This represents a threefold increase from Symantec Corp.'s 2012 report, and is the latest sign that attackers are broadening their search for susceptible targets.

"Small businesses may believe they are immune to attacks targeted at them," said Kevin Haley, director of product management for Symantec Security Response. "These corporations believe hackers are only interested in big scores, which has been true historically. Recently, the bad guys have come to realize that money and customer information stolen from a small business is as valuable as data taken from [a] big business - and [is] more easily gathered."

"Small businesses typically lack the staff and the expertise to adequately protect confidential information," stated Rick Holland, senior analyst at Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research Inc. Sometimes one person is the IT department and in turn is responsible for safeguarding all of the company's computer systems; in other instances, he said, these duties fall under the aegis of the chief financial officer. Since small companies are less focused on constructing their cyber-defenses, Holland added, their networks offer hackers a path of least resistance.

Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can be treasure troves for data-hungry attackers. Bad guys can profit significantly by stealing company accounts, customer billing information and intellectual property, even if the organization doesn't rank in the Fortune 500.

"Startup businesses begin as SMBs and could have intellectual property that hackers find to be quite valuable," Holland noted.

Attacks on small enterprises have a ripple effect on larger corporations. Once criminals breach the defenses of a small business, according to Cupertino, Calif.-based Symantec, they may also gain entry ways to larger targets because small businesses often partner with bigger firms.

In addition, Symantec reported that the number of Web-based attacks increased by one-third in 2012. Many of these attacks originated from the compromised websites of small businesses.

Supplementing their phishing attacks, cyber-espionage gangs now hijack these websites, lie in wait for their targets to visit, and then infect the systems. This types of incidents, called watering hole attacks, occur when the attacker compromises a website -- such as a blog or small business website -- which is known to be frequently visited. As victims visit a compromised website, a targeted attack payload is stealthily installed on their computers.

This class of attack - pioneered by The Elderwood Gang -- is quite effective. In 2012, the reputed cybercrime group successfully infected 500 organizations in a single day, according to Symantec.

So, what should a small business do to protect itself? "First, these companies need to assume they're a target," noted Symantec's Haley. If small businesses become more aware of the potential problem, then they may take more steps to protect their data.

"SMBs are [a] good fit for cloud or managed network security services," said Forrester Research's Holland. Here they hand over the responsibility of safeguarding their data to experts, who ideally provide a higher level of protection than they could.

Hackers have recognized the vulnerabilities present in SMB computer systems and are moving to exploit them. These businesses need to defend themselves or else they may soon find their systems compromised.

About the author:
Paul Korzeniowski is a freelance writer specializing in technology issues. He is based in Sudbury, Mass., and can be reached at paulkorzen@aol.com.

You’ve Been Hacked. Now What? Follow These 9 Steps To Recovery!

With hacking becoming a commonplace event, protecting virtual assets has increasingly become a problem for businesses. If you have sensitive data, like passwords and credit card numbers on your systems, you need protection in place to keep the wrong people from getting their hands on those things. There’s a lot you can do to keep from being hacked and we’ve talked about how to protect yourself in the past, but let’s say you’ve already been hacked. What do you do? How do you react? How do you recover?

Corey Nachreiner, Director of Security Strategy for WatchGuard Technologies, recommends the following nine step process for companies who have discovered a network breach:

1. Forensic examination of breach - Understand the breach details to learn how to clean up and protect yourself.
2. Report to authorities, depending on losses - If the security breach was more than just an average malware infection and sensitive date getting stolen, it should be reported to authorities.
3. Patch the discovered holes - Plug the initial hole where hackers got into the network, and fix any other weaknesses you found.
4. Recover from backups - If systems were infected, a business will need to recover the systems from a backup. Remember, maintaining good backups for business continuity and disaster recovery is a very important part of a good information security strategy.
5. Change all passwords - Depending on what systems or networks the attackers accessed, it is possible they could have stolen important passwords. Always force your users to reset all passwords after a major compromise.
6. Communicate the breach - The proper internal parties need to be informed of the breach, and you may be required by law to inform your customers of the breach if customer data was stolen.
7. Run an audit - Run a full network security audit (either using automated auditing tools, or a professional third party penetration tester) to identify any other problems.
8. Update software patches - As simple as it sounds, patching is the best defense against a wide range of attacks. Check the patch level of all your organizations devices and software, and get them all up to date.
9. Install missing security and visibility controls - There are many layers of security that many network administrators forget, than can help protect networks from today’s blended threats. A legacy firewall alone is not enough. Businesses also need IPS, AV, application control, reputation services, and many other layers of defense. Take this opportunity to beef up security controls.

If you can help it, don’t let it come to this. Educate yourself, your employees and your users about phishing, malware and viruses, and how to avoid them. Install the software that detects these parasites.

Have you ever had a security breach? How did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments!

Tech Thursday (4/18): News from Anoto, Freshdesk, Lenovo and Zoho

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.

Anoto Liveâ„¢ Forms Launches in the U.S. and Europe

World leader in digital writing technology offers increased speed and efficiency 

Anoto , the world leader in digital writing technology, today announced that the Anoto Live™ forms digital writing solution, which helps organizations simplify and expedite their paper based data capture processes, is now readily available across the U.S. and Europe.

Anoto Live™ forms is a modern alternative for organizations seeking to streamline their business processes without having to invest significantly in new systems and user training. The user’s handwriting is transformed into live information using the digital pen platform which can convert it into various computer readable formats, making it immediately available to back-office systems.  Along with the interpreted data, a complete image of the form is also created, making it ideal for signatures and drawings. Working with independent software vendors (ISVs), the Anoto Live™ forms solution provides a means for digital writing technology to be seamlessly embedded into current processes, resulting in a robust solution with economic and social benefits backed by measureable ROI.

For more on this story click here.

Freshdesk Brings Deepest Customizability to Customer Support with the Launch of FreshThemes

Customer support leader helps businesses break out of boring suited-up help desks and give customers a unique support experience, with the first ever Support Theme Gallery

Freshdesk, the fastest growing cloud-based customer support platform, launches FreshThemes, a suite of new customization capabilities that allow companies to tailor their customer support offerings to the preferences of their customers. WIth FreshThemes, Freshdesk is further bridging the gap between business software and the consumer, with the first ever gallery of ready-to-use support themes

WIth FreshThemes, Freshdesk is further bridging the gap between business software and the consumer, with the first ever gallery of ready-to-use support themes. With FreshThemes, Freshdesk hopes to give businesses the flexibility and ease of use that they have so far only enjoyed with consumer focussed tools like WordPress and Tumblr. With FreshThemes, businesses can completely customize the look and feel of their help desk using their own cascading style sheets (CSS), JavaScript and layouting.

For more on these new features click here.

Lenovo Expands AIO Portfolio to Fit Small Budgets and Workspaces

ThinkCentre Edge 62z Delivers Space-Saving Design and Power Efficiency for Education and Healthcare.

Lenovo announced the latest addition to its all-in-one (AIO) portfolio - the ThinkCentre Edge 62z. With an 18.5-inch LCD screen, the Edge 62z is ideal for workspaces with a requirement for multiple PCs but where space is at a premium, including nursing stations and school computer labs. Coupled with an affordable price, starting at just $549, the Edge 62z offers great value in a compact form factor.

The 18.5-inch screen of the ThinkCentre Edge 62z provides more than 65 percent space savings1 when compared to a 20-inch monitor, which allows organizations to place more AIOs in each workspace. Equipped with up to 3rd generation Intel® Core i3 processors, the ThinkCentre Edge 62z packs powerful performance in a small form factor. 

For all the details click here.

Zoho Launches Revamped Zoho Projects 4.0 with Mobile Apps

Zoho completely redesigns user interface for both web and mobile editions of Zoho Projects.

Zoho announced major upgrades to the online and mobile editions of Zoho Projects, its online project management and team collaboration solution. The company also announced the new Zoho Projects mobile app on Android and upgrade to Zoho Projects on iPhone. This major update, dubbed 4.0, packs significant upgrades to the user interface designed to improve both the speed and simplicity of working with Zoho Projects on mobile device as well as online.

Zoho has completely redesigned the user interface for both web and mobile editions of Zoho Projects. Users of the web version will find that Zoho Projects’ new design makes it easy for effective collaboration, especially among remote workers. Similarly, the redesigned Zoho Projects for iPhone and new Zoho Projects for Android have also been optimized for collaboration. New features in the iPhone app include:

- Access to feeds and activities across all projects

- Support for push notifications

- Access to project documents

For more on the upgrades click here.

Tech Thursday (4/18): News from Anoto, Freshdesk, Lenovo and Zoho

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.

Anoto Liveâ„¢ Forms Launches in the U.S. and Europe

World leader in digital writing technology offers increased speed and efficiency 

Anoto , the world leader in digital writing technology, today announced that the Anoto Live™ forms digital writing solution, which helps organizations simplify and expedite their paper based data capture processes, is now readily available across the U.S. and Europe.

Anoto Live™ forms is a modern alternative for organizations seeking to streamline their business processes without having to invest significantly in new systems and user training. The user’s handwriting is transformed into live information using the digital pen platform which can convert it into various computer readable formats, making it immediately available to back-office systems.  Along with the interpreted data, a complete image of the form is also created, making it ideal for signatures and drawings. Working with independent software vendors (ISVs), the Anoto Live™ forms solution provides a means for digital writing technology to be seamlessly embedded into current processes, resulting in a robust solution with economic and social benefits backed by measureable ROI.

For more on this story click here.

Freshdesk Brings Deepest Customizability to Customer Support with the Launch of FreshThemes

Customer support leader helps businesses break out of boring suited-up help desks and give customers a unique support experience, with the first ever Support Theme Gallery

Freshdesk, the fastest growing cloud-based customer support platform, launches FreshThemes, a suite of new customization capabilities that allow companies to tailor their customer support offerings to the preferences of their customers. WIth FreshThemes, Freshdesk is further bridging the gap between business software and the consumer, with the first ever gallery of ready-to-use support themes

WIth FreshThemes, Freshdesk is further bridging the gap between business software and the consumer, with the first ever gallery of ready-to-use support themes. With FreshThemes, Freshdesk hopes to give businesses the flexibility and ease of use that they have so far only enjoyed with consumer focussed tools like WordPress and Tumblr. With FreshThemes, businesses can completely customize the look and feel of their help desk using their own cascading style sheets (CSS), JavaScript and layouting.

For more on these new features click here.

Lenovo Expands AIO Portfolio to Fit Small Budgets and Workspaces

ThinkCentre Edge 62z Delivers Space-Saving Design and Power Efficiency for Education and Healthcare.

Lenovo announced the latest addition to its all-in-one (AIO) portfolio - the ThinkCentre Edge 62z. With an 18.5-inch LCD screen, the Edge 62z is ideal for workspaces with a requirement for multiple PCs but where space is at a premium, including nursing stations and school computer labs. Coupled with an affordable price, starting at just $549, the Edge 62z offers great value in a compact form factor.

The 18.5-inch screen of the ThinkCentre Edge 62z provides more than 65 percent space savings1 when compared to a 20-inch monitor, which allows organizations to place more AIOs in each workspace. Equipped with up to 3rd generation Intel® Core i3 processors, the ThinkCentre Edge 62z packs powerful performance in a small form factor. 

For all the details click here.

Zoho Launches Revamped Zoho Projects 4.0 with Mobile Apps

Zoho completely redesigns user interface for both web and mobile editions of Zoho Projects.

Zoho announced major upgrades to the online and mobile editions of Zoho Projects, its online project management and team collaboration solution. The company also announced the new Zoho Projects mobile app on Android and upgrade to Zoho Projects on iPhone. This major update, dubbed 4.0, packs significant upgrades to the user interface designed to improve both the speed and simplicity of working with Zoho Projects on mobile device as well as online.

Zoho has completely redesigned the user interface for both web and mobile editions of Zoho Projects. Users of the web version will find that Zoho Projects’ new design makes it easy for effective collaboration, especially among remote workers. Similarly, the redesigned Zoho Projects for iPhone and new Zoho Projects for Android have also been optimized for collaboration. New features in the iPhone app include:

- Access to feeds and activities across all projects

- Support for push notifications

- Access to project documents

For more on the upgrades click here.

8 Common Characteristics of Successful Business Owners

Over the past 15 years I’ve started several companies and helped thousands of others. In doing so, I’ve seen tremendous successes. I’ve also witnessed tremendous failures.

In assessing what I’ve seen, I’ve identified the following 8 common characteristics of those entrepreneurs and business owners who have enjoyed the most success. If you’re not doing any of these, now’s the time to start.

1) Have a Crystal Clear Vision

If you don’t have a crystal clear vision of the company you are trying to create, you can’t possibly create it.

Figure out exactly the type of company you are trying to build. For example, in five years how many customers will you have? How many employees? What will your revenues be?

2) Have a Written Strategic Plan

Your vision is your dream. Your plan details how you will achieve that dream.

Your plan should identify what you must accomplish in the next twelve months to get on the right path to achieving your long-term vision. Among other things, your plan must document your product strategy, marketing strategy and human resource strategy.

3) Set Shorter-Term Goals

The most successful entrepreneurs and business owners also set shorter-term goals. Specifically, they identify what they and their company need to achieve in the next quarter, monthly and week to meet their annual goals.

They also meet with their teams to ensure all employees understand these goals and work together to achieve them.

4) Ongoing Education

To succeed requires continual education. This includes reading books and magazines (offline and online), attending events and networking with other successful entrepreneurs and business owners.

Having business mentors is another great way to get ongoing education and advice.

5) Satisfy Your Customers

If you can’t satisfy customers, your business will fail.

Always keep your customers top of mind. Focus relentlessly on their needs; not just on your needs.

6) Be a Great Marketer

If you are truly satisfying your customers, you will grow through word of mouth.

But in most cases, you want or need to grow even faster. So make sure you have a comprehensive marketing plan in place. Of particular importance is your promotion plan, or your plan to attract new customers.

The key to your promotion plan is to leverage as many marketing channels as possible. For example, if you are attracting new customers from radio ads, pay-per-click advertising, partnerships, direct mail and newspaper ads, you will get many more new customers than competitors who may only leverage one of these channels.

7) Be Laser-Focused in Your Work

As an entrepreneur or business owner, you are constantly faced with new opportunities and ideas. The key to your success is staying focused. By creating plans and setting (and sticking to) goals, you will achieve more.

That’s not to say to avoid all new opportunities. Rather, make sure you focus on hitting your short-term goals first, and then set up periodic meetings (perhaps monthly) to consider new ideas or opportunities.

8) Never Give Up

The life of an entrepreneur or business owner isn’t easy. There’s always more work to be done. And on any given day there may be significant ups and downs, such as landing or losing a big client.

Never give up. Build up a tolerance to the downs and realize that if you keep focusing on attaining your goals, you will.

We should all cherish the opportunity we have to run a business. By following these eight practices listed above, you can get the most out of your business and achieve the success you desire.

Success Photo via Shutterstock

8 Common Characteristics of Successful Business Owners

Over the past 15 years I’ve started several companies and helped thousands of others. In doing so, I’ve seen tremendous successes. I’ve also witnessed tremendous failures.

In assessing what I’ve seen, I’ve identified the following 8 common characteristics of those entrepreneurs and business owners who have enjoyed the most success. If you’re not doing any of these, now’s the time to start.

1) Have a Crystal Clear Vision

If you don’t have a crystal clear vision of the company you are trying to create, you can’t possibly create it.

Figure out exactly the type of company you are trying to build. For example, in five years how many customers will you have? How many employees? What will your revenues be?

2) Have a Written Strategic Plan

Your vision is your dream. Your plan details how you will achieve that dream.

Your plan should identify what you must accomplish in the next twelve months to get on the right path to achieving your long-term vision. Among other things, your plan must document your product strategy, marketing strategy and human resource strategy.

3) Set Shorter-Term Goals

The most successful entrepreneurs and business owners also set shorter-term goals. Specifically, they identify what they and their company need to achieve in the next quarter, monthly and week to meet their annual goals.

They also meet with their teams to ensure all employees understand these goals and work together to achieve them.

4) Ongoing Education

To succeed requires continual education. This includes reading books and magazines (offline and online), attending events and networking with other successful entrepreneurs and business owners.

Having business mentors is another great way to get ongoing education and advice.

5) Satisfy Your Customers

If you can’t satisfy customers, your business will fail.

Always keep your customers top of mind. Focus relentlessly on their needs; not just on your needs.

6) Be a Great Marketer

If you are truly satisfying your customers, you will grow through word of mouth.

But in most cases, you want or need to grow even faster. So make sure you have a comprehensive marketing plan in place. Of particular importance is your promotion plan, or your plan to attract new customers.

The key to your promotion plan is to leverage as many marketing channels as possible. For example, if you are attracting new customers from radio ads, pay-per-click advertising, partnerships, direct mail and newspaper ads, you will get many more new customers than competitors who may only leverage one of these channels.

7) Be Laser-Focused in Your Work

As an entrepreneur or business owner, you are constantly faced with new opportunities and ideas. The key to your success is staying focused. By creating plans and setting (and sticking to) goals, you will achieve more.

That’s not to say to avoid all new opportunities. Rather, make sure you focus on hitting your short-term goals first, and then set up periodic meetings (perhaps monthly) to consider new ideas or opportunities.

8) Never Give Up

The life of an entrepreneur or business owner isn’t easy. There’s always more work to be done. And on any given day there may be significant ups and downs, such as landing or losing a big client.

Never give up. Build up a tolerance to the downs and realize that if you keep focusing on attaining your goals, you will.

We should all cherish the opportunity we have to run a business. By following these eight practices listed above, you can get the most out of your business and achieve the success you desire.

Success Photo via Shutterstock

Is Your SaaS Data Safe and Secure? Make Sure It Is By Backing It Up With Backupify!

Power outages. Storms and disasters. Hacking schemes. Human error. There are many ways you could lose important documents or company data, and many of us have fallen victim in the past. Although some reasons for data loss cannot be prevented, there is a clear and easy solution to the problem: always back up your data in a second location. For those who don’t know where to start - or who are looking for a better option for their business - we’d like to introduce you to Backupify.

Backupify was founded in 2008 as a cloud-based storage option, and is now the chosen tool for over 5,000 businesses. The product ‘Backupify for Google Apps’ connects directly to the Google files of your business such as: Gmail, Google Docs & Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts and more. The best part is that the program runs on its own, with no work required from you. Simply install it via the Google Apps Marketplace, and every day Backupify will automatically back up any recently added or updated files. Then, if you ever experience data loss, Backupify will retrieve your documents with one-click restoration or a simple download.

Earlier this month, Backupify demonstrated its commitment to helping businesses safely back up important documents. The Spring Release of Backupify for Google Apps includes many new features that allow administrators and users increased efficiency in managing backups. One update is the Full Domain Export, which enables administrators to download their entire domain for a small fee. With the Google Sites Restore feature, users can quickly and easily restore items to their Google Sites account. Additional features include Configurable Data Retention (the ability to customize the email retention tool), Batch Import of Users (efficiently control lists of users rather than picking and choosing each individual), and the Restore and Export Folder Hierarchy (which retains organizational structure when restoring or exporting accounts).

As an added bonus, Professional and Enterprise plans have been granted unlimited storage. These plans are only $3 and $4 per month per user, respectively, or larger businesses can choose a full domain plan for $990 a month. Since losing data also means losing efficiency, man-hours, and sometimes even profits or clients, Backupify offers an invaluable service for a minimal price. They even offer a 15 day free trial, which will help you decide if it’s the right service for you.

Backupify might or might not be the perfect option for you or not, but regardless, it is time for you to seriously consider data safety. Manually backing up all your files is a possibility, but it takes time and there is always the chance that you may forget - which could cost you. Consider backup software that does the work for you and you’ll gain peace of mind, increased efficiency and protection when you need it most.

Is Your SaaS Data Safe and Secure? Make Sure It Is By Backing It Up With Backupify!

Power outages. Storms and disasters. Hacking schemes. Human error. There are many ways you could lose important documents or company data, and many of us have fallen victim in the past. Although some reasons for data loss cannot be prevented, there is a clear and easy solution to the problem: always back up your data in a second location. For those who don’t know where to start - or who are looking for a better option for their business - we’d like to introduce you to Backupify.

Backupify was founded in 2008 as a cloud-based storage option, and is now the chosen tool for over 5,000 businesses. The product ‘Backupify for Google Apps’ connects directly to the Google files of your business such as: Gmail, Google Docs & Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts and more. The best part is that the program runs on its own, with no work required from you. Simply install it via the Google Apps Marketplace, and every day Backupify will automatically back up any recently added or updated files. Then, if you ever experience data loss, Backupify will retrieve your documents with one-click restoration or a simple download.

Earlier this month, Backupify demonstrated its commitment to helping businesses safely back up important documents. The Spring Release of Backupify for Google Apps includes many new features that allow administrators and users increased efficiency in managing backups. One update is the Full Domain Export, which enables administrators to download their entire domain for a small fee. With the Google Sites Restore feature, users can quickly and easily restore items to their Google Sites account. Additional features include Configurable Data Retention (the ability to customize the email retention tool), Batch Import of Users (efficiently control lists of users rather than picking and choosing each individual), and the Restore and Export Folder Hierarchy (which retains organizational structure when restoring or exporting accounts).

As an added bonus, Professional and Enterprise plans have been granted unlimited storage. These plans are only $3 and $4 per month per user, respectively, or larger businesses can choose a full domain plan for $990 a month. Since losing data also means losing efficiency, man-hours, and sometimes even profits or clients, Backupify offers an invaluable service for a minimal price. They even offer a 15 day free trial, which will help you decide if it’s the right service for you.

Backupify might or might not be the perfect option for you or not, but regardless, it is time for you to seriously consider data safety. Manually backing up all your files is a possibility, but it takes time and there is always the chance that you may forget - which could cost you. Consider backup software that does the work for you and you’ll gain peace of mind, increased efficiency and protection when you need it most.

A 30 Point Checklist for Your Startup

So you want to start a business - congratulations!  Once you get over the initial excitement, it’s time to break down the process of launching your startup into manageable chunks. You might get overwhelmed with the sheer number of items on your to-do list. But not to worry; I’ve broken it down into the primary tasks you need to do now, and those that you can defer until later.

What You Need to Do Now

Do the following tasks either before launch or during the early days of your startup.

1. Determine viability

Be brutally honest.  Your startup needs to be something you can make a profit doing or delivering.  Ask yourself: would you buy it? Run the numbers: will customers pay enough so that you can cover costs and make a profit?   Here is a list of 29 more questions to ask, attributed to noted investor Paul Graham.

2.  Create a business plan

It’s easy to convince yourself that you don’t need a business plan, but creating a business plan with financial projections forces you to think through details. Keep your plan a living breathing thing that you revisit and adapt regularly.

3.  Figure out the money

Most startups take a lot more time to get off the ground than you expect. Know where your living expenses for the first year will come from (savings, a job, spouse’s income, etc.).  If you need financing for the business start investigating as soon as possible.

4. Get family behind you

Spend time to make sure your spouse and other close family ‘buy into’ your startup.  You’ll have enough challenges without resistance from family.

5. Choose a business name

You want a name that will stick in your target audience’s heads. And it shouldn’t already be taken by another company. Do Google searches and use a corporate name search tool to see if the name you have in mind is unique. Check at the state and Federal level.

6. Register a domain name

Get a matching domain to your business name.  An AOL email address or a website with free hosting and a name like mysite.wordpress.com makes it seem like either (a) you are not running a real business or (b) you don’t plan to be around long.

7. Incorporate / figure out legal structure

Incorporating your startup can protect your personal assets. Talk over structure (corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship) with your attorney and accountant.

8. Apply for an EIN

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) helps you separate yourself from your business. You’ll need it if you plan to incorporate your business or open a business bank account.  Plus, with it you can avoid giving out your social security number (an opening  to identity theft). EIN numbers are free; apply online.

9. Investigate and apply for business licenses

You may need one, if not several, business licenses for your startup, depending on your industry and where you are located.  Most licenses are at the state or local level.  Here in the United States, the SBA has a helpful business license & permits tool.

10. Set up a website

Get your website up and running as soon as possible. Today, it’s necessary for credibility.  Even if your product is not yet built, you can start with company information.

11. Register social media profiles

Getting set up on the major social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, to start) will make marketing on them later easier. Also, it’s important to reserve your brand as a profile name. Try Knowem.com to reserve the names.

12. Start your revenue stream

Start generating revenue as soon as possible.  At the early stages of a startup there is never enough money - resist the temptation to wait until things are “perfect.” Oh, and get your lawyer to create any customer contract forms necessary.

13. Rent retail or office space

If you’ve got a brick-and-mortar business, you’ll need to sort this out early. If you plan to run a retail business, pay attention to foot traffic, accessibility, and other factors that will affect the number of people that will walk in your store. EXCEPTION: If you don’t have a brick and mortar or retail business, then hold off renting an office as long as possible to avoid saddling your startup with lease payments.

14. Order business cards

As a startup founder, you’ll be doing a lot of networking, so order plenty of business cards. They are inexpensive enough that you can reorder them later if things change. Without cards you lack credibility.

15. Open a business bank account

It’s all too easy to use your personal bank account to pay for business expenses, but it becomes a gnarl to untangle later.

16. Set up your accounting system

Once you have your bank account set up, choose an accounting program. Start as you intend to go. Few things will doom your business faster than books that are a mess.

17. Assign responsibilities to co-founders

If you have one or more founders, it’s imperative that you decide who will do what up front. Put it in writing.  Co-founder disagreements can destroy your business.

 

What You Can Do Down The Road

While you don’t want to put off these tasks too long, they don’t need to be checked off your list before you launch.

18. Upgrade your smartphone and choose apps

As an entrepreneur you are going to be on the go - a lot. I can’t emphasize enough how useful a good phone with good business apps can be, in running your startup. Get a credit card swipe device to accept payments, too.

19. Find free advice

Your local SBA, SCORE, and other small business resources can provide you with free advice, access to  business templates, and other tools.

20. Consult your insurance agent and secure coverage

Depending on the type of business you’re starting, you may need insurance of one kind or another, like liability, workers’ comp, or health insurance, especially if you hire full-time staff.

21. Hire your first employee

Depending on the type of business you have, you may need staff from day one (retail) or you may be able to outsource to  freelancers, interns, and third-party vendors for a while (service and tech businesses).   Just remember, trying to do everything yourself  takes you away from growing the business.

22. Line up suppliers

Finding a good source of inventory is crucial, especially in certain types of businesses (retail, manufacturing).

23. File for trademarks and patents

The best thing to do is consult an attorney early about the need for patents, especially.  Get the advice early. Then you may be able to defer filing for a while, depending on the nature of your business.

24. Work your  network

Reach out to former co-workers and colleagues, as well as friends and family. Don’t pressure them to buy your products or services.  Instead, tap into them for introductions and help with other things on this startup checklist.

25. Don’t waste time on “partnerships” 

Be careful about wasting time on “business partnership” discussions. Your business won’t be attractive to potential partners unless and until you start making headway. Focus your precious time to make sales and get customers.

26. Refine your pitch

You need a good elevator pitch for many reasons: potential investors, customers, prospective new hires, bankers.  If you can’t persuasively and clearly pitch your business, how can you expect key stakeholders to buy in?

27. Refine your product, and marketing and sales approach

As you go along you will learn more about the marketplace.  Use customer feedback to refine your product and service offerings, and your go-to-market approach.

28. Secure your IT 

Whether you’re a tech company or not, you likely have sensitive data on computers and devices that you want protected. Protect it from intrusions and disasters.  Back it up!  IT problems can derail a fledgling company.

29. Get a salesperson or sales team in place

In many startups the business owner starts out as the chief sales person. But to grow you need a dedicated sales function, so you can focus on activities other than day to day sales.

30.  Get a mentor

It’s easy to work “in” your business rather than “on” it, as Michael Gerber tells us in The E-Myth. A mentor who has succeeded in your industry can provide you with priceless advice and serve as a sounding board.

Your checklist might be longer than this, but organizing what needs to be done before you launch and what you can take care of down the road makes it easier to prioritize your tasks.

ENISA receives strengthening vote to appoint executive board and create Cert

The EU's network and information security agency (ENISA) is to be strengthened in-line with the proposed cyber security strategy.

Set to include an EU-based computer emergency and response team (Cert) and be led by an executive board and branch office that will be based in Athens, the seven-year mandate was voted for by 626 MEPs to 45 votes against.

The changes will take effect on the 13th September 2013 and the aim is to strengthen the agency to enable it to cope with network and information security challenges. It will also see an increase in financial and human resources to correspond to its enhanced role and tasks.

The executive board will be established to enable the management to focus on issues of strategic importance, while an executive director will be appointed after obtaining the approval of the European Parliament.

European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes said: “Today's vote offers a new start for a new ENISA: with expanded tasks, a more agile and efficient organisation and governance. This will help secure European networks and information systems, in line with our cyber security strategy.”

ENISA executive director Professor Udo Helmbrecht welcomed the ‘important step' that he said will enable it to focus its work more intensively on prevention and preparedness in the field of cyber security.

“In light of the political reality, with cyber security ever higher up on the political agenda, this strong acknowledgement of our work is a very important step,” he said.

Also set to launch as the result of the mandate is an EU Cert, as requested by the parliament's industry committee. The EU said that this will allow national bodies and EU institutions and agencies to request expertise and advice from ENISA in the event of a security breach or loss of integrity.

Michael Dager, CEO of Arxan Technologies, said: “With the growing threat of cyber crime and proliferation of mobile devices, the vote to strengthen the ENISA is a great step towards increasing resources to help protect Europe's digital society.

“The EU's cyber security strategy is making all the right moves to not only raise awareness of cyber crime across Europe, but to encourage law enforcement agencies to work together to combat this growing threat.”

Security is embraced, but often bypassed, says Voltage Security

Eighty-five per cent of employees say that security has added value to their company, while 40 per cent say security limits their ability to move information around.

According to a survey of 300 IT professionals by Voltage Security, 46 per cent of respondents said that employees have bypassed security controls to access necessary sensitive information to get the job done.

Dave Anderson, senior director of marketing at Voltage Security, said: “The results show that organisations employ an array of restricting security tools that struggle to make data available to the right people, though the fundamental issue of security remains - protecting sensitive data is the key requirement.

“Security can, and should be, seamlessly integrated into current business processes, rather than standalone functions that enable employees to protect information at all times. Deploying a data-centric framework will enable companies to protect sensitive information at all times, while still allowing employees to access, use, and move the data within the enterprise as needed to perform their duties.

The findings also found that while 29 per cent of organisations would notice within seconds or minutes if sensitive data wasn't secured, 40 per cent said that they would never notice.

NYC Events: Upcoming NYC Business and Technology Events (4/19 - 4/25)

Here is a listing of NYC Business and Technology Events for the upcoming week (4/19 - 4/25) 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.

Using the Internet and Social Media to Acquire and Keep Customers

April 19, 2013, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Science Industry and Business Library (SIBL), 188 Madison Avenue Between East 34th and East 35th Streets, New York, NY 10018

The internet and social media are important tools for small business owners. Whether or not you plan to sell on line, the internet is an essential element of an effective plan to attract and market to customers. This seminar will provide an overview of the internet and social media world, clarify the best platforms for business, and teach you how to use social media effectively.

 

Inside Printing Conference and Expo

April 22 - 23, Javits Convention Center

The 3D printing revolution has arrived and Inside 3D Printing is the first business to business conference and expo to delve into the present and future impact of 3D printing. Join us on April 22-23 in New York City, and immerse yourself in two full days of tutorials and seminars that will give you a blueprint for how to invest and utilize 3D printing in coming years. And, you will not want to miss the exhibition hall packed with the latest 3D printers and services. Be a part of this cutting-edge event!

 

Starting Your Business: What You Need To Know

April 23, 2013, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Science Industry and Business Library (SIBL), 188 Madison Avenue Between East 34th and East 35th Streets, New York, NY 10016

What goes into starting a new business? How do I decide whether my idea has “legs”? How do I get started? These are some of the critical questions the entrepreneur faces when evaluating a new venture. This valuable seminar will give you the critical tools that you can use to address these and other important questions. From dispelling some of the “myths” about running your own business, to evaluating your readiness to launch your own company, this workshop will help you to understand what it takes to start a business, and key steps to getting started.

 

NYAMA - Marketing Your Corporate Reputation: New Rules for Engaging Customers

April 23, 2013, - 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m, McCann World Group Headquarters, 622 3rd Avenue at 41st Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10017

As consumers around the world have greater online access to a brand’s lineage, the influence of the brand “parent” or company behind the brand matters even more. In this uncertain climate, consumers expect more from leading companies and have no trouble boycotting those that fail to live up to new standards. At the same time, marketers need to know how to do business in an environment where consumers are not just purchasing their products or services on their own merits, but are also shopping by company reputation.

 

CEO Business Success Seminar & Networking Event With Open Bar

April 24, 2013, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Marcum LLP, 750 Third Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10017

This event features a special moderated panel of extremely successful entrepreneurs and business owners who will let you in on their “Three Keys To Business Success”. We are proud to announce that included in our panel are René Rofé, Founder & CEO of International Intimates Inc., (a 250 person company he built from scratch) but commonly referred to by its 27 year old brand, René Rofé Lingerie, MJ Pedone, Founder & CEO of indra public relations & Charles Ferri, Founder & CEO of Star Vodka. Please bring your questions as this is your chance to get some great incite into what it takes to bring your business to the next level.

Think Like a CEO - Three Secrets to Faster & Smarter Growth

April 24, 2013, - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Snapple Theater, 210 W. 50th St., New York, NY 10019

You’re running a business, even though no one ever trained you to be a CEO. So you’re figuring it out as you go along…but how do you grow FASTER? Stop reinventing the wheel; come and learn from a Harvard MBA who’s managed $200+ Million businesses. Like many entrepreneurs, your training is in your craft, whether you’re a creative person, a technical expert, or a specialist. Evan will make you into a better CEO, putting your company on the fast track to explosive revenue and profit growth.

MCC and MircroOffice presents Social Media Seminar + Networking Session for NYC Small Businesses

April 25, 2013, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, 1601 Broadway, 12th floor, New York, NY 10019

Neslie Ozdemir is a mentor at the highly-competitive Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA). She has helped small businesses grow through taking advantage of social media for three years. In this microConnect, she will show how social media extends far beyond Twitter and Facebook. This discussion will also cover effective management of online presence for small business, and the critical importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Nesli will show you how to optimize your online presence in order to rank higher in Google searches.

Succession Planning: Essential Tips To Prepare Business Owners

April 25, 2013, - 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM, 51 Madison Av (between 26th & 27th Streets), New York, NY 10016

Business owners invest a lifetime of hard work growing their businesses, but often fall short of planning for retirement, disability, or death. What should you consider? What options are available? We’ll discuss the basics and intricacies of positioning your business to thrive when you’re no longer around. Hear insights from how a fellow business owner utilized succession planning experts to develop his plan to address the contingencies that you also face. Join us and fellow business owners for a spirited discussion of a topic many owners often fail, but need, to discuss. COST: $30 for MCC members (pre-registration required) $45 for non-members (pre-registration required) Walk-ins will not be accepted.

The Psychology of Color in Marketing

The following infographic, created by the folks at WebpageFX, takes a look at the psychology of color and presents some common associations of different colors. It also shows the overall importance of color to consumers and characteristics of many individual colors. The numbers are pretty fascinating.

The post The Psychology of Color in Marketing appeared first on Small Business Trends.

SMS Text: A Mobile Marketing Solution That Cuts Through Distractions

Marketing through text messages is the latest and greatest, boasting a 98 per cent open rate and redemption rates of up to 45 percent. I’m surprised the open rate isn’t 100 per cent.

When your phone buzzes, you look at it. It cuts through all the distractions. I’m sure you’ve been in a conversation with someone and had them bring out their phone in the middle of it because they got a text. Maybe you’ve done this. When your phone buzzes, you just look it!

And cutting through the distractions is key.

“Small businesses are faced with a big challenge - how to drive sales when most consumers have short attention spans, are less brand loyal than ever before, and are resistant to advertising,” said James Citron, CEO and cofounder of SMS marketing company Mogreet.

“Our belief is that the most successful approach is to create powerful messages and deliver them to the one device that every consumer is glued to - the mobile phone. Using Express, we’ve given small business owners the power to deliver powerful marketing messages with engaging photos or videos directly into the hands, purses and pockets of their customers. Business owners using Mogreet Express will not only benefit from its ease-of-use, but also its ability to drive sales, increase repeat purchases, build loyalty and attract new customers.”

Mogreet just recently announced their new product for small business owners: Mogreet Express, which is an extension of Mogreet’s enterprise text marketing solution.

How it works: You create an account, choose a keyword and promote the mobile program in store, on the Web and across social channels. As customers join the program and your mobile database begins to grow, you can start crafting and sending messages to incentivize and invite repeat visits and purchases.

Mogreet Express also includes a variety of reporting tools and metrics to track program process and overall success.

For more on SMS marketing, check out our archives.

If you’ve used mobile marketing in your business, we’d love to hear about it! Tell us about your experience in the comments!

SMS Text: A Mobile Marketing Solution That Cuts Through Distractions

Marketing through text messages is the latest and greatest, boasting a 98 per cent open rate and redemption rates of up to 45 percent. I’m surprised the open rate isn’t 100 per cent.

When your phone buzzes, you look at it. It cuts through all the distractions. I’m sure you’ve been in a conversation with someone and had them bring out their phone in the middle of it because they got a text. Maybe you’ve done this. When your phone buzzes, you just look it!

And cutting through the distractions is key.

“Small businesses are faced with a big challenge - how to drive sales when most consumers have short attention spans, are less brand loyal than ever before, and are resistant to advertising,” said James Citron, CEO and cofounder of SMS marketing company Mogreet.

“Our belief is that the most successful approach is to create powerful messages and deliver them to the one device that every consumer is glued to - the mobile phone. Using Express, we’ve given small business owners the power to deliver powerful marketing messages with engaging photos or videos directly into the hands, purses and pockets of their customers. Business owners using Mogreet Express will not only benefit from its ease-of-use, but also its ability to drive sales, increase repeat purchases, build loyalty and attract new customers.”

Mogreet just recently announced their new product for small business owners: Mogreet Express, which is an extension of Mogreet’s enterprise text marketing solution.

How it works: You create an account, choose a keyword and promote the mobile program in store, on the Web and across social channels. As customers join the program and your mobile database begins to grow, you can start crafting and sending messages to incentivize and invite repeat visits and purchases.

Mogreet Express also includes a variety of reporting tools and metrics to track program process and overall success.

For more on SMS marketing, check out our archives.

If you’ve used mobile marketing in your business, we’d love to hear about it! Tell us about your experience in the comments!

10 Steps to Become a Self-Employed Consultant

Have you ever wondered how to be a consultant? What does a consultant do? Well, the answer is simple - a consultant consults. The answer, though true in its basic sense, is much too vague.  If you want to become a self-employed consultant, you need to have a better idea about the business and the way to set it up. Let’s try to define the role of a consultant.

The task of a consultant is to provide advice to an individual or organization about matters in a specific niche. Still sounds vague; right? You need to dig a little deeper into the area before you plunge in to establish your business as a consultant.

Below is a step-by-step guide to help you start off as a self-employed consultant.

Step 1: Identify the Niche in Which You Have Knowledge and Experience

You may have an interest in computers. However, this does not mean you can become an independent computer consultant (though it can give you a head-start in this field). Knowledge and experience coupled with interest is the only way to begin.

If you have knowledge about computers (hardware or software), have worked with these for a considerable period of time and have the latest detailed, information about them, you can plan to start a computer consulting business.

Step 2: Acquire the Certifications and Licenses

Some consulting businesses do not require formal training and certifications (e.g., gardening consulting). However, if you are planning to work as an accounting consultant, you need to get professional certifications from recognized accounting institutions.

Also, consider the licensing requirements to start a consulting business. The local or state legal guidelines may require you to get a particular license to work as an independent consultant in certain specialties.

Step 3: Decide Your Short and Long Term Goals

If you excel in a niche that has a good prospect, such as business consulting, computer consulting, career consulting and so on, you may paint a rosy picture of clients waiting for your advice within a week of starting your consulting business.

It’s not magic.  If you have such unrealistic expectations, you are sure to be disappointed. Every business takes time to grow and become known and established. If you lack the time and effort to start and establish a business, you may end up headed towards failure.

Step 4: Choose Your Target Market

If no one pays for your ideas and advice, your business will face failure. It will also face the same result if the recipients of your ideas do not have the money to pay you. The first thing you need to do is to decide whether you will advise individuals or companies.

Every niche in the consulting business provides these options. For example, if you are working as a career consultant, you may help individuals plan their careers. You may also work with a large corporation to help the employees excel in their chosen fields.

Step 5: Research Your Target Market

Individuals and organizations need consultants for a number of reasons. A tax consultant can help a millionaire plan his/her taxes. A computer consultant can help the employees of a large company learn software basics. A human resource consultant can help a big business implement a change in a policy.

After you determine the target market that will hire you for your expertise, you need to find out the various ways in which you may help them. This will help you market your consulting business. You need to tell your clients why they need you.

Step 6: Consider a Home Office

If your local laws permit this, it can work to your advantage in more ways than one. You don’t spend any money to buy or rent an office space to start your business as a self-employed consultant. You don’t need to pay for utilities separately. You don’t need to pay for a regular commute.

Along with the money, you also save time and energy when you work out of your home. You may acquire new premises after you have established your business and employed associates; but more on this later.

Step 7: Build Your Network

If no one knows you and you know no one in your field, you may find yourself in the midst of a disaster soon. It is important to start building your network as soon as you have decided to be a consultant. A strong contact base ensures that you have the sources to find work.

A professional network, coupled with a social network, can help you market and advertise your business. References are also important ways to find work in the niche. Rely on your initial contact base to build your network.

Step 8: Fix Your Fees and the Way to Bill Clients

As a beginner, you may not receive high fees as a consultant. Your charges increase as you become known as a consultant. Keep in mind your credentials and experience as well as market conditions, your target group and your competitors when you fix your fees.

Also, decide how you will bill clients. Hourly billing may seem to be a convenient method; the problem is many clients think that you charge too much for your time. It is best to use the project-based billing method when you start your consulting business.

Step 9: Arrange for Advertising and Marketing

You are not selling a house which, by the way, is much easier than selling your advice. Many of your clients may not be even aware that they need your ideas and advice. How do you market and advertise something so difficult? Believe it or not, you have a lot of choices - print media, cold-calls, online ads and many others.

Before you choose any avenue to advertise, decide your budget. If the costs go out of hand, the chance of success of your business plummets. Newsletters and brochures, advertisements in niche-specific journals, websites and blogs offer the best options.

Step 10:Determine Whether You Need to Outsource Certain Tasks

You may find it easier to handle all tasks of your business on your own when you start. But after your consulting business is up and running, you may need the help of others and you may decide to employ people. Check both legal and tax details before you do this.

You may also outsource some tasks that do not require your immediate attention. Make sure that the tasks are not connected to your consulting business. For example, you can outsource auditing for a career consulting business but not when it is your niche.

Consulting Photo via Shutterstock

Nok Nok Labs: Security begins with authentication, but you cannot bring your own server to work

People would not expect to bring a server to work, yet the concept of ‘bring your own device' (BYOD) is about taking authentication home with you.

Phil Dunkelberger, CEO of Nok Nok Labs, told SC Magazine that an authenticator "follows you around" and that "it is not about the device, it is about the person at the keyboard".

He said: “You don't bring the authentication server home and your device to work. Industry is missing the point and we have to use these things.”

“Authentication is built on a 50-year-old construct and users have figured this out and are smarter than the suppliers, yet we keep using a construct that is fragile, broken and doesn't work. We know it is a problem, and we understand consumers know this too.”

According to research by Nok Nok Labs and the Ponemon Institute of 1,900 consumers, 60 per cent would use a multi-purpose identity credential for access to data and systems, with UK and US respondents citing the convenience of this.

The research found that 71 per cent of respondents were frustrated with the current model, as transactions are blocked and systems are not easily accessed. Dunkelberger said that the problem is that there is too much talk about technology and not about people.

Further, 41 per cent of UK respondents were comfortable with the use of biometrics as an authenticator, while 85 per cent opted for voice recognition as a method, 65 per cent a facial scan, 59 per cent hand geometry, 60 per cent fingerprints and 51 per cent an eye scan. 

Dunkelberger said: “Did Minority Report not scare these people? People trust biometrics and we see a mismatch with systems for authentication and form factor. Ease of use is the biggest driver but security is close to it.

“We are getting better at authentication, but the ecosystem is broken and the backend is not conversing. We are not thinking through what the customer experience is and it is getting worse. You have got to use what you have, but people want to use what they have everywhere.”

Dunkelberger claimed that BYOD will "begin, middle and end with authentication" but no one can do a one-size-fits all technology solution.

“Security begins with authentication and a supply level of service comes to play. Authentication is where I make decisions, figure out devices and at the point of authentication, you can circumvent security issues to give the capability to do the job,” he said.

“It is about strong authentication, to make decisions on the strength of it and the threat of being blocked shows the level we have got to play at. With a single credential, the fact is that it is more portable and you don't need anything more.”

Google Affiliate Network To Shut Down, Surprising Some But Not All

Google announced this week it will shut down the Google Affiliate Network. Google pledged to continue to support customers as the network winds down “over the next few months.”

The closing was announced by J.J. Hirschle, head of Google Affiliate Network, on its official blog.  Hirschle said the program originally was created to help advertisers drive conversions (sales) via cost-per-action advertising.  He said Google re-evaluated the service in light of recent developments in the marketplace.

“We’re constantly evaluating our products to ensure that we’re focused on the services that will have the biggest impact for our advertisers and publishers,” Hirschle wrote. “To that end, we’ve made the difficult decision to retire Google Affiliate Network and focus on other products that are driving great results for clients.”

A Surprising Announcement - to Some

Some industry observers were surprised by the move.  Others were not, pointing out that Google doesn’t need a network of third party affiliate sites any longer, given how the advertising marketplace has evolved.

Affiliate program management consultant Geno Prussakov of AMNavigator said the decision to close Google’s affiliate network was a surprise in the sense of there being no advance public signals.  For instance, representatives of the Google Affiliate Network were scheduled up until this week to speak at a conference run by Prussakov.  And just days earlier there had been an update on the Network’s Google+ page.

This is the second time Google has shut down its affiliate network, according to industry observer Barry Schwartz.  The first time was in 2008. Later in 2010, Google reintroduced the current Affiliate Network.

Alternatives for Businesses

Prussakov sees an opportunity for other affiliate networks to fill the void. “This move creates a great opportunity for other affiliate networks … not only those who hope to have Google Affiliate Network programs migrated to their platforms, but also those who already have major brand affiliate programs running on their networks,” Prussakov said in an email interview.  An opportunity is also there for in-house affiliate program solution providers, he noted.  For small business advertisers looking for a replacement affiliate network, Prussakov suggests AvantLink or ShareaSale.

Aaron Wall, founder of SEOBook, points out that advertisers already have a number of replacement options with Google itself.  “I don’t think the closing of the affiliate network means that Google wants to be done with the affiliate model. Rather, Google would prefer to consolidate their efforts through their existing channels and work directly with merchants without having to manage relations with affiliates” on top of that, he notes.

Google doesn’t need to run an affiliate network to help brand advertisers get offers in front of buyers, he explains. “When Google includes links in travel or e-commerce searches, they don’t really need a third party network to distribute those ads. The ‘ads’ are integrated right in the search results,” he adds.

One example Wall points to is Google Offers, a daily deal/coupon offering. Google Offers are delivered to customers who sign up via email but also included in Google Maps and other search results.

Another example mentioned by Google’s Hirschle is Product Listing Ads. With Product Listing Ads, businesses create product listings that get inserted directly into Google Shopping results.

Over time Wall said he also expects to see Google AdSense units become more like the conversion-driven ads used in affiliate offerings. He points to Amazon.com ads as the model for this.  Amazon has quietly been ramping up its advertising offerings.  “Amazon.com’s ads often include things in them like ‘buy now’ buttons, coupons and movie trailers. In time I would expect some Google AdSense ad units to eventually look more ‘producty’ in some areas and have a lot more of these types of extensible features added to them,” Wall says.

And what about alternatives for affiliate website publishers that today earn money from affiliate ads placed on their sites?  Hirschle suggests Google AdSense (ad units placed by publishers on their websites to earn advertising revenue).  And as Prussakov points out, there are other affiliate networks publishers can join.

Google Affiliate Network To Shut Down, Surprising Some But Not All

Google announced this week it will shut down the Google Affiliate Network. Google pledged to continue to support customers as the network winds down “over the next few months.”

The closing was announced by J.J. Hirschle, head of Google Affiliate Network, on its official blog.  Hirschle said the program originally was created to help advertisers drive conversions (sales) via cost-per-action advertising.  He said Google re-evaluated the service in light of recent developments in the marketplace.

“We’re constantly evaluating our products to ensure that we’re focused on the services that will have the biggest impact for our advertisers and publishers,” Hirschle wrote. “To that end, we’ve made the difficult decision to retire Google Affiliate Network and focus on other products that are driving great results for clients.”

A Surprising Announcement - to Some

Some industry observers were surprised by the move.  Others were not, pointing out that Google doesn’t need a network of third party affiliate sites any longer, given how the advertising marketplace has evolved.

Affiliate program management consultant Geno Prussakov of AMNavigator said the decision to close Google’s affiliate network was a surprise in the sense of there being no advance public signals.  For instance, representatives of the Google Affiliate Network were scheduled up until this week to speak at a conference run by Prussakov.  And just days earlier there had been an update on the Network’s Google+ page.

This is the second time Google has shut down its affiliate network, according to industry observer Barry Schwartz.  The first time was in 2008. Later in 2010, Google reintroduced the current Affiliate Network.

Alternatives for Businesses

Prussakov sees an opportunity for other affiliate networks to fill the void. “This move creates a great opportunity for other affiliate networks … not only those who hope to have Google Affiliate Network programs migrated to their platforms, but also those who already have major brand affiliate programs running on their networks,” Prussakov said in an email interview.  An opportunity is also there for in-house affiliate program solution providers, he noted.  For small business advertisers looking for a replacement affiliate network, Prussakov suggests AvantLink or ShareaSale.

Aaron Wall, founder of SEOBook, points out that advertisers already have a number of replacement options with Google itself.  “I don’t think the closing of the affiliate network means that Google wants to be done with the affiliate model. Rather, Google would prefer to consolidate their efforts through their existing channels and work directly with merchants without having to manage relations with affiliates” on top of that, he notes.

Google doesn’t need to run an affiliate network to help brand advertisers get offers in front of buyers, he explains. “When Google includes links in travel or e-commerce searches, they don’t really need a third party network to distribute those ads. The ‘ads’ are integrated right in the search results,” he adds.

One example Wall points to is Google Offers, a daily deal/coupon offering. Google Offers are delivered to customers who sign up via email but also included in Google Maps and other search results.

Another example mentioned by Google’s Hirschle is Product Listing Ads. With Product Listing Ads, businesses create product listings that get inserted directly into Google Shopping results.

Over time Wall said he also expects to see Google AdSense units become more like the conversion-driven ads used in affiliate offerings. He points to Amazon.com ads as the model for this.  Amazon has quietly been ramping up its advertising offerings.  “Amazon.com’s ads often include things in them like ‘buy now’ buttons, coupons and movie trailers. In time I would expect some Google AdSense ad units to eventually look more ‘producty’ in some areas and have a lot more of these types of extensible features added to them,” Wall says.

And what about alternatives for affiliate website publishers that today earn money from affiliate ads placed on their sites?  Hirschle suggests Google AdSense (ad units placed by publishers on their websites to earn advertising revenue).  And as Prussakov points out, there are other affiliate networks publishers can join.