Responsibility should be a consideration when it comes to fines for data losses

Regulatory fines from the Information Commissioner's Office are ‘intelligent', but more responsibility needs to be taken in public sector incidents.

In a recent SC Magazine webcast, an audience poll asked whether the right of the Information Commissioner's Office to fine businesses and organisations up to £500,000 had changed the way listeners did business, 52 per cent said it had not, while 24 per cent were not sure.

Speaking on the webcast former information commissioner Richard Thomas, now a consultant at law firm Hunton & Williams, said that he pushed for fines for three years for "serious enforcement powers".

“When I was commissioner it was a huge frustration that I had no powers to impose fines at all and there was a convoluted enforcement notice which was hard to use in practice, and it sent the signal that no one really cared much about data protection,” he said.

Thomas said that he called for the power in government and the law was changed as he left. He said: “For my mind, the right to impose fines must be a good thing.”

Jonathan Armstrong, partner at law firm Duane Morris, said that Thomas and current information commissioner Christopher Graham should be applauded for campaigning and using the fines respectively, and called the use of fines ‘intelligent'.

He said: “Generally speaking, those people that deserve the higher fines get them.” However he went on to say that attitudes of a fine to a public sector company resulting in the closing down of a hospital ward or cut in public spending should be taken on board, as if a CEO of a private sector company was fined "he'd be paying for that personally".

“To somehow say ‘yes I am happy to take a private sector equivalent salary but I am not happy to take a private sector level of responsibility' is wrong,” he said.

“I don't want them to be flogged through the streets, but if you are a senior executive at a local authority or health trust and you have data on vulnerable children, you have to take the same level of responsibility as in the private sector.

“I'd like to see a more difficult resolution for those people concerned than saying ‘I'll close some beds in the hospital to cover for my mistake'.”

Thomas also said that except for the heinous incidents, the proposals made in the new Data Protection Directive could be excessive when it came to mandatory fines.

Get people, privacy and policy correct before allowing collaborative working via mobiles

Managing control and compliance of mobile is key to collaborative working.

Stephen Deadman, group privacy officer and head of legal for privacy, security and content standards at Vodafone, said that mobility is driving collaboration, as businesses can allow users to do more than on a PC but the role of IT should be to manage control and meet compliance challenges.

Speaking at the Field Fisher Waterhouse security forum, Deadman said that there are stories of inadequate management and data loss issues when it comes to mobile use and bring your own device (BYOD).

“We see the supply chain, where organisations are secure, where things are done and where there is a controller of the data so the responsibility of the organisation is clear, but in my experience there is no responsibility,” he said.

Looking at privacy, people and policy, Deadman said that privacy needs to determine who accesses what and which services, and this can be very difficult to integrate, especially if a personal device is being used.

He said: “Mobile is blurring the lines between personal and professional lives and the borders between them have changed to make things more difficult to manage. It can be good for the work/life balance but you need to be careful with carving space from employees.

“The perimeter has fizzled away and to work collaboratively and to enable tools, you have to work with the privacy guys and staff, as they are choosing the tools that they want to use. So this is more about risk and my view is that it is about who adapts to that the best and about which risks you can control with the tools, what you can and cannot accept and what you have to deal with.”

He said that there is a proliferation of solutions to allow mobile devices to share and access data, and the challenge is knowing when and what to invest in solutions.

For policy, Deadman encouraged companies to "get smart on policy" and not to put their heads in the sand, as that is not dealing with the problem. Finally for people, he said that before you give users a desktop, engage with the user and if they want to choose a device, they have to work collaboratively with the company.

4 Essential Role Players You Want On Your Team

Do you have a mentor, accountability partner, confidant and evangelist on your business team?

“Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we’ve put it in an impossible situation.” ~ Margaret Mead

We can not afford to have a lone wolf, go it alone, isolationist mentality in our life or business. That is not a survivalist formula. We live in a hyper connected, engagement, interactivity, real time world. The World Wide Web, social media and smartphones have connected us all far and wide, 24/7.

Having an extended support system of key people that we can seek out and rely on to help us through moments and cycles of fast paced change is a valuable asset to have.

I think back to several turning points in my life and can clearly remember how important my support system was and is.  The 4 years my mother took ill and then passed, the months leading up to leaving a 20+ year career in Broadcast radio sales, launching my current endeavor, challenging economic times and 2012 which was a turning point year for me.

My support system guided me through all of  those moments, times and cycles helping me to find the humor, wisdom and grace in the challenge and the solution.

I have always welcomed and sought out great people as mirrors, sounding boards and sources of feedback from my family, friends and colleagues. We are built as social creatures and need to have community and connections to survive. The importance, value and benefits of a support system and role players in life and business are well documented in history.

Below are 4 essential role players to have on your business team that can make a huge difference in your sanity and the outcome of things.

Mentors

Having people who educate, inspire and pass on what they know and have learned is an old tradition.

“Seek out mentors who offer you career guidance, advice and assistance from a real world point-of-view”, says Chrissy Scivicque in “How To Start a Mentorship Relationship.” She suggests choosing someone you respect, is willing and available and that you like personally.

The key is defining the relationship from the beginning and making it an open dialogue.

Accountability Partners or Group

Accountability is our ability and willingness to give an honest account to someone else of our actions and motives. Who do you trust to keep you on track, honest, true to your word and that you allow to call you out when you don’t fulfill your promises?

This can be uncomfortable but very beneficial.

Confidants

We all need those inner circles of trusted people we can have honest conversations with about what’s really going on, that we may not have with anyone else, including family.

Airing out fears, reservations, dilemma’s and self confidence issues can be empowering. Confidants can be found through friends and family, self help groups, counselors or meeting new people through shared activities.

Evangelists

Welcoming people who are your ambassadors, cheerleaders and evangelists is such an esteem builder. These are people who truly believe in us and like us with no agenda, who are simply our fans. Here are some things that an ambassador or evangelist does for us in business.

Not only welcome them but let them consistently support and cheer you through and on.

Build a championship team of people who can help you grow, accepts you exactly the way you are and has your best interest at heart. These role players are the true secrets to success and happiness. It begins with “me” and continues with “we.”

Who are the key role players on your business team that are on your side and make a difference?

4 Essential Role Players You Want On Your Team

Do you have a mentor, accountability partner, confidant and evangelist on your business team?

“Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we’ve put it in an impossible situation.” ~ Margaret Mead

We can not afford to have a lone wolf, go it alone, isolationist mentality in our life or business. That is not a survivalist formula. We live in a hyper connected, engagement, interactivity, real time world. The World Wide Web, social media and smartphones have connected us all far and wide, 24/7.

Having an extended support system of key people that we can seek out and rely on to help us through moments and cycles of fast paced change is a valuable asset to have.

I think back to several turning points in my life and can clearly remember how important my support system was and is.  The 4 years my mother took ill and then passed, the months leading up to leaving a 20+ year career in Broadcast radio sales, launching my current endeavor, challenging economic times and 2012 which was a turning point year for me.

My support system guided me through all of  those moments, times and cycles helping me to find the humor, wisdom and grace in the challenge and the solution.

I have always welcomed and sought out great people as mirrors, sounding boards and sources of feedback from my family, friends and colleagues. We are built as social creatures and need to have community and connections to survive. The importance, value and benefits of a support system and role players in life and business are well documented in history.

Below are 4 essential role players to have on your business team that can make a huge difference in your sanity and the outcome of things.

Mentors

Having people who educate, inspire and pass on what they know and have learned is an old tradition.

“Seek out mentors who offer you career guidance, advice and assistance from a real world point-of-view”, says Chrissy Scivicque in “How To Start a Mentorship Relationship.” She suggests choosing someone you respect, is willing and available and that you like personally.

The key is defining the relationship from the beginning and making it an open dialogue.

Accountability Partners or Group

Accountability is our ability and willingness to give an honest account to someone else of our actions and motives. Who do you trust to keep you on track, honest, true to your word and that you allow to call you out when you don’t fulfill your promises?

This can be uncomfortable but very beneficial.

Confidants

We all need those inner circles of trusted people we can have honest conversations with about what’s really going on, that we may not have with anyone else, including family.

Airing out fears, reservations, dilemma’s and self confidence issues can be empowering. Confidants can be found through friends and family, self help groups, counselors or meeting new people through shared activities.

Evangelists

Welcoming people who are your ambassadors, cheerleaders and evangelists is such an esteem builder. These are people who truly believe in us and like us with no agenda, who are simply our fans. Here are some things that an ambassador or evangelist does for us in business.

Not only welcome them but let them consistently support and cheer you through and on.

Build a championship team of people who can help you grow, accepts you exactly the way you are and has your best interest at heart. These role players are the true secrets to success and happiness. It begins with “me” and continues with “we.”

Who are the key role players on your business team that are on your side and make a difference?

Two Great Resources For Those Starting A Small Business

Running a business takes a lot of know how. Starting a business without that know how makes the first few years a rocky road. Luckily, there are several great resources online that can help you make fewer mistakes than those that came before you.

A newly launched resource comes to us from MOO, the makers of some of the best business cards you can get. (Check out our list of the best in online printing services.) MOO’s Startup Business Toolkit is a collection of tools, articles and resources for small businesses, start ups and entrepreneurs, that will be regularly updated over the coming months.

They’ll be adding articles written by carefully sourced experts, entrepreneurs, startup founders and people at MOO itself, filled with educational tips on starting and maintaining a successful business. Right now, they have a look at the benefits of being your own boss, a flow chart to help you evaluate your business idea, and tips on making the switch from freelancer to founder.

We recently covered another fantastic resource from SCORE. It’s a small business success podcast, answering burning questions many business owners have. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They deliver their services at no charge.

Their podcast covers the following topics:

• How Can I Convert Leads Into Buyers? (Sales)
• Understanding Finance/Accounting - Value of Inventories, Critical Numbers & Reports, Metrics
• Leading People/HR
• How Can I Get Found on the Internet? (Websites/SEO)
• Getting the Most Out of Social Media

So if you’re starting a business, definitely check out those resources, and keep checking back on Smallbiztechnology.com for a lot more great content.

Let us know about your business in the comments!

Two Great Resources For Those Starting A Small Business

Running a business takes a lot of know how. Starting a business without that know how makes the first few years a rocky road. Luckily, there are several great resources online that can help you make fewer mistakes than those that came before you.

A newly launched resource comes to us from MOO, the makers of some of the best business cards you can get. (Check out our list of the best in online printing services.) MOO’s Startup Business Toolkit is a collection of tools, articles and resources for small businesses, start ups and entrepreneurs, that will be regularly updated over the coming months.

They’ll be adding articles written by carefully sourced experts, entrepreneurs, startup founders and people at MOO itself, filled with educational tips on starting and maintaining a successful business. Right now, they have a look at the benefits of being your own boss, a flow chart to help you evaluate your business idea, and tips on making the switch from freelancer to founder.

We recently covered another fantastic resource from SCORE. It’s a small business success podcast, answering burning questions many business owners have. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They deliver their services at no charge.

Their podcast covers the following topics:

• How Can I Convert Leads Into Buyers? (Sales)
• Understanding Finance/Accounting - Value of Inventories, Critical Numbers & Reports, Metrics
• Leading People/HR
• How Can I Get Found on the Internet? (Websites/SEO)
• Getting the Most Out of Social Media

So if you’re starting a business, definitely check out those resources, and keep checking back on Smallbiztechnology.com for a lot more great content.

Let us know about your business in the comments!

Tech Thursday (5/16): News From Dell, Seiko, Concur and Regus

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.

Dell Services Launches the Dell ProSupport Enterprise Suite

New Suite Helps Customers Improve Performance of Critical Systems, Increase Productivity and Reduce Downtime

As enterprises face an increasingly complex and converged IT environment, they require a higher level of service to maintain and optimize performance. Coinciding with the fifth anniversary of its award-winning Dell ProSupport service that boasts an estimated 95 percent enterprise customer satisfaction, Dell unveiled its new ProSupport Enterprise Suite of services.

With new support offerings and automation, customers can improve the hardware performance and stability in the data center, leverage the insights gained through intelligent data and increase the productivity of their teams.

For more information on Dell ProSupport Plus, click here.

 

Seiko Instruments Smart Label Printers Offer Easier Way to Get Organized

New printer line frees up desk space, supports Microsoft Office®, and simplifies day-to-day administrative tasks.

Seiko Instruments USA Inc. (SII) Thermal Printer Division, a globally recognized leader in thermal printer technology announced the availability of its new Smart Label Printer 600 Series (SLP 600).
The new desktop label printer lineup offers three cost-effective models, ideal for professional services firms, healthcare applications, small businesses, and home office users. SLP 600 printers are more convenient and versatile than traditional sheet-fed label printing solutions. The new printers allow customers to rapidly customize individual labels, print out whole mailing databases, and easily interchange among address labels, file folder labels, shipping labels, multipurpose labels, and others.

For more on these new printers, click here. 

 

Regus and Concur Form Partnership Making Business Travel Efficient and Productive

Alliance brings together experts in flexible workspaces and business travel management

Regus, the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, and Concur, joined forces to help business travelers increase their productivity while traveling.

Through the new partnership, today’s busy professionals can manage their business travel logistics, which includes trip and expense management, as well as finding a convenient place to work.

As part of the agreement, Concur Small Business Edition customers will receive 12 months of Regus’ Preferred Businessworld Membership giving them access to more than 1,500 business
lounges in 100 countries. Regus’ lounges provide road warriors with unprecedented access to professional drop-in locations where they can work, hold a meeting with a client or colleague or relax with a cup of coffee in between appointments. Additional discounts are available on 12-month office and virtual office agreements.

In turn, Regus customers will receive a 45-day complimentary trial to Concur’s Small Business Edition. With Concur’s integrated travel and expense system, managers get greater visibility into company spend, while providing their employees with a simple, expense reporting tool.

Concur customers can activate their Regus’ Preferred Membership by visiting: www.regus.com/concur.

10 Visual Social Media Tips for Image Success

So your online business has always experienced praise for its crisp quality content from customers and admirers? But as of late, maybe you’ve noticed that your posts are facing a lot of stagnancy in reaching your perfect target audience? And after initial analysis, you may have realized that your social media messages somehow lacked the “visual magic” that is necessary for image success?  Below are some tips to get you back on track.

Tying the Knot with Visuals

Images add that much needed zing to your text. Subject specific photos accompanied by fast paced text makes the messages move faster across several channels. Trash the readability woes of your clients by clearing off the content clutter.

Place the perfect blend of words and visuals into a trendy look and witness its reflection on the soaring sales of your products and services.

Your Business in Pictures

Tell the world what you do by garnishing your rich content with just the right photos. Try to have an interactive illustration or a pictorial layout through which you can pamper your clients with surprises and offers.

The pictures should be able to reflect the current scenario of your business: A sharp rise in sales can either have a graphic view or a couple of nice doodles.

Similarly, a new product launch can have images portraying the concept behind the new endeavor. You can celebrate the company’s birthday with visual surprises for your clients and customers.

Admiring a Montage of Your Work

Have you have picked a cluster of images but you’re in a fix as to selecting the most pertinent one to accompany your message? In this case, preparing a collage of high resolution pictures is the most suitable solution.

You can convey the different layers of a campaign through a photographic collage for image success.

Sharing Photos with the World

Connecting with your customer base is just a share button away. Social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and tools like Picasa enhance the reach of different products and services of your company through awesome photo sharing tools.

Create a platform where your customers can flaunt their photography skills and share images related to your business. These concepts go a long way in sowing the “you” seed in the minds of customers.

If this endeavor clicks, then they will start identifying your product with a necessity and not as an option.

Facebook Photos, a Perfect Branding Strategy

Photographs uploaded on Facebook, Google+, Digg and Tumblr weave wonders for your business. You will be amazed to see the high level of user engagement of major global brands across different social media platforms.

Some interesting Facebook trivia revealed that an image has greater potential in converting “Likes” into business more than links. The more photos, the more longevity of your brand.

Image is Mightier than Words

The logistics of a new service or product needs to be explained. Are you planning to burn the midnight oil in creating cerebral content? If so, just drop this idea and turn to visuals. If you are able to arrange pertinent images or illustrations in a simple and lucid manner, then you will surely get a thumping response from users.

Extend charts and illustrations to disseminate statistics based information to your users for image success. It becomes easy for them to understand the seemingly hard facts of your well toned business.

Visual Display of Your Grade

Testimonials carrying an image make a good impression, more so than slides. Similarly, a review of your product made by a user along with a photo can act as a great marketing tool for image success.

Once you have gathered a number of reviews and testimonials, you can share them on social media to seek a large following.

Show it with Words

Add variety to how your posts look by treating an image with typography. It is a fascinating art where a specific arrangement of words makes up a great image.

Say, you are trying to revive the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of your brand. You can simply invoke your creativity by using a popular image of your brand with beautifully carved words for image success.

Achievements: Say Cheese!

Show off proud moments to the world with pictures and captions. Award winning products, appraisals from clients and hitting the bull’s eye in the sales of a particular product can all be archived in pictorial albums and used as a strong branding tool.

New users will get a perfect picture of your accomplishments.

Zoom in on Your #1 Quality

Explaining the superior quality of your products through crystal clear visuals is always a good idea to attain image success. You cannot accomplish this with words. The perfect close up of a product with some brief text will help your users embrace it.

They are getting a detailed view of how the item actually looks so the message conveyed is extremely transparent.

Begin to apply the tips above and you will begin to experience image success on your favorite social media platforms.  After all, it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words - speak less and show more.

Sucess Photo via Shutterstock

Nokia to Introduce a New Lumia Windows Phone With a Metal Case

Nokia will release a new Lumia 925 Windows phone in June.  This phone will have a metal case and upgrades to its camera technology.

The Lumia 925 features the same software and technical specifications as its predecessor from Nokia, the Lumia 720. The most notable changes are how the phone looks and feels, and the quality of image it produces. The Verge.com’s Tom Warren writes that the Lumia 925 is made from aluminum on a polycarbonate base rather than the traditional  polycarbonate case common among Nokia phones.

The addition of aluminum on the frame and on the sides makes it lightweight.  But metal also makes this Windows Phone sturdy â€" an advantage if employees will use a phone outdoors or in rugged conditions.

Nokia has been focused lately on upgrading its photo and video capture capabilities (Nokia recently invested in a camera technologies company).   The Lumia 925 makes improvements on the previous model of Windows phone from the company.  An 8.7-megapixel camera accentuated by two LED flash lights adorns the rear of the phone. The camera is mounted inside a small hump on the rear of the phone.

At the time of the 925 release, Nokia announced an update to all Lumia phones, with the addition of Nokia Smart Camera. This camera software captures up to ten images at one time of a moving subject.

The camera upgrades should be welcome news to small business personnel who use smartphone images in their operations or post frequently to social networks. Nokia claims that its low-light images are better than similar ones taken using an iPhone 5.

The Lumia 925 is a Windows 8 based smartphone. Warren calls this a weakness, but that depends on how you plan to use a phone.  Business owners may find the Windows 8 phone system to be an advantage.  The applications and overall look/feel will be familiar to those who use Windows 8 on their desktops. The IT department can provide enterprise-wide support.  And there’s integration with desktop Windows.

“We keep innovating,” Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, said in a statement announcing the details of the Lumia 925. “We’re advancing experiences on the Nokia Lumia portfolio whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925.”

The Lumia 925 Windows phone will be introduced in the U.S. through T-Mobile. A retail cost has not yet been established.

Lumia 925 Photo via Nokia

Nokia to Introduce a New Lumia Windows Phone With a Metal Case

Nokia will release a new Lumia 925 Windows phone in June.  This phone will have a metal case and upgrades to its camera technology.

The Lumia 925 features the same software and technical specifications as its predecessor from Nokia, the Lumia 720. The most notable changes are how the phone looks and feels, and the quality of image it produces. The Verge.com’s Tom Warren writes that the Lumia 925 is made from aluminum on a polycarbonate base rather than the traditional  polycarbonate case common among Nokia phones.

The addition of aluminum on the frame and on the sides makes it lightweight.  But metal also makes this Windows Phone sturdy â€" an advantage if employees will use a phone outdoors or in rugged conditions.

Nokia has been focused lately on upgrading its photo and video capture capabilities (Nokia recently invested in a camera technologies company).   The Lumia 925 makes improvements on the previous model of Windows phone from the company.  An 8.7-megapixel camera accentuated by two LED flash lights adorns the rear of the phone. The camera is mounted inside a small hump on the rear of the phone.

At the time of the 925 release, Nokia announced an update to all Lumia phones, with the addition of Nokia Smart Camera. This camera software captures up to ten images at one time of a moving subject.

The camera upgrades should be welcome news to small business personnel who use smartphone images in their operations or post frequently to social networks. Nokia claims that its low-light images are better than similar ones taken using an iPhone 5.

The Lumia 925 is a Windows 8 based smartphone. Warren calls this a weakness, but that depends on how you plan to use a phone.  Business owners may find the Windows 8 phone system to be an advantage.  The applications and overall look/feel will be familiar to those who use Windows 8 on their desktops. The IT department can provide enterprise-wide support.  And there’s integration with desktop Windows.

“We keep innovating,” Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, said in a statement announcing the details of the Lumia 925. “We’re advancing experiences on the Nokia Lumia portfolio whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925.”

The Lumia 925 Windows phone will be introduced in the U.S. through T-Mobile. A retail cost has not yet been established.

Lumia 925 Photo via Nokia

Nokia to Introduce a New Lumia Windows Phone With a Metal Case

Nokia will release a new Lumia 925 Windows phone in June.  This phone will have a metal case and upgrades to its camera technology.

The Lumia 925 features the same software and technical specifications as its predecessor from Nokia, the Lumia 720. The most notable changes are how the phone looks and feels, and the quality of image it produces. The Verge.com’s Tom Warren writes that the Lumia 925 is made from aluminum on a polycarbonate base rather than the traditional  polycarbonate case common among Nokia phones.

The addition of aluminum on the frame and on the sides makes it lightweight.  But metal also makes this Windows Phone sturdy â€" an advantage if employees will use a phone outdoors or in rugged conditions.

Nokia has been focused lately on upgrading its photo and video capture capabilities (Nokia recently invested in a camera technologies company).   The Lumia 925 makes improvements on the previous model of Windows phone from the company.  An 8.7-megapixel camera accentuated by two LED flash lights adorns the rear of the phone. The camera is mounted inside a small hump on the rear of the phone.

At the time of the 925 release, Nokia announced an update to all Lumia phones, with the addition of Nokia Smart Camera. This camera software captures up to ten images at one time of a moving subject.

The camera upgrades should be welcome news to small business personnel who use smartphone images in their operations or post frequently to social networks. Nokia claims that its low-light images are better than similar ones taken using an iPhone 5.

The Lumia 925 is a Windows 8 based smartphone. Warren calls this a weakness, but that depends on how you plan to use a phone.  Business owners may find the Windows 8 phone system to be an advantage.  The applications and overall look/feel will be familiar to those who use Windows 8 on their desktops. The IT department can provide enterprise-wide support.  And there’s integration with desktop Windows.

“We keep innovating,” Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, said in a statement announcing the details of the Lumia 925. “We’re advancing experiences on the Nokia Lumia portfolio whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925.”

The Lumia 925 Windows phone will be introduced in the U.S. through T-Mobile. A retail cost has not yet been established.

Lumia 925 Photo via Nokia

LulzSec members sentenced to total of six years, accessory to 32 months

Three members of the hacktivist group LulzSec have been sentenced to a total of six years in prison.

Members Ryan Ackroyd, Jake Davis and Mustafa al-Bassam had been charged with attacks on the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Sony, Nintendo, 20th Century Fox and governments and police forces in a 50-day spree in the summer of 2011.

Davis was sentenced to 24 months in a young offender's institution and he will serve half of the sentence. Al-Bassam received a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years and 300 hours unpaid work. Ackroyd was given a 30-month sentence; he will serve half.

Among its other activities, LulzSec also put a fake front page on The Sun newspaper claiming News International chief executive Rupert Murdoch had died, and in its final act it published the details of 500,000 users. Ackroyd was known as 'Kayla', while Davis was the main spokesman known as 'Topiary'.

Ackroyd was arrested in September 2011, while Davis was charged with unauthorised computer access and conspiracy to carry out a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in August 2011. Due to his age, al-Bassam was not named until he pleaded guilty.

Both men were named by the FBI when LulzSec leader Sabu was revealed to have been working as an informant for the bureau in March 2012.

Ryan Cleary, who was arrested in June 2011, was not a recognised member of the group but did own a botnet of 100,000 PCs that was reported to have been used by the group. He was sentenced to 32 months in jail and will be required to serve half of his sentence.

Judge Deborah Taylor said that: "the name LulzSec encapsulates your desires to cause embarrassment and disruption, whole keeping your own identities hidden", and accused the four of each playing a role during a seven-month online campaign, "using your technical abilities to cause catastrophic losses for amusement".

LulzSec members sentenced to total of six years, accessory to 32 months

Three members of the hacktivist group LulzSec have been sentenced to a total of six years in prison.

Members Ryan Ackroyd, Jake Davis and Mustafa al-Bassam had been charged with attacks on the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Sony, Nintendo, 20th Century Fox and governments and police forces in a 50-day spree in the summer of 2011.

Davis was sentenced to 24 months in a young offender's institution and he will serve half of the sentence. Al-Bassam received a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years and 300 hours unpaid work. Ackroyd was given a 30-month sentence; he will serve half.

Among its other activities, LulzSec also put a fake front page on The Sun newspaper claiming News International chief executive Rupert Murdoch had died, and in its final act it published the details of 500,000 users. Ackroyd was known as 'Kayla', while Davis was the main spokesman known as 'Topiary'.

Ackroyd was arrested in September 2011, while Davis was charged with unauthorised computer access and conspiracy to carry out a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in August 2011. Due to his age, al-Bassam was not named until he pleaded guilty.

Both men were named by the FBI when LulzSec leader Sabu was revealed to have been working as an informant for the bureau in March 2012.

Ryan Cleary, who was arrested in June 2011, was not a recognised member of the group but did own a botnet of 100,000 PCs that was reported to have been used by the group. He was sentenced to 32 months in jail and will be required to serve half of his sentence.

Judge Deborah Taylor said that: "the name LulzSec encapsulates your desires to cause embarrassment and disruption, whole keeping your own identities hidden", and accused the four of each playing a role during a seven-month online campaign, "using your technical abilities to cause catastrophic losses for amusement".

NYC Events: Upcoming NYC Business and Technology Events (5/17 - 5/23)

Here is a listing of NYC Business and Technology Events for the upcoming week (5/17 - 5/23) 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.

The Digital Marketing Toolkit for Small Businesses

May 20, 2013, - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Pillsbury Law - Winthrop Room, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036

For the typical small business owner, digital marketing is a bewildering array of options. Choosing the right tools to reach your goals is essential. Join a panel of thought leaders, who specialize in helping small businesses with all aspects of online marketing. We’ll discuss using advertising and email, offers and community, and other strategies to help your small business acquire and retain customers using digital channels.

Our goal: to shed light on which tools and strategies give the most in return, so small business owners can spend more time on what really matters: running their business.

 

Marketing Your Summer Event

May 20, 2013, - 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, In Good Company, 16 West 23rd St, 4th Fl, New York 

Events present wonderful branding opportunities for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs to connect with fans, network with future collaborators and meet potential clients. If you are interested in planning and executing events to market your expertise, join Nicole McGarrell for Marketing Your Summer Event. The workshop will cover the following topics:
- Event marketing strategies and tools to get the right attendees in the door
- How to set up and manage your event in one complete, easy-to-use online solution
- How to promote your event, send invitations, accept registrations, process payments seamlessly
- Using your event to lead to future customers and sales
- How to use events to build your brand even further

What Sci-Fi Can Teach Us About Gestures

May 20, 2013, - 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, WeWork Labs, 175 Varick Street, New York, NY

We’re not all waving at our computers to check email yet, but like the jetpack of yesteryear, nearly all of us have seen Minority Report and Iron Man and kind of expect it to be just around the corner. Sci-fi is leading the public conception of what gestures mean for our audiences as users and ourselves as designers, and we should examine that carefully before we accept it as what’s best.

Christopher Noessel, co-author of the book Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Sci-Fi, will be leading an interactive presentation live from San Francisco, talking about the gesture chapter of the book: covering the paradigm that Hollywood has (accidentally) invented, what a narrative point of view means for gestural interfaces, and see illustrative clips from sci-fi to back up the analysis.

 

Big Data, NoSQL, Now What?

May 22, 2013, - 7:00 PM, AlleyNYC, 500 7th ave 17th floor, New York, NY 

Big Data technologies are evolving to suit the needs of real-time analytics for 2013 and beyond. During this interactive discussion we will explore this evolution starting with a brief recap on Hadoop and related technologies, how NoSQL technologies fit in the Big Data landscape and where things can/should go from here. Of course, this dialogue would not be complete without discussing the new and changing roles in IT, what IT managers should know vs developer/architect concerns

 

B2B Mobile Leadership Forum

May 23, 2013, - 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM, New York University Midtown Campus, 11 West 42nd St, Room 1027, New York, New York 10036

By now we understand the trends with mobile. Almost all business decision makers have smartphones and most of them identify their phone as their primary business communication tool. Tablets are increasingly the device of choice to consume content for business leaders. Mobile traffic is growing at an unprecedented rate.

The B2B Mobile Leadership Forum is limited to 75 senior marketing and communications executives from major B2B brands and agencies. Our format will include case study presentations followed by a 60 minute interactive moderated panel discussion where attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and share their insights with the audience.

New Software Helps To Customize Your Desktop Across Single or Multiple Monitors

Often when working on a computer, employees may find that their desktop just gets too crowded. When managing many different windows, they begin to overlap and hide one another, which creates a chaotic workplace. Microsoft attempted to relieve this stress by adding the snap feature to windows, allowing users to have two windows side by side, taking up half of the desktop. However, in a rapidly evolving technological age, is that really enough?

Just in writing this article, I have five windows open and I have to work around that overlap. Actual Multiple Monitors is software that really clears the clutter and helps you organize your computer experience.

Actual Multiple Monitors for Windows allows users to recreate the entirety of the desktop, including the Windows 7 taskbar on each monitor that utilizes all of the functions, like Pin, Peek, and Jump lists. Further, it provides a full copy of the start button, system tray, clock, toolbars, etc., as well as allows Windows 8 users to create Start menus or replace them with Start buttons from Windows 7.

Now the name of the software is a bit misleading, because multiple monitors aren’t actually needed. You can have your single desktop, and split that into a grid of tiles to your liking. Open a new window and it pops up in one of your grid spaces. Maximize it and its borders are those of the grid you’ve set. Instead of wasting time opening, resizing, and rearranging windows you can dive straight into work, upping your productivity. Start to find a few different set ups for your grid depending on what you’re doing? Hotkey the layout and use is again later. Need to move a window to a certain tile area? Use hotkeys to move it without even lifting your hands.

Have a few jobs that need doing? You can customize each desktop, complete with custom backgrounds, screensavers, and hotkeys for each one, switching desktops as your work to reduce time wasted rearranging windows or changing keys. If you want a certain application to open in a certain spot or monitor, even that is an option.

While the name may mislead you into thinking it’s an unnecessary product for your business, Actual Multiple Monitors can be a real time saver for any Windows based work for your business. Employees will be better able to customize their experience, and time wasted reconfiguring will become time spent earning you a profit.

How I Outsourced My Non-Core Sales Tasks

As a small business owner and also the person who is responsible for the sales for my company, it is important that I focus on sales tasks that generate revenue.

One day, I stopped and looked at all the different sales tasks I was doing and realized that I was doing stuff that took away from generating revenue. In most cases, anything that is outside of meeting with clients and prospects that doesn’t build a relationship or uncover what a client needs is what I look at as non-core or non-revenue generating.

For example, in a typical day, I was spending about 50% to 60% of my time on sales tasks that didn’t generate revenue. Once I figured this out, I realized that I could be way more efficient and generate more sales.

Outsourcing Non-Core Sales Tasks

Below is a process that you can use to determine what sales tasks you should outsource:

Keep Track of What You Do During the Day

This is easy to do. You can typically look at what you do in any given day or you can keep a journal that lays this out for you.

Determine if it Helps You Generate Revenue or Not

You need to say to yourself, “If someone else did this, would it allow me to focus on those activities that will make me money?”

If you say yes, then you should outsource that task.

Map Out the Process

When you determine what tasks you want to outsource, make sure that you document the process so that it can be easily followed. The reason for this is critical. If the person doing the task can’t follow your process, they won’t be able to do it correctly.

To see if it is easy to do your documented task, let a friend see if they can do it. If your friend can follow your steps, then everything is good. If they can’t follow your steps, then ask for input and refine your outsourcing process.

Find Someone to Take on This Chore

This can be accomplished either at a local level or by offshoring the tasks. At a local level, you can put an ad up in a local classified service like Craigslist or ask around to see if someone can help you.

If you are looking to offshore your sales tasks, you can look to services like Elance or Fiverr. In either case, you can have people do work for you on an hourly basis or on a quoted fixed price basis.

One thing that I did have to overcome was cultural differences and time zone differences.  I have experimented with the different services listed above and one that I found that helped me out with the cultural and time zone issues was Teleworking Expats For Hire.  They were able to source North Americans based in Mexico to help me out.

Make Sure That You Monitor the Work Being Done

You should always make sure that the work that is being done it up to your expectation. If it isn’t, then see if the contractor can fix it or else you will have to find another contractor to complete your sales tasks.

Outsourcing Example

Below are some examples of some sales tasks that I am currently outsourcing; emails, cold calling, list building, answering phone calls, monitored live chat on some of my websites and transcribing videos, among others.

As an example, I’ll look at cold calling. I have a process that I use that is very effective but it is very time consuming. I looked at how long it was taking me to call on new businesses each day and realized that if I could outsource this process, then I would be saving about 2 to 3 hours per day of time.

Not only did I gain back 2 to 3 hours of time, I also was able to increase the amount of sales calls that I could make and this in turn allowed me to increase the amount of sales I make.

I am kicking myself for not doing this earlier in my career. In fact, had I had the opportunity to outsource some of my tasks years ago, I am sure that I would be way further ahead today.

Here is my suggestion, if you work for yourself or for a company, take a look at what you can outsource so that you can focus on your core revenue generating sales tasks and then get someone to look after these tasks so that you can focus on the revenue generating tasks.

Outsource Photo via Shutterstock

Indian computer authorities to investigate what led to ATM heist

The two payment processors that were attacked to pull off a daring global ATM heist have been named, according to a report.

Pune, India-based ElectraCard Services and enStage, a company with operations in Bangalore and Cupertino, California, were infiltrated by hackers who compromised prepaid debit cards, allowing them to steal $45 million (£28 million) from ATMs around the world, according to sources speaking to news service Reuters.

US federal prosecutors announced charges last Thursday against eight individuals, who allegedly formed the New York-based operations of the international gang that stole cash from thousands of ATMs in dozens of countries between December 2012 and late February.

Law enforcement called the cyber attacks ‘unlimited operations', meaning that intruders hacked into the computer systems of credit card processors to compromise prepaid debit card accounts, then raise the limits on the accounts.

Aabhas Pandya, a spokesperson for enStage, declined to confirm whether the company was struck, but said via email to SC Magazine US that enStage “is in the midst of preparing a media statement” on the matter. ElectraCard did not immediately respond for comment.

Over the weekend, Gulshan Rai, director general of the Indian Cert, told Reuters that it was investigating ‘the technical aspect' of the attacks. What this organisation turns up could help other companies in the financial industry from suffering a similar fate, which often comes with few clues it is going to happen.

Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, told SC Magazine US that there may be other entities along the payment chain that could be to blame.

“When these payment systems were implemented and developed, no one thought about internet security and now they are accessible through the internet,” she said.

“Every payment request goes through at least a dozen points. Most of those points are accessible through the internet though, so there are many kinds of attack vectors.”

The hackers purposely targeted prepaid debit cards, which are fast becoming one of the hottest non-cash payment types for consumers, who are drawn to their flexibility. The customer decides how much to fund the card, and they don't have to worry about credit checks or scores.

However, the cards are vulnerable for this very reason: banks and processors have a difficult time discerning irregular activity because there's no credit history from which to draw.