How to Make Your Online Content “Twang” with Mark Twain

With so much content being published on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that content creators and marketers are always looking for ways to make their online content twang. Not the annoying type of twang, though. Think more along the lines of a guitar - content that resonates and sticks with you like a good, catchy song.

Though he never wrote for the Internet, Mark Twain’s writings have the twang of Southern charm and timelessness. Ask anyone what the Great American Novel is and I bet they’re going to answer “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

Collective wit and power is what made Twain’s writing so memorable. By incorporating some of his techniques into your content creation, you’ll be on your way to making your content resonate with readers.

Mark Twain suggests, “The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say.”

In other words, sometimes it takes you writing a piece to completion before you realize the point or meat of it. Once you know your point, you can revise the piece to focus on that point clearly from the get-go. Keep in mind that revision doesn’t mean that you have to re-write the whole thing. Some online content needs to be tweaked while other content will require a total over-haul. Either way, you won’t know until you’ve “finished.”

“I don’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

When writing online content, it can be tempting to keyword stuff or focus on SEO practices. However, focusing on true value and meaning for your readers is what will make your content successful - and oftentimes shorter. Practicing good word economy is difficult. It’s easier to write 400 words of fluff than 200 words of meaningful content, but the latter is what drives subscriptions and repeat readers. And that’s what we all want.

“To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement…Anybody can have ideas - the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph.”

Mark Twain is absolutely right on this. Remember, the Internet is shifting toward short form online content, folks. Writing that is clean and crisp is much more effective. It also gives your brand a distinguished voice that readers will appreciate. Better yet, instead of a “glittering paragraph,” glittering one-liners make incredible social media fodder.

By taking Mark Twain’s advice into account, online content creators will have a better shot at garnering a loyal online readership. Tweak your online content like Twain.

online content




How to Make Your Online Content “Twang” with Mark Twain

With so much content being published on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that content creators and marketers are always looking for ways to make their online content twang. Not the annoying type of twang, though. Think more along the lines of a guitar - content that resonates and sticks with you like a good, catchy song.

Though he never wrote for the Internet, Mark Twain’s writings have the twang of Southern charm and timelessness. Ask anyone what the Great American Novel is and I bet they’re going to answer “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

Collective wit and power is what made Twain’s writing so memorable. By incorporating some of his techniques into your content creation, you’ll be on your way to making your content resonate with readers.

Mark Twain suggests, “The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say.”

In other words, sometimes it takes you writing a piece to completion before you realize the point or meat of it. Once you know your point, you can revise the piece to focus on that point clearly from the get-go. Keep in mind that revision doesn’t mean that you have to re-write the whole thing. Some online content needs to be tweaked while other content will require a total over-haul. Either way, you won’t know until you’ve “finished.”

“I don’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

When writing online content, it can be tempting to keyword stuff or focus on SEO practices. However, focusing on true value and meaning for your readers is what will make your content successful - and oftentimes shorter. Practicing good word economy is difficult. It’s easier to write 400 words of fluff than 200 words of meaningful content, but the latter is what drives subscriptions and repeat readers. And that’s what we all want.

“To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement…Anybody can have ideas - the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph.”

Mark Twain is absolutely right on this. Remember, the Internet is shifting toward short form online content, folks. Writing that is clean and crisp is much more effective. It also gives your brand a distinguished voice that readers will appreciate. Better yet, instead of a “glittering paragraph,” glittering one-liners make incredible social media fodder.

By taking Mark Twain’s advice into account, online content creators will have a better shot at garnering a loyal online readership. Tweak your online content like Twain.

online content




Ponemon data breach study finds costs up, notification major driver

The 2013 Cost of Data Breach Study, issued today by the Ponemon Institute, shows perhaps most clearly that one way to keep data breach losses low is to tell as few people as possible about your organization's mishaps.

The study, sponsored by Symantec, found that the cost per lost record in an average breach incident increased modestly, from $130 to $136. Germany and U.S. organizations had the highest costs, $199 and $188, respectively. This was the first year when the U.S. per-record cost wasn't the highest.

The eighth annual global report is based on the actual data breach experiences of 277 companies in nine countries including the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Australia and Brazil. All of the data breach incidents studied in the reports occurred in the 2012 calendar year.

The study notes that several attributes correlate to lower per-record losses. U.S. and U.K. companies managed to realize the greatest reduction in data breach costs by having a strong security posture, incident response plan and a CISO in place. The U.S. and France had the greatest cost reduction from the engagement of consultants to support data breach remediation.

But in discussing the results, Larry Ponemon, chair and founder of the Traverse City, Mich.-based Ponemon Institute and director of the study, suggested that the biggest factor affecting breach cost was how many people were informed.

"Organizations saw early on, in the early stages of state breach notification laws, that when they had to notify a lot of people of a breach, it did a lot of damage to their brand," Ponemon said, noting that companies, when faced with uncertainty about how many records were breached, often notify the largest possible number. While they may be trying to do the right thing or staying on the safe side of the sometimes ambiguous requirements in compliance requirements, this "over notification" is expensive, because notified customers act as if their data was breached, whether it actually was or not. 

The notification logistics all by themselves come at significant cost. The report notes that typical notification costs include IT activities associated with the creation of contact databases, determination of all regulatory requirements, engagement of outside experts and other efforts to make sure victims are alerted to the fact that their personal information has been compromised. U.S. and Germany organizations on average spent the most ($565,020 and $353,927, respectively). Brazil and India spent the least amount on notification ($53,063 and $22,232, respectively).

Whether notification losses were high or low, the larger part of the loss in most countries was due to indirect cost. Ponemon said, "Direct costs are easier to collect because normally you can associate them with some kind of out-of-pocket expenditure." Indirect cost, Ponemon added, "is basically the cost of consequence, but it's harder to measure."

In the U.S., the report says indirect costs accounted for 68% of losses, with the rest covering direct losses. The average indirect cost for lost business in the U.S. was $3,030,814 (out of an average total loss of $5,403,644). By way of contrast, in Brazil indirect costs were only 41% of the average loss. Globally, overall direct costs were 47% and overall indirect costs were 53%. Ponemon estimates the lost business based on any observed higher-than-average turnover rate and on lower-than-expect new customer acquisition rates.

Report results showed that, on average, Australian and U.S. companies had data breaches that resulted in the greatest number of exposed or compromised records (34,249 and 28,765 records, respectively). On average, Italian and Japanese companies had the smallest number of breached records (18,285 and 18,237 records, respectively). The study explicitly does not include breaches larger than 10,000 records, said Ponemon, "because they are not representative of most data breaches and to include them in the study would skew the results."

"Our model doesn't really deal with these kinds of outliers," said Ponemon. Huge numbers of lost records mean that "the unit cost is completely different"; the per-record cost drops "big-time."

While one-third of breaches are due to errors made within organizations, the third of breaches caused by malicious or criminal attacks were the most expensive in all nine countries. U.S. and German companies experienced the most expensive data breach incidents, costing $277 and $214 per compromised record, respectively. Brazil and India had the least costly data breach caused by malicious or criminal attackers at $71 and $46 per record, respectively.

"If there's one surprise," said Ponemon, "it's definitely the country variation." But, Ponemon notes, Brazil and India have either no or very lax requirements for breach notification. Whatever the reasons, both countries enjoyed the lowest estimates of the cost of lost business and, relatedly, the lowest "abnormal churn rate." In India, the rate of customer churn beyond what was expected (and therefore presumably attributable to the breach incident) was 2.7%. Brazil's rate was 2.4%. Lower abnormal churn, the study posited, results in lower losses of future business.

Not all studies view the effect of a breach on future business in the same light, however. Lawrence A. Gordon, Ernst & Young Alumni Professor of Managerial Accounting and Information Assurance at the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business, said that "it is difficult to estimate the indirect costs associated with cybersecurity breaches," and that "the biggest part of that difficulty has to do with the implicit (as contrasted with the explicit) costs associated with potential lost customers, and potential liabilities, that result from cybersecurity breaches. In fact, that is why we did a study back in 2003 looking at the impact of such breaches on the stock market returns of firms." The study's premise was that stock market returns are probably the best way to capture the implicit costs, insofar as investors figure those future costs into their estimate of the company's value.

Gordon and two collaborators published a follow-on to that initial study in 2011, with findings that suggested that "in recent years average information security breaches have become less costly." The study -- appearing in the print-only Journal of Computer Security and titled "The Impact of Information Security Breaches: Has There Been a Downward Shift in Costs?" -- noted a change among investors "toward viewing information security breaches as creating a corporate 'nuisance' (or merely another recurring operating cost) rather than creating a potentially serious economic threat to the survival of firms."




Salesforce.com Acquires ExactTarget, Fills Void In Marketing Offerings

Salesforce acquires ExactTarget, expanding marketing software

Salesforce.com is acquiring marketing software company ExactTarget for $2.5 billion. This is Salesforce.com’s biggest acquisition in its history.  It also makes Salesforce a player when it comes to marketing software.

Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com chairman and CEO, emphasized the importance of software in marketing. He said in a prepared release, “The CMO is expected to spend more on technology than the CIO by 2017.”

ExactTarget is an email marketing and marketing communications software provider. Its 6,000 clients include brands such as Nike and Coke.

The acquisition fills a void in Salesforce.com’s marketing offerings. Salesforce.com previously acquired Buddy Media and Radian6, gaining a foothold in social-media marketing software. But up until now it has lacked a full-range marketing suite that goes beyond social media marketing.  ExactTarget â€" with its emphasis on email marketing, marketing automation and mobile marketing â€" fills a large gap in what was missing.

CRM analyst Paul Greenberg writes at ZDNet, “What makes this one of salesforce’s most important acquisitions ever is Marc Benioff’s proclamation last August on the Q2 2012 financial results that the Marketing Cloud is their next ‘billion dollar’ … business. That was a lot of pressure for a company that had only a strong social media monitoring platform and a Facebook advertising platform under the rubric ‘Marketing Cloud’ and nothing else, even though what they did have was outstanding quality within its class.”

Now, analysts say, Salesforce.com has much more of what it needs to offer customers a broader “marketing cloud” â€" instead of a narrower “social marketing cloud.”

This acquisition is mostly about the enterprise market. But eventually it can benefit small and midsized businesses that are developing an appetite for marketing software.

According to analyst Brent Leary, Salesforce.com’s marketing offerings up until now largely have been aimed at enterprise buyers. Larger companies have demanded solutions because they face increasing complexity in marketing.

“But SMBs also face a complex marketing environment,” he says.

“As I see more SMBs looking to change the way they market to today’s customers, I also see them taking advantage of social, mobile, and cloud technologies,” Leary wrote in an article earlier this year in CRM Magazine.

The subtext here is that there’s benefit for the SMB market, ultimately.  That’s because ExactTarget had earlier acquired Pardot, a marketing automation software suitable for small to midsize business. This means Salesforce.com will gain marketing automation software for SMBs in the 25 - 500 employee size category, Leary says.

Salesforce is paying a 52 percent premium on ExactTarget’s share price. ExactTarget had $292 million in revenue last year, with a $21 million loss.  The transaction is expected to close by July 31, 2013.




PlanetSoho Offers Two New Solutions For Physical Invoicing to Small Businesses

Timely invoicing and collection of payments is crucial for the financial health of a growing business. In the past we have covered various invoicing options for small businesses such as Gorilla Desk, which caters specifically to service-businesses, and accounting apps such as FreshBooks and QuickBooks, which offer integrated billing features.

But the challenges of raising bulk physical invoices for a small business can be something else altogether; from printing, stuffing, getting the mailing list right and finally waiting in line at the post office. This is why we felt that the latest product launches from PlanetSoho would be of particular interest to small business owners grappling with the issue of mailing invoices.

To help small businesses accept checks via mail (almost one-third of payments received by small businesses are in the form of checks as per a 2011 report published by the National Clearing House Association), PlanetSoho has introduced the Snail Mail service . What this entails is outsourcing your invoicing to PlanetSoho by simply sending them the invoicing details and the entire process is undertaken by them, which includes mailing invoices with a return envelope in the name of your business.  This service is free for PlanetSoho members for a certain number of invoices, with additional invoices being handled for less than $1. The second new service by the company is for sending recurring ivoices to your customers. All you need to do is specify the start date and frequency and physical invoices will be raised without having to track the due date.

As per Matt Weeks, Vice President and General Manager of Ecosystem at PlanetSoho, “In this digital age, it’s easy to forget that small businesses accept over 10 billion handwritten checks every year. Our online payment system makes it easy for members to accept payment any way their customers want to pay, including checks.”

To search for other service providers offering similar service I obviously ‘Googled’ for information.  But most other platforms are either accounting apps with integrated billing or systems that focus more on moving businesses to e-billing.  Of those which were into physical invoicing, none really stood out as specializing in the small business space.

For small businesses looking to automate their invoicing process, cost is clearly a concern.  Also, you would rather work with company that not only understands the needs of the small business niche but is also well established.  On all these fronts, PlanetSoho definitely comes out a clear winner as the perfect solution for automated physical invoicing for small businesses.



6 Steps to Help You Get Started in Exporting

exporting

Are you interested in growing your business in a global economy?

Today, nearly 96 percent of consumers and over two-thirds of the world’s purchasing power reside outside the United States. Small businesses now constitute 34 percent of total export dollars, and comprise approximately 97.8 percent of all exporters.

If you’re considering exporting as a way to expand and grow your business in new markets, where should you start?

Well, there are a number of free government tools, resources and programs that can help you plan your strategy, market to overseas customers, find buyers and finance your exports. A great place to start is Export.gov. The site brings together resources from across the U.S. Government to assist American businesses in planning their international sales strategies and succeed in today’s global marketplace. It’s a great one-stop resource to help you navigate exporting and get the right help as you go.

Below are six essential steps any potential small business exporter should follow as they get started.

1. Determine Your Readiness

From committing staff and resources to developing an international marketing plan, is your business really ready to start exporting? Take this online questionnaire from BusinessUSA.gov and see how your business rates in terms of its exporting readiness. The tool also serves up useful resources based on your responses and readiness.

Once you register with Export.gov, you can start planning your entry with market research tools, track global demand for your product and more.

2. Get Free Advice

Ready to explore more? Contact your local U.S. Export Assistance Center. These centers provide free training and counseling to export-ready small businesses. There are 165 offices nationwide and overseas, staffed by pros who can offer in-depth industry and trade counseling and access to a variety of services, including financing programs and connections to international buyers.

You can also find the names of local and international U.S. Commercial Service Trade Specialists, in the United States or overseas.

3. Conduct Market Research

What potential does your product have to sell in a particular international market? Who’s the competition? Are there any barriers to trade?

Using Export.gov’s market research guides and tools like Trade Stats, you can take a step-by-step, structured approach to doing your research and identifying potential target markets.

4. Create an Export Business Plan

Here’s another great free government tool that can help you plan your export strategy - the Small Business Export Planner. The planner is customizable and can be worked through as your exporting activities grow.

In addition, Export.gov also offers a free sample outline of an international business plan.

5. Find Potential Buyers

The government can even help you locate and connect with potential buyers overseas. Opportunities range from meeting foreign buyer delegations at select U.S. trade shows to signing up for a foreign trade mission or trade show overseas. Export.gov will even help you with your marketing efforts.

6. Finance Your Exports

Whether you are entering the export market, looking to upgrade your equipment or facilities in preparation for exporting, or even help your international buyers do business with youâ€"there are a number of U.S. government financing program that can help.

Use BusinessUSA.gov’s Financing Wizard (select “Exports” in the third step) for a breakdown of financing programs from across the federal government.

Export Photo via Shutterstock




PlanetSoho Offers Two New Solutions For Physical Invoicing to Small Businesses

Timely invoicing and collection of payments is crucial for the financial health of a growing business. In the past we have covered various invoicing options for small businesses such as Gorilla Desk, which caters specifically to service-businesses, and accounting apps such as FreshBooks and QuickBooks, which offer integrated billing features.

But the challenges of raising bulk physical invoices for a small business can be something else altogether; from printing, stuffing, getting the mailing list right and finally waiting in line at the post office. This is why we felt that the latest product launches from PlanetSoho would be of particular interest to small business owners grappling with the issue of mailing invoices.

To help small businesses accept checks via mail (almost one-third of payments received by small businesses are in the form of checks as per a 2011 report published by the National Clearing House Association), PlanetSoho has introduced the Snail Mail service . What this entails is outsourcing your invoicing to PlanetSoho by simply sending them the invoicing details and the entire process is undertaken by them, which includes mailing invoices with a return envelope in the name of your business.  This service is free for PlanetSoho members for a certain number of invoices, with additional invoices being handled for less than $1. The second new service by the company is for sending recurring ivoices to your customers. All you need to do is specify the start date and frequency and physical invoices will be raised without having to track the due date.

As per Matt Weeks, Vice President and General Manager of Ecosystem at PlanetSoho, “In this digital age, it’s easy to forget that small businesses accept over 10 billion handwritten checks every year. Our online payment system makes it easy for members to accept payment any way their customers want to pay, including checks.”

To search for other service providers offering similar service I obviously ‘Googled’ for information.  But most other platforms are either accounting apps with integrated billing or systems that focus more on moving businesses to e-billing.  Of those which were into physical invoicing, none really stood out as specializing in the small business space.

For small businesses looking to automate their invoicing process, cost is clearly a concern.  Also, you would rather work with company that not only understands the needs of the small business niche but is also well established.  On all these fronts, PlanetSoho definitely comes out a clear winner as the perfect solution for automated physical invoicing for small businesses.



Go Paperless With Cloud Based Document Management and Save Money, Increase Efficiency And Boost Security

Going green isn’t just good for the environment. In some cases it can save you money, increase efficiency and bolster your security. Going paperless is one such example and incorporating a cloud based document management system can get you there!

Companies like eFileCabinet offer cloud based and desktop document management systems as well as document sharing with eSign capabilities. You can capture, manage and protect important files all in one secure and easy to use location.

With a service like this, there are no more physical file cabinets and you can reduce printing and faxing to the bare minimum, all of which can save time and money!

“Going paperless is not only better for the environment, it saves companies money and allows them access to files anytime, anywhere as well as the ability to give immediate access to clients and colleagues through document sharing,” says eFileCabinet President and CEO Matt Peterson.

Other paperless office software solutions include Square 9′s SmartSearch, which offers accounts payable automation, employee onboarding, contract management, case management and more. M-Files is another company offering similar services.

With the cost of document management software going down all the time, having a paperless office can be an easy leap to make. Obviously, saving on paper and space is a big savings for most offices. What else can you do with paperless office software?

With eFileCabinet, you’re getting document level indexing, full text search (OCR), systematic file versioning, the ability to drag and drop files from any program source, role based permission groups and audit tracking to meet regulatory requirements such as HIPAA and SEC/FINRA as well as workflow and document retention.

And with everything secure and encrypted in the paperless office software, you ensure privacy and confidentiality. You can transfer files from employee to employee with ease and peace of mind.

You save time when searching for documents, you have an automatic audit trail, you can simply many business processes. Check out more benefits on this list of ten benefits that come with a paperless office.

And while you are at it, take a look at our list of 5 ways to increase office efficiency.

Do you run a paperless office? How did you achieve it? Let us know in the comments below!



Reaching the Cloud: Dedicated Ethernet vs Public Internet Connections

Ethernet fiber connection

Cloud computing or “the cloud” is one of today’s hottest computing concepts.

It’s increasingly how small and midsize businesses take advantage of automation and improve operations and effectiveness. The Cloud makes it easier for the distributed workforce, with remote employees, to operate as a team and share information. The Cloud provides a central place for proprietary databases and applications.

It saves money too, because the Cloud typically requires less investment in capital equipment. Computing operations can be hosted virtually in a central data center, reducing maintenance costs of maintaining equipment on premises.

And the cloud is also an integral element of backup and disaster recovery plans for many organizations. If one location is inaccessible (such as when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast U.S. last year), organizations with cloud-based backup systems can continue operating with minimal or no interruptions.

But how does your organization connect to cloud applications and data stored in the cloud?  We don’t mean how individual users connect necessarily, but rather how your network connection is set up to pass information among your systems and access applications.

You may think there’s only one practical choice: use a regular Internet connection. Many small companies start out that way.

But one of the trends we are noticing is that a dedicated Ethernet connection for accessing the Cloud, is now within reach for smaller businesses. In the past these dedicated networks and connections were available mainly for large enterprises â€" and too pricey for smaller businesses. On top of that, they were often complex to set up and maintain.

But as technology takes on a central role in smaller organizations, and demand for secure access increases, ISPs are coming out with new offerings at price points designed for small and midsized companies. And not only is the price within reach, but the setup and maintenance can be outsourced now to your ISP.

Here are some advantages of a dedicated Ethernet network to access your cloud assets:

Security

As we’ve pointed out before, small businesses are now being targeted by cyber attackers. Smaller organizations are perceived as soft targets.

Let’s say you need to back up sensitive customer data to your cloud system. With public Internet connections, there is greater risk of intrusion. Information is passed along a route in the public Internet, and your service provider probably will not take responsibility for an intrusion that happens with another company along the way. Dedicated Ethernet connections are more secure by their nature, because that “handing off” of data through the public Internet doesn’t happen.

Losses Minimized, Opportunities Gained

In the above scenario, less security means more potential liability for your company. A security incident can mean considerable expense to investigate, mitigate issues, notify customers, and potentially pay damages â€" not to mention a public relations nightmare in the making.

Also, if your company is involved as a subcontractor to a larger organization, you may be required by contract or policy to take certain security steps, or indemnify against them. If you company is not able to meet security requirements, you may not be able to take advantage of opportunities.

Less Complexity

There was a time when setting up an Ethernet connection to the cloud would have been challenging. But today they are much less complex.

You can basically outsource the private Ethernet connection. An ISP that is set up to serve business clients can deliver a more-or-less “plug and play” dedicated network, meeting your requirements, to connect to the cloud.  You don’t have to support the Ethernet connection either â€" ongoing support gets handled by your service provider.

Reliability and Availability

When your cloud assets are mission critical, reliability and availability are key issues.  Ethernet is typically based on fiber and can be switched to a redundant path almost instantly, eliminating interruptions.  Public Internet connections can’t guarantee that your systems will be available consistently with the level of performance needed.

With a dedicated Ethernet network, your offsite cloud data and applications can offer the same level of performance as if they were  located within your local are network, but still maintaining the advantages of cloud computing.

Shutterstock, Ethernet fiber




Reaching the Cloud: Dedicated Ethernet vs Public Internet Connections

Ethernet fiber connection

Cloud computing or “the cloud” is one of today’s hottest computing concepts.

It’s increasingly how small and midsize businesses take advantage of automation and improve operations and effectiveness. The Cloud makes it easier for the distributed workforce, with remote employees, to operate as a team and share information. The Cloud provides a central place for proprietary databases and applications.

It saves money too, because the Cloud typically requires less investment in capital equipment. Computing operations can be hosted virtually in a central data center, reducing maintenance costs of maintaining equipment on premises.

And the cloud is also an integral element of backup and disaster recovery plans for many organizations. If one location is inaccessible (such as when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast U.S. last year), organizations with cloud-based backup systems can continue operating with minimal or no interruptions.

But how does your organization connect to cloud applications and data stored in the cloud?  We don’t mean how individual users connect necessarily, but rather how your network connection is set up to pass information among your systems and access applications.

You may think there’s only one practical choice: use a regular Internet connection. Many small companies start out that way.

But one of the trends we are noticing is that a dedicated Ethernet connection for accessing the Cloud, is now within reach for smaller businesses. In the past these dedicated networks and connections were available mainly for large enterprises â€" and too pricey for smaller businesses. On top of that, they were often complex to set up and maintain.

But as technology takes on a central role in smaller organizations, and demand for secure access increases, ISPs are coming out with new offerings at price points designed for small and midsized companies. And not only is the price within reach, but the setup and maintenance can be outsourced now to your ISP.

Here are some advantages of a dedicated Ethernet network to access your cloud assets:

Security

As we’ve pointed out before, small businesses are now being targeted by cyber attackers. Smaller organizations are perceived as soft targets.

Let’s say you need to back up sensitive customer data to your cloud system. With public Internet connections, there is greater risk of intrusion. Information is passed along a route in the public Internet, and your service provider probably will not take responsibility for an intrusion that happens with another company along the way. Dedicated Ethernet connections are more secure by their nature, because that “handing off” of data through the public Internet doesn’t happen.

Losses Minimized, Opportunities Gained

In the above scenario, less security means more potential liability for your company. A security incident can mean considerable expense to investigate, mitigate issues, notify customers, and potentially pay damages â€" not to mention a public relations nightmare in the making.

Also, if your company is involved as a subcontractor to a larger organization, you may be required by contract or policy to take certain security steps, or indemnify against them. If you company is not able to meet security requirements, you may not be able to take advantage of opportunities.

Less Complexity

There was a time when setting up an Ethernet connection to the cloud would have been challenging. But today they are much less complex.

You can basically outsource the private Ethernet connection. An ISP that is set up to serve business clients can deliver a more-or-less “plug and play” dedicated network, meeting your requirements, to connect to the cloud.  You don’t have to support the Ethernet connection either â€" ongoing support gets handled by your service provider.

Reliability and Availability

When your cloud assets are mission critical, reliability and availability are key issues.  Ethernet is typically based on fiber and can be switched to a redundant path almost instantly, eliminating interruptions.  Public Internet connections can’t guarantee that your systems will be available consistently with the level of performance needed.

With a dedicated Ethernet network, your offsite cloud data and applications can offer the same level of performance as if they were  located within your local are network, but still maintaining the advantages of cloud computing.

Shutterstock, Ethernet fiber




Go Paperless With Cloud Based Document Management and Save Money, Increase Efficiency And Boost Security

Going green isn’t just good for the environment. In some cases it can save you money, increase efficiency and bolster your security. Going paperless is one such example and incorporating a cloud based document management system can get you there!

Companies like eFileCabinet offer cloud based and desktop document management systems as well as document sharing with eSign capabilities. You can capture, manage and protect important files all in one secure and easy to use location.

With a service like this, there are no more physical file cabinets and you can reduce printing and faxing to the bare minimum, all of which can save time and money!

“Going paperless is not only better for the environment, it saves companies money and allows them access to files anytime, anywhere as well as the ability to give immediate access to clients and colleagues through document sharing,” says eFileCabinet President and CEO Matt Peterson.

Other paperless office software solutions include Square 9′s SmartSearch, which offers accounts payable automation, employee onboarding, contract management, case management and more. M-Files is another company offering similar services.

With the cost of document management software going down all the time, having a paperless office can be an easy leap to make. Obviously, saving on paper and space is a big savings for most offices. What else can you do with paperless office software?

With eFileCabinet, you’re getting document level indexing, full text search (OCR), systematic file versioning, the ability to drag and drop files from any program source, role based permission groups and audit tracking to meet regulatory requirements such as HIPAA and SEC/FINRA as well as workflow and document retention.

And with everything secure and encrypted in the paperless office software, you ensure privacy and confidentiality. You can transfer files from employee to employee with ease and peace of mind.

You save time when searching for documents, you have an automatic audit trail, you can simply many business processes. Check out more benefits on this list of ten benefits that come with a paperless office.

And while you are at it, take a look at our list of 5 ways to increase office efficiency.

Do you run a paperless office? How did you achieve it? Let us know in the comments below!



Go Paperless With Cloud Based Document Management and Save Money, Increase Efficiency And Boost Security

Going green isn’t just good for the environment. In some cases it can save you money, increase efficiency and bolster your security. Going paperless is one such example and incorporating a cloud based document management system can get you there!

Companies like eFileCabinet offer cloud based and desktop document management systems as well as document sharing with eSign capabilities. You can capture, manage and protect important files all in one secure and easy to use location.

With a service like this, there are no more physical file cabinets and you can reduce printing and faxing to the bare minimum, all of which can save time and money!

“Going paperless is not only better for the environment, it saves companies money and allows them access to files anytime, anywhere as well as the ability to give immediate access to clients and colleagues through document sharing,” says eFileCabinet President and CEO Matt Peterson.

Other paperless office software solutions include Square 9′s SmartSearch, which offers accounts payable automation, employee onboarding, contract management, case management and more. M-Files is another company offering similar services.

With the cost of document management software going down all the time, having a paperless office can be an easy leap to make. Obviously, saving on paper and space is a big savings for most offices. What else can you do with paperless office software?

With eFileCabinet, you’re getting document level indexing, full text search (OCR), systematic file versioning, the ability to drag and drop files from any program source, role based permission groups and audit tracking to meet regulatory requirements such as HIPAA and SEC/FINRA as well as workflow and document retention.

And with everything secure and encrypted in the paperless office software, you ensure privacy and confidentiality. You can transfer files from employee to employee with ease and peace of mind.

You save time when searching for documents, you have an automatic audit trail, you can simply many business processes. Check out more benefits on this list of ten benefits that come with a paperless office.

And while you are at it, take a look at our list of 5 ways to increase office efficiency.

Do you run a paperless office? How did you achieve it? Let us know in the comments below!



The Story Of Chocolatey Success: Cavalier Adopts CRM And Business Intelligence To Get Ahead

Meet Cavalier, a Belgium based company that produces sweet chocolates without any added sugar. Cavalier was facing a problem: it was  getting too big and chunky! The software it used no longer fit its size.

To put things in perspective, Cavalier has grown to become a company with over 199 products and more than 50 employees, selling to over 50 countries around the world. Its chocolates are advertised as tooth-friendly delicious pieces of candy that contain antioxidants, are rich in fibers, and contain a number of essential vitamins and minerals. In a few short words, the company sells healthy chocolates.

The company had its own enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution and used a number of other technologies to cope, including in-house business software for managing customers. Because of its global recognition, its needs started to surpass its software’s ability to meet them. Problems included the lack of its software’s ability to accommodate for future growth, a lack of interoperability between Cavalier’s many tech solutions, and a lack of control of its supply chain. To make decisions that will move it forward, Cavalier needed to find a new solution.

So Cavalier turned to Belgian consulting firm Expertum, which recommended a fully-scalable solution through SAP called SAP Business All-In-One. This solution, offered by one of the biggest enterprise solution providers, has an ERP platform coupled with a customer relationship management (CRM) solution and supplier relationship management (SRM), things that Cavalier badly needed. Added to this, SAP’s all-in-one (AIO) solution also has a business intelligence (BI) platform, which will let the chocolate maker point to problem areas and make decisions based on financial and operational reporting.

Since adopting SAP AIO two years ago, Cavalier has had the following benefits:

  • Increased transparency of the data coming through the system.
  • Increased scalability.
  • “Last year, we had a growth of 55 percent,” said Felix Verdegem, CEO of Cavalier.
Verdegem also had something to say about small businesses thinking about using SAP’s services: “At first, we thought that SAP would be too big of a step for us because only the giants were using it. But then, we met our consultants from Expertum and they told us about SAP’s ‘Fast Start’ program, which at the time we adopted was called ‘Rapid Deployment.’” The SAP Fast Start program for SAP All-In-One is designed under the premise that a large part of a business’ operations is very similar to other businesses’ operations. Since they are similar, a “one size fits all” solution can seriously mitigate implementation problems that small- and medium-sized businesses can encounter during deployment.

Integration was slightly lengthy. It took three months for Cavalier to absorb the new solution. This was a necessary sacrifice to ensure that business processes were streamlined to provide for growth and nourishment. According to Expertum, customers must adjust their processes to fit the solution, not the other way around.

Since the company has been behind the wheel of a software-based command center, it has benefitted from the ability to expand and increase their product portfolio, allowing it to get all the wiggle room it needs to compete with rival chocolate makers around the world.



Social Media More Important Than Ever in Consumer Buying

Do you go straight to Google before heading out to make a new purchase? If so, you aren’t alone. A recent study conducted by Digital Air Strike found that online reviews of car dealerships play a larger role than ever in shopping decisions of car-buyers. The study, which looked at both the social media habits of 650 dealerships and the shopping habits of 2,000 consumers, found that 81 percent of car buyers looked at reviews of a dealership in search results when buying a new car, showing that if a dealership isn’t showing well on Google and Bing, chances are that dealership won’t win customers.

Search engine rankings are becoming increasingly important to small businesses, who realize customers no longer go to the phone book to find local services. Word-of-mouth has always been a powerful factor in consumer buying habits, but social media has taken that word-of-mouth online, where it can spread to hundreds of local customers within hours, remaining online for years.

Car dealerships are learning the same lesson many small businesses have had to learn the hard way. If they don’t set up a social media presence, consumers will find information on other sites. Small businesses should pay special attention to Facebook’s new Graph Search feature since, according to the study, there is a 43 percent probability that consumers will use the feature to search for a car dealership. Graph Search is a relatively new feature, still in Beta, but the survey results prove that it is likely to become a prominent method of not only finding information on Facebook but finding information in general.

The survey also found:

  • 67 percent of car buyers search for local businesses on mobile devices
  • There is a 59 percent probability a consumer will trust a recommendation from a Facebook friend over online reviews
  • 81 percent of car buyers using review sites said they look at review scores in search results

Especially notable in these search results is the fact that consumers are using mobile devices to find local businesses. When a consumer types in plumber on a mobile device, the closest results are displayed. Some businesses choose to pay to be first, signing up for Google AdWords. However, many consumers have grown accustomed to skipping the ads at the top of search results. So for many small businesses, the goal is to appear prominently in search results the legitimate way-using quality content and search engine optimization (SEO) skills.

If a person searches for “San Diego plumber” and you’re a plumber serving the San Diego area, you’ll need to incorporate the words “San Diego” and “plumber” into your content. It’s important to do this naturally, with well-written, relevant content throughout your site. For maximum results, include the words in each page’s meta description, which can be done through your HTML page or by using SEO widgets.

As consumers increasingly rely on the Internet for information on businesses, search engine and social media activity is more important than ever. With so many free tools available to help small businesses, a business owner can easily increase online visibility by making a few simple changes.



NetTraveler attacks compromise private sector and embassies

A series of advanced attacks have been detected against more than 350 high profile victims in 40 countries.

According to research by Kaspersky Lab, the main tool used by the threat actors during these attacks is called ‘NetTraveler' and is used by attackers for basic surveillance of victims. Some evidence points to activity since 2005, but the main years of activity were between 2010 and 2011.

It claimed that NetTraveler is used by a medium-sized threat actor group from China and although not very advanced, the attackers have successfully compromised hundreds of targets around the world. “Based on collected intelligence, we estimate the group size to about 50 individuals, most of which speak Chinese natively with knowledge of English language,” it said.

The report claimed that known targets for NetTraveler include Tibetan activists, oil industry companies, scientific research centres and institutes, universities, private companies, governments and governmental institutions, embassies and military contractors.

Analysis found diplomatic victims to be most infected, accounting for 32 per cent of infections, while the most infected country was Mongolia, representing 29 per cent of infections.

Through analysis of the command and control (C&C) servers, Kaspersky Lab found that the NetTraveler backdoor is often used together with other malware families, while initial impact is done by spear phishing emails with malicious Microsoft office documents posing as attachments.

Kaspersky Lab said that NetTraveler is a data exfiltration tool, designed to extract large amounts of private information from the victim's system over long periods of time. It uses compression techniques and a fail-safe protocol to ensure that uploaded data is safely transferred to the attacker's servers, and typically exfiltrates common file types such as documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint, rich text files and PDFs.

Kaspersky Lab said: “The data set collected so far from the sinkhole is relatively small and includes victims in Mongolia, South Korea and India. We will continue to monitor the connections and over time, update this paper with more data as it becomes available.”



Nato announces plans for quick-reaction cyber defence teams

Nato has announced plans to form ‘quick-reaction cyber defence teams' to protect its and allies' networks.

According to secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, it has dealt with 2,500 ‘significant cases' of cyber attacks in the past year, as the US Department of Defense reported.

He said that ministers have agreed to approach cyber defence as an alliance so one attack can be dealt with quickly and effectively. “Cyber defence is only as effective as the weakest link in the chain. By working together, we strengthen the chain,” he said.

He said that by October, the teams should be fully operational and while they will focus primarily on protecting Nato's networks, they may also respond to attacks on individual members states that request Nato's assistance.

He said: “Cyber attacks do not stop at national borders. Our defences should not, either.”

More is expected to be announced on the response teams later this year.

Ross Brewer, vice president and managing director for international markets at LogRhythm, said: “For an organisation like Nato, the ramifications of a successful cyber attack could be incredibly damaging - and lives, as well as highly sensitive information, could be lost as a result.

“Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attacks and, while they may have been unsuccessful in breaching Nato's networks to date, this doesn't mean it won't happen in the future.

“As they say knowledge is power, and this is especially pertinent when it comes to defending against cyber criminals in order to stay one step ahead.  It's therefore heartening that organisations such as Nato are increasing the amount of information that they share internally.”



Corporate data loss seen to be a collective responsibility

Three-quarters of respondents to a recent poll believe that data loss is a collective responsibility.

According to the poll on a recent SC Magazine webcast, 76 per cent of respondents believe that data loss is a collective responsibility, while 12 per cent blamed management and 12 per cent the individual ‘who sent it'.

Commenting, Tim Burnett, information security manager at Atos, said that there is a whole range of issues, as "every excuse under the sun will be made if you have a breach".

Speaking from Atos' own experience, he said that a memory stick with encrypted data was lost when a sensitive customer project was being worked on, and that hit the news and it had to take responsibility to make sure it was not using such USB sticks anymore.

He said: “So the first thing is putting the policy in place that says ‘USB sticks should not be removed from the room', and that was broken, and that all data on a USB stick should be encrypted and some was and some was not.

“If you don't have a structure in place that is consistent across the entire company, then you end up with a problem with people moving jobs and departments and don't understand the situation, so we had to put in place a blanket ban on USB sticks.

“We only allow the use of hardware encrypted USB sticks and they must be company-approved so we have a limited number of devices so we have reduced the number and we have strict controls on them.”

Speaking on the poll results, Burnett said that you can start with a policy that says ‘this is how you must or must not do data sharing' and admitted that it takes time to get there. “If it is a collective responsibility you have to have the company policies in place and they have to be clearly defined and understood by the employees,” he said.

“If the IT technology is there then why not use it? Ultimately employees are responsible for their own actions.”

Jeff Whitney, vice president of global marketing at Ipswitch File Transfer, said that it was interesting to see the numbers on breaches; following an SC Magazine and Ipswitch survey of information security professionals found that 99 per cent of respondents said it was ‘important' that their organisation offered secure file sharing.

Whitney said that there was plenty of ‘blame and pain' going on across the board, and accountability is a challenge.

“They'll say ‘everyone does the same thing, so how can you hold me accountable when it is an unauthorised company approach'," he said.

“IT of course gets held accountable, and they have to talk to the managing director about why this happened, and the managing director has to go to the board and has to explain that, so it is a very uncomfortable situation that overall people want to avoid for so many different reasons.”



The Story Of Chocolatey Success: Cavalier Adopts CRM And Business Intelligence To Get Ahead

Meet Cavalier, a Belgium based company that produces sweet chocolates without any added sugar. Cavalier was facing a problem: it was  getting too big and chunky! The software it used no longer fit its size.

To put things in perspective, Cavalier has grown to become a company with over 199 products and more than 50 employees, selling to over 50 countries around the world. Its chocolates are advertised as tooth-friendly delicious pieces of candy that contain antioxidants, are rich in fibers, and contain a number of essential vitamins and minerals. In a few short words, the company sells healthy chocolates.

The company had its own enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution and used a number of other technologies to cope, including in-house business software for managing customers. Because of its global recognition, its needs started to surpass its software’s ability to meet them. Problems included the lack of its software’s ability to accommodate for future growth, a lack of interoperability between Cavalier’s many tech solutions, and a lack of control of its supply chain. To make decisions that will move it forward, Cavalier needed to find a new solution.

So Cavalier turned to Belgian consulting firm Expertum, which recommended a fully-scalable solution through SAP called SAP Business All-In-One. This solution, offered by one of the biggest enterprise solution providers, has an ERP platform coupled with a customer relationship management (CRM) solution and supplier relationship management (SRM), things that Cavalier badly needed. Added to this, SAP’s all-in-one (AIO) solution also has a business intelligence (BI) platform, which will let the chocolate maker point to problem areas and make decisions based on financial and operational reporting.

Since adopting SAP AIO two years ago, Cavalier has had the following benefits:

  • Increased transparency of the data coming through the system.
  • Increased scalability.
  • “Last year, we had a growth of 55 percent,” said Felix Verdegem, CEO of Cavalier.
Verdegem also had something to say about small businesses thinking about using SAP’s services: “At first, we thought that SAP would be too big of a step for us because only the giants were using it. But then, we met our consultants from Expertum and they told us about SAP’s ‘Fast Start’ program, which at the time we adopted was called ‘Rapid Deployment.’” The SAP Fast Start program for SAP All-In-One is designed under the premise that a large part of a business’ operations is very similar to other businesses’ operations. Since they are similar, a “one size fits all” solution can seriously mitigate implementation problems that small- and medium-sized businesses can encounter during deployment.

Integration was slightly lengthy. It took three months for Cavalier to absorb the new solution. This was a necessary sacrifice to ensure that business processes were streamlined to provide for growth and nourishment. According to Expertum, customers must adjust their processes to fit the solution, not the other way around.

Since the company has been behind the wheel of a software-based command center, it has benefitted from the ability to expand and increase their product portfolio, allowing it to get all the wiggle room it needs to compete with rival chocolate makers around the world.



Social Media More Important Than Ever in Consumer Buying

Do you go straight to Google before heading out to make a new purchase? If so, you aren’t alone. A recent study conducted by Digital Air Strike found that online reviews of car dealerships play a larger role than ever in shopping decisions of car-buyers. The study, which looked at both the social media habits of 650 dealerships and the shopping habits of 2,000 consumers, found that 81 percent of car buyers looked at reviews of a dealership in search results when buying a new car, showing that if a dealership isn’t showing well on Google and Bing, chances are that dealership won’t win customers.

Search engine rankings are becoming increasingly important to small businesses, who realize customers no longer go to the phone book to find local services. Word-of-mouth has always been a powerful factor in consumer buying habits, but social media has taken that word-of-mouth online, where it can spread to hundreds of local customers within hours, remaining online for years.

Car dealerships are learning the same lesson many small businesses have had to learn the hard way. If they don’t set up a social media presence, consumers will find information on other sites. Small businesses should pay special attention to Facebook’s new Graph Search feature since, according to the study, there is a 43 percent probability that consumers will use the feature to search for a car dealership. Graph Search is a relatively new feature, still in Beta, but the survey results prove that it is likely to become a prominent method of not only finding information on Facebook but finding information in general.

The survey also found:

  • 67 percent of car buyers search for local businesses on mobile devices
  • There is a 59 percent probability a consumer will trust a recommendation from a Facebook friend over online reviews
  • 81 percent of car buyers using review sites said they look at review scores in search results

Especially notable in these search results is the fact that consumers are using mobile devices to find local businesses. When a consumer types in plumber on a mobile device, the closest results are displayed. Some businesses choose to pay to be first, signing up for Google AdWords. However, many consumers have grown accustomed to skipping the ads at the top of search results. So for many small businesses, the goal is to appear prominently in search results the legitimate way-using quality content and search engine optimization (SEO) skills.

If a person searches for “San Diego plumber” and you’re a plumber serving the San Diego area, you’ll need to incorporate the words “San Diego” and “plumber” into your content. It’s important to do this naturally, with well-written, relevant content throughout your site. For maximum results, include the words in each page’s meta description, which can be done through your HTML page or by using SEO widgets.

As consumers increasingly rely on the Internet for information on businesses, search engine and social media activity is more important than ever. With so many free tools available to help small businesses, a business owner can easily increase online visibility by making a few simple changes.



StraightTalk: Are Prepaid Cell Phone Plans Good For Small Business?

Cell phones have practically become part of our anatomies. We show off our newest cell phone like it was a new baby. We carry them everywhere. We cannot live without them, as consumers, but especially as business owners. Mobile phones are mission critical. The Pew Internet project reports that 29 percent of cell owners describe their cell phone as “something they can’t imagine living without.”

Forty five percent of American adults are smartphone owners. My guess is that a good portion of those must be business owners. Smartphones supercharge your productivity. But they also supercharge your cell phone bill. If you have been searching for options, this review is for you. StraightTalk, a provider of prepaid wireless service, provided a short term loaner iPhone 5 for this review.

My purpose in this review is not to extol the virtues of the iPhone 5 â€" the awesomeness of Apple’s latest phone is not to be under-rated, though. It is a sweet and powerful device and you don’t need my recommendation if you are already an Apple fan. However, if you are not, StraightTalk has a variety of phones on their prepaid plans.

The purpose of this review is to highlight that there are other options to have an affordable cell phone plan without a long-term contract and the subsidized phone you usually get along with a long-term contract.

Here’s a quick look below at my “cell phone minutes” dashboard. If I had the $30 plan, I’m sure it would show more detail. You can also top up your prepaid balance here, of course.

straighttalk

The benefits of prepaid:

  • No long term contracts. You go month-to-month.
  • Generally, lower monthly cost.
  • You can buy an unlocked phone and move from one provider to another. It does take some patience and tech chops, however. For example, the elegant Nexus 4 phone from Google is reportedly possible to put on the StraightTalk service. I’ve read mixed results, though.
  • Smaller carriers score better in the customer satisfaction arena, as reported by the American Customer Satisfaction Index that rates the wireless phone industry (among others).
  • You can walk into a Walmart and many other retailers, and buy a phone and a plan.

The downside of prepaid:

  • You have to buy a phone at full price. There is no major carrier subsidizing your phone for you with free or low prices to entice you. The loaner iPhone 5 retails for about $650. However, to be fair, if you crunch out major carrier plans that are usually more per month, you will likely find that you are paying more over that two-year contract.  
  • Month-to-month prepaid plans can be a bit confusing. Your minutes run out in 30 days usually.
  • In this case, there was no report on calls made or received. I would like to see a way to pull that kind of report. It would help with some tax requirements, I’m sure.

straighttalk

StraightTalk (owned by TracFone) offers two plans:

  1. The “ALL YOU NEED” plan for $30 a month to receive 1000 minutes, 1000 text or multimedia messages, 30 MB of data transfer for data phones and 411 calls at no additional charge. $30 per month.
  2. The unlimited plan for $45 a month to receive unlimited talk, text and data nationwide anytime with calls to 411 at no additional charge.  There is an international version of this for $60/month.

Overall, I find the no-contract, prepaid type phone carriers to be one of the best ways to save money in my small business. Although StraightTalk provided a loaner phone, I did not receive any special customer treatment. I found the signup process to be painless and had good customer support throughout my review period.

StraightTalk offers a range of smartphones (and not so smart ones, too â€" feature phones) starting from free. There were a few nice LG Optimus phones for $149, a Blackberry Curve for $129, and a Samsung Galaxy Precedent for $79.

And for those of you that fall into the category of describing your cell phone as something you “can’t imagine living without” as I’d mentioned previously, here are 4 ways to tell if you are addicted to your iPhone 5.

Just in case you’ve been sleeping with your phone and are beginning to wonder if that is a problem….




StraightTalk: Are Prepaid Cell Phone Plans Good For Small Business?

Cell phones have practically become part of our anatomies. We show off our newest cell phone like it was a new baby. We carry them everywhere. We cannot live without them, as consumers, but especially as business owners. Mobile phones are mission critical. The Pew Internet project reports that 29 percent of cell owners describe their cell phone as “something they can’t imagine living without.”

Forty five percent of American adults are smartphone owners. My guess is that a good portion of those must be business owners. Smartphones supercharge your productivity. But they also supercharge your cell phone bill. If you have been searching for options, this review is for you. StraightTalk, a provider of prepaid wireless service, provided a short term loaner iPhone 5 for this review.

My purpose in this review is not to extol the virtues of the iPhone 5 â€" the awesomeness of Apple’s latest phone is not to be under-rated, though. It is a sweet and powerful device and you don’t need my recommendation if you are already an Apple fan. However, if you are not, StraightTalk has a variety of phones on their prepaid plans.

The purpose of this review is to highlight that there are other options to have an affordable cell phone plan without a long-term contract and the subsidized phone you usually get along with a long-term contract.

Here’s a quick look below at my “cell phone minutes” dashboard. If I had the $30 plan, I’m sure it would show more detail. You can also top up your prepaid balance here, of course.

straighttalk

The benefits of prepaid:

  • No long term contracts. You go month-to-month.
  • Generally, lower monthly cost.
  • You can buy an unlocked phone and move from one provider to another. It does take some patience and tech chops, however. For example, the elegant Nexus 4 phone from Google is reportedly possible to put on the StraightTalk service. I’ve read mixed results, though.
  • Smaller carriers score better in the customer satisfaction arena, as reported by the American Customer Satisfaction Index that rates the wireless phone industry (among others).
  • You can walk into a Walmart and many other retailers, and buy a phone and a plan.

The downside of prepaid:

  • You have to buy a phone at full price. There is no major carrier subsidizing your phone for you with free or low prices to entice you. The loaner iPhone 5 retails for about $650. However, to be fair, if you crunch out major carrier plans that are usually more per month, you will likely find that you are paying more over that two-year contract.  
  • Month-to-month prepaid plans can be a bit confusing. Your minutes run out in 30 days usually.
  • In this case, there was no report on calls made or received. I would like to see a way to pull that kind of report. It would help with some tax requirements, I’m sure.

straighttalk

StraightTalk (owned by TracFone) offers two plans:

  1. The “ALL YOU NEED” plan for $30 a month to receive 1000 minutes, 1000 text or multimedia messages, 30 MB of data transfer for data phones and 411 calls at no additional charge. $30 per month.
  2. The unlimited plan for $45 a month to receive unlimited talk, text and data nationwide anytime with calls to 411 at no additional charge.  There is an international version of this for $60/month.

Overall, I find the no-contract, prepaid type phone carriers to be one of the best ways to save money in my small business. Although StraightTalk provided a loaner phone, I did not receive any special customer treatment. I found the signup process to be painless and had good customer support throughout my review period.

StraightTalk offers a range of smartphones (and not so smart ones, too â€" feature phones) starting from free. There were a few nice LG Optimus phones for $149, a Blackberry Curve for $129, and a Samsung Galaxy Precedent for $79.

And for those of you that fall into the category of describing your cell phone as something you “can’t imagine living without” as I’d mentioned previously, here are 4 ways to tell if you are addicted to your iPhone 5.

Just in case you’ve been sleeping with your phone and are beginning to wonder if that is a problem….




Cost of a data breach tops £2 million

The total cost of a data breach to UK organisations has risen to over £2 million, according to research.

The latest Cost of a data breach study by Symantec and the Ponemon Institute has found that while the cost of a breach to a UK organisation has risen to £2.04 million, the appointment of chief information security officers (CISOs) with enterprise-wide responsibilities, comprehensive incident response plans and stronger overall security programmes has helped the problem overall.

Based upon cost estimates provided by the more than 300 individuals and the costs incurred by 38 UK companies in 12 industry sectors that experienced the loss or theft of protected personal data and then had to notify breach victims and/or regulators as required by law, the report deemed the average per capita cost of a data breach to have increased from £79 to £86.

The report found that while negligence is the main cause of data breach, 37 per cent of data breaches involved negligent employees or contractors, while malicious or criminal attacks have increased slightly from 31 to 34 per cent of data breaches, making this the most costly type of breach at £102 per compromised record.

The average cost of data breaches per compromised record due to system or business process failures was £79, and data breaches caused by employee or contractor negligence was £76.

Mike Smart, product and solutions manager at Symantec, said: “With more than a third of UK data breaches involving negligent employees or contractors, the ‘human factor' is still the weakest link, and so training and awareness should be a priority from the offset. But here in the UK it seems that malicious attacks are becoming nearly as big a problem.

“Not only have more data breaches been down to malicious attacks, but when it does happen, it's far more costly. The report has shown that there are certain factors that influence the cost of a breach so there are things businesses can do to in advance to reduce the impact on the organisation; from educating and training employees on how to handle confidential information, to having a proper incident response plan in place.”

Finally, he research discovered that having a CISO resulted in cost savings, and having an incident response plan, a company's security posture, addition of a consultant and quick notification of the data breach all reducing the average cost from £86 to £73.

Also, 39 per cent of those surveyed had centralised the management of data protection with the appointment of a C-level information security professional.