7 Tips to Close Skill Gaps, Up Your Value and Solve More Problems

There’s no guarantee today that if you have a job you are secure. Keeping the job you have, or being in career transition both require dedicated attention and action. So what are you doing to enhance your customer and career retention? What is your plan and do you have one for career change?

If you are not armed with the weapons, tools and a strategy for professional advancement to compete at today’s level, then you are vulnerable.

There are more job and career opportunities, but the competition and requirements for them are as fierce as they have ever been.

The most successful job candidates are “inventors and solution-finders,” who are relentlessly “entrepreneurial” because they understand that many employers want what you can do and what you can continuously reinvent yourself to do. ~ How to Get a Job, New York Times

One of my very savvy nurse practitioner friends was a sought after professional for 17 years, until one Friday she was called in and politely fired. The practice was sold to a managed group and they were taking the practice in another direction. She wasn’t prepared to job search in today’s career world, even at her level.

She was medically skilled with lots of good connections, but no LinkedIn, social media or updated resume. She also wasn’t up to date on the new online billing, coding and insurance compliance because someone else did it for her.

She used her connections to get another job within two weeks because of her reputation and following, but she had to work longer hours, see more patients, learn new processes and work harder than she had in 10 years. Now she is responsible for all that coding, billing and compliance and was able to add those  invaluable and essential skills necessary to function in today’s medical world.

She closed her skill gaps, upped her value that was now expected, and is now prepared for job retention or finding a new job if that scenario presents itself again.

Career transition is a way of life for both those who have a career or job, as well as those who have been downsized or laid off. Additionally, more and more people are deciding what they really want to do, who they want to work for, stepping out and making the case for why they should be hired and making that happen.

Taking your career into your own hands and steering  your own career ship in the direction you want it to go is smart, proactive and very effective.

We can’t live on yesterday’s career accomplishments and experiences. Talking about what you did is fine, but talking more about what you are doing is better.

Identify Your Skill Gaps and Close Them to Up Your Value

Get some help by hiring a certified coach or career consultant to help you identify and strategically work on this.

Be Job and Career “Search Process” Savvy

Make sure you are proficient in the online search and networking process, especially on LinkedIn. Complete your profile, connect with strategic people, increase your activity and engage with your connections.

Develop a  ”Career Retention” Mindset

Be progressive and proactive about learning, expanding and growing beyond where you are, so you are the least likely person they let go and  the first one they can’t be without.

Develop Your Own “Personal Customer Service Process”

Have your own dedicated process of how you consistently serve people and demonstrate your value. Your  results and how you solve problems can ensure your indispensability.

Get Ramped Up for Fast Paced Change as a Way of Life

Put all the skills in place you need to navigate change now. No moaning or procrastination allowed.

Get on Top of and Just Ahead of Trends and Best Practices

Be as current, relevant and real-time as you can in your industry and field so you are always thought of as an informed, trusted adviser.

Own Your Time With People, Especially in Person

Put the phone away, look people in the eye, be interested in them and learn to chit chat better.

What skill gaps can you close, what added value can you offer and what problems can you solve today?

Success Photo via Shutterstock

7 Tips to Close Skill Gaps, Up Your Value and Solve More Problems

There’s no guarantee today that if you have a job you are secure. Keeping the job you have, or being in career transition both require dedicated attention and action. So what are you doing to enhance your customer and career retention? What is your plan and do you have one for career change?

If you are not armed with the weapons, tools and a strategy for professional advancement to compete at today’s level, then you are vulnerable.

There are more job and career opportunities, but the competition and requirements for them are as fierce as they have ever been.

The most successful job candidates are “inventors and solution-finders,” who are relentlessly “entrepreneurial” because they understand that many employers want what you can do and what you can continuously reinvent yourself to do. ~ How to Get a Job, New York Times

One of my very savvy nurse practitioner friends was a sought after professional for 17 years, until one Friday she was called in and politely fired. The practice was sold to a managed group and they were taking the practice in another direction. She wasn’t prepared to job search in today’s career world, even at her level.

She was medically skilled with lots of good connections, but no LinkedIn, social media or updated resume. She also wasn’t up to date on the new online billing, coding and insurance compliance because someone else did it for her.

She used her connections to get another job within two weeks because of her reputation and following, but she had to work longer hours, see more patients, learn new processes and work harder than she had in 10 years. Now she is responsible for all that coding, billing and compliance and was able to add those  invaluable and essential skills necessary to function in today’s medical world.

She closed her skill gaps, upped her value that was now expected, and is now prepared for job retention or finding a new job if that scenario presents itself again.

Career transition is a way of life for both those who have a career or job, as well as those who have been downsized or laid off. Additionally, more and more people are deciding what they really want to do, who they want to work for, stepping out and making the case for why they should be hired and making that happen.

Taking your career into your own hands and steering  your own career ship in the direction you want it to go is smart, proactive and very effective.

We can’t live on yesterday’s career accomplishments and experiences. Talking about what you did is fine, but talking more about what you are doing is better.

Identify Your Skill Gaps and Close Them to Up Your Value

Get some help by hiring a certified coach or career consultant to help you identify and strategically work on this.

Be Job and Career “Search Process” Savvy

Make sure you are proficient in the online search and networking process, especially on LinkedIn. Complete your profile, connect with strategic people, increase your activity and engage with your connections.

Develop a  ”Career Retention” Mindset

Be progressive and proactive about learning, expanding and growing beyond where you are, so you are the least likely person they let go and  the first one they can’t be without.

Develop Your Own “Personal Customer Service Process”

Have your own dedicated process of how you consistently serve people and demonstrate your value. Your  results and how you solve problems can ensure your indispensability.

Get Ramped Up for Fast Paced Change as a Way of Life

Put all the skills in place you need to navigate change now. No moaning or procrastination allowed.

Get on Top of and Just Ahead of Trends and Best Practices

Be as current, relevant and real-time as you can in your industry and field so you are always thought of as an informed, trusted adviser.

Own Your Time With People, Especially in Person

Put the phone away, look people in the eye, be interested in them and learn to chit chat better.

What skill gaps can you close, what added value can you offer and what problems can you solve today?

Success Photo via Shutterstock

The 6 Best Ways To Keep Your Social Media Presence Secure

Brought to you by AVG Technologies, the provider of Internet and mobile security, privacy and optimization to 150 million active users. There’s nothing small about small business in our eyes. Get more information how AVG can help your small business stay protected - go to http://www.avg.com/eu-en/internet-security-business.    

The 6 Best Ways To Keep Your Social Media Presence Secure

For a long time, social media has been a safe haven for people who wanted to sit under the umbrella of a secure service to talk to one another. In recent years, the number of viruses on different social media outlets has exploded, according to TechCrunch’s coverage of AVG’s “Community Powered Threat Report.”

That said, it would be outlandish to say that social media has become a hostile environment. However, it’s wise to be aware of all the possible ways that a hacker can compromise your account, especially considering that you likely have a large chunk of your professional and personal life invested in the social sphere. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make security your priority, especially if you have a business.

If you are not using social media, your employees are. This presents a danger, depending on what they’re talking about with friends (i.e. if they’re talking about anything work-related), or whether they access their accounts through your computers.

Whether you’re primarily focused on using social networks for personal reasons, or you prefer to establish a professional “business presence” on them, you’re going to have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s with regards to security. Nothing will protect you more than a proper policy and a set of best practices.

To help keep your social media presence secure, you can use these six best practice tips:

• Ensure that you and your employees use different passwords for each social media account. Since networks like Facebook and Twitter are highly popular, they’ll be the most targeted. Don’t use the same password for your Facebook account as you do for Gmail. Once hackers get their hands on your email, they’ll go after Facebook or Twitter, and vice versa.
• When opening a link from any social network, make sure that everyone looks twice at the URL in the address bar, especially if the link leads to a login page. Some hackers deceive them into thinking that they’re in a Facebook login page (I’m using Facebook as an example). But when they “log in,” all their login information is sent to the hacker. This immediately compromises any account. If one of the employees is an administrator in your social pages (such as a business page on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter), this will likely harm the presence you have there.
• Ensure that everyone is using HTTPS to connect to Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, click the gear icon on the top right corner, click “Account settings,” and then go to “Security.” There, you can enable secure browsing. Twitter should have HTTPS enabled by default.
• Tell employees to choose their friends wisely. They should not accept friend requests from people who they don’t know or trust. It is paramount for people with the most access to your company’s data to practice this.
• Encourage employees to exercise this, while also exercising it yourself: Disable every feature of Facebook, and then open each one as you need it. There are some unnecessary things enabled by default that you must opt out of, which can lead to vulnerabilities in your account.
• Hold workshops with employees (preferably with assistance from a tech professional), educating them on the latest security practices and letting them know what dangers they may face on a day-to-day basis. Let them know what they can and cannot share about the work they do with you.

Try applying these tips to every social network you use. As you tighten up your security, don’t forget that this will help preserve your image. If you suffer a compromise, your reputation will be soiled one way or another.

The 6 Best Ways To Keep Your Social Media Presence Secure

Brought to you by AVG Technologies, the provider of Internet and mobile security, privacy and optimization to 150 million active users. There’s nothing small about small business in our eyes. Get more information how AVG can help your small business stay protected - go to http://www.avg.com/eu-en/internet-security-business.    

The 6 Best Ways To Keep Your Social Media Presence Secure

For a long time, social media has been a safe haven for people who wanted to sit under the umbrella of a secure service to talk to one another. In recent years, the number of viruses on different social media outlets has exploded, according to TechCrunch’s coverage of AVG’s “Community Powered Threat Report.”

That said, it would be outlandish to say that social media has become a hostile environment. However, it’s wise to be aware of all the possible ways that a hacker can compromise your account, especially considering that you likely have a large chunk of your professional and personal life invested in the social sphere. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make security your priority, especially if you have a business.

If you are not using social media, your employees are. This presents a danger, depending on what they’re talking about with friends (i.e. if they’re talking about anything work-related), or whether they access their accounts through your computers.

Whether you’re primarily focused on using social networks for personal reasons, or you prefer to establish a professional “business presence” on them, you’re going to have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s with regards to security. Nothing will protect you more than a proper policy and a set of best practices.

To help keep your social media presence secure, you can use these six best practice tips:

• Ensure that you and your employees use different passwords for each social media account. Since networks like Facebook and Twitter are highly popular, they’ll be the most targeted. Don’t use the same password for your Facebook account as you do for Gmail. Once hackers get their hands on your email, they’ll go after Facebook or Twitter, and vice versa.
• When opening a link from any social network, make sure that everyone looks twice at the URL in the address bar, especially if the link leads to a login page. Some hackers deceive them into thinking that they’re in a Facebook login page (I’m using Facebook as an example). But when they “log in,” all their login information is sent to the hacker. This immediately compromises any account. If one of the employees is an administrator in your social pages (such as a business page on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter), this will likely harm the presence you have there.
• Ensure that everyone is using HTTPS to connect to Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, click the gear icon on the top right corner, click “Account settings,” and then go to “Security.” There, you can enable secure browsing. Twitter should have HTTPS enabled by default.
• Tell employees to choose their friends wisely. They should not accept friend requests from people who they don’t know or trust. It is paramount for people with the most access to your company’s data to practice this.
• Encourage employees to exercise this, while also exercising it yourself: Disable every feature of Facebook, and then open each one as you need it. There are some unnecessary things enabled by default that you must opt out of, which can lead to vulnerabilities in your account.
• Hold workshops with employees (preferably with assistance from a tech professional), educating them on the latest security practices and letting them know what dangers they may face on a day-to-day basis. Let them know what they can and cannot share about the work they do with you.

Try applying these tips to every social network you use. As you tighten up your security, don’t forget that this will help preserve your image. If you suffer a compromise, your reputation will be soiled one way or another.

7 Keys to Creating and Populating Your Editorial Calendar

One of the most daunting things about embarking on a content marketing campaign is knowing where to begin. Before you can even deal with that issue, though, you need to determine whether you are even equipped to execute a content marketing campaign. (If you can’t produce quality content, then don’t bother at all.)

Step one is to take a long and hard look at your internal resources. You’ll need to get your team together and figure out the answers to the following questions:

1. Who are our target audiences and what kinds of information are they looking for?

2. Does my company/brand have the expertise to address these needs?

3. Does my company have the talent and resources to effectively communicate such expertise in a clear, helpful and entertaining way?

4.Does my company/brand have enough to say to provide a steady stream of quality content?

5. Is my company prepared to fully interact with my audience, listening, reacting, serving and collaborating?

Once you’ve gone through this process, and have answered all in questions in the affirmative, then you can begin the process of strategizing and laying out your editorial calendar:

1. Choose your format

There is no single cookie-cutter template for your editorial calendar. Some people are most comfortable with a traditional calendar. More tend to go with Excel or some other spreadsheet. Still others use both.

Creating a full 12-month calendar can be a bit daunting, but it is a worthwhile task. For one, it demonstrates your commitment to creating content in a steady and consistent way. Secondly, it helps you to plan ahead for key events (see below).

If you are creating multiple types of content, it can also be extremely helpful to create a calendar for each content type (i.e. a blog calendar, newsletter calendar, etc.).

Every company has its own way of organizing and tracking content. For a fairly basic editorial calendar, I suggest charting and tracking the following:

• Headline or title

• Content Type

• Target audience

• Internal Expert

• Writer/author

• Due Date

• Content Editor

• Publish Date

• Metrics

[Sample Template]

This can get far more complex in cases where there are multiple levels of editing and approvals, but those are simple to add to the matrix.

2. Identify Your Anchor Events

There will be a certain number of days each year that will be benchmarks for your target audience and for your company. Don’t let them sneak up on you.

What kinds of events are we talking about?

First, think about the events of interest to your target audiences. Obviously, holidays are huge for retailers. If your audiences are are interested in food/cooking, look to schedule around holidays. If your customers are typically into popular culture, you might tie content to awards.

You get the idea.

There will also be internal events you’ll need to plan for. Look on your brand’s calendar to see when new products are being launched, when you may be up for awards and when you might be covered by the press.

Once you’ve identified these events, it’s easy to schedule content leading up to the event, covering the event and in the aftermath of the the event.

3. Identify and Schedule Your Content Channels

There are so many content channels, you can’t begin to create content for all of them. Don’t be overwhelmed. Simply choose the outlets that best serve the needs of your audiences:

• Blogs

• White Papers

• Internal Bylined Articles

• Press Releases

• Guest Articles

• Newsletters

• Emails

• Social Media

The act of populating an editorial calendar will give you a very clear idea of how much work you’re taking on. Often, businesses will look at their proposed editorial calendars and then scale back.

In other cases, businesses start out with a very ambitious calendar only to find that they are not doing real justice to any channel. If it turns out to be overwhelming to handle all of your content outlets, then you can pick and choose which ones you’ll want to concentrate on.

4. Set and Enforce Deadlines

Everyone involved in the content creation process - from a copywriter to the CEO - has to buy in completely. Deadlines set in an editorial calendar must be considered to be set in stone. If everyone isn’t taking the process seriously, it just won’t work.

5. Build These Into Your Content Rotation

You don’t want to bore people on your channels by providing the same kinds of information again and again. Vary your content by focusing on a variety of basic themes. Every business will have themes unique to them and their industries, but the following are good to keep in mind:

• Quick responses to major news events (newsjacking)

• Responses to industry trends and studies

• Behind the scenes at your brand (humanize your brand)

• Featured clients (case studies)

6. Be flexible

Some of the best content you can create comes from a sudden inspiration or in reaction to something you’ve read, seen or experienced.  You may also want to change your calendar in response to to what is working and what isn’t.

7. Don’t Forget Impact

Remember, the ultimate goal of content marketing is to create customer loyalty and ultimately, drive sales.

While not all content interactions are directly measurable, many are. Email blasts are measurable in terms of opens and responses to calls to actions. Blog posts can be measured through pageviews, shares, “likes” and Tweets. White papers can be measured through responses to calls to action contained in the white papers and email addresses acquired (when required for a download). Guest articles can be measured through traffic on the media site, click throughs back to the brand site and through visits or calls made directly to the brand (“how did you hear about us”).

Obviously, press releases can be measured through press coverage, but can also be measured through click throughs.

Armed with these numbers, you will be in a much better position to adjust the focus of your content marketing efforts. Go with what’s working, ditch what isn’t and continue to experiment and test.

Calendar Photo via Shutterstock

Groupon Strikes In 2013 With the Breadcrumb POS iPad App for Small Businesses

Breadcrumb POS is a new and lighter addition to the family of the original Breadcrumb PRO system. The PRO version of this product was mainly designed for restaurants and bars and accommodated numerous functionalities to enable the users to modify and integrate the system according to their needs. Breadcrumb PRO requires a monthly fee as opposed to Breadcrumb POS, which is a FREE app for iPad.

As stated in Groupon’s press release “Breadcrumb POS, a free iPad app, enables quick-service eateries, salons, spas and retail merchants to replace their outdated cash registers with an easy-to-use solution that offers local businesses a low-price guarantee that will beat any comparable plan on credit card transaction fees.”

The Breadcrumb POS promises everything that Groupon is bragging about. It is indeed a revolutionary replacement to the conventional cash register as it is more efficient, cost effective (both in terms of hardware and software), and comes with a bunch of features that will help you understand your business and customers better.

Let’s have a look at what the iPad App has to offer.

Benefits:

• Fast and Easy Setup: Download the free app, sign up for a payments account, connect a card swiper and optional printer and begin using an iPad to process transactions within minutes.
• Free 24/7 Technical Live Support.
• Unlike the traditional cash registers, that take two to three business days, merchants will receive their deposits within 24 hours.

Features:

• Log cash transactions.
• Accept credit card payments.
• Print or email receipts.
• Calculate multiple tax rates.
• Manage menu items.
• View transaction history.
• Issue refunds.
• View real time, in-depth reports.
• View daily and monthly sales reports.
• View past customer purchases and deposit records.

Breadcrumb Payments Service:

Breadcrumb Payments is part of the Breadcrumb POS package that offers:

• Rates of only 1.8 percent plus $0.15 per transaction (MasterCard, Visa and Discover) with no hidden costs or monthly fees.
• Free processing on first $5,000 in credit card transactions (promotional offer).

Hardware Compatibility and Cost:

Breadcrumb POS is compatible with all models of the iPad (including iPad Mini); however, it is not compatible with iPhone and iPod. The cost of the swipe device is about $15 and it can be attached to any model of the iPad.

Ready to download and use Breadcrumb POS?

If you’re ready to throw away your old cash register and opt for a modern, affordable, money saving tool that will help you save money on credit card transaction fees, then go ahead and download the app today from the iTunes App Store.

P.S: This is one App that I’ll definitely utilize if I ever get a chance to start my own small business one day

Groupon Strikes In 2013 With the Breadcrumb POS iPad App for Small Businesses

Breadcrumb POS is a new and lighter addition to the family of the original Breadcrumb PRO system. The PRO version of this product was mainly designed for restaurants and bars and accommodated numerous functionalities to enable the users to modify and integrate the system according to their needs. Breadcrumb PRO requires a monthly fee as opposed to Breadcrumb POS, which is a FREE app for iPad.

As stated in Groupon’s press release “Breadcrumb POS, a free iPad app, enables quick-service eateries, salons, spas and retail merchants to replace their outdated cash registers with an easy-to-use solution that offers local businesses a low-price guarantee that will beat any comparable plan on credit card transaction fees.”

The Breadcrumb POS promises everything that Groupon is bragging about. It is indeed a revolutionary replacement to the conventional cash register as it is more efficient, cost effective (both in terms of hardware and software), and comes with a bunch of features that will help you understand your business and customers better.

Let’s have a look at what the iPad App has to offer.

Benefits:

• Fast and Easy Setup: Download the free app, sign up for a payments account, connect a card swiper and optional printer and begin using an iPad to process transactions within minutes.
• Free 24/7 Technical Live Support.
• Unlike the traditional cash registers, that take two to three business days, merchants will receive their deposits within 24 hours.

Features:

• Log cash transactions.
• Accept credit card payments.
• Print or email receipts.
• Calculate multiple tax rates.
• Manage menu items.
• View transaction history.
• Issue refunds.
• View real time, in-depth reports.
• View daily and monthly sales reports.
• View past customer purchases and deposit records.

Breadcrumb Payments Service:

Breadcrumb Payments is part of the Breadcrumb POS package that offers:

• Rates of only 1.8 percent plus $0.15 per transaction (MasterCard, Visa and Discover) with no hidden costs or monthly fees.
• Free processing on first $5,000 in credit card transactions (promotional offer).

Hardware Compatibility and Cost:

Breadcrumb POS is compatible with all models of the iPad (including iPad Mini); however, it is not compatible with iPhone and iPod. The cost of the swipe device is about $15 and it can be attached to any model of the iPad.

Ready to download and use Breadcrumb POS?

If you’re ready to throw away your old cash register and opt for a modern, affordable, money saving tool that will help you save money on credit card transaction fees, then go ahead and download the app today from the iTunes App Store.

P.S: This is one App that I’ll definitely utilize if I ever get a chance to start my own small business one day

Microsoft Pulls the Plug on eCommerce Venture “Project Brazil”

There may be a place for more players in the growing eCommerce world. And one of those players could eventually be software giant Microsoft, though for now the Redmond, Wash. firm has shelved plans for an online marketplace.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft had pulled the plug on its most recent venture, code named Project Brazil.

But that doesn’t mean Microsoft has lost interest in eCommerce altogether.

Could Microsoft Compete with Amazon and eBay?

It’s uncertain from reports whether Microsoft planned to work with small merchants in its latest online effort as industry leaders Amazon and eBay have done. Microsoft execs said last week the planned eCommerce project hadn’t been intended as an “Amazon clone.”

Sources indicate the company is still weighing its options for future forays into the field.

“We remain committed to finding new and differentiated ways to enable a richer, more task oriented approach to eCommerce and online advertising,” said a company spokeswoman last week.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead told Business Insider, “Had Microsoft built this, they would have easily become one of the top credit card holders and have a leading eCommerce platform. So I see why they may have considered it.”

Opportunities Abound

The most recent Microsoft eCommerce site was planned as a place where customers could have bought from various retailers using a single shopping cart. They could then have picked from numerous shipping options for delivery.

But really a new eCommerce option could take a variety of forms. For example, a previous Microsoft experiment mixed eCommerce with the company’s search efforts.

Called Live Search Cashback then Bing Cashback, the program paid customers for making purchases of products found through the Bing search engine. The program ran two years and was shut down in 2010.

One thing not in question are the tremendous opportunities present in the eCommerce field. Anticipated continued growth in the market means a chance for small online sellers too, whether on their own or in cooperation with a larger eCommerce website.

Forrester recently projected online retail sales will reach $370 billion in the U.S. by 2017. The research firm also projected European online retail sales would reach $247 billion that same year. The increases represent a 10 percent and 10.5 percent growth respectively over 2013 online retail spending.

Microsoft Photo via Shutterstock

Microsoft Pulls the Plug on eCommerce Venture “Project Brazil”

There may be a place for more players in the growing eCommerce world. And one of those players could eventually be software giant Microsoft, though for now the Redmond, Wash. firm has shelved plans for an online marketplace.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft had pulled the plug on its most recent venture, code named Project Brazil.

But that doesn’t mean Microsoft has lost interest in eCommerce altogether.

Could Microsoft Compete with Amazon and eBay?

It’s uncertain from reports whether Microsoft planned to work with small merchants in its latest online effort as industry leaders Amazon and eBay have done. Microsoft execs said last week the planned eCommerce project hadn’t been intended as an “Amazon clone.”

Sources indicate the company is still weighing its options for future forays into the field.

“We remain committed to finding new and differentiated ways to enable a richer, more task oriented approach to eCommerce and online advertising,” said a company spokeswoman last week.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead told Business Insider, “Had Microsoft built this, they would have easily become one of the top credit card holders and have a leading eCommerce platform. So I see why they may have considered it.”

Opportunities Abound

The most recent Microsoft eCommerce site was planned as a place where customers could have bought from various retailers using a single shopping cart. They could then have picked from numerous shipping options for delivery.

But really a new eCommerce option could take a variety of forms. For example, a previous Microsoft experiment mixed eCommerce with the company’s search efforts.

Called Live Search Cashback then Bing Cashback, the program paid customers for making purchases of products found through the Bing search engine. The program ran two years and was shut down in 2010.

One thing not in question are the tremendous opportunities present in the eCommerce field. Anticipated continued growth in the market means a chance for small online sellers too, whether on their own or in cooperation with a larger eCommerce website.

Forrester recently projected online retail sales will reach $370 billion in the U.S. by 2017. The research firm also projected European online retail sales would reach $247 billion that same year. The increases represent a 10 percent and 10.5 percent growth respectively over 2013 online retail spending.

Microsoft Photo via Shutterstock

Mobile Device Management Doesn’t Have to Cost You Anything: 2 Free MDM Providers

Mobile device management (MDM) is a beautiful thing. It lets us manage the whole “bring your own device” phenomenon without pulling our hairs out of our scalps. Still, not a lot of businesses are using MDM as a strategy to cope with this inevitability. The reasons are debatable, but surely at least a handful of businesses consider this just another added expense on top of the already enormous piles they have.

MDM by itself isn’t expensive, but it’s not ideally suitable for some environments. For example, there are small business owners with lots of good hardware laying around that can easily host some SaaS platforms in-house. Granted, not all SaaS solutions should be hosted that way, but MDM is probably one of the things you really don’t have to pay for. This begs the question: Why are we paying for mobile device management in the first place? Why not just get your hands on some software and run it in-house?

According to Spiceworks, a provider of free IT management software, only 17 percent of small businesses are using MDM, despite 61 percent of them implementing a policy on personal mobile devices (BYOD). We can change that with some free software:

• Spiceworks IT Management Software - If you’re willing to settle for MDM as part of a bigger package deal, you can download Spiceworks’ free IT management platform. Most recently, they’ve included an MDM interface into the package. I’ve tried it, and it was extremely easy to deploy. There were no obstacles to the installation, and it was straightforward. Its MDM features include uncovering and monitoring mobile devices that connect to your wireless network, allowing you to keep the gates to your network secure from unauthorized mobile devices.
• AppTec 360 - I’d be lying if I said that AppTec 360 was free, but it does fit well in the free category. Made by an European SaaS MDM provider, AppTec 360 is a very powerful and targeted mobility management platform for enterprise environments. I’ve seen enough user reviews of their product to consider it a viable alternative to using SaaS. A “perpetual” license costs 19 Euros. After you get the license, hosting the product on-premise adds no extra cost (except the cost of running your hardware, of course). You can also host 360 as a virtual appliance, which means you run it in tandem with other solutions as a virtual machine (VM).

Knowledge is power, and knowing that MDM doesn’t have to cost you a pretty penny will definitely empower you to have a wider array of choices in how you manage your business’ security.

Security FAQs website to close this year

Security ‘how to' guide and advice blog SecurityFAQs is to close this year.

The website has had around 3,000 posts stretching back to 2006, and author Lee Munson, who does not work in security but has sought a full time job in the industry, admitted that time and financial pressures have forced him to close the website once his next scheduled posts are published.

Munson told SC Magazine that running the website had become a full-time, yet unpaid job, and the cost of running the site meant he was often at a financial loss.

In his announcement that he was closing the site, Munson said: “So, bar the 80 or so posts that I've already scheduled up, I'm going to get out of here. No more writing for me - its pointless and leading nowhere. I need to spend that money, and time, far more wisely.

“I have to toss the dream away and get myself back to reality. I have to do it quickly too before I blow the chance of earning a proper wage forever. So, for me, there will be no to very little time on Twitter and no more writing. I tried. I failed. I need to move on.”

He closed by thanking those who had supported and backed the site, and told SC Magazine that the site will be live until October.

Neira Jones, partner at Accourt, said: “I believe blogs like Lee's are extremely valuable because they raise awareness, and that is evidenced by the number of followers that Lee has. And he does it in a very nice way.”

Javvad Malik, senior analyst at 451 Group, commented: “First and foremost - Lee's blog is one of the very few that is truly independent and free of bias. He's not a vendor, an analyst, a journalist, a consultant - he's just someone who's passionate about information security to a level that lots of us who are actually in the industry aren't.

“He's someone who has pursued knowledge, not because his employer made him, he spent his own time and money going to conferences and learning about security stuff to share with the world. In Star Trek terms, he would be classed as an anomaly - an outsider who broke through the force field of the echo chamber to become one of us.

“He's a very nice and humble guy - perhaps too humble - he constantly underestimates his own capabilities. His website is very good and informative - it's really up there with some of the professional security news sites. What I valued the most was his perspective and insight on security issues as an outsider. He was really able to grasp concepts very well and then explain them even better. His decision to move on is a big loss for infosec. I wish we had more people like Lee.”

Realities of cloud-based encryption and key management show lack of control

The challenge of cloud-based encryption is about where the data is encrypted and who holds the keys.

Speaking to SC Magazine, Richard Moulds, vice president strategy at Thales e-Security, said that this is the challenge with cloud when it comes to encryption as you have to ask what sort of cloud is being used and where is the encryption done?

“There is a huge difference here, some solutions only offer encryption to certain applications,” he said.

“The PCI data security standard has been saying for five years to do encryption, and that is great, but now you need to know who controls the key, where has it been and who has access, and the level of sophistication is growing. As other solutions offer cloud-based encryption, people will ask more questions.”

Releasing a report with the Ponemon Institute that surveyed more than 4,000 organisations globally, Thales found that more than half of all respondents say their organisation currently transfers sensitive or confidential data to the cloud, while more than 60 per cent of respondents whose organisations currently transfer sensitive or confidential data to the cloud, believe the cloud provider has primary responsibility for protecting that data.

The survey found that there was a marked increase in confidence among respondents in the ability of cloud providers to protect the sensitive and confidential data entrusted to them - up from 41 per cent (2011) to 56 per cent (2012).

Moulds said that now, attackers are not trying to break encryption, but are trying to steal keys. He said that often it is about how often you change the key and where you store it.

“You can buy a database or software that does encryption, but businesses are now waking up to the notion of key management as this is the hard bit. If you do it in the cloud and lose the key, you cannot unencrypt the data. We will end up with encryption in the cloud, but the last thing you want is an employee with access.”

According to the survey, 35 per cent of respondents said that use of the cloud has decreased their security posture. Moulds speculated that the next stage will be where data is hosted, particularly with overseas hosting concerns. “You may encrypt data to get round the residency problem, as PCI-DSS says that if you touch credit card or cardholder data then you are subject to an audit,” he said.

He said that the correct way is to put data in the cloud and keep the keys in the enterprise, as otherwise if the cloud provider is both ‘the gamekeeper and the poacher', while putting encrypted data in the cloud prevents filtering and access to data.

Just over half of respondents say they don't know what their cloud provider actually does to protect their data - and only 30 per cent say they do know.

Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, said: “Staying in control of sensitive or confidential data is paramount for most organisations today and yet our survey shows they are transferring ever more of their most valuable data assets to the cloud.

“In this, our second year of conducting this survey, we wanted to dig a little deeper and explore the difference in attitudes about the most common types of cloud services - IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. Perceived responsibility for data protection, awareness of security measures, confidence and impact on overall security posture illustrate important regional and service type differences but overall the trend is positive.”

Mobile Device Management Doesn’t Have to Cost You Anything: 2 Free MDM Providers

Mobile device management (MDM) is a beautiful thing. It lets us manage the whole “bring your own device” phenomenon without pulling our hairs out of our scalps. Still, not a lot of businesses are using MDM as a strategy to cope with this inevitability. The reasons are debatable, but surely at least a handful of businesses consider this just another added expense on top of the already enormous piles they have.

MDM by itself isn’t expensive, but it’s not ideally suitable for some environments. For example, there are small business owners with lots of good hardware laying around that can easily host some SaaS platforms in-house. Granted, not all SaaS solutions should be hosted that way, but MDM is probably one of the things you really don’t have to pay for. This begs the question: Why are we paying for mobile device management in the first place? Why not just get your hands on some software and run it in-house?

According to Spiceworks, a provider of free IT management software, only 17 percent of small businesses are using MDM, despite 61 percent of them implementing a policy on personal mobile devices (BYOD). We can change that with some free software:

• Spiceworks IT Management Software - If you’re willing to settle for MDM as part of a bigger package deal, you can download Spiceworks’ free IT management platform. Most recently, they’ve included an MDM interface into the package. I’ve tried it, and it was extremely easy to deploy. There were no obstacles to the installation, and it was straightforward. Its MDM features include uncovering and monitoring mobile devices that connect to your wireless network, allowing you to keep the gates to your network secure from unauthorized mobile devices.
• AppTec 360 - I’d be lying if I said that AppTec 360 was free, but it does fit well in the free category. Made by an European SaaS MDM provider, AppTec 360 is a very powerful and targeted mobility management platform for enterprise environments. I’ve seen enough user reviews of their product to consider it a viable alternative to using SaaS. A “perpetual” license costs 19 Euros. After you get the license, hosting the product on-premise adds no extra cost (except the cost of running your hardware, of course). You can also host 360 as a virtual appliance, which means you run it in tandem with other solutions as a virtual machine (VM).

Knowledge is power, and knowing that MDM doesn’t have to cost you a pretty penny will definitely empower you to have a wider array of choices in how you manage your business’ security.

Don’t Answer Interview Questions Like Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries

Abercrombie & Fitch has been the go-to brand for many young Americans. But a single interview by CEO Mike Jeffries put the entire company under fire. In an interview with Salon Magazine, Jeffries said, “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I find this type of attitude repulsive - and most Americans agree. Numerous protests sprung up around the country as this interview circulated, bringing negative scrutiny to the retail giant. Further revelations that the company purposefully refuses to manufacture clothing for larger consumers have only fueled the firestorm.

While there’s nothing wrong with target marketing from a business perspective, it was Jeffries’ attitude and the company’s policies that struck dissonant chords with consumers. Since CEOs and brand representatives are spending more time with the press and monitoring public relations, it’s crucial to revisit some very applicable interview techniques. By understanding these principles, you’ll be able to avoid a major gaffe like A&F CEO Mike Jeffries.

Keeping it Short

In the digital age, short-form content rules - and this applies to interviews as well. If you think about sound bites you hear in the press or read on line, they’re just a few sentences long - or a few words. The more you speak, the more convoluted your answers can become and the higher the risk for a public gaffe.

Use your words wisely, not freely.

Knowing Your Boundaries

Just because you’re the CEO or some other executive management employee, it doesn’t mean that you know everything there is to know about the company. Don’t just “come up with an answer” so you have something to say. Sometimes a simple “No comment” or “I don’t know” is the most effective answer.

Answering for the sake of having an answer is how many brands (and politicians) get in trouble.

Responding to Questions

This might seem like a given, but many people react to questions instead of responding to them. Not all reporters will be friendly - some lack personality or are outright hostile.

If you don’t agree with the way a reporter handles a question or how the interview is advancing, keep your focus on answering the questions instead of overreacting. Sometimes reporters are just trying to push buttons.

Remembering Your Audience

While you might be speaking one-on-one with an interviewer, keep in mind that this will be eventually broadcast to a much larger audience.

Your answers should always be given with that in mind.

Taking Your Time

Filmed interviews will be edited and readers of a printed interview will never know that you took your time. If there’s a complex question, don’t be afraid to think for a moment before spouting off an answer. Remember, sometimes the interviewee, not the interviewer, digs the grave.

By consciously thinking through your answers, you’ll avoid setting yourself up for a contradiction.

The next time you grant an interview, be sure to keep these tactics in mind for an enjoyable and interesting conversation.

Model Photo via Shutterstock

Don’t Answer Interview Questions Like Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries

Abercrombie & Fitch has been the go-to brand for many young Americans. But a single interview by CEO Mike Jeffries put the entire company under fire. In an interview with Salon Magazine, Jeffries said, “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I find this type of attitude repulsive - and most Americans agree. Numerous protests sprung up around the country as this interview circulated, bringing negative scrutiny to the retail giant. Further revelations that the company purposefully refuses to manufacture clothing for larger consumers have only fueled the firestorm.

While there’s nothing wrong with target marketing from a business perspective, it was Jeffries’ attitude and the company’s policies that struck dissonant chords with consumers. Since CEOs and brand representatives are spending more time with the press and monitoring public relations, it’s crucial to revisit some very applicable interview techniques. By understanding these principles, you’ll be able to avoid a major gaffe like A&F CEO Mike Jeffries.

Keeping it Short

In the digital age, short-form content rules - and this applies to interviews as well. If you think about sound bites you hear in the press or read on line, they’re just a few sentences long - or a few words. The more you speak, the more convoluted your answers can become and the higher the risk for a public gaffe.

Use your words wisely, not freely.

Knowing Your Boundaries

Just because you’re the CEO or some other executive management employee, it doesn’t mean that you know everything there is to know about the company. Don’t just “come up with an answer” so you have something to say. Sometimes a simple “No comment” or “I don’t know” is the most effective answer.

Answering for the sake of having an answer is how many brands (and politicians) get in trouble.

Responding to Questions

This might seem like a given, but many people react to questions instead of responding to them. Not all reporters will be friendly - some lack personality or are outright hostile.

If you don’t agree with the way a reporter handles a question or how the interview is advancing, keep your focus on answering the questions instead of overreacting. Sometimes reporters are just trying to push buttons.

Remembering Your Audience

While you might be speaking one-on-one with an interviewer, keep in mind that this will be eventually broadcast to a much larger audience.

Your answers should always be given with that in mind.

Taking Your Time

Filmed interviews will be edited and readers of a printed interview will never know that you took your time. If there’s a complex question, don’t be afraid to think for a moment before spouting off an answer. Remember, sometimes the interviewee, not the interviewer, digs the grave.

By consciously thinking through your answers, you’ll avoid setting yourself up for a contradiction.

The next time you grant an interview, be sure to keep these tactics in mind for an enjoyable and interesting conversation.

Model Photo via Shutterstock

Silent Circle introduces management console to secure voice communication service

Voice encryption vendor Silent Circle has announced the launch of a management console for better provisioning of apps and services.

According to the company, this will enable companies to buy, assign and manage multiple licences for employees using its peer-to-peer encrypted Silent Phone and Silent Text mobile apps on their personal or employer-issued devices.

It also claimed that this allows users to deactivate any accounts created and assigned through the console, while console administrators cannot access employees' communications and enables quick, easy and centralised deployment of Silent Phone and Silent Text for organisations dealing with growing mobile programs.

Jon Callas, CTO and co-founder of Silent Circle, said: “Businesses and government agencies continue to be our fastest-growing customer base and we've designed the Silent Circle Management Console to give these users a centralised, seamless means of provisioning our apps and services to support employees according to their specific roles and risks.

“Now organisations can quickly turn to Silent Phone and Silent Text as key complements to existing mobile device management solutions and crucial safeguards for employees' personal, unmanaged devices inevitably used for sensitive communications.”

Risk management capabilities rated highly, but businesses do not deploy programs

More than three-quarters of security professionals rate their organiations' commitment to risk-based security management as ‘significant' or ‘very significant'.

According to research of 571 UK and 749 US respondents by Tripwire and the Ponemon Institute, 77 per cent rated their organisations' commitment to risk-based security management so highly and 59 per cent cited risk-based security management as helping align security programs with business objectives.

However, 48 per cent said that their organisations' approach or strategy for risk-based security management was non-existent, while 51 per cent said that they do not have a risk-based security management program or most program activities have not been deployed.

Only 27 per cent have a security risk management strategy that is applied consistently across the enterprise.

Elizabeth Ireland, vice president of product marketing for Tripwire, said: “There's a big gap between risk-based security program commitment and how organisations are actually operating. This could be because many organisations haven't fully connected the importance of their cyber security program to their top-level business risks in spite of the rapid increase in cyber security threats.”

Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, said: “The findings from this report strongly indicate that risk-based security management is still viewed as an IT or security task instead of a business task. Unfortunately, the full value of a risk-based approach to security can only be realised when senior business leaders fully participate in the process.”

Automation of tools and tasks can benefit over-stretched teams

Automation can help under-staffed businesses solve security problems.

Speaking to SC Magazine, Firemon vice president of marketing Jerry Skurla and head of product marketing and management Matt Hines, said that organisations are often presented with a number of vulnerabilities from scans and the question is often on what to fix first as a priority. Skurla said that he had seen organisations with thousands of servers but not enough people to manage them, and junior people had been brought in to help solve problems.

“But the tools have become more complex and have more capabilities so you can delegate tasks to the junior staff,” Skurla said. “If a business has one guy but that person has an automation tool, then that can be a lifesaver.”

Hines said that often there is so much information to be processed by so few people, that automating tools is sometimes the only way to close the gap and cut through the data.

He said: “We offer a platform so it is a toolbox in my view, but it is a broad set of capabilities and the automation capability gives value to what you do.

“The skills shortage is the same issue for everyone and with all budgets, as everyone has got the same problem with too much work and too few people. If you automate your employees you can move forward.”

Hines likened it to Formula One cars, which are highly technical but still require a human to operate it. Skurla added that by automating, he meant acceleration, analysis and making changes and said that often, there is not the time for manual checks of automated actions, so only put human check points on final parts as a failsafe.

In terms of how the skills shortage can be solved, Hines was asked if it required government, academia or industry to take the lead, he said that the first step should be awareness to get people looking at security as a career option. “You can see management begging for bodies and they are still asking for more, while there are people in the industry with no connection,” Hines said.

“There is a long way to address the gap and once it is done, for practitioners it is about changing the way way they think. We think that automation is the best way to address where we see the problems today.”