How to Take a Summer Vacation From Your Small Business

Summer is a popular time for Americans to set off to their favorite vacation destinations. But for small business owners, taking time off can lead to missed opportunities and missed income.

For example, less than half of small business owners, about 49 percent, plan to take even a week long summer vacation this year, according to the American Express OPEN Spring 2013 Small Business Monitor, a survey of small businesses now in its 12th year. That’s down from a high of 67 percent who planned to take a week off in 2006 and 54 percent who said they were planning to take at least a week off last year.

It’s Important to Take a Break

One of the biggest reasons for this, ironically, is the slowly improving economy, said Alice Bredin, small business advisor for American Express in a recent interview with Small Business Trends.

Over the last few years, Bredin said, many business owners felt they couldn’t afford to spend any time away from their businesses in a tough economy. Today, with the economy improving, there is a desire not to miss out on a single potential customer.

“The bottom line is kind of the same,” she said. Fortunately, there’s no need to spend long periods of time away from your business in order to come back refreshed and invigorated, said Bredin.

“You don’t have to spend three weeks in Tahiti,” she added. Sometimes just 48 hours or even 10 to 12 hours away can be enough to do the trick. If you are planning on getting away at all this summer, below are some tips to help your trip run as smoothly as possible for your business.

How to Plan a Summer Business Vacation

Schedule Wisely

Each industry and business has a few points in the year where things get really busy. You should know pretty well in advance when you have major deadlines or big projects to launch.

Schedule your time off around these big events so they don’t interfere.

Plan Ahead

Don’t leave all the preparation for the last minute or you’ll end up trying to cover a week’s worth of work in a day. Keep a reminder of the dates on your desk so that you don’t schedule any important meetings or events for that time.

Do a little bit of extra work whenever possible over the few weeks leading up to your vacation so that you don’t get overwhelmed directly before or after.

Let People Know You’re On Vacation

Set an automatic email response telling people that you’re out of town and when you’ll return. Call the clients and colleagues you talk to most before you leave to tell them when you’ll be gone and how they can contact you in case of emergency.

Only Bring What’s Most Important

You’ll likely want to bring a few work items with you in case something comes up that you absolutely need to take care of. Only bring the most important items and leave the rest behind.

You don’t want to get tempted to work too much or forget anything when you leave.

Go Mobile

Deciding what to bring with you can be a lot easier if you convert as much work data as possible to your smartphone, tablet or other mobile device.

Set a Designated Work Time

If you absolutely need to work while you’re on vacation, set designated time for you to do tasks like checking email and making phone calls.

You don’t want your work to completely takeover what is supposed to be a vacation.

Ask For Help

If you have employees or business partners, ask them for help with little tasks that need to be done while you’re away.

Be prepared to do the same for them whenever they decide to take a vacation.

Relax

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your business that it’s difficult to enjoy your vacation. But taking a break from your business and clearing your head can be just as important as checking those items off your to-do list.

Make relaxation a priority and have your family members or friends you’re traveling with keep you in check.

Taking a vacation away from your small business can seem like a risky move if you’re constantly busy. But taking a break can help you to clear your head and bring a fresh perspective to your business.

Follow the above tips and your time away from your business should run smoothly.

Bali Photo via Shutterstock

The 14″ Laptop From the Toshiba Tecra R940 Series Really Packs A Punch (Video Review)

We all know that laptops and notebook computers are a dime a dozen these days and the only true differentiation, besides brand name, seems to be the screen size and battery life. That being said, there is one more thing to consider, when looking for a new device…the ‘small features’ that matter to YOU!

I recently had the chance to take a look at the new 14″ laptop from the Toshiba Tecra R940 series of laptops. While at first glance, the main features appear to be comparable to most other laptops in it’s category; 14″ screen, 4.2 lbs and 1″ thin, upon further looking I discovered a few ‘small features’ that add up to a big plus, especially if you are a multi-media heavy user.

Check out my video review of the laptop below, or click here to watch.

So what do you think? Are the features of this laptop enough to make it stand apart from the rest?

The 14″ Laptop From the Toshiba Tecra R940 Series Really Packs A Punch (Video Review)

We all know that laptops and notebook computers are a dime a dozen these days and the only true differentiation, besides brand name, seems to be the screen size and battery life. That being said, there is one more thing to consider, when looking for a new device…the ‘small features’ that matter to YOU!

I recently had the chance to take a look at the new 14″ laptop from the Toshiba Tecra R940 series of laptops. While at first glance, the main features appear to be comparable to most other laptops in it’s category; 14″ screen, 4.2 lbs and 1″ thin, upon further looking I discovered a few ‘small features’ that add up to a big plus, especially if you are a multi-media heavy user.

Check out my video review of the laptop below, or click here to watch.

So what do you think? Are the features of this laptop enough to make it stand apart from the rest?

Five Steps That Lead to LinkedIn Lead Generation

If you’re trying to find the single best place to do B2B social media lead generation, focus on LinkedIn. You have the best chance of finding your decision makers here. According to a recent survey, 59% of social networkers said that LinkedIn is more important than any other social media site.

But getting sales leads from LinkedIn is not as simple as just signing up. You need to take a careful, focused, patient approach to building relationships and starting conversations with your prospects on LinkedIn.

Start With Your Immediate Network

One of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn is that it shows you, in full transparency, your entire professional network (and the network of everyone else in your professional network). Just like the old saying about “six degrees of separation,” no matter which high-level decision maker you’re trying to reach, you probably already know someone who knows someone who knows them.

You might only be 2 or 3 degrees removed from most of your key decision makers. So if there’s a prospect that you’d like to talk to, before you pick up the phone and make a cold call, see who you know at their company. See if you can get introduced via LinkedIn. See if you can get someone to put in a good word for you.

LinkedIn won’t necessarily open all of the doors to every decision maker on your list, but it will definitely help warm up a decent percentage your cold calls.

Upgrade Your Account

Most LinkedIn users have a Basic account, which has fewer features and benefits than some of the other premium memberships. For as little as $19.95 per month, you can get access to more tools that make it easier to reach your prospects, find out who’s searching for you, and find more of the people you’d like to reach (by searching based on industry, job title, company, ZIP code, etc.) If you’re a small business owner, it might be worth investing in upgraded LinkedIn accounts for yourself and/or your sales team.

The reason why LinkedIn charges for expanded access to the site features is because they are trying to minimize spam and maximize the valuable time of their members - it’s the same reason why LinkedIn encourages members to only connect with people they actually know in real life. So by purchasing an upgraded membership, you are showing that you are legitimately trying to use LinkedIn for lead generation and are not a spammer.

One of the best tools on LinkedIn (if you upgrade your account beyond Basic) is InMail, which we’ll discuss next.

Use InMail

LinkedIn has a feature called InMail (if you buy a premium membership) that allows you to send a limited number of direct messages to anyone on LinkedIn, even to people outside of your network. Unlike a regular email which is too often ignored or deleted, InMail can be a great tool to directly reach key prospects and decision makers.  LinkedIn guarantees you a response within 7 days, or you won’t be charged for the use of your InMail message.

InMail messages tend to have a higher degree of trust and credibility, because the prospect can see your LinkedIn profile and immediately decide whether or not you’re someone they’d like to talk with further. Because you only get a few InMail messages per month (3, 5 or 10 messages, depending on the level of your LinkedIn membership), you need to make them count.

Craft your message specifically to each prospect. Make it personal. Show them why you’re trying to reach them and why it would be valuable for them to talk further with you.

Get the Most Out of LinkedIn Groups

Beyond direct contact with prospects through your network and outreach, another great way to get sales leads from LinkedIn is to take a longer-term approach of building a reputation and developing relationships through LinkedIn Groups. But you need to focus. Spamming 50 different groups with links to your latest blog post will do nothing.  It’s a waste of time, and will most likely get you blocked from the group.

To use LinkedIn effectively, you need to focus on joining groups where your prospect company’s CFO or CEO may be located. This next part really requires a lot of patience, but you will need to go through the various discussions in each group, and sort through the spammers to find the people who are genuinely asking questions about their pain issues.

Take the Conversation Further

For example, if you sell accounting solutions and you see in a LinkedIn Group that a controller for a company has said, “Does anyone know how to treat depreciation of assets for the new 2013 tax codes?” This is your chance to build that relationship. Even though it’s not the CFO, the controller is only one level below. Answer the question privately, and let that controller know that they can feel free to ask you questions as a resource, since you are an expert on this subject.

After you have exchanged a few responses, don’t come off too strong, but find out if the prospect is having issues that your solution might be able to address. You may say, “My company has developed a software solution that automatically calculates depreciation and other line items on your balance sheet. Can I send you information on it?” Notice how gentle and subtle that was? We weren’t asking, “Do you need a new solution?” Or, “Can you introduce me to your CFO?” Instead, use your LinkedIn conversations to test the waters for receptivity.

In my field that is what we call “testing for pain.”  We know that the prospect has an issue (they didn’t know how to calculate depreciation) and, most likely, are having trouble with other calculations as well. But now we want to see if they are motivated to act on their pain issue (motivation). That controller who you talked to on LinkedIn (even though they aren’t your decision maker) will most likely bring your solution to the CFO.

You have extended your hand to help them, and hopefully they will do the same for you.

LinkedIn can do amazing things for your business if you know how to take the right approach. Instead of sending out sales pitches, use a more gradual, patient approach to building relationships and developing trust.

Digital Handshake Photo via Shutterstock

Five Steps That Lead to LinkedIn Lead Generation

If you’re trying to find the single best place to do B2B social media lead generation, focus on LinkedIn. You have the best chance of finding your decision makers here. According to a recent survey, 59% of social networkers said that LinkedIn is more important than any other social media site.

But getting sales leads from LinkedIn is not as simple as just signing up. You need to take a careful, focused, patient approach to building relationships and starting conversations with your prospects on LinkedIn.

Start With Your Immediate Network

One of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn is that it shows you, in full transparency, your entire professional network (and the network of everyone else in your professional network). Just like the old saying about “six degrees of separation,” no matter which high-level decision maker you’re trying to reach, you probably already know someone who knows someone who knows them.

You might only be 2 or 3 degrees removed from most of your key decision makers. So if there’s a prospect that you’d like to talk to, before you pick up the phone and make a cold call, see who you know at their company. See if you can get introduced via LinkedIn. See if you can get someone to put in a good word for you.

LinkedIn won’t necessarily open all of the doors to every decision maker on your list, but it will definitely help warm up a decent percentage your cold calls.

Upgrade Your Account

Most LinkedIn users have a Basic account, which has fewer features and benefits than some of the other premium memberships. For as little as $19.95 per month, you can get access to more tools that make it easier to reach your prospects, find out who’s searching for you, and find more of the people you’d like to reach (by searching based on industry, job title, company, ZIP code, etc.) If you’re a small business owner, it might be worth investing in upgraded LinkedIn accounts for yourself and/or your sales team.

The reason why LinkedIn charges for expanded access to the site features is because they are trying to minimize spam and maximize the valuable time of their members - it’s the same reason why LinkedIn encourages members to only connect with people they actually know in real life. So by purchasing an upgraded membership, you are showing that you are legitimately trying to use LinkedIn for lead generation and are not a spammer.

One of the best tools on LinkedIn (if you upgrade your account beyond Basic) is InMail, which we’ll discuss next.

Use InMail

LinkedIn has a feature called InMail (if you buy a premium membership) that allows you to send a limited number of direct messages to anyone on LinkedIn, even to people outside of your network. Unlike a regular email which is too often ignored or deleted, InMail can be a great tool to directly reach key prospects and decision makers.  LinkedIn guarantees you a response within 7 days, or you won’t be charged for the use of your InMail message.

InMail messages tend to have a higher degree of trust and credibility, because the prospect can see your LinkedIn profile and immediately decide whether or not you’re someone they’d like to talk with further. Because you only get a few InMail messages per month (3, 5 or 10 messages, depending on the level of your LinkedIn membership), you need to make them count.

Craft your message specifically to each prospect. Make it personal. Show them why you’re trying to reach them and why it would be valuable for them to talk further with you.

Get the Most Out of LinkedIn Groups

Beyond direct contact with prospects through your network and outreach, another great way to get sales leads from LinkedIn is to take a longer-term approach of building a reputation and developing relationships through LinkedIn Groups. But you need to focus. Spamming 50 different groups with links to your latest blog post will do nothing.  It’s a waste of time, and will most likely get you blocked from the group.

To use LinkedIn effectively, you need to focus on joining groups where your prospect company’s CFO or CEO may be located. This next part really requires a lot of patience, but you will need to go through the various discussions in each group, and sort through the spammers to find the people who are genuinely asking questions about their pain issues.

Take the Conversation Further

For example, if you sell accounting solutions and you see in a LinkedIn Group that a controller for a company has said, “Does anyone know how to treat depreciation of assets for the new 2013 tax codes?” This is your chance to build that relationship. Even though it’s not the CFO, the controller is only one level below. Answer the question privately, and let that controller know that they can feel free to ask you questions as a resource, since you are an expert on this subject.

After you have exchanged a few responses, don’t come off too strong, but find out if the prospect is having issues that your solution might be able to address. You may say, “My company has developed a software solution that automatically calculates depreciation and other line items on your balance sheet. Can I send you information on it?” Notice how gentle and subtle that was? We weren’t asking, “Do you need a new solution?” Or, “Can you introduce me to your CFO?” Instead, use your LinkedIn conversations to test the waters for receptivity.

In my field that is what we call “testing for pain.”  We know that the prospect has an issue (they didn’t know how to calculate depreciation) and, most likely, are having trouble with other calculations as well. But now we want to see if they are motivated to act on their pain issue (motivation). That controller who you talked to on LinkedIn (even though they aren’t your decision maker) will most likely bring your solution to the CFO.

You have extended your hand to help them, and hopefully they will do the same for you.

LinkedIn can do amazing things for your business if you know how to take the right approach. Instead of sending out sales pitches, use a more gradual, patient approach to building relationships and developing trust.

Digital Handshake Photo via Shutterstock

7 Disruptive Survivors (And a Few Who Didn’t Make It)

It speaks to a company’s staying power when they can make a big splash, then follow through and keep the momentum going. Disruptive companies shake up their markets with innovation. Sometimes new products and ideas birth an entire batch of related breakthroughs. Other times, no one knows how to fit a new product into their lives, the company can’t make it work, and both eventually disappear.

Disruptive Survivors

Diagnostics for All - Founded in 2007

A non-profit backed by the Gates Foundation and others will make it possible to test people for diseases using only a tiny piece of paper. Already conducting trials of liver function tests, Diagnostics for All is also working to create tests for things like preeclampsia, malaria, and dengue fever. The testing device itself resembles a microchip, and is covered with channels (created with wax) and chemical “wells” designed to react with infected blood samples. The tests don’t require lots of medical equipment, so they’ll be especially beneficial in developing nations.

Kickstarter - Founded in 2009

This crowdsourcing site is the largest creative funding platform on the planet. Some notable Kickstarter projects include Pebble: E-Paper Watch, TikTok®, and Amanda Palmer’s 2012 album, Theatre is Evil. Palmer’s project raised an impressive $1.2 million dollars, but was plagued with controversy concerning the artist’s accountability for contributed funds and whether her touring practices were ethical. More than 90,000 projects have been funded through Kickstarter.

Buzzfeed - Founded in 2008

Best known for its hilarious list-style pieces, the site began to change when Ben Smith, formerly of Politico, took over as editor-in-chief. Days after taking over the job, the site broke the news John McCain would endorse Mitt Romney. Buzzfeed even hired a copy editor. With real news and funny pieces designed for sharing (and refreshingly lacking in obnoxious ads and slideshows), the company may be pioneering the next standard format for web journalism.

Snapchat - Founded in 2011

The app that allows users to send pictures and video that self-destruct shortly after they’re viewed has already spawned a whole swarm of copycats. Users are sharing around 100 millions “snaps” per day. In a world where everything you put online is there forever, Snapchat gives users a refreshing impermanence when sharing moments. However, even the most ephemeral data leaves a trail; a forensics examiner has shown Snapchat data can be recovered from Android devices, if you have the know-how.

Coursera - Founded in 2011

In 2012, the free online education portal hit one million users. One of many sites to offer free college classes, the quality of Coursera courses helps the site stand apart from the rest. With real courses from schools like Princeton University and Stanford University, Coursera has gained cachet as a legitimate online learning destination. And with ten more universities having announced partnerships with the site in May 2013, it seems likely this virtual schoolroom will remain at the head of the class.

Vistaprint - Founded in 2000

Business card printing once was a task only local printers handled. Vistaprint revolutionized business card printing by taking it online and offering free business cards with their own logo on the back. Since going public in 2005, and after barely surviving the “dot-com bust,” Vistaprint has remained a profitable company offering loads of marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Leap Motion - Founded in 2010

This exciting device tracks simple gestures, like pinching and pointing, in three dimensions instead of two. It allows users to control things like their computer cursor with smaller, natural movements. It’s still in development, but a video on the company’s homepage shows just how intuitive and responsive the Leap Motion can be.

Disruptive Failures

Google Knol - 2007 to 2012

Initially, this project seemed very similar to Wikipedia, but with a focus on the authors of the documents. Knol offered a slightly more social approach than Wikipedia, allowing comments and questions on entries. Unfortunately, the site quickly became known for spam, and suffered further ignominy when Google was accused of favoring the site in its search engine results.

Apple Maps - launched 2012

The iOS maps app should have been just as good as Google Maps, but it fell so short of its competitor that CEO Tim Cook actually posted an apology letter to Apple customers suggesting they try other map apps. The flop cost a few people their jobsâ€"and got more than a few users lost. It didn’t take long for Google Maps to launch its own maps app in Apple’s App Store to fill the void.

Without disruptive companies, advancement would slow to a crawl. Despite the sea of failures, disruptive survivors continue to prove their worth while successfully spearheading innovation.

Diana Doherty is a freelance writer specializing in SEO content, and is a contributor to ChamberofCommerce.com. She loves all things tech, photography, craft, military family life, and business. She earned her BA in English Writing Arts from SUNY Oswego.

7 Disruptive Survivors (And a Few Who Didn’t Make It)

It speaks to a company’s staying power when they can make a big splash, then follow through and keep the momentum going. Disruptive companies shake up their markets with innovation. Sometimes new products and ideas birth an entire batch of related breakthroughs. Other times, no one knows how to fit a new product into their lives, the company can’t make it work, and both eventually disappear.

Disruptive Survivors

Diagnostics for All - Founded in 2007

A non-profit backed by the Gates Foundation and others will make it possible to test people for diseases using only a tiny piece of paper. Already conducting trials of liver function tests, Diagnostics for All is also working to create tests for things like preeclampsia, malaria, and dengue fever. The testing device itself resembles a microchip, and is covered with channels (created with wax) and chemical “wells” designed to react with infected blood samples. The tests don’t require lots of medical equipment, so they’ll be especially beneficial in developing nations.

Kickstarter - Founded in 2009

This crowdsourcing site is the largest creative funding platform on the planet. Some notable Kickstarter projects include Pebble: E-Paper Watch, TikTok®, and Amanda Palmer’s 2012 album, Theatre is Evil. Palmer’s project raised an impressive $1.2 million dollars, but was plagued with controversy concerning the artist’s accountability for contributed funds and whether her touring practices were ethical. More than 90,000 projects have been funded through Kickstarter.

Buzzfeed - Founded in 2008

Best known for its hilarious list-style pieces, the site began to change when Ben Smith, formerly of Politico, took over as editor-in-chief. Days after taking over the job, the site broke the news John McCain would endorse Mitt Romney. Buzzfeed even hired a copy editor. With real news and funny pieces designed for sharing (and refreshingly lacking in obnoxious ads and slideshows), the company may be pioneering the next standard format for web journalism.

Snapchat - Founded in 2011

The app that allows users to send pictures and video that self-destruct shortly after they’re viewed has already spawned a whole swarm of copycats. Users are sharing around 100 millions “snaps” per day. In a world where everything you put online is there forever, Snapchat gives users a refreshing impermanence when sharing moments. However, even the most ephemeral data leaves a trail; a forensics examiner has shown Snapchat data can be recovered from Android devices, if you have the know-how.

Coursera - Founded in 2011

In 2012, the free online education portal hit one million users. One of many sites to offer free college classes, the quality of Coursera courses helps the site stand apart from the rest. With real courses from schools like Princeton University and Stanford University, Coursera has gained cachet as a legitimate online learning destination. And with ten more universities having announced partnerships with the site in May 2013, it seems likely this virtual schoolroom will remain at the head of the class.

Vistaprint - Founded in 2000

Business card printing once was a task only local printers handled. Vistaprint revolutionized business card printing by taking it online and offering free business cards with their own logo on the back. Since going public in 2005, and after barely surviving the “dot-com bust,” Vistaprint has remained a profitable company offering loads of marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Leap Motion - Founded in 2010

This exciting device tracks simple gestures, like pinching and pointing, in three dimensions instead of two. It allows users to control things like their computer cursor with smaller, natural movements. It’s still in development, but a video on the company’s homepage shows just how intuitive and responsive the Leap Motion can be.

Disruptive Failures

Google Knol - 2007 to 2012

Initially, this project seemed very similar to Wikipedia, but with a focus on the authors of the documents. Knol offered a slightly more social approach than Wikipedia, allowing comments and questions on entries. Unfortunately, the site quickly became known for spam, and suffered further ignominy when Google was accused of favoring the site in its search engine results.

Apple Maps - launched 2012

The iOS maps app should have been just as good as Google Maps, but it fell so short of its competitor that CEO Tim Cook actually posted an apology letter to Apple customers suggesting they try other map apps. The flop cost a few people their jobsâ€"and got more than a few users lost. It didn’t take long for Google Maps to launch its own maps app in Apple’s App Store to fill the void.

Without disruptive companies, advancement would slow to a crawl. Despite the sea of failures, disruptive survivors continue to prove their worth while successfully spearheading innovation.

Diana Doherty is a freelance writer specializing in SEO content, and is a contributor to ChamberofCommerce.com. She loves all things tech, photography, craft, military family life, and business. She earned her BA in English Writing Arts from SUNY Oswego.

Developing nations are facing security challenges as they enter the cyber age

Cyber security is the next challenge for developing nations that require private sector help and key skills.

John Lyons, CEO of the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance, claimed that more aid should be given to developing countries to offer advice on cyber security to help them become more resilient.

Speaking at the National Security conference in London, Lyons said that most attacks come from beyond our shores, so that requires international engagement.

He said that helping foreign governments fight cyber crime is 'a huge elephant' and some work has been completed under the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative, but a lot of work still needs to be done.

“It is not just about legislative efforts or helping law enforcement, but being better at fighting cyber crime,” he said.

“When government itself is insecure and you have a government official using a Hotmail account to exchange information and there is no connection between government and critical national infrastructure, you start to realise that there is a bigger job than you first thought and it seems to me that we are in a new era of nation building and it is in cyber space."

He said that after building a transport and communications infrastructure, the next emphasis should be on getting cyber resilience right in developed and undeveloped countries.

Lyons also said that more work needs to be done on the education, awareness and training of small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) as they account for 90 per cent of growth in any GDP, however as they do not have the ability and finance to pay for their own information security specialists, they need help and advice.

“That is work that we have founded over the last couple of years,” he said. He also said that among the required capabilities are the development of a computer emergency readiness team (CERT) to be able to respond to threats, the development of digital forensic skills and developing centres of excellence.

He said: “The only way we feel we are going to get sustainable improvement in those countries is with engagement with the private sector, multi-national companies that have outreach and operations in those countries.”

Lyons concluded by saying that he would like to see 'cyber aid' given as part of financial support, not extra support, and a portion of aid being used to carry out this work. "The money is already there, international aid is about governance, security and wealth creation, what part of those three things isn't commencement with cyber resilience and an environment where businesses can flourish?" he asked.

"My call today is for cyber aid to become part of international aid; the money is already there so let's spend it wisely in that particular direction. There isn't enough coordination and if governments get too involved closely it will not happen, because national priorities start to take over."

Collection of communications data called \'vital\' for national security

Collection of data, both as part of the Communications Data Bill and via other means is "crucial on building intelligence".

Speaking at the National Security conference in London, minister for security at the Home Office James Brokenshire said that the bill, nicknamed the 'snooper's charter', would collect the who, what, when and where of information, but not the content, and effectively be studying the envelope and not the letter inside.

He said: “It is crucial to building intelligence on those particularly on those who are intent to do harm, and it is significant as it is evidence that can be used in court. Communications data is used to uphold our freedoms rather than restrict them.”

He refused to comment directly on recent stories around secret intelligence, but did say that intelligence is "vital to our country". He also said that the ability to obtain this data was important in protecting national security and if anyone is intent on stealing intellectual property, or working in organised crime, it was key to act in a "strict legal framework".

Commenting on the combination of physical threats and those from cyber space, Brokenshire said that along with extremists and terrorists, there were "cyber fraudsters who steal our money and our data, affect our way of life, our freedom to live and privacy expectations".

He said: “This is not a new question nor is it unique to the UK, information technologies are transforming our world and creating new opportunities for business communication and more. But there are also opportunities for those who mean us harm and a new question on what is a threat and what we do in response.”

With threats to fundamental freedoms, Brokenshire said we have to keep pace with the changes.

A Quick Review of the New Blackberry Q10 Smartphone (Video Review)

As editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, I get to look at a LOT of different technology devices, software and apps. I recently got my hands on the new BlackBerry Q10 smartphone and I put together a quick video to share the new features and challenges of the phone.

If you are currently a BlackBerry user and one who likes having a physical keyboard on your phone, then you’ll definitely want to upgrade to this new version. Some of the features of this new device include:

• Qwerty Keyboard - helps with email productivity.
• Larger Screen -  3.1″ screen
• Touch Enabled - the screen is touch enabled to make moving through items quicker.

You can watch the video below or click here.

Are you a BlackBerry user? If so, have you moved to the new Q10?  What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Lotus F1 team deploys security and availability technology from Juniper

The Lotus F1 team has selected technology from Juniper Networks to secure and enable local area networks (LAN) both in the UK headquarters and on the world's grand prix circuits.

Seeking a secure and robust network that enables the transfer and analysis of large quantities of data at high speed, Lotus F1 chief information officer Graeme Hackland told SC Magazine that having surveyed options he felt that Juniper's offering was the most innovative and worked with its existing infrastructure.

He said: “They offer end-to-end scalability with what we do, and it also secures the network layer so we'll have a better view of business applications and solutions we offer, not just here but also at the track.”

Hackland explained that seeking a refresh of its technology, he wanted to include security in what they took on. After trialling it with the race team, it needed to be secure and robust as well be able to be taken apart three hours after the race ends.

“We opted for Juniper's Pulse offering for remote access as we use Symantec's VIP and this gives everyone a solution that is simplified and meets the level of security we have got,” he said.

In a typical lap, each car generates and logs in excess of 15 MB of data, just under 1,000 statistics per lap are calculated and presented back to race engineers and each race weekend generates in excess of 50GB of data. In 2012 Lotus F1 Team moved more than 4.5TB of data across the world.

Hackland said that these statistics will only increase as the size of black boxes increase under new regulations, which allows up to eight times the amount of data to be collected. “We take most of the data at the pit, so we create a LAN at the circuit which is set up on cables, while the Juniper wireless infrastructure allows us to the configuration on the data,” he said. “You have to make sure it is secure as your competitors are three metres away!”

Sean Dolan, senior vice president, EMEA at Juniper Networks, said: “Grand prix racing is literally a fast-moving enterprise, with a highly-competitive, success-driven culture. Trackside conditions are particularly challenging, with heat, dust, vibration and the need to build and tear down a reliable, secure network infrastructure quickly in a new location every couple of weeks or so.

“We are very excited by the prospect of Juniper's technology operating in this environment and playing a part in Lotus F1 Team's 2013 campaign and beyond.”

A Quick Review of the New Blackberry Q10 Smartphone (Video Review)

As editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, I get to look at a LOT of different technology devices, software and apps. I recently got my hands on the new BlackBerry Q10 smartphone and I put together a quick video to share the new features and challenges of the phone.

If you are currently a BlackBerry user and one who likes having a physical keyboard on your phone, then you’ll definitely want to upgrade to this new version. Some of the features of this new device include:

• Qwerty Keyboard - helps with email productivity.
• Larger Screen -  3.1″ screen
• Touch Enabled - the screen is touch enabled to make moving through items quicker.

You can watch the video below or click here.

Are you a BlackBerry user? If so, have you moved to the new Q10?  What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

A Quick Review of the New Blackberry Q10 Smartphone (Video Review)

As editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, I get to look at a LOT of different technology devices, software and apps. I recently got my hands on the new BlackBerry Q10 smartphone and I put together a quick video to share the new features and challenges of the phone.

If you are currently a BlackBerry user and one who likes having a physical keyboard on your phone, then you’ll definitely want to upgrade to this new version. Some of the features of this new device include:

• Qwerty Keyboard - helps with email productivity.
• Larger Screen -  3.1″ screen
• Touch Enabled - the screen is touch enabled to make moving through items quicker.

You can watch the video below or click here.

Are you a BlackBerry user? If so, have you moved to the new Q10?  What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

8 Tips to Get Ahead During a Summer Slow Down

Some seasonal businesses heat up during the summertime, but most businesses see a major slow-down during the summer months. Clients and customers take vacations, and new projects and purchases are usually delayed until after the vacation season dies down.

However, this downtime isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Savvy small business owners know they can use the time to update their skills, technology, marketing, and anything else that can drive their business forward for the rest of the year. Below are some suggestions for ways you can make the most of the summer months.

1. Attend Your Own “Summer School”

There’s no shortage of new things to learn and summer is the perfect opportunity to add to your arsenal of skills and expertise. Maybe you’ve been wondering about how to use Pinterest, how to put how-to videos on YouTube, or how to boost your website’s Google ranking. Pick one topic to focus on. Attend a local class, pick up a book, or find a training webinar on the topic. And if you have school-age children at home for the summer, they could be a perfect teacher on the latest social media trends and digital technology.

2. Update all Your Social Media Profiles

If you have a LinkedIn profile, make sure it’s up to date with your latest skills, experience, contacts, endorsements, etc. If you use Twitter or Facebook to connect with your customers, take some time to review your bio and profile description. In general, you want to make sure that all your digital calling cards are accurate, up-to-date, compelling, and loaded with your important keywords.

3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Break away from your tired old routine to find new inspiration this summer. It could be as simple as going to a different coffee shop in the morning, trying a different exercise class, or attending a festival you’d never consider going to. You never know where your next great idea will come from, so look anywhere and everywhere this summer for inspiration.

4. “Summer-ize” Your Marketing

Think of creative ways to incorporate summer themes into your marketing, such as blog posts, Facebook updates, newsletters, events, and more. Give your readers good summer content like grilling recipes, your summer reading list, or summer pet care tips. If applicable, you could even treat your top clients to a summer activity like golf, a baseball game, summer wine tasting, lunchtime barbecue, etc.

5. Revisit Your Business Goals

The summer is the perfect midway point to reevaluate your business’ goals for the year. If you made goals at the beginning of the year, pull them out and see how well you’re sticking to them.

Are there any less important tasks that are distracting you from your top-line goals? Do you need to realign your day-to-day tasks with your top business goals?

6. Get Ready for Tax Season

If you’re guilty of waiting until the last minute to organize and file your taxes, the summer is a perfect opportunity to get on track for the year. Meet with a tax adviser to see if there’s anything you should be doing this year (whether it’s changing your business structure or increasing your expenses and distributions) to optimize your tax position.

Get your finances organized, including all expenses and receipts for the year. You’ll be grateful you did when tax time rolls around.

7. Touch Base With Your Best Contacts

When things get busy, it’s easy to fall out of touch with key clients, colleagues and mentors. Summer is a great time to reconnect. A simple lunch meeting or phone conversation might give you valuable insight on important ways to grow your business.

8. Set Time Aside for Yourself

As an entrepreneur, you’ve probably gotten used to working round the clock. Your clients and customers are taking vacation, so maybe you should to. Whether you take a two-week beach vacation or just make a point to set aside an hour to do something you enjoy every day, remember that it’s important to recharge your batteries in order to stay focused and motivated throughout the year.

A change of scenery can stoke your creativity. Who knows what brilliant plan you’ll dream up when you step outside your daily grind?

Slow Down Photo via Shutterstock

All quiet on the Wi-Fi security front

Since the assault on the Wi-Fi network of the US-based TJX retail group in 2007, there has been no further high-profile data breach involving this communications channel.

Does this mean that the TJX breach was enough to shock corporations into ensuring that Wi-Fi networks were secure, proving that it usually takes a big breach to spur across the board action?

On the surface of it, the answer appears to be to be “yes” in the absence of any headline-grabbing incidents involving Wi-Fi communications.

Since 2007, Wi-Fi products have matured and most corporations appear to have switched to the latest and most secure wireless security protocol WPA2 instead of its less secure predecessors WPA and WEP.

In light of better out-of-the box security and fairly widespread adoption of WPA2 and more recently encryption for Wi-Fi data transmissions, the overall situation has improved.

Most corporate wireless networks are also now under the control of IT and network or information security, says Adrian Davis, principal research analyst, Information Security Forum (ISF).

Those networks are also configured better, providing some level of security, and the actual wireless networks, protocols and associated equipment are more secure, including secure out of the box, he says.

In the corporate world, the expertise to set up and configure secure wireless networks is also much more widely distributed, says Davis.

“Additionally, wireless networks are no longer a prime route for hackers to attack and infiltrate a corporate network,” he says.

Davis believes organisations are more likely to be attacked via the internet or a compromised device, as these provide a richer environment from which to attack and attempt to compromise an organisation.

However, that does not mean that every business is immune from Wi-Fi attack, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that typically lack the expertise or resources of larger corporations.

The fact remains that, as the use of Wi-Fi connections increases, so does the potential exposure to data theft if the appropriate technological controls, policies and procedures are not in place.

Although compromises are not making the headlines on a regular basis, this does not mean that it is not happening, particularly in smaller organisations, according to security firm Kaspersky Lab.

For both large and smaller organisations, some common Wi-Fi security failings persist.

Encryption is still not used in all instances for the transmission of data across Wi-Fi networks, says Sergey Novikov, deputy director or the Kaspersky Lab global research and analysis team.

With the proliferation of consumer devices in the enterprise, the use of these devices to connect to corporate email and other systems using public Wi-Fi is also common, he said.

In both cases, bad practices are exposing potentially sensitive corporate data to harvesting by cyber criminals tapping into the Wi-Fi network.

Encryption is essential and there should be no access to corporate systems over public Wi-Fi that is not though a virtual private network (VPN) connection, says Novikov.

Consequently, open Wi-Fi connections at hotels, airports and coffee shops are becoming the weak links in security for many organisations through the pursuit of greater productivity.

These connections are typically unsecured, making users vulnerable to WiPhishing and man in the middle attacks.

The cost of a data breach - either directly or indirectly through credentials sniffed on a Wi-Fi network - is likely to outweigh the cost of mandating a VPN for business use, said Novikov.

Alongside the use of VPNs, organisations should consider providing provide them with a mobile hotspot that uses a connection to a 3G network to create a personal Wi-Fi network for employee.

According to David Emm, senior regional researcher for Kaspersky Lab UK, using a 3G connection is inherently more secure as the connection is encrypted.

This approach reduces the risks associated with open Wi-Fi connections as well as rogue Wi-Fi access points.

These are access points deliberately set up by attackers to mimics a genuine hotspot in the hope that victims’ mobile devices will connect to it by mistake.

The sign-up page typically looks like the genuine one to trick users into entering their credentials or credit card details.

A similar type of attack uses an ad hoc peer-to-peer network masquerading as a legitimate network.

Unwary users connecting to the malicious Wi-Fi network will still be able to access the internet, except all their traffic will be visible to the attacker.

“The old trick of creating a fake AP is still very common as naïve users still connect to these without giving it a second thought,” says Sandeep Kumar, a London-based security consultant.

“Now with a proliferation of Wi-Fi networks rogue APs can easily hide among all the legitimate ones and convince people to connect,” he said.

The default passwords of all Wi-Fi routers and AP should also be changed upon installation, said Kumar, to stop attackers exploiting industry default passwords.

Allied to the problem of rogue AP is the increasing use of personal increasing use of personal Wi-Fi spots.

“This is possibly the main Wi-Fi security pain point for many organisations today,” says Amar Singh, chair of ISACA UK Security Group.  

Historically these hotspots had to be created using a router, he says, but today these can be set up very easily using a smartphone.

The increasing use of smart devices in the organisation exacerbates this problem because most mobile operating systems remember the last ten or more Wi-Fi hotspots.

“This ‘feature’ is a weakness as it enables attackers to clone trusted hotspots and carry out man-in-the-middle attacks,” says Singh.

As in most cases, technology alone is not enough and must be supported by a clear and comprehensive set of policies and user education about the risks and how to mitigate them.

In tackling personal Wi-Fi hotspots, Singh says his main focus is on educating the user and making them aware of the dangers of this practice.

“The proliferation of the mobile device makes it very difficult, especially given the current budgetary environment, to technically control this behaviour. The best way forward is to take the user on the journey with you,” says Singh.

In the case of targeted attacks, Kaspersky’s Sergey Novikov says it is the top executives who are most at risk.

“Yet, it is the top executives that are often not included in corporate security awareness training programmes,” he says.

Wi-Fi security may have slipped down the agenda because of increased attention, especially in Europe, to the security and privacy challenges of cloud computing and consumerisation of enterprise IT, yet it remains important and should not be overlooked.

Despite growing maturity in Wi-Fi implementations, increased out-of-box security capabilities of Wi-Fi products and greater use of WPA2 and encryption, challenges remain.

While some of these threats can be mitigated through technical controls and other measures, user education and awareness remains key in ensuring Wi-Fi security.

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This was first published in July 2013