The Importance of Keeping a Global Perspective

When David Cornejo Chinguel, founder and chairman of Juan Mejia Baca, decided to start a new system of schools in Chiclayo, Peru, he knew he wanted them to be different. David had traveled outside of Peru before to Europe and other South American countries. He wanted to bring the best ideas from these places back with him and implement the good bits all in one place:

What we are helping form here in our schools is a new generation of children that are tech savvy and part of the digital age. This is the product of globalization.

About a month ago I decided to leave my comfortable job and home in the U.S. and move to Chiclayo, Peru, to work for the summer. This is where I met David, in the 4th largest city in Peru, creating a school that serves the two lowest economic classes in the city. In the month that I have been here, I’ve already learned so much about working internationally, the clashing of cultures and how globalization is real.

As a journalist and as someone who has worked with small businesses previously, I’ve seen how important it is to keep a global perspective, and David gets it too:

Above all, there is a huge movement in entrepreneurship in Peru. There is strength and immensity found in the entrepreneurial attitude.

Working internationally, whether in another country or from the US, can be a challenge. There are cultural differences as well as different systems and ways of doing things that we are often not aware of. If we want our businesses to grow, we need to understand that going into new markets will require patience and the understanding that we will have to adapt.

A global perspective means being open to new ideas, issues and solutions. Often times, it even means being open to changing the way you do things if you find a new system that works better. It means being culturally sensitive and willing to learn from others.

By having a global perspective you will be able to learn from others and you will open your business up for new opportunities. You will be able to grow in ways that others cannot because they don’t understand this concept and you will enter new markets.

David Cornejo Chinguel has a global perspective. His forward thinking ideas and openness is allowing him to form partnerships with people and other universities in Chile, Germany and just recently the U.S. This is a huge success for a university that has only been around for 5 years in a developing country.

This corporation started with zero soles (Peruvian currency), with nothing. But with a tremendous spiritual force and with the strong desire to learn each day we have grown.

Business schools in the U.S. are also recognizing the importance of teaching their MBA students about the global perspective.  Sunil Chopra, interim dean and IBM Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems at the Kellogg School of Management said:

Whether you like it or not, businesses are running globally. What you cannot do is sit in a corner and say, ‘I’m going to build a wall and what happens elsewhere is not going to affect me.’ Global is where the opportunities are.

A global perspective will help you learn from others and find new ideas to grow your business. Globalization is bringing the world together and it’s happening quickly. Be open, be adaptable - and you will see new opportunities knocking on your door.

Global Business Photo via Shutterstock

The Importance of Keeping a Global Perspective

When David Cornejo Chinguel, founder and chairman of Juan Mejia Baca, decided to start a new system of schools in Chiclayo, Peru, he knew he wanted them to be different. David had traveled outside of Peru before to Europe and other South American countries. He wanted to bring the best ideas from these places back with him and implement the good bits all in one place:

What we are helping form here in our schools is a new generation of children that are tech savvy and part of the digital age. This is the product of globalization.

About a month ago I decided to leave my comfortable job and home in the U.S. and move to Chiclayo, Peru, to work for the summer. This is where I met David, in the 4th largest city in Peru, creating a school that serves the two lowest economic classes in the city. In the month that I have been here, I’ve already learned so much about working internationally, the clashing of cultures and how globalization is real.

As a journalist and as someone who has worked with small businesses previously, I’ve seen how important it is to keep a global perspective, and David gets it too:

Above all, there is a huge movement in entrepreneurship in Peru. There is strength and immensity found in the entrepreneurial attitude.

Working internationally, whether in another country or from the US, can be a challenge. There are cultural differences as well as different systems and ways of doing things that we are often not aware of. If we want our businesses to grow, we need to understand that going into new markets will require patience and the understanding that we will have to adapt.

A global perspective means being open to new ideas, issues and solutions. Often times, it even means being open to changing the way you do things if you find a new system that works better. It means being culturally sensitive and willing to learn from others.

By having a global perspective you will be able to learn from others and you will open your business up for new opportunities. You will be able to grow in ways that others cannot because they don’t understand this concept and you will enter new markets.

David Cornejo Chinguel has a global perspective. His forward thinking ideas and openness is allowing him to form partnerships with people and other universities in Chile, Germany and just recently the U.S. This is a huge success for a university that has only been around for 5 years in a developing country.

This corporation started with zero soles (Peruvian currency), with nothing. But with a tremendous spiritual force and with the strong desire to learn each day we have grown.

Business schools in the U.S. are also recognizing the importance of teaching their MBA students about the global perspective.  Sunil Chopra, interim dean and IBM Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems at the Kellogg School of Management said:

Whether you like it or not, businesses are running globally. What you cannot do is sit in a corner and say, ‘I’m going to build a wall and what happens elsewhere is not going to affect me.’ Global is where the opportunities are.

A global perspective will help you learn from others and find new ideas to grow your business. Globalization is bringing the world together and it’s happening quickly. Be open, be adaptable - and you will see new opportunities knocking on your door.

Global Business Photo via Shutterstock

Spreecast: One on One Video Chats Right in Your Web Browser

A new video chat platform allows you to create one on one video chats, video conferences or large scale webinars for free - and potentially profit from them too.

Spreecast, now in its beta launch, isn’t just some Skype, Google Hangout or GoToMeeting knockoff. It is a very different tool operating without the need for anything but an email account to sign in.

“Spreecast is a social video platform,” said company CEO Jeff Fluhr in an exclusive conversation with Small Business Trends. “It’s not like Skype or iChat where you actually have to install software on your machine. It works right in a web browser.”

Not Like Google Hangouts

Unlike Google Hangouts, Spreecast is platform agnostic. This means you don’t need to be signed into a social network to participate or create a Spreecast and you aren’t limited to inviting only those with a Google or other social account to participate. (Though you can sign in using your Facebook or Twitter account, if you like.)

Spreecast also offers an unprecedented set of tools to control the conversation and at the same time more interaction for the audience than is possible with the audience watching a Google Hangout through a viewer window, Fluhr added.

Spreecast also differs from other similar services. Unlike Skype, which essentially offers a video phone call service between two or more participants, Spreecast opens the potential for a large scale public forum conversation. Unlike GoToMeeting and other paid video conferencing services, Spreecast offers a free platform to hold private business meetings.

Creators of a Spreecast can decide how they wish to use the site by choosing between several simple privacy settings to decide who has access.

Up to four people can participate on camera at once, but many more can watch and participate via social chat tools.

“Tens of thousands of people can join a live Spreecast in sort of the audience if you will,” Fluhr explained. “And any one of the people in the audience can actually request to join on camera as well.”

To manage all this, the site gives webinar or video conference creators, or “producers” as they are called, the online controls to assign who will participate on screen. Producers can also preview and vet members of the audience who wish to be placed on camera.

Other Spreecast Features

But that’s not all.

Producers and those they designate as co-producers can also share external media such as comments or questions entered by members of the audience, photos from Flickr, Instagram or Facebook, videos from YouTube or Vimeo and even slide decks from SlideShare.

“It’s a fairly robust set of producer controls that you get when you’re a producer or a moderator of a Spreecast,” Fluhr said.

Producers or members of the audience can use the chat section to the right of the screen to pose questions to other participants or make comments about the on-camera conversation.

A screen queue section beneath the screen allows producers, participants or audience members to post comments or external media they would like shared onscreen. Spreecast producers and co-producers decide what to share.

If you would like to charge for access to your Spreecast, in the case of a webinar for example, a pay per view feature collects money on behalf of the producer. Those fees are split 30/70 with the majority share going to you and rest going to Spreecast. (Again, it’s important to remember here that it is free to create a webinar or video conference on the site.)

Spreecast has, however, begun charging for a few extra services, like custom analytics reports showing you the number of people who viewed your webinar or conference, how many shared it with others socially and how many asked questions. There is also a charge to download the video file from your Spreecast to your hard drive for upload to YouTube or another site. However, all Spreecasts are archived and can be embedded in your site or shared via social media for free.

Promoting Your Brand

One of the most important ways small businesses are using Spreecast is to create interaction between customers and brands, said Fluhr. Specifically, he shared three businesses: Founder Institute, an organization for startup entrepreneurs; Tophatter, an online auction house; and Invisalign, creators of a teeth straightening solution. All three businesses use the site to interact with their customers and community.

“Spreecast allows another format for these small and medium sized businesses to engage with their audience or engage with their customers,” Fluhr said.

In this way, Fluhr positions Spreecast as a tool similar to social sites like Facebook and Twitter, a completely free platform where small businesses can build their brands.

Learn more about producing a Spreecast in the video below.

How to Videos: Producing a Spreecast from Spreecast on Vimeo.

8 Simple Steps To Network Security and Protecting Your Small Business

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 on how AVG can help your small business stay protected - go to http://www.avg.com/us-en/internet-security-business.   

8 Simple Steps To Network Security and Protecting Your Small Business

When it comes to networking, a lot of small businesses aren’t really doing it right. Sure, most people know how to hook up a router and maybe even turn on Wi-Fi, but you really need to know more than that in today’s digital age to fend yourself from possible sabotage. Network security is about more than just purchasing a simple firewall. It’s about making sure that every contact point and every single area within your local network is secured and functioning without any vulnerability to people outside, or inside, your business.

Today’s security environment looks much different than it did back in the last decade. A long time ago, you were probably worried that someone would download a virus that ended up damaging a system. The attacks would probably be a nuisance, but didn’t cause considerable damage. Now, you must watch your every step and lock up your systems with several layers of protection. This is largely due to how hacking has evolved in previous years.

The problem most businesses face is budget. A large-scale corporation has the experts and money to keep their enormous networks in pristine condition, but what about the small retailer who only has a server and a couple of PCs? How is that business going to incorporate high-level security on its own dime?

Perhaps a checklist will help:

• Make sure that everyone on the local network has a very strong system password set up. You’d be surprised at how many computers I’ve seen (even in corporate networks) that don’t even have a system password set. This is a big invitation for sabotage.
• Set up an access control policy. Authorization through access control will reduce the risk of sabotage and it will compartmentalize the network as a whole, turning it into a fort with many rooms rather than a free-for-all. This also makes damage control easier!
• Have a look at all your sensitive data and make sure that no unauthorized person can potentially gain access to it. Keep all that data behind lock and key. It’s best if you actually keep such data as far away from the network as possible.
• Don’t use anything except WPA2 encryption in your Wi-Fi key. Anything less than that, and you’re inviting people to sniff your access point.

• If you must use a router, get something meant for small businesses, not a home router. Small business routers typically have a more advanced firewall with strong authentication features. These routers can protect your private network while managing your access to the outside world. They also set up proper VPNs that let you and your employees access your private network without having to rely on third parties.
• Run anti-virus software on your network and devices. This will help you to stop, remove and prevent the spreading of viruses, worms or trojans that may attack your system. 
• It never hurts to have a software firewall running in your systems. A good software firewall works well as a last line of defense. Software firewalls fill in the gaps that routers cannot.
• Don’t forget to keep computers used by guests away from your private network.

This isn’t really that expensive, compared to the losses you could experience trying to control the damage caused by an attack. There’s nothing fun about cleaning up a mess! With these tips, you’ll have a fighting chance against any possible sabotage or hacking attempts.

8 Simple Steps To Network Security and Protecting Your Small Business

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 on how AVG can help your small business stay protected - go to http://www.avg.com/us-en/internet-security-business.   

8 Simple Steps To Network Security and Protecting Your Small Business

When it comes to networking, a lot of small businesses aren’t really doing it right. Sure, most people know how to hook up a router and maybe even turn on Wi-Fi, but you really need to know more than that in today’s digital age to fend yourself from possible sabotage. Network security is about more than just purchasing a simple firewall. It’s about making sure that every contact point and every single area within your local network is secured and functioning without any vulnerability to people outside, or inside, your business.

Today’s security environment looks much different than it did back in the last decade. A long time ago, you were probably worried that someone would download a virus that ended up damaging a system. The attacks would probably be a nuisance, but didn’t cause considerable damage. Now, you must watch your every step and lock up your systems with several layers of protection. This is largely due to how hacking has evolved in previous years.

The problem most businesses face is budget. A large-scale corporation has the experts and money to keep their enormous networks in pristine condition, but what about the small retailer who only has a server and a couple of PCs? How is that business going to incorporate high-level security on its own dime?

Perhaps a checklist will help:

• Make sure that everyone on the local network has a very strong system password set up. You’d be surprised at how many computers I’ve seen (even in corporate networks) that don’t even have a system password set. This is a big invitation for sabotage.
• Set up an access control policy. Authorization through access control will reduce the risk of sabotage and it will compartmentalize the network as a whole, turning it into a fort with many rooms rather than a free-for-all. This also makes damage control easier!
• Have a look at all your sensitive data and make sure that no unauthorized person can potentially gain access to it. Keep all that data behind lock and key. It’s best if you actually keep such data as far away from the network as possible.
• Don’t use anything except WPA2 encryption in your Wi-Fi key. Anything less than that, and you’re inviting people to sniff your access point.

• If you must use a router, get something meant for small businesses, not a home router. Small business routers typically have a more advanced firewall with strong authentication features. These routers can protect your private network while managing your access to the outside world. They also set up proper VPNs that let you and your employees access your private network without having to rely on third parties.
• Run anti-virus software on your network and devices. This will help you to stop, remove and prevent the spreading of viruses, worms or trojans that may attack your system. 
• It never hurts to have a software firewall running in your systems. A good software firewall works well as a last line of defense. Software firewalls fill in the gaps that routers cannot.
• Don’t forget to keep computers used by guests away from your private network.

This isn’t really that expensive, compared to the losses you could experience trying to control the damage caused by an attack. There’s nothing fun about cleaning up a mess! With these tips, you’ll have a fighting chance against any possible sabotage or hacking attempts.

Over 50, Female and Starting a Business: 6 Essentials to Consider

Are you a woman nearing retirement, but thinking about starting a business?

Woman-owned businesses are a critical part of the U.S. economy, numbering 7.8 million according to the latest Census data, and growing at twice the rate of men-owned businesses. For women over the age of 50, small business ownership affords many benefits - additional income, a flexible lifestyle and that unbeatable feeling that comes with being your own boss.

In addition, as a workforce veteran, over-50 entrepreneurs (also known as “Encore Entrepreneurs”) bring a great deal to the table - maturity, finance and a broad network of contacts and relationships.

Whether you are looking to start a business right away or are planning to start one once you’ve retired, what are your options? What entrepreneurial path should you take? Below are tips and considerations to help you become a successful female encore entrepreneur.

Understand the Factors that Drive Success

Success isn’t down to securing a bank loan or a buyer for your product or service - small business success is more fundamental than that. It means having a true entrepreneurial attitude - being dedicated and refusing to quit when things get rough.

Networking is also critical. Connecting with potential clients and partners is important, but networking also gives you a broader opportunity to learn from the experiences of other business owners and help fill your knowledge and experience gaps.

Adaptability is also key - successful business owners continuously assess how their business is performing and make adjustments as they go. Likewise, being open to constructive criticism will help your business stay on the cutting edge and avoid potential problems you might not be able to see on your own.

Business You Can Start with Little Capital

Avoid raiding your savings or dipping into your retirement nest egg to fund your business. There are many businesses that you can start with little capital, including the following:

• Consulting for your former employer: Or those in your old industry. It’s more common than you might think (use your network).
• Online businesses: From selling on eBay to professional blogging.
• Virtual assistant: Help other business professionals with their administrative tasks such as email and calendar management, basic marketing and accounting functions - all from home.
• Become a lifestyle product agent/consultant: Beauty products, jewelry, kitchen gadgets and more can be sold at parties and online.
• Social media and content production: Social media and the content that goes along with it is time consuming for many businesses. Writers, photographers and videographers can all become successful content providers.
• Convenience services for consumers: From dog walking to child care to house cleaning.

Does Your Idea Have Income Potential?

This is a tricky one and many entrepreneurs run the risk of wearing blinders through this part of the business planning process. Weighing the costs of starting and running a business against its earning potential is critical, especially if you are already retired and living on a fixed income. Keeping start-up costs low can help alleviate the risk.

Home-based businesses are a great option for reducing costs substantially and can be started for under $1000. Your earning potential will also go up if you focus on doing what you like and what you are good at. Talk to your accountant, small business counselor or mentor (SCORE can match you up with one for free) for guidance on your financial options and good cash flow management.

Don’t Neglect the Business Plan

Just as you wouldn’t embark on a long car journey without planning your route, don’t skip or delay writing a business plan. You don’t need to write a polished thesis. A good plan is simple, flexible and manageable - it steers your business rather than prescribes it.

From a big picture perspective, address your strategic direction first, then break down the rest of your plan into mini-plans to include a sales and marketing plan, a financial plan and potentially a staffing plan.

Understand the Legal and Regulatory Steps of Starting a Business

Obtaining the right business license or permit, paying estimated taxes, registering your business name, incorporating - these and other legal and regulatory steps often fall through the cracks, simply because new business owners aren’t aware of what they should be doing (or don’t have to do) to establish a business legally at the city, county, state and federal levels.

So seek advice - talk to other business owners, browse your state and local government website or visit your local Small Business Development Center or Women’s Business Center for the right information about national and local business regulations.

Connect With Your Local Women’s Business Center

Located across the U.S., Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) provide women entrepreneurs with in-person assistance and business counseling programs that can help them start and grow successful businesses. Each center is tailored to the needs of the specific community and offer guidance and training on a variety of topics including:

• Preparing for business ownership
• Business planning
• Business management
• Marketing
• How to navigate the business loan process
• Opportunities for selling to the government

These can specifically benefit women who are economically or socially disadvantaged and wouldn’t otherwise have access to comprehensive training and counseling offered in many languages.

Over 50 Woman Photo via Shutterstock

Over 50, Female and Starting a Business: 6 Essentials to Consider

Are you a woman nearing retirement, but thinking about starting a business?

Woman-owned businesses are a critical part of the U.S. economy, numbering 7.8 million according to the latest Census data, and growing at twice the rate of men-owned businesses. For women over the age of 50, small business ownership affords many benefits - additional income, a flexible lifestyle and that unbeatable feeling that comes with being your own boss.

In addition, as a workforce veteran, over-50 entrepreneurs (also known as “Encore Entrepreneurs”) bring a great deal to the table - maturity, finance and a broad network of contacts and relationships.

Whether you are looking to start a business right away or are planning to start one once you’ve retired, what are your options? What entrepreneurial path should you take? Below are tips and considerations to help you become a successful female encore entrepreneur.

Understand the Factors that Drive Success

Success isn’t down to securing a bank loan or a buyer for your product or service - small business success is more fundamental than that. It means having a true entrepreneurial attitude - being dedicated and refusing to quit when things get rough.

Networking is also critical. Connecting with potential clients and partners is important, but networking also gives you a broader opportunity to learn from the experiences of other business owners and help fill your knowledge and experience gaps.

Adaptability is also key - successful business owners continuously assess how their business is performing and make adjustments as they go. Likewise, being open to constructive criticism will help your business stay on the cutting edge and avoid potential problems you might not be able to see on your own.

Business You Can Start with Little Capital

Avoid raiding your savings or dipping into your retirement nest egg to fund your business. There are many businesses that you can start with little capital, including the following:

• Consulting for your former employer: Or those in your old industry. It’s more common than you might think (use your network).
• Online businesses: From selling on eBay to professional blogging.
• Virtual assistant: Help other business professionals with their administrative tasks such as email and calendar management, basic marketing and accounting functions - all from home.
• Become a lifestyle product agent/consultant: Beauty products, jewelry, kitchen gadgets and more can be sold at parties and online.
• Social media and content production: Social media and the content that goes along with it is time consuming for many businesses. Writers, photographers and videographers can all become successful content providers.
• Convenience services for consumers: From dog walking to child care to house cleaning.

Does Your Idea Have Income Potential?

This is a tricky one and many entrepreneurs run the risk of wearing blinders through this part of the business planning process. Weighing the costs of starting and running a business against its earning potential is critical, especially if you are already retired and living on a fixed income. Keeping start-up costs low can help alleviate the risk.

Home-based businesses are a great option for reducing costs substantially and can be started for under $1000. Your earning potential will also go up if you focus on doing what you like and what you are good at. Talk to your accountant, small business counselor or mentor (SCORE can match you up with one for free) for guidance on your financial options and good cash flow management.

Don’t Neglect the Business Plan

Just as you wouldn’t embark on a long car journey without planning your route, don’t skip or delay writing a business plan. You don’t need to write a polished thesis. A good plan is simple, flexible and manageable - it steers your business rather than prescribes it.

From a big picture perspective, address your strategic direction first, then break down the rest of your plan into mini-plans to include a sales and marketing plan, a financial plan and potentially a staffing plan.

Understand the Legal and Regulatory Steps of Starting a Business

Obtaining the right business license or permit, paying estimated taxes, registering your business name, incorporating - these and other legal and regulatory steps often fall through the cracks, simply because new business owners aren’t aware of what they should be doing (or don’t have to do) to establish a business legally at the city, county, state and federal levels.

So seek advice - talk to other business owners, browse your state and local government website or visit your local Small Business Development Center or Women’s Business Center for the right information about national and local business regulations.

Connect With Your Local Women’s Business Center

Located across the U.S., Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) provide women entrepreneurs with in-person assistance and business counseling programs that can help them start and grow successful businesses. Each center is tailored to the needs of the specific community and offer guidance and training on a variety of topics including:

• Preparing for business ownership
• Business planning
• Business management
• Marketing
• How to navigate the business loan process
• Opportunities for selling to the government

These can specifically benefit women who are economically or socially disadvantaged and wouldn’t otherwise have access to comprehensive training and counseling offered in many languages.

Over 50 Woman Photo via Shutterstock

Skillfeed: Video Tutorials to Make Your Web Presence More Visual

Images are so much more important today online. With the Web becoming more visual,  entrepreneurs and small business staff are being challenged to hone their design skills.

And that’s where a new learning center called Skillfeed comes in.

Skillfeed is a new service launched in June, from the popular stock photo service Shutterstock.

Skillfeed is a video tutorial center. It provides training videos designed to help you become better at Web development, graphic design, photography, video, mobile development, 3D/motion design, and audio.

There are even a handful of courses on pure business subjects such as learning to use Microsoft Excel and WordPress.  The majority, though, focus on design- and visual-related skills.

The videos include short ones, called “Skill Snacks,”  that provide a quick overview or hone in on one single feature of a tool.  For example, one 4-minute video demonstrates Excel keyboard shortcuts.

And then there are long multi-part, multi-hour courses - we saw some more than 4 hours long in total duration.

Matching Your Skill Level

One of the annoying things I find about presentations, books and learning materials is when the learning level isn’t clearly stated.  If you’re already at an advanced level, you can waste a lot of time sifting through beginner-level material â€" and get frustrated in the process.

Newbies can be equally frustrated. How many times have you wanted a high-level  introduction to a subject, only to get plopped into the middle of advanced level material that has you down in the weeds? You feel lost.

Skillfeed addresses that by labeling courses according to skill level.  You can sort courses by beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert levels.

For $19 a month, you can have access to as many videos as you have time to watch, guiding you through the intricacies of, say, a software tool like Photoshop.

Skillfeed currently has more than 10,000 videos available. These videos are all quality-vetted by Shutterstock before they’re posted on the site.  With a subscription you can watch unlimited videos on demand. You can bookmark your favorites or ones you plan to watch in the future.

You also can see up to 30 seconds of any video for free.  Consider the 30-second preview the movie trailer for the course.

My observation is that the tutorials can be valuable whether you are a design professional, or simply an entrepreneur who wants his or her website to look better.  For instance, I know that I will never match an expert at using Photoshop. For complex or important projects, I will always seek out a real designer.

But sometimes you just need to be able to tweak a photograph or add some text to an image. It helps if you have some do-it-yourself skills.

An Extension to Shutterstock’s Core Business

Shutterstock founder and CEO, Jon Oringer, noted in a statement announcing the service, “Skillfeed is a natural extension for Shutterstock since we already serve an active, paying community of more than 750,000 professionals who view us as a trusted, creative resource.”

Here at Small Business Trends we are users of Shutterstock stock images to add visual interest to  articles. We are very particular about not just grabbing other people’s images off the Web.  We use only images that we feel secure in knowing will not pose copyright issues later on, and Shutterstock gives us that assurance.

It’s good to see Shutterstock adding another service to help small businesses and entrepreneurs “up” their visual game.

Skillfeed: Video Tutorials to Make Your Web Presence More Visual

Images are so much more important today online. With the Web becoming more visual,  entrepreneurs and small business staff are being challenged to hone their design skills.

And that’s where a new learning center called Skillfeed comes in.

Skillfeed is a new service launched in June, from the popular stock photo service Shutterstock.

Skillfeed is a video tutorial center. It provides training videos designed to help you become better at Web development, graphic design, photography, video, mobile development, 3D/motion design, and audio.

There are even a handful of courses on pure business subjects such as learning to use Microsoft Excel and WordPress.  The majority, though, focus on design- and visual-related skills.

The videos include short ones, called “Skill Snacks,”  that provide a quick overview or hone in on one single feature of a tool.  For example, one 4-minute video demonstrates Excel keyboard shortcuts.

And then there are long multi-part, multi-hour courses - we saw some more than 4 hours long in total duration.

Matching Your Skill Level

One of the annoying things I find about presentations, books and learning materials is when the learning level isn’t clearly stated.  If you’re already at an advanced level, you can waste a lot of time sifting through beginner-level material â€" and get frustrated in the process.

Newbies can be equally frustrated. How many times have you wanted a high-level  introduction to a subject, only to get plopped into the middle of advanced level material that has you down in the weeds? You feel lost.

Skillfeed addresses that by labeling courses according to skill level.  You can sort courses by beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert levels.

For $19 a month, you can have access to as many videos as you have time to watch, guiding you through the intricacies of, say, a software tool like Photoshop.

Skillfeed currently has more than 10,000 videos available. These videos are all quality-vetted by Shutterstock before they’re posted on the site.  With a subscription you can watch unlimited videos on demand. You can bookmark your favorites or ones you plan to watch in the future.

You also can see up to 30 seconds of any video for free.  Consider the 30-second preview the movie trailer for the course.

My observation is that the tutorials can be valuable whether you are a design professional, or simply an entrepreneur who wants his or her website to look better.  For instance, I know that I will never match an expert at using Photoshop. For complex or important projects, I will always seek out a real designer.

But sometimes you just need to be able to tweak a photograph or add some text to an image. It helps if you have some do-it-yourself skills.

An Extension to Shutterstock’s Core Business

Shutterstock founder and CEO, Jon Oringer, noted in a statement announcing the service, “Skillfeed is a natural extension for Shutterstock since we already serve an active, paying community of more than 750,000 professionals who view us as a trusted, creative resource.”

Here at Small Business Trends we are users of Shutterstock stock images to add visual interest to  articles. We are very particular about not just grabbing other people’s images off the Web.  We use only images that we feel secure in knowing will not pose copyright issues later on, and Shutterstock gives us that assurance.

It’s good to see Shutterstock adding another service to help small businesses and entrepreneurs “up” their visual game.

Application-based authentication technology launched by Authentify

Authentify has released a QR reader app that can scan an on-screen cryptograph to turn a phone into a strong authenticator.

According to the company, the Authentify xFA Service can be downloaded from application stores and enrolling it allows users to register a voice biometric that can also be used as an authenticator.

It said that Authentify xFA works by scanning an on-screen, short-lived cryptograph, which activates a PKI digital certificate for strong authentication. The company said that it could be used by any online service provider or enterprise that needs strong protection at time of logon with a simple user experience.

Peter Tapling, president and CEO of Authentify, said: “Password security is broken and the headlines prove it, but you never hear that the server-to-server link between a bank and a processor was hacked. That is because server-to-server security is in a different class, anchored by PKI digital certificates and mutual authentication.

“Until now however, cost, user complexity and ease of deployment have been formidable barriers that prevented its widespread use for individual endpoints. Authentify is changing that paradigm because xFA is even easier to use than passwords, yet it delivers the proven security of digital certificates and additional authentication factors over a second channel.”

Prism pushes data from US to European cloud providers

US cloud service providers could suffer loss of business following the revelations about the US National Security Agency's Prism surveillance system.

According to a report by the Guardian, European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes said that European businesses are likely to abandon the services of American providers that could suffer a significant loss of business if clients fear the security of their material is under threat.

She said: “If businesses or governments think they might be spied on, they will have less reason to trust cloud, and it will be cloud providers who ultimately miss out. Why would you pay someone else to hold your commercial or other secrets if you suspect or know they are being shared against your wishes?

“It is often American providers that will miss out, because they are often the leaders in cloud services. If European cloud customers cannot trust the United States government, then maybe they won't trust US cloud providers either. If I am right, there are multi-billion euro consequences for American companies. If I were an American cloud provider, I would be quite frustrated with my government right now.”

Speaking to SC Magazine recently, a European corporate information manager at engineering and project management firm called on vendors that use the cloud to offer services that were not solely based in the US due to the Patriot Act.

Amar Singh, CISO of News International and chair of the ISACA Security Advisory Group, said: “Regardless of where you are - you could be anywhere on the planet - if you don't want anyone to look at your data and you don't encrypt it, you have no assurance it is safe from prying eyes.

“If you don't encrypt data, it is always open. More importantly, you need to hold the keys to your encrypted data.”

Dave Anderson, senior director at Voltage Security, said: “In general, the issue at hand is the ability to protect sensitive information from exposure, regardless of whether the exposure is caused by a malicious act, an inadvertent slip, a surveillance operation or a failure of protective controls or processes.

“Any sensitive information including financials, customer and employee data, or intellectual property should be protected across the entire lifecycle of that data, and loss or exposure of this data can result in compliance or regulatory fines, loss of brand and reputation and, as the recent events further validate, a loss of privacy around how we communicate and the content of those communications. 

“This will become even more critical as organisations move to the cloud, and increase their awareness of how to best protect themselves from the impact of these types of surveillance and breach activities. The benefits of moving to the cloud are dynamic. Companies are not going to move away from this and will continue to look for ways to leverage the cloud to support current business processes, as well as identifying new customer initiatives through the cloud that will make them more competitive.

“The ability to properly protect their data from exposure and surveillance, while simultaneously leveraging the cloud, is the true key to competitiveness moving forward.”

11 Important Factors to Consider Before You Buy a Franchise

For would-be (or current) entrepreneurs, becoming a franchisee, especially for a successful outfit, seems like a shorter path to profitability. That said, the devil’s in the details â€" and there’s more to a franchise opportunity than upfront costs and prior successes.

We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question to find out what factors to consider when evaluating a potential franchising opportunity:

“What’s one often overlooked thing you should consider when evaluating a franchising opportunity?”

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Check for Proven Systems

“When you buy a franchise, you’re buying a proven business model. But if that opportunity doesn’t come with systems that work, then you’ll be flying blind. There should be systems for everything from payroll and marketing to client services and upsells. You also want to find out if training is included or if you’ll be left to figure out the system on your own.” ~ Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems

2. Ask How They Treat Their First Franchisees

“It is important to track how the original founders of the company have treated their first franchisees to see if it is a right fit for you. Go and make the personal visit to the first group of franchisees if the company is not willing to let you meet them this is definitely a red flag. Remember, once you sign an agreement it is really hard and expensive to buy yourself out of one. “ ~ Derek Capo, Next Step China

3. Examine Earnings Potential

“It can be tricky to evaluate the profitability of a franchise, because you can’t rely on profitability from other franchise locations - that may be affected by location and a variety of other factors. Get a comprehensive list of the financials from other franchises, investigate how the successful ones became profitable, and find out whether other franchises have recently failed.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

4. Consider Coaching to be Critical

“One often overlooked, though extremely important, factor to consider when evaluating a franchising opportunity is whether the franchisor offers a well-thought-out, structured and proven coaching program. Great franchisors understand that their success hinges on each of their franchisee’s abilities to be entrepreneurial & savvy. Great franchises will invest in their franchisees’ development.” ~ SeanKelly, HUMAN (Helping Unite Mankind And Nutrition)

5. Make Sure they Have Already Succeeded

“Some franchises need specific talents or connections to be successful. Before you decide to take on a franchising opportunity, research who has already done well with that franchise. See if there are any common factors â€" and if you have the necessary characteristics, as well. “ ~ Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting

6. Acquire Territory Exclusivity

“My primary concern when I consider franchising (after the strength of the brand) is whether I can get exclusive territory. If that’s not possible for whatever reason, it makes it much tougher to build and defend a profitable niche.” ~ Erik Severinghaus, SimpleRelevance

7. Know the True Costs of Being a Franchisee

“I review many franchise agreements. There are often hidden fees in addition to the royalty payments, such as required marketing fees or training. Be sure you know the true cost of being a franchisee to make sure the franchise opportunity is the best one for you and your family.” ~ Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC

8. Look for Knowledge-Sharing Among Franchisees

“Any good franchise will align the interests of the franchise and the franchisees. One way to enhance your odds of success is to franchise from an organization that connects all of its franchisees. Because you will have territorial protection, you should feel free sharing with (and asking questions of) other peer franchisees. Their experiences will help put you on the right track.” ~ Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

9. Seek Advice From Existing Franchisees

“What do the company’s fellow franchisees think? It’s easy to get swept away in the great information the company espouses, but what’s it really like? I advise every potential franchisor to sit down with someone who has converted and ask him the tough questions. Existing franchisors should be willing to mentor newbies. Their enthusiasm should be contagious!” ~ Kuba Jewgieniew, Realty ONE Group

10. Analyze Market Opportunity

“It’s easy to get lost in the FDD numbers and lose sight of the big picture. The dollars and cents are important, but they’re also irrelevant if you find out a few months into owning the franchise that your personality doesn’t fit with the culture. Attend the “Discovery Day,” get a feel for the company’s values and vision, and make sure you mesh well with the people behind the brand.” ~ Nick Friedman, College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving

11. Get Comfortable With Company Operations

“When evaluating a franchising opportunity, you should determine if you are comfortable with the extent to which you can modify operations. Quite often, franchises have strict rules on how to operate the business â€" often not allowing innovative franchisees to explore new marketing strategies or product positioning. Make sure you are comfortable with what you won’t be allowed to change.” ~ Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors

Citicus One vR.35

Citicus One is an integrated system for organisations to automate their IT governance, risk and compliance management processes. It uses an asset-based risk assessment approach and can be used as an efficient, constructive and continuous method of measuring and managing information risk - and other areas of operational risk - across an enterprise. It can conduct tens, hundreds or thousands of risk evaluations, and keep them up to date efficiently.

This tool is available as both installable software and as an in-the-cloud, hosted service. The on-premise solution is supported on MS Windows Server 2003 or above, MS SQL Server 2005 or 2008, and requires .NET 3.5 and for user management is fully integrated with Active Directory.

Assessments deliver evaluation results that create individual issues or action plans for follow-up or remediation activities. Assets can be imported via a simple object access protocol (SOAP)-based web service from configuration management database tools or other data sources. Citicus One will help link issues with action items to establish the required control improvements to remediate or manage risk. Interdependencies between assets can be recorded so that risk dependencies can be tracked. There is a workflow/remediation capability to assist with this effort. It uses web-based data collection forms, including asset criticality assessments and risk scorecards. These ensure that objective and consistent data is recorded that identifies risks to business applications, IT infrastructure and outsourced services.

The user interface makes it easy to configure the control assessment framework using one's own local security policies and regulations, or one can use the built-in control libraries covering areas such as ISO 27001, PCI DSS, Information Security Forum's Standard of Good Practice (ISF SoGP), NIST, vendor assessment/third-party, physical security and SCADA requirements. The process is completely UI driven with no coding necessary. A simple pull-down menu drives the entire process.

Remediation planning is supported through recording risk and compliance issues and the specific action required to resolve these. Actions can then be assigned to individuals, budgeted and tracked to completion. The completion of remediation activity automatically updates compliance and risk ratings. Incident-reporting templates are available and can be customised to one's needs. Using remediation and incident management tools, one can quickly automate the linking of actions to specific controls and users can generate a risk scorecard by asset.

Reporting is a strength of this product. It is role-based, so it is easy to deliver an executive dashboard or a more detail-based home screen for an analyst. Reports are largely graphical and interactive and include dashboards, risk and compliance league tables, heat maps, trend reports and risk dependency maps.

New features in v3.5 include an automated workflow capability for assessment and remediation functions. Also new are analytics to provide a prediction of likelihood of incidents. The prediction capability does not deliver a risk number, but rather a ranking based on the status of various controls.

The documentation is integrated with the software and is cleanly laid out. Standard phone, email and web support is included in the first-year price and is 18 per cent thereafter.

Michael Lipinski

Allgress Insight and Risk Manager v4.1

Allgress Business Risk Intelligence helps companies quickly and automatically aggregate data from security and compliance assessments and technical inputs and turn this into meaningful, actionable, risk-specific intelligence that can be aligned with the goals of the business. With Allgress, one can identify risk areas that are underexposed and reorder security priorities to better align with the current environment. It also helps administrators assess risk or compliance within their organisation by determining how closely it adheres to a particular standard.

The Insight and Risk Manager is sold as on-premise software running on the Microsoft platform, Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64) and SQL Server 2008R2 (x64). We were told that typical implementations take about two weeks. There is also a hosted, cloud-based model. Licensing is either perpetual or subscription-based on the model deployed. Pricing is based on the size of the organisation and the number of modules purchased.

Allgress is a risk platform that includes modules supporting assessments, vulnerability analysis, policy management, mitigation and incident management. It has a well laid-out user interface with tabs across the top for each function. It is preconfigured with a number of popular standards, and uses the Unified Compliance Framework (UCF) content library. The policy functionality is easy to use, but it is important to note, the library is hosted in the cloud, not locally within the on-premise solution. Assets come in from the user's vulnerability data and are manually entered or imported.

The visualisation capabilities are impressive. From the risk heat maps to the slick, wheel-based vulnerability graphs, data is presented in a usable and meaningful way. Trending techniques and business modelling offer a clear balance between past, present and pending threats to the business. One also has a beneficial 'what if' analysis tool to model changes or mitigations prior to investing or deploying. The web front end has been designed to support HTML5 so that users can deploy mobile devices to deliver assessments, manage risk or simply review posture.

Allgress Insight and Risk Manager is a flexible platform that can grow with the organisation's maturity level in managing risk, compliance and security. It can provide an efficient balance of timely, understandable results at a justifiable price point without the added complexity of an overabundance of functions. This could be a pro and con depending on one's needs. There are more sophisticated tools on the market but the value of this solution is to help both IT staff and non-technical-oriented leadership understand their vulnerability risk posture by employing a language they can comprehend. This is intended to prioritise IT resource investments to meet business objectives.

Standard eight-hours-a-day/five-days-a-week support is included with either the hosted or purchased licences. Extended 24/7 support is available at 30 per cent of the purchase price.

Allgress delivers a solution that can be deployed quickly so as to immediately deliver value through visualisation for all technical and business groups.

Michael Lipinski

AlgoSec Security Management Suite

AlgoSec Security Management Suite comprises three parts: FireWall Analyzer, FireFlow and BusinessFlow.

FireWall Analyzer allows administrators to fully automate auditing and management of firewall rules and policies. FireFlow provides a change workflow platform to manage firewall policy changes, including automated changes to Check Point devices via the ActiveChange feature. Finally, BusinessFlow brings together firewall and security policy with application needs. Without putting systems at unnecessary risk, administrators and application managers can use BusinessFlow to accurately ensure that a proper policy that grants required application rules is deployed throughout the environment.

We found installation to be quite straightforward and is initially done by connecting to the appliance through a console or SSH connection to configure the IP and network settings. Once complete, we were able to manage and configure the appliance through the web-based management GUI. We found this to be fairly simple to navigate, with an intuitive layout. We also found the integration of the various functions to be well organised throughout the interface. As for adding and managing devices, we found it was simple to configure and we were up and running in minutes.

This product comes pretty well loaded out of the box. On top of device support for almost any firewall and router, the AlgoSec Security Management Suite comes preloaded with several ready to go workflows for adding, removing and re-certifying rules and removing or changing objects. Also included are pre-defined reports for regulatory compliance auditing. Some of the templates include PCI, SOX, ISO 27001, NERC CIP, Basel II and J-SOX. Aside from compliance auditing, this also helps streamline policy risk assessment through deep analysis of the existing rules throughout the environment and finds unused rules and objects and shadowed, duplicate and expired rules to eliminate clutter and unnecessary risk to the network.

On the application side, this solution offers full automation for translating application connectivity requirements to firewall and router rules. This ensures each application gets properly crafted rules with no unneeded, open or wrong ports.

Provided documentation consists of several PDF user manuals, including installation and setup guides and user guides for each of the components of the suite. All manuals were well organised and easy to follow with many step-by-step instructions, configuration examples and screenshots.

AlgoSec offers three different tiers of technical support to customers as part of a support and maintenance program. Each of these levels includes phone, email and web-based assistance. Also available to customers at no additional cost is a web-based support portal, containing access to documentation and a detailed knowledgebase.

With pricing starting at around £8,000 for the appliance, software and licensing, we find AlgoSec Security Management Suite to be very good value for money, as it offers a lot of features and functionality at a competitive price.

Mike Stephenson

Aruvio GRC v2.2

Aruvio GRC is a complete set of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) applications, including controls, compliance, vendor risk, enterprise risk, incident management and policy and training. These are geared toward mid-sized organisations, as they are designed to be simple to deploy and priced to be attractive for smaller user counts.

It is available as a cloud-based SaaS offering only and is built on top of Salesforce.com technology. As a fully hosted offering, the system is typically deployed in under one week. A web browser can be used to access this product, making it accessible via any device running a web browser, including mobile devices.

Aruvio is an audit-driven solution with modules available to test compliance, preliminary risk and risk assessment and it includes a tool to quickly develop audits and workflows. Being web-based, it uses email notification to users as a workflow engine for all audit and alerting functions. Role-based authentication controls display who has access to what features. Aruvio integrates regulatory compliance documents and consolidates inputs. Users can upload company-specific policy, standard documents or use the pre-loaded common control framework that comes from integrating to the Unified Compliance Framework (UCF). The seamless integration between frameworks and internal standards helps avoid redundant control testing with 'test once, report many'.

Assets and vulnerabilities can be imported from various configuration management databases and vulnerability scanners using an easy-to-use data loader interface. Once loaded, users can perform risk assessment of identified vulnerabilities and threats by assets. There is an asset creation wizard but from what we saw, asset creation looked to be manual, which can be a pro and a con. It is easy to roll up assets to systems, but there will be some setup time to fully create and organise necessary assets.

A policy module is included with the product. One creates policies outside of the tool and uploads them as PDF files. Further, there is a useful feature that allows one to create the training on the policy and track that adherence, as well as a read-and-accept audit-tracking feature. Users can deploy the data from the policy tool to map policies to controls and then measure and report on compliance under one's risk assessment.

A vendor risk module allows administrators to set up white-labelled and branded portals to deliver and track vendor assessments for inclusion in the risk reporting. It appeared to be more of a manual process to get all the data in, but there are data imports that are easy to use. Once information is uploaded, the wizards do make it quick and easy to use and manage that information.

Reporting and dashboard capabilities are well done. Users have numerous reports and views out of the box and one can customise any of these as desired. The dashboards are easy to use and it is simple and quick to get to the detailed data. One can look at a risk profile as a whole or quickly click to a view of risk by any regulatory type, such as quickly see a risk profile for just PCI DSS.

Support is included in the yearly subscription fee and includes 24/7 phone and email access, but there is not a web-based support option.

Michael Lipinski

Agiliance RiskVision v6.5

Agiliance RiskVision manages enterprise risk by making it visible, actionable and measurable across business units, IT operations and security management in near real-time. It comes as a single platform with multiple modules that can be activated via licensing. Manager modules are available for compliance, enterprise risk, vendor risk, threat and vulnerability, and policy and incident.

Agiliance provides a holistic view of security and compliance in one integrated enterprise platform that enables companies to move from a reactive, threat-driven approach to a proactive, risk-aware posture. This brings together threat, vulnerability, security configuration, compliance and risk assessments data. RiskVision correlates this data against its 'business-criticality aware' asset database, as well as its multi-regulatory compliance framework of 50-plus standards and policies, providing organisations with an aggregated view of their risk and compliance posture.

This solution is delivered either as on-premise software running on available hardware or as an on-demand, cloud-based platform. It requires Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or 2008, and either MySQL 5.5 or Oracle Database 11g R2 for server side deployment, and a simple web browser and Adobe Flash v10 or higher for the client. Typical deployments range between 30 and 60 days.

RiskVision has a strong, out-of-the-box policy module that is built off Cobit, ISO and NIST frameworks. There is a lot of pre-populated content for policy, assessment, controls and reporting and RiskVision supports continuous import/export of data using prebuilt templates from MS Word, Excel and XML. Users can automate assessments against these standards or internal controls. The workflow tool makes it easy to develop and manage the assessments. This also has a feature that allows one to validate a user response to ensure they actually read what was sent.

It comes with a fully integrated ticketing solution and can also be integrated to the common ticket platforms on the market. There is also built-in change management support for auditing and logging of all changes.

New features in this version include mobile device and user detail supporting risk related to bring your own device (BYOD). RiskVision will collect and correlate mobile data from mobile device management vendors. It can then rate access versus risk related to applications, such as correlating a user identity to their level of access. Reporting is enhanced through a co-branded integration with business intelligence suite Jaspersoft for delivering robust dashboards and data analytics capabilities. There are more than 300 dashboards and reports that come out of the box geared to delivering audit-level detail. We were impressed by the simplicity of the interface. One can easily drill down through a chain of risks and get right to the impacted assets and supporting controls.

Standard support is included in the price of the software and includes phone and email access, while 24/7 extended support is available for approximately 30 per cent of the purchase price.

Agiliance RiskVision is a full-featured risk solution that provides a lot of out-of-the-box content, delivers a simple, easy-to-use interface for technical and business users alike, and delivers a powerful analytics component that really helps to present and manage risk.

Michael Lipinski

CorpNet Adds Free Meeting Minutes and Corporate Document Templates

Professional documents can be time consuming to prepare, not to mention expensive if you have to hire a lawyer to draft them. If you’ve incorporated your small business or are planning to do so, from time to time you’ll need to prepare corporate documents to adopt or amend bylaws, appoint directors, select an accounting period, appoint officers to your board, and more.

Many official corporate actions require proper documentation. If you don’t observe formalities, you can lose the liability protections of the corporate structure.

One solution is to start with corporate document templates you can use for a do-it-yourself approach. CorpNet has launched its Meeting Minutes Templates, a free resource with dozens of templates, with just this purpose in mind.

You choose specific corporate documents you need to generate. You fill in the blanks online. Then you print the  completed document.  And you meet your obligations to follow corporate requirements.

Innovation: Not Limited to Traditional Product Companies

This latest resource is one more example of continuous innovation by a service company.

For instance, in May, CorpNet released its Business Information Zone resource. A cloud-based corporate compliance tool, it lets business owners set up alerts keeping track of important tax and corporate filing deadlines.

CorpNet President Nellie Akalp and her husband Phil founded CorpNet four years ago - but they are not newcomers to their industry.  They are actually pioneers in the legal document filing industry.

The couple launched their first document filing company, MyCorporation, in 1997, then sold it to Intuit in 2005.

After a period of time out of the marketplace under a noncompete, they reentered the industry with their new company.  Since then, the husband-and-wife business owner team has continued to adapt and innovate. The company recently tripled its office space to accommodate a growing staff and has spent an estimated quarter of a million dollars on product development, Akalp says.

She estimates the company has incorporated more than 6,000 small businesses (or helped them file LLCs) in the last year.

“Constantly Innovate”

Akalp suggests that even small businesses in service industries can innovate â€" and must if they want to stay ahead of competitors.

“You have to constantly innovate and come out with new tools and apps that make the end user’s job easier,” she says. “We came out as the new kids on the block in 2009, and because of our constant product development to date, we are back in the game and right up there with the rest of the leaders.”

Akalp says CorpNet uses SurveyMonkey for client surveys and TryMyUI to get feedback about the company’s website. Both have provided valuable feedback on the company’s products and services, she adds.

She suggests small business owners regularly engage with clients, finding out what they need through customer inquiries, surveys, and Google searches. Then find ways to respond to those needs with an evolving offering of products and services.  ”Just don’t stand still.”

RSA acquires IAM vendor Aveksa

RSA parent EMC has completed the acquisition of identity and access management (IAM) vendor Aveksa.

According to RSA, this will enable it to manage user lifecycles and access across enterprise and cloud environments, providing its customers with secure access to applications from within the enterprise or the cloud regardless of the location or device used.

The move will also see Aveksa's solution for on-premise and software-as-a-service systems aligned with RSA's intelligence-driven security strategy.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Aveksa will operate within the RSA security division as part of its identity trust management product group.

Art Coviello, RSA executive chairman and executive vice president of EMC, said: “Today's enterprises face significant challenges around IAM. The adoption of cloud-based IT infrastructures and the pervasive use of mobile means that security organisations are being asked to secure and provide access to assets they don't own, manage or control.

“Without the deep intelligence able to provide insight into what users should and should not have access to, traditional tools that simply automate IAM leave organisations exposed to the risk of excessive privilege, data breaches and regulatory non-compliance. Together, RSA and Aveksa see tremendous opportunity to help our customers overcome these IAM challenges.”

Vick Vaishnavi, CEO of Aveksa, said: “We are excited about joining the RSA team and the strategic alignment between our organisations. Together with RSA, we can continue our journey to adaptive identity management that addresses today's ever-evolving access challenges. We will continue to provide our customers and the broader market with best-in-class solutions that reduce business risk and enable efficient operations.”