LinkedIn Introduces Analytics for Company Pages

It seems hard to believe, with all the talk these days about Facebook and Twitter analytics, that LinkedIn has taken so long to introduce its own set of tools.

LinkedIn announced the new LinkedIn Analytics suite for its Company Pages on its official blog recently. But they are also designed to work in conjunction with the recently launched Sponsored Updates.

What You’ll Be Able to Track With LinkedIn Analytics

According to LinkedIn, a “company updates” section shows you details Read More

The post LinkedIn Introduces Analytics for Company Pages appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Firefox Mobile Operating System Hits U.S. - $80 Phone, No Contract

You may think of Firefox as a browser. But the non-profit Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary Mozilla Corporation which developed Firebox have now developed a phone operating system as well. And soon you can buy an “unlocked” phone from ZTE in snazzy orange with that operating system at a very low price - just $79.99.

That price may not sound so attractive at first. After all, many small business owners today may get their phones at a very low rate or even free with their mobile plan. But remember, that plan, in many cases, includes a two year contract and essentially subsidizes the cost of your phone, which may retail for closer to $650.

An Unlocked Phone and an Open Source App Store

The difference here is that (as mentioned before) the ZTE Firefox phone will be unlocked. This means you are not limited to service from a single mobile carrier and can choose whatever mobile plan suits you or switch plans easily without switching phones. This could include a pay-as-you-go plan, for example, as opposed to a two year contract.

An unlocked phone also gives small business owners and entrepreneurs who travel internationally the option to save money on their mobile service while abroad. Instead of purchasing an expensive international plan from your existing carrier, you can often buy a much cheaper pre-paid plan when you reach your destination and simply use it while you are there.

Mozilla has even set up a Firefox Marketplace where you  can find apps for your new phone. It includes popular choices like Twitter and Facebook already. And while there may not be much of a selection yet, the store is open source meaning anyone can develop for it. So chances are selection will be increasing as the Firefox operating system becomes more popular.

Another Mobile Option, If It Catches On

It’s also important to remember that the new Firefox operating system offers another choice besides the big three: Apple, Android and Windows. But that’s only if it catches on, so don’t throw out your other phone just yet.

Also, don’t expect the same smoothness of operation you get from some other phones. A review from Engadget does state that the Firefox OS is “laggy,” meaning that scrolling is slow and it takes a while for websites to load. Of course, the low cost and other aspects may more than make up for this in many small business owners’ books.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of the Firefox operating system before now, that’s because phones using it have only been available in places like South America and Europe thus far. But ZTE, a Chinese manufacturer, has decided to offer the phones online, which will make them available to a wider customer base, including the U.S. market.

There’s no definite date when sales of the phone will go live, but ZTE is reportedly building a store on Ebay to start selling them soon. For now, watch Jay Sullivan, chief operating officer of Mozilla, demonstrate operation of the Firefox operating system. But keep in mind that while the ZTE device Sullivan shows off is blue, ZTE says this will not be the color of the phone it will be selling online.

Image: ZTE

Don’t Get Caught in the Dark - Help Your Small Business Survive a Power Outage

Once the initial shock following a disaster wears off and immediate safety concerns give way to thoughts of returning to day-to-day normalcy, owners of small and mid-sized businesses may be in for quite a shock. If you haven’t prepared properly for a disaster or an extended power outage, it won’t be long before you realize that your livelihood depends on access to electricity and Internet connectivity.

The time to prepare for a disaster is before it strikes. To help small business owners do just that, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) recently announced its plentiful tips at its disaster preparedness website. The IBHS also offers a free, easy to use online toolkit to help create an overall business continuity plan.

Citing one prevalent example, the IBHS reminds us that power outages “can disrupt your business operations and even cause significant damage to your business’ competitiveness. Statistics show that one in four small businesses forced to close due to a disaster never reopens.” Installing a proper power back up generator ahead of time can lessen much of the negative impact. To assist small businesses, the IBHS has created a free guide to help select, buy, install, maintain and safely use back up power generators.

As an example, the IBHS recommends consulting with a licensed electrician not only for the installation, but also to select the best type of backup generator for your specific business continuity need. They note that you should consider the following:

1. What electrical equipment must be operated when normal power is interrupted;
2. How often your business is likely to lose power and for how long;
3. What are the most likely sources of power outages; and
4. Whether you need a portable or permanent (stand-by) generator.

A licensed electrician can advise you as to the appropriate wattage and voltage ratings required. When it comes to generators, bigger is not always better. Purchase a generator just powerful enough to do the job, but no larger; with higher wattage the efficiency of a generator decreases while fuel consumption increases. As an example, you may find it challenging to buy a steady supply of gasoline in an area affected by a disaster, so efficiency is key. On the other hand, buying a generator that is not powerful enough for the sustained draw required to power everything you plan to operate can not only damage the generator, but also the equipment that is attached.

Once you have purchased the generator, schedule the installation in advance of a disaster and ensure that a licensed professional does the installation. The IBHS warns that “using a generator poses certain risks that must be addressed for safe operation, including fire, damage to electrical equipment, and even injury or death to those operating or working in the building where it is being used.” Be sure to follow the testing and maintenance instructions of your generator, as the only thing more frustrating than not having a generator when it is needed is having one that isn’t functioning due to poor maintenance.

In addition to a generator, you may also want to invest in uninterruptable power supplies, available at most office supply or consumer electronics stores. As generator-supplied power isn’t always stable or “clean,” especially during heavy loads, you may experience frequent power surges, which can be particularly harmful to sensitive electronics.

Lastly, when the power fails, usually your Internet source will also be unavailable. Depending on your business size, packing up and heading to a nearby coffee shop for free WiFi may not be a suitable answer. Speak to your cell phone service provider, as most offer portable WiFi devices that use cellular data to provide Internet access in most locations. It’s prudent to test these prior to a disaster, however, so you will know whether you can draw sufficient bandwidth in your home or office, if your small business requires access to email, online data or cloud-based applications, etc.

No one can control disasters or avoid power interruptions without absolute certainty. However, with a little forethought and armed with knowledge, small businesses should have a contingency plan in place to minimize any negative impact.

Don’t Get Caught in the Dark - Help Your Small Business Survive a Power Outage

Once the initial shock following a disaster wears off and immediate safety concerns give way to thoughts of returning to day-to-day normalcy, owners of small and mid-sized businesses may be in for quite a shock. If you haven’t prepared properly for a disaster or an extended power outage, it won’t be long before you realize that your livelihood depends on access to electricity and Internet connectivity.

The time to prepare for a disaster is before it strikes. To help small business owners do just that, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) recently announced its plentiful tips at its disaster preparedness website. The IBHS also offers a free, easy to use online toolkit to help create an overall business continuity plan.

Citing one prevalent example, the IBHS reminds us that power outages “can disrupt your business operations and even cause significant damage to your business’ competitiveness. Statistics show that one in four small businesses forced to close due to a disaster never reopens.” Installing a proper power back up generator ahead of time can lessen much of the negative impact. To assist small businesses, the IBHS has created a free guide to help select, buy, install, maintain and safely use back up power generators.

As an example, the IBHS recommends consulting with a licensed electrician not only for the installation, but also to select the best type of backup generator for your specific business continuity need. They note that you should consider the following:

1. What electrical equipment must be operated when normal power is interrupted;
2. How often your business is likely to lose power and for how long;
3. What are the most likely sources of power outages; and
4. Whether you need a portable or permanent (stand-by) generator.

A licensed electrician can advise you as to the appropriate wattage and voltage ratings required. When it comes to generators, bigger is not always better. Purchase a generator just powerful enough to do the job, but no larger; with higher wattage the efficiency of a generator decreases while fuel consumption increases. As an example, you may find it challenging to buy a steady supply of gasoline in an area affected by a disaster, so efficiency is key. On the other hand, buying a generator that is not powerful enough for the sustained draw required to power everything you plan to operate can not only damage the generator, but also the equipment that is attached.

Once you have purchased the generator, schedule the installation in advance of a disaster and ensure that a licensed professional does the installation. The IBHS warns that “using a generator poses certain risks that must be addressed for safe operation, including fire, damage to electrical equipment, and even injury or death to those operating or working in the building where it is being used.” Be sure to follow the testing and maintenance instructions of your generator, as the only thing more frustrating than not having a generator when it is needed is having one that isn’t functioning due to poor maintenance.

In addition to a generator, you may also want to invest in uninterruptable power supplies, available at most office supply or consumer electronics stores. As generator-supplied power isn’t always stable or “clean,” especially during heavy loads, you may experience frequent power surges, which can be particularly harmful to sensitive electronics.

Lastly, when the power fails, usually your Internet source will also be unavailable. Depending on your business size, packing up and heading to a nearby coffee shop for free WiFi may not be a suitable answer. Speak to your cell phone service provider, as most offer portable WiFi devices that use cellular data to provide Internet access in most locations. It’s prudent to test these prior to a disaster, however, so you will know whether you can draw sufficient bandwidth in your home or office, if your small business requires access to email, online data or cloud-based applications, etc.

No one can control disasters or avoid power interruptions without absolute certainty. However, with a little forethought and armed with knowledge, small businesses should have a contingency plan in place to minimize any negative impact.

Mobile Marketing for Your Small Business

When people are looking for a local business, more and more often they’re turning to their smartphones or tablets for help. Mobile searching is a whole new playing field, with the majority of searches related to shopping or finding a nearby businessâ€"a gas station, a restaurant, a hotel or retail store.

Google dominates mobile phone searches, even more so than on computers. According to StatCounter, the search engine giant is responsible for 96 percent of mobile searches worldwide, and 57 percent of mobile ad revenue. However, mobile users are increasingly turning to services like Yelp for reviews during business searches, and the majority already searches for product information from their phone in-store - 84 percent of them, according to a Google study.

What does this mean for your small business?

If you don’t already have a small business mobile marketing strategy, or it’s been on the back burner and you haven’t done much with it, it’s time to shift your priorities.

Optimize for Mobile

Smartphone and tablet screens are smaller and your website has to be able to function on reduced screen real estate. If consumers can’t read or navigate your site on a mobile device, they’ll head for the nearest competitor with a mobile-friendly website.

Some website platforms, like WordPress.org, have built-in mobile optimization tools. If your site is built with WordPress, you should check to make sure this option is enabled on your dashboard.

If you don’t have automated optimization, here are some mobile-friendly tips for your website:

• Keep the overall design simple and clean, and avoid Flash animationsâ€"they don’t play well with mobile platforms.
• If possible, avoid drop-down menusâ€"they’re difficult to near impossible to work on a small screen.
• Increase your font size to 14 and your line spacing to 1.5 for small-screen readability.
• Place information that’s important for mobile users, like your address and a click-to-call phone number, near the top of the page.

Make Your Business Findable

The key to benefiting from mobile search is to make sure that when people are looking for your products or services in your area, they’ll find your business. That means you need to be able to be found. In addition to optimizing your website, you can:

• Provide a mapping ability on your website for easy directions.
• Make sure you’re easy to find on social media by listing your address and phone number on your Facebook page, and claim your business location on Google Places, which can be linked to a Google+ account.
• Allocate a budget for mobile search marketing, which is separate from Web search marketing.

Get Proactive in Mobile Promotion

In much the same way you build an email marketing list, you should also be working on a text or SMS (Short Message Service) marketing list. These lists, often called “text clubs” to emphasize exclusivity, can be used to send customers special offers, discounts and promotions. SMS marketing is highly effectiveâ€"according to Nielsen, 97 percent of all text messages, including marketing, are opened and read, compared to an average email marketing open rate of 10 to 20 percent depending on industry.

You can promote your text club on your website and social media pages, and in your retail location if you have one. You can also use interactive smartphone technology like QR codes or NFC tags that let shoppers sign up for your SMS mailing list with a wave of their phones.

Failing to leverage mobile strategies means denying yourself a lot of potential business.

Are you on board the small business mobile marketing train?

Mobile Market Photo via Shutterstock

Mobile Marketing for Your Small Business

When people are looking for a local business, more and more often they’re turning to their smartphones or tablets for help. Mobile searching is a whole new playing field, with the majority of searches related to shopping or finding a nearby businessâ€"a gas station, a restaurant, a hotel or retail store.

Google dominates mobile phone searches, even more so than on computers. According to StatCounter, the search engine giant is responsible for 96 percent of mobile searches worldwide, and 57 percent of mobile ad revenue. However, mobile users are increasingly turning to services like Yelp for reviews during business searches, and the majority already searches for product information from their phone in-store - 84 percent of them, according to a Google study.

What does this mean for your small business?

If you don’t already have a small business mobile marketing strategy, or it’s been on the back burner and you haven’t done much with it, it’s time to shift your priorities.

Optimize for Mobile

Smartphone and tablet screens are smaller and your website has to be able to function on reduced screen real estate. If consumers can’t read or navigate your site on a mobile device, they’ll head for the nearest competitor with a mobile-friendly website.

Some website platforms, like WordPress.org, have built-in mobile optimization tools. If your site is built with WordPress, you should check to make sure this option is enabled on your dashboard.

If you don’t have automated optimization, here are some mobile-friendly tips for your website:

• Keep the overall design simple and clean, and avoid Flash animationsâ€"they don’t play well with mobile platforms.
• If possible, avoid drop-down menusâ€"they’re difficult to near impossible to work on a small screen.
• Increase your font size to 14 and your line spacing to 1.5 for small-screen readability.
• Place information that’s important for mobile users, like your address and a click-to-call phone number, near the top of the page.

Make Your Business Findable

The key to benefiting from mobile search is to make sure that when people are looking for your products or services in your area, they’ll find your business. That means you need to be able to be found. In addition to optimizing your website, you can:

• Provide a mapping ability on your website for easy directions.
• Make sure you’re easy to find on social media by listing your address and phone number on your Facebook page, and claim your business location on Google Places, which can be linked to a Google+ account.
• Allocate a budget for mobile search marketing, which is separate from Web search marketing.

Get Proactive in Mobile Promotion

In much the same way you build an email marketing list, you should also be working on a text or SMS (Short Message Service) marketing list. These lists, often called “text clubs” to emphasize exclusivity, can be used to send customers special offers, discounts and promotions. SMS marketing is highly effectiveâ€"according to Nielsen, 97 percent of all text messages, including marketing, are opened and read, compared to an average email marketing open rate of 10 to 20 percent depending on industry.

You can promote your text club on your website and social media pages, and in your retail location if you have one. You can also use interactive smartphone technology like QR codes or NFC tags that let shoppers sign up for your SMS mailing list with a wave of their phones.

Failing to leverage mobile strategies means denying yourself a lot of potential business.

Are you on board the small business mobile marketing train?

Mobile Market Photo via Shutterstock

How Amazon, Apple, Ebay, Facebook and Google Will Continue to Disrupt The Business World

A decade ago, if you were asked what companies are at the forefront of driving the economy, you wouldn’t find many lists that didn’t include the likes of Microsoft, Walmart, IBM, Dell and a few others. But if you ask that question now, you may be surprised if any of them show up. That’s the nature of how much the world has changed, and how much we expect to change going forward.

Lori Schafer, Executive Advisor for SAS Institute’s Retail Practice and Co-Author of “Branded! How Retailers Engage Consumers with Social Media and Mobility,” joins Brent Leary to share her unique perspective on why today’s Tech Titans - Amazon, Apple, Ebay, Facebook and Google - are now the ones we all need to watch.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends: Can you talk a little bit about the Five Titans, and why you selected them?

Lori Schafer: Sure, I’ll say researching and writing about what I refer to as the tech titans - Amazon, Apple, eBay, Facebook and Google - I believe they are literally out to transform every company and many of us in the world. They already have, and they will continue to, have a significant impact on the overall economy.

It’s not to say that there aren’t other large companies, especially in the technology world, but your voice lowers now when you think about the discussions around the likes of IBM, Hewlett Packard, Oracle.  A few years back they were in the news and changing the way people act and think. Not only in business but in their daily lives. Now it is really the five titans that I discussed.

On top of that when you take a look at the amount of their market cap combined, which is around a trillion dollars between the five of them, that really shows the future potential of these companies. You look at their cash positions which is more about what they are able to do today, which is about six times that of the top five retailers.

But the point is that they not only have that kind of future, but current ability to continue to innovate because they have that much cash on hand.

Small Business Trends: Why do you think that these companies have had such a disrupted effect on the economy?

Lori Schafer: I think that’s because of the combination of mobile and social media in the last five years.

I remember many times in retail hearing ‘is mobile really going to happen, is it really going to be any change?’ People laughed at it because of so many false starts, but part of the challenge was that the mobile phone, prior to Apple inventing and revolutionizing the smart phone, just wasn’t that friendly.

Then social media has completely changed the way people communicate with one another on the Internet. I would have to give a lot of credit to both Apple for revolutionizing mobile and to Facebook for revolutionizing the face of social media.

Small Business Trends: When did you see Amazon getting beyond the retail space and being viewed as one of the technology titans?

Lori Schafer: I had an analytics company in retail that we ended up selling to SAS, and Amazon approached us and wanted to buy our solution.

I think from day one, they were relentless on customer satisfaction. But the other thing was relentlessness on analytics. I mean from the very get go they were putting recommendations together when other companies didn’t even know whether or not they ought to have a website.

Small Business Trends: Can we look at the five titans, because they are starting to get into each other’s sweet spot? Let’s talk about it from a mobile prospective.

Lori Schafer: I guess it depends on how you look at mobile. Do you mean mobile in the sense of advertising or do you mean mobile in the sense of hardware?

I look at Apple or Google in the sense of an operating system. Do you look at mobile in the sense of ability to sell? Because when I look at mobile it is a big word.

Small Business Trends: When I think of the desktop, and going to do a search or going to buy something, people go right to Amazon. Do they have that effect on the mobile device?

Lori Schafer: I don’t have the statistics on this one so let me say that up front. I will say for me they do. Because I have the Amazon app on my mobile phone and I do have statistics on the fact that more people search for products on Amazon than they do on Google. That is where a lot of the advertising dollars are.  I just wanted to point that fact out because that is very eye opening.

When I look at Amazon, they are ultimately out to make money. They are not making money on the hardware at all, and they are not even breaking even from what I understand on the hardware. Their whole idea is to just make it convenient to shop Amazon because you just press one button and you are in Amazon.

My own opinion is, for what they are trying to be - they are already there.

Small Business Trends: Out of the five titans, would you say that when it comes to mobile commerce, is Amazon in a better position than eBay or Apple?

Lori Schafer: Ebay is pretty darn good at mobile commerce. Apple doesn’t have the percentage of SKU’S Amazon has. I think it is much easier to shop Amazon than it is Apple. Apple has a great app, they have a fantastic ability to  buy online, pickup in the store 12 minutes later, all of that. Those things are great, don’t get me wrong. But I think that Amazon is miles ahead.

Ebay is big in the marketplace game - as is Google now. And eBay has really picked up stride in the last 18 months. Their application on a mobile device is very good - second to none in the sense that their mobile revenue is higher than anybody’s. And there’s the idea of PayPal, which makes it even higher.

In summary, more people know about Amazon. I would have to put Amazon ahead of eBay, simply around customer accounts.

Small Business Trends: Let’s talk a little bit about social commerce. Maybe Amazon vs. Facebook or Google? Where do they stack?

Lori Schafer: In the broader sense of the word, where there is chatting with friends and sharing and so forth, Amazon is right up there. Because the one thing Amazon did was introduce transparency to the whole retail game.

Retailers were never transparent. You know the whole ratings and reviews. Amazon was first to do that and that was unheard of. Most retailers panicked, because especially in a social context, ratings and reviews is social media.

Companies like FAB do all of their sales by putting them on Facebook as the deal of the day. Facebook drove 25% of all of FAB’s holiday sales and that was about two years ago. I didn’t get the latest statistic, but from that standpoint, Facebook does very well.

Google is trying to tie everything to your search rankings, which makes everybody want to go onto Google Plus. I would have to put Amazon and Facebook as the two leaders.

Small Business Trends: Do you see any of the other titans playing in so many different industries and potentially dominating them, like Amazon?

Lori Schafer: I do see, in terms of the quantity in industries, Google. Advertising obviously, mobile in so many ways; operating systems, mobile advertising, mobile phones; they have invented GEO location from that standpoint. They are now in the marketplaces for shopping, certainly in digital media with the whole living room effect, and the idea of Goggle TV and Goggle Fiber, they are trying to displace cable companies and phone companies. They are ripe for disruption and Goggle is going head on, as is Apple.

But I think Google is making more of a statement and trying to displace those companies.

Small Business Trends: Do you see any of the titans being able to take on the other titans that are already dominating and winning?

Lori Schafer: Yes. Clearly Facebook is taking on Google in advertising in a big way, and Google has to be on its toes all of sudden because social advertising is becoming very big. Also Facebook, with its capability, is able to pinpoint down to individuals and micro advertising well beyond what Google currently is able to do. So when I look at that example, and Facebook and Google that depend on advertising dollars for revenue, all of a sudden Google has competition there.

I would say that Google is giving Apple a run for its money. There are certainly more Android phones out there, and Google does not make any money on those, they give Androids away. Apple obviously makes a ton of money on hardware, but Google has quality on the phones. I think Apple has to stay as innovative as they have been or they risk losing market share.

I think eBay is trying to position themselves as friends to the other retail owners and helping other retails to compete and stay longer. They are investing heavily in technology to allow retailers to become more competitive with Amazon.

I think this whole idea of the mobile wall, everybody is thinking Google Wallet. You know, some of the others, obviously eBay, are just creaming everybody. They need to have more deals going on now with PayPal. And PayPal has thousands of retail outlets in the US at the point-of-sale checkout. Home Depot is the first of a lot and of many others that will roll it out.

You think about Apple as being a mobile pay wall. But iTunes has 400 million plus customers. And all of the retailers and banks and institutions that have a business to consumer presence in brick and mortar, are realizing they have to go to a mobile point of sell because:

• Big checkout counters are costly and expensive.
• It is very impersonal.
• They have to have their sales associates more educated to assist the consumers who are on their mobile devices looking up things.

I think that in every case there the answer is yes, among those five.

I really don’t see anybody else I am aware of today that could take them on. At least for the foreseeable future. I joke about it, but I think it is true. If somebody will take them on, it is going to be a group of kids in a Silicon Valley garage or something. It is not going to be one of the companies out there that we know today.

This interview on tech titans is part of the One on One interview series with thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This transcript has been edited for publication.  

How Amazon, Apple, Ebay, Facebook and Google Will Continue to Disrupt The Business World

A decade ago, if you were asked what companies are at the forefront of driving the economy, you wouldn’t find many lists that didn’t include the likes of Microsoft, Walmart, IBM, Dell and a few others. But if you ask that question now, you may be surprised if any of them show up. That’s the nature of how much the world has changed, and how much we expect to change going forward.

Lori Schafer, Executive Advisor for SAS Institute’s Retail Practice and Co-Author of “Branded! How Retailers Engage Consumers with Social Media and Mobility,” joins Brent Leary to share her unique perspective on why today’s Tech Titans - Amazon, Apple, Ebay, Facebook and Google - are now the ones we all need to watch.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends: Can you talk a little bit about the Five Titans, and why you selected them?

Lori Schafer: Sure, I’ll say researching and writing about what I refer to as the tech titans - Amazon, Apple, eBay, Facebook and Google - I believe they are literally out to transform every company and many of us in the world. They already have, and they will continue to, have a significant impact on the overall economy.

It’s not to say that there aren’t other large companies, especially in the technology world, but your voice lowers now when you think about the discussions around the likes of IBM, Hewlett Packard, Oracle.  A few years back they were in the news and changing the way people act and think. Not only in business but in their daily lives. Now it is really the five titans that I discussed.

On top of that when you take a look at the amount of their market cap combined, which is around a trillion dollars between the five of them, that really shows the future potential of these companies. You look at their cash positions which is more about what they are able to do today, which is about six times that of the top five retailers.

But the point is that they not only have that kind of future, but current ability to continue to innovate because they have that much cash on hand.

Small Business Trends: Why do you think that these companies have had such a disrupted effect on the economy?

Lori Schafer: I think that’s because of the combination of mobile and social media in the last five years.

I remember many times in retail hearing ‘is mobile really going to happen, is it really going to be any change?’ People laughed at it because of so many false starts, but part of the challenge was that the mobile phone, prior to Apple inventing and revolutionizing the smart phone, just wasn’t that friendly.

Then social media has completely changed the way people communicate with one another on the Internet. I would have to give a lot of credit to both Apple for revolutionizing mobile and to Facebook for revolutionizing the face of social media.

Small Business Trends: When did you see Amazon getting beyond the retail space and being viewed as one of the technology titans?

Lori Schafer: I had an analytics company in retail that we ended up selling to SAS, and Amazon approached us and wanted to buy our solution.

I think from day one, they were relentless on customer satisfaction. But the other thing was relentlessness on analytics. I mean from the very get go they were putting recommendations together when other companies didn’t even know whether or not they ought to have a website.

Small Business Trends: Can we look at the five titans, because they are starting to get into each other’s sweet spot? Let’s talk about it from a mobile prospective.

Lori Schafer: I guess it depends on how you look at mobile. Do you mean mobile in the sense of advertising or do you mean mobile in the sense of hardware?

I look at Apple or Google in the sense of an operating system. Do you look at mobile in the sense of ability to sell? Because when I look at mobile it is a big word.

Small Business Trends: When I think of the desktop, and going to do a search or going to buy something, people go right to Amazon. Do they have that effect on the mobile device?

Lori Schafer: I don’t have the statistics on this one so let me say that up front. I will say for me they do. Because I have the Amazon app on my mobile phone and I do have statistics on the fact that more people search for products on Amazon than they do on Google. That is where a lot of the advertising dollars are.  I just wanted to point that fact out because that is very eye opening.

When I look at Amazon, they are ultimately out to make money. They are not making money on the hardware at all, and they are not even breaking even from what I understand on the hardware. Their whole idea is to just make it convenient to shop Amazon because you just press one button and you are in Amazon.

My own opinion is, for what they are trying to be - they are already there.

Small Business Trends: Out of the five titans, would you say that when it comes to mobile commerce, is Amazon in a better position than eBay or Apple?

Lori Schafer: Ebay is pretty darn good at mobile commerce. Apple doesn’t have the percentage of SKU’S Amazon has. I think it is much easier to shop Amazon than it is Apple. Apple has a great app, they have a fantastic ability to  buy online, pickup in the store 12 minutes later, all of that. Those things are great, don’t get me wrong. But I think that Amazon is miles ahead.

Ebay is big in the marketplace game - as is Google now. And eBay has really picked up stride in the last 18 months. Their application on a mobile device is very good - second to none in the sense that their mobile revenue is higher than anybody’s. And there’s the idea of PayPal, which makes it even higher.

In summary, more people know about Amazon. I would have to put Amazon ahead of eBay, simply around customer accounts.

Small Business Trends: Let’s talk a little bit about social commerce. Maybe Amazon vs. Facebook or Google? Where do they stack?

Lori Schafer: In the broader sense of the word, where there is chatting with friends and sharing and so forth, Amazon is right up there. Because the one thing Amazon did was introduce transparency to the whole retail game.

Retailers were never transparent. You know the whole ratings and reviews. Amazon was first to do that and that was unheard of. Most retailers panicked, because especially in a social context, ratings and reviews is social media.

Companies like FAB do all of their sales by putting them on Facebook as the deal of the day. Facebook drove 25% of all of FAB’s holiday sales and that was about two years ago. I didn’t get the latest statistic, but from that standpoint, Facebook does very well.

Google is trying to tie everything to your search rankings, which makes everybody want to go onto Google Plus. I would have to put Amazon and Facebook as the two leaders.

Small Business Trends: Do you see any of the other titans playing in so many different industries and potentially dominating them, like Amazon?

Lori Schafer: I do see, in terms of the quantity in industries, Google. Advertising obviously, mobile in so many ways; operating systems, mobile advertising, mobile phones; they have invented GEO location from that standpoint. They are now in the marketplaces for shopping, certainly in digital media with the whole living room effect, and the idea of Goggle TV and Goggle Fiber, they are trying to displace cable companies and phone companies. They are ripe for disruption and Goggle is going head on, as is Apple.

But I think Google is making more of a statement and trying to displace those companies.

Small Business Trends: Do you see any of the titans being able to take on the other titans that are already dominating and winning?

Lori Schafer: Yes. Clearly Facebook is taking on Google in advertising in a big way, and Google has to be on its toes all of sudden because social advertising is becoming very big. Also Facebook, with its capability, is able to pinpoint down to individuals and micro advertising well beyond what Google currently is able to do. So when I look at that example, and Facebook and Google that depend on advertising dollars for revenue, all of a sudden Google has competition there.

I would say that Google is giving Apple a run for its money. There are certainly more Android phones out there, and Google does not make any money on those, they give Androids away. Apple obviously makes a ton of money on hardware, but Google has quality on the phones. I think Apple has to stay as innovative as they have been or they risk losing market share.

I think eBay is trying to position themselves as friends to the other retail owners and helping other retails to compete and stay longer. They are investing heavily in technology to allow retailers to become more competitive with Amazon.

I think this whole idea of the mobile wall, everybody is thinking Google Wallet. You know, some of the others, obviously eBay, are just creaming everybody. They need to have more deals going on now with PayPal. And PayPal has thousands of retail outlets in the US at the point-of-sale checkout. Home Depot is the first of a lot and of many others that will roll it out.

You think about Apple as being a mobile pay wall. But iTunes has 400 million plus customers. And all of the retailers and banks and institutions that have a business to consumer presence in brick and mortar, are realizing they have to go to a mobile point of sell because:

• Big checkout counters are costly and expensive.
• It is very impersonal.
• They have to have their sales associates more educated to assist the consumers who are on their mobile devices looking up things.

I think that in every case there the answer is yes, among those five.

I really don’t see anybody else I am aware of today that could take them on. At least for the foreseeable future. I joke about it, but I think it is true. If somebody will take them on, it is going to be a group of kids in a Silicon Valley garage or something. It is not going to be one of the companies out there that we know today.

This interview on tech titans is part of the One on One interview series with thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This transcript has been edited for publication.  

Swiftly Offers Same Day Design Alterations for $15

As a small business owner you may be aware of crowdsourcing and its power to dramatically reduce the cost of many outsourced tasks for entrepreneurs.

While certainly a great source of budget services, crowdsourcing is sometimes also controversial in some circles in the small business community.

The process uses contests in which designers or other professionals, often small business owners as well, compete for a single project. These designers submit completed work, a logo or other design. Then the person Read More

The post Swiftly Offers Same Day Design Alterations for $15 appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Temporary Invincibility, Impervious to Damage: A Game Changer

You end up doing a lot of strange research as a cartoonist.

I’d run across the phrase “total game changer” and thought it would be fun to do a cartoon where someone gets something from a video game that fundamentally changes things. Hence the power-up star from Super Mario.

But I had to take some time and dig into Super Mario power-ups to make sure it worked and made sense. The Super Mushroom? Good, but not big enough a change for the joke. Fire Flower? OK, but what sort of advantage would that give a businessperson?

So I settled on the Star and temporary invincibility. Recognizable, powerful and iconic.

OK, back to work. I need to find some good pictures of kangaroos and get up to speed on the Bermuda Triangle.

Temporary Invincibility, Impervious to Damage: A Game Changer

You end up doing a lot of strange research as a cartoonist.

I’d run across the phrase “total game changer” and thought it would be fun to do a cartoon where someone gets something from a video game that fundamentally changes things. Hence the power-up star from Super Mario.

But I had to take some time and dig into Super Mario power-ups to make sure it worked and made sense. The Super Mushroom? Good, but not big enough a change for the joke. Fire Flower? OK, but what sort of advantage would that give a businessperson?

So I settled on the Star and temporary invincibility. Recognizable, powerful and iconic.

OK, back to work. I need to find some good pictures of kangaroos and get up to speed on the Bermuda Triangle.

IBM acquires Israeli-based Trusteer for its malware and fraud prevention technology

IBM is to expand its security portfolio through its acquisition of Israel-based Trusteer in a deal rumored to be worth around $1 billion. 

Trusteer brings a number of services to the table that broadens the IBM catalogue, including fraud and malware protection offerings. Founded in 2006, Trusteer specialises in helping the financial services industry repel advanced attacks, but recently has taken on a number of e-commerce sites as customers.

In addition, the vendor has extended its product line to mobile, where it offers fraud risk prevention technology.

“We're finding mobile operating systems are not as secure as people think they are,” Trusteer president Rakesh Loonkar told SCMagazine.com on Thursday. “It's a platform that can be exploited just like traditional operating systems. There aren't a lot of sensitive applications doing risky things. As applications migrate to mobile, we'll definitely be seeing an increase in mobile threats.”

Loonkar said he has already seen mobile devices being hit in markets, such as Asia, where the Android platform is the dominant operating system. He pointed to malware as one of the problems, and said he expects its prevalence to only spread in the coming years.

“In our strategy,” Marc van Zadelhoff, a vice president in IBM's security systems division, told SCMagazine.com on Thursday, “all our products will work together and share data. I think that's where the market is going, and IBM is leaps and bounds ahead in covering the most domains and doing the integration that is necessary. Five years from now [the market is] not going to be so fragmented.”

Part of the agreement includes the formation of a software lab in Israel that comprises more than 200 IBM and Trusteer researchers and developers. The facility will focus on mobile and application security, advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks, malware, counter-fraud and financial crimes. It will not replace IBM's existing research-and-development facilities in the country.

Security analysts applauded the decision, the latest deal that involves an IT giant wanting to bolster its security offerings. Last month, Cisco purchased IPS mainstay Sourcefire for $2.7 billion.

IBM and Trusteer executives could not comment on the price of the acquisition, but the Hebrew language financial paper Calcalist reported the sales price as between $800 million and $1 billion, according to a TechCrunch article. 

“It's a good move for IBM,” Mike Rothman, president of security research at advisory firm Securosis, told SCMagazine.com on Thursday. “Bringing Trusteer in-house really bolstered their ability to deal with malware.”

In her blog, Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, said Trusteer was being sold at its peak, but expressed concerns that the company's talent may dry up with the transition.

“It's tough for large companies to attract and retain risk-taking innovative employees that seek the agility, creativity and potential for great wealth that small start-ups afford,” Litan said. “We'll keep our eyes on this one - but if it's like all the others I've personally watched, I'd give it about a year or two at the most before the innovative spirit and creativity slowly fizzles out.”

Applying the same synergy-building template to all its acquisitions through the years - Q1 Labs, ISS, Arsenal Digital Solutions and Guardium, to name a few - is how IBM has managed continued success, said van Zadelhoff.

“Our view is to make sure IBM gets out of the way and allows you [Trusteer] to execute your vision and accelerate it with our portfolio,” van Zadelhoff said.

Loonkar, who said discussions between the two companies had been on-going for several months, explained it was that operating philosophy that made the sale attractive. He joked that the news is almost anti-climactic because not much is changing structurally and clients will continue to get the services they have come to expect.

PCI Council previews changes to data security standards

The PCI Security Standards Council is giving merchants a first look at changes that could be introduced later this year to its credit card data and payment application security guidelines.

The council released the seven-page '3.0 Change Highlights' document on Thursday, which is a preview to the updated PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA DSS), which are set to be published on 7th November.

The standards, which undergo revisions every three years, were developed to help ensure that customer card data is protected by merchants that store, transmit and process it.

Expected changes in version 3.0 include a new requirement for merchants to draw up a current diagram showing how cardholder data flows through organisations' systems.

In addition, the new version will contain guidance around protecting point-of-sale (POS) terminals and devices from threats such as tampering, malware and insiders.  Another addition being considered for version 3.0 is an educational explanation of why each of the 12 core security requirements has been included in the standard and how they help organisations mitigate specific threats.

Bob Russo, the PCI council's general manager, told SCMagazine.com on Wednesday that the possible amendments - which also include giving merchants more flexibility in password authentication options - are meant make the guidelines easier to implement on a day-to-day basis.  

"In our mind, we need to make this more of a business-as-usual type of thing, instead of you study to pass the test once a year,” Russo said. “We have the same core 12 standards, but we have incorporated things to make this part of their everyday [operations]."

The updated PA DSS, which was introduced by the council in 2008, is likely to include additional procedures for software developers who build programs that process credit card payments, including rules on managing the full lifecycle of the software and requirements for developer education.

There have been differing opinions in the security community, and among merchants, on whether PCI DSS is a burden or benefit to those expected to comply. Organisations often cite implementation, audit costs, dealing with legacy systems and overcoming confusion over what is required as prime challenges.

Meanwhile, there are questions over whether the banks and the card brands are taking on enough of the risk.

In one landmark case, a merchant is in the midst of a court battle to recoup $13 million in fines levied against it after a 2010 breach. Per its merchant contracts, US, Tennessee-based sportswear company Genesco compensated its acquiring banks, Wells Fargo and Fifth Third, for the fine amount. Genesco then filed a lawsuit against Visa, which levied the penalty, to recoup that amount.

Visa imposed the penalties on the banks, which passed them down to Genesco, for non-compliance of PCI DSS that allegedly led to the breach. In a complaint, filed in a United States District Court in Nashville, Genesco said that Visa “had no reasonable basis for concluding that Genesco was non-compliant with the PCI DSS requirement at the time of the intrusion or at any other relevant time".

Late last month, Visa lost a motion to dismiss the suit.

The proposed changes to PCI DSS and PA DSS are expected to come in November, after drafts are discussed at the council's community meetings in September and October.

The new standards will become effective from 1st January 2014.

According to Visa statistics, as of 31st December 2012, 95 per cent of Level 1 merchants, which are those companies that process greater than six million transactions annually, have validated PCI DSS compliance. Level 2 merchants, which process between one and six million transactions, have achieved a 90 per cent rate. Level 3 merchants, which process between 20,000 and one million transactions, are at 55 per cent.