Big News: Quickbooks Competitor Intacct Targets the SMB Market

News affecting your small business happens all the time. The Small Business Trends editorial team keeps track of the stories that are most important, which gives you the time to run your business and still stay informed.

Software & Apps

Intacct accounting software seeks to replace Quickbooks. The new firm may not have many customers yet â€" only just over 7,300, we’re told. But the company has more capital and a marketing plan that involves penetrating the small to medium sized business market.

Lithium acquires Klout. The site for measuring social influence has been criticized by some for letting too many users game the system. Will Lithium’s acquisition bring new uses for Klout’s technology? Some experts seem to feel that’s possible.

The latest Firefox allows more social plugins. The latest update comes with a new social API. It allows plugins like Facebook Messenger for Firefox, Cliqz and more. There are also new security improvements, so read on.

OpenTable app offers simple mobile payment option. Larger companies like Starbucks and McDonald’s are already either using mobile payment or are experimenting with it. OpenTable’s new mobile payment app makes it easier for small restaurants and eateries to participate too.

Tech

Google Fiber is getting faster. If your company has invested heavily in the cloud, the next important question is how fast you can access those new services. Fiber may provide the quickest access with high speed Internet connection and a planned upgrade could be coming soon.

New iBeacon has business applications too. It may be a great alternative to GPS, but iBeacon also has small business applications too. Take the idea of placing them throughout a retail environment so customers get information about products on sale when they come into range.

Google offers face-to-face meeting technology. Google Chromebox for Meetings is a new tool that can allow remote meetings with up to 15 participants. This isn’t an alternative for the average Skype conference call. But it could be a cheaper solution for companies using more complex teleconferencing systems.

Body odor might someday be personal ID. It may not be anytime soon. But researchers believe body odor could someday be a form of personal ID. Like a fingerprint or iris scan, it could be the new wave in security â€" including for your business.

Social Media & Web

Do people really read what they share? Well, yes and no, according to a recent discussion on Twitter. There may not be much correlation between what people read and what they share. But, we’re pretty sure it depends on your audience.

No more buying pins or followers on Pinterest. It’s a policy shift that shouldn’t surprise users of other big social media platforms. Pinterest doesn’t mind marketers managing your brand presence on the site, but paying for individual pins and followers is another story.

Upstart finds backers to invest in your future. Imagine if there was a way to sell shares in yourself. It may not be such a far fetched notion. Now a new site called Upstart may give you just that option. Here’s what you need to know about the site.

Marketing & Customer Relations

Small beef producer demonstrates the value of diversifying. John Brady once focused on marketing his ranch’s products to larger retailers. But thanks to Internet marketing and a new approach of selling directly to customers, he has reinvented his business for the future.

Here’s why you must be careful about renting mailing lists. It’s the story of a bank that sent out credit card offers with one very embarrassing name in the mix. Too bad no one double checked before this happened.

Sixty percent see economic news as mixed. It may be a mistake to assume that most of your customers have a negative outlook on the economy. It turns out most Americans feel news on the economy is neither all positive nor all negative but a bit of both.

Policy

The proposed EXCEL Act may not be dead yet. The bill’s full name is the Expanding Access to Capital for Entrepreneurial Leaders (EXCEL) Act. Supporters say it would increase small business access to capital through a program regulated by the SBA. And even though it didn’t pass last year, it may still have some traction.

Cantwell replaces Landrieu. There’s a  leadership change at the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) replaced U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) last week as chair of the committee. Cantwell may have more entrepreneurial experience, but whether this will change things remains to be seen.

Reading Photo via Shutterstock

SC Awards Europe 2014 finalists announced

February 21, 2014

The finalists for this year's SC Awards Europe 2014 have now been shortlisted and the first batch of categories and nominees made public today, with the rest of the selection to be announced on Monday 24th February.

The winners will then be announced on the night of the Awards presentations, which are being held on April 29th at the Ballroom, Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.

At a time when information security is in the public spotlight as never before - in the wake of high profile data breaches along with Snowdon's revelations, what is often overlooked are the incredible advances being made to disrupt and prevent such attacks by terrific teams of highly professional specialists that make up the information security community.

Therefore SC Magazine UK is delighted to take this opportunity to give recognition where it's due, with the following companies, products, services and individuals shortlisted for our Awards: 

The Finalists!

Round one: Best Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Protection

Lancope StealthWatch System

CyberArk Privileged Account Security solution (v8)

Websense TRITON Enterprise

Trend Micro Deep Discovery

FireEye Oculus

Zscaler for APTs

Lumension Endpoint Management and Security Suite 

Round Two: Best Cloud Computing Security Solution

CipherCloud Platform

Trend Micro Deep Security

British Telecommunications Cloud Security Futures

Rapid7 UserInsight

GFI Cloud

Vormetric Encryption

Blue Coat Global Cloud Infrastructure

Round Three: Best Web Content Management Solution

Websense Web Security Gateway Anywhere

Clearswift SECURE Web Gateway

Trustwave Secure Web Gateway

GFI WebMonitori

Blue Coat PacketShaper

Round Four: Best Data Leakage Prevention (DLP) Solution

Websense Data Security Suite

Prot-On

WatchGuard DLP

DeviceLock

DME

Round Five: Best Email Security Solution

Websense Email Security Gateway Anywhere

AirWatch Mobile Email Management

SonicWALL Hosted Email Security

Halon E-mail Security

Boldon James Email Classifier

Mimecast Email Security

McAfee Email Security

Proofpoint Email Security Solution Award Entry

Round Six: Best Encryption Solution

CipherCloud Platform

Venafi Director

Boole Server Best Encryption

Vormetric Encryption

CryptoAuditor

Round Seven: Best Identity Management Solution

CyberArk Privileged Account Security solution (v8)

Lieberman Software: Enterprise Random Password Manager

NetIQ Identity Manager 4

Evidian IAM Suite

CA CloudMinder

Centrify Server Suite

Universal Key Manager

Round Eight: Best Managed Security Service

Becrypt Remote End User Device Service

Dell SecureWorks

Accumuli Security

F-Secure Protection Service

WideAngle MSS (NTT Com Security)

DOSarrest Security Service

Verdasys Managed Service for Information Protection

Round Nine: Best Mobile Security Solution

Arxan Technologies - Mobile Application Integrity Protection

Becrypt iOS Mobile Device Management

IronKey Workspace W500

AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Management

WatchDox

Good for Enterprise

Round Ten: Best Multifactor Solution

HID Global ActivID Authentication Appliance

Swivel Secure Multifactor Authentication Solution

M-Pin Multifactor Authentication Platform

Encap - Next Generation Authentication Technology

Defender

Round Eleven: Best NAC Solution

ForeScout CounterACT

Bradford Networks' Network Sentry

Trustwave NAC

Portnox

Round Twelve: Best Risk/ Policy Management Solution

FireMon SecurityManager

QualysGuard Policy Compliance

Rapid7 ControlsInsight

Venafi Director Platform

AlgoSec Security Management Suite

Skybox Security Risk Policy Solution

Blue Coat Security and Policy Enforcement Center

Round Thirteen: Best SIEM Solution

LogRhythm's SIEM and Security Intelligence Platform

Splunk

ArcSight ESM

McAfee Enterprise Security Manager

AlienVault's Unified Security Managementâ„¢ (USM)

Corero DDS (DDoS Defence System)

Round Fourteen: Best UTM Solution

WatchGuard XTM 800 Series

Dellâ„¢ SonicWALLâ„¢ SuperMassiveâ„¢ Series

FortiGate-200D

McAfee Next Generation Firewalls

Sophos UTM

Round Fifteen: Best Vulnerability Management Solution

Secunia CSI 7.0

QualysGuard Vulnerability Management

Rapid7 Nexpose

GFI LanGuard 2014

Tenable Network Security - SecurityCenter Continuous View

Skybox Security Vulnerability Management

Lumension Patch and Remediation 

To join us, book your tickets now for the SC Awards Europe dinner!

April 29th 2014

Ballroom, Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN

Early bird discount until 5th March

Facebook Will Acquire WhatsApp, Users Told Nothing Will Change

Facebook has announced plans to acquire WhatsApp for approximately $16 billion. But users of the popular mobile chat service have been told by WhatsApp officials that nothing about the service will change.

The biggest question for users might be whether the acquisition will eventually lead to advertising on WhatsApp. The mobile platform has remained staunchly opposed to selling ads relying on a very low annual membership charge for its profits.

In a post on the official WhatsApp blog, CEO Jan Koum explained:

“WhatsApp will remain autonomous and operate independently. You can continue to enjoy the service for a nominal fee. You can continue to use WhatsApp no matter where in the world you are, or what smartphone you’re using. And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication. There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company, our vision and our product.”

For those using WhatsApp as an inexpensive texting service, advertising would make little difference at first, anyway. That is unless, as on Facebook, it eventually means extra costs to reach your entire network.

Small business owners and marketers have noticed that since the introduction of sponsored posts on Facebook, it can be difficult to get the exposure you once had for free while posting to your network.

On the other hand, for those seeking access to WhatsApp’s younger demographic, some kind of advertising service might offer an easier way to target that group.

WhatsApp is one of the social media communities seeing more participation from users in a younger demographic as teenagers are reportedly less interested in Facebook than they once were.

Facebook says it will acquire WhatsApp for a combination of $4 billion in cash and another $12 billion in Facebook shares.

In an official announcement from the Facebook Newsroom, the company insisted it was attracted by WhatsApp’s huge following including 450 million active members who use the app each month. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and CEO, said:

“WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable. I’ve known Jan for a long time and I’m excited to partner with him and his team to make the world more open and connected.”

It is, of course, uncertain as yet, how Facebook will capitalize off this traffic without resorting to advertising. It also remains to be seen how much affect the Facebook acquisition will really have on the WhatsApp community.

Image: WhatsApp

More in: Facebook

The 3 Musts for an Effective Landing Page

A landing page is a single webpage where you want potential customers to land in order to capture leads for sales. There are many different features you can include on a landing page. You likely want to include enough information to capture interest and drive sales, but not enough to distract them from your main ...

The post The 3 Musts for an Effective Landing Page appeared first on Small Business Trends.

French researchers crack BitCrypt ransomware

February 21, 2014

Two senior French security experts at Airbus Defence & Space made it their personal mission to crack the newly discovered BitCrypt ransomware, after it encrypted and threatened to destroy all the family photos of a close friend.

Paris-based security expert Fabien Perigaud and threat intelligence analyst Cedric Pernet, from Airbus Defence & Space - CyberSecurity (formerly Cassidian), describe in a 20 February blog how their professional view of ransomware changed when “one very close friend just got infected with a brand new piece of ransomware called BitCrypt... a nasty piece of malware which encrypted all pictures of his lovely children from their birth to now”.

The two set about investigating BitCrypt, which was demanding a ransom 0.4 bitcoins - or £132 - at the time the threat was made, or it would destroy the photos.

Fortunately, they found a flaw in the Delphi-compiled malware's key encryption - “a big mistake from the author” - and, helped by a cryptography expert and the cado-nfs tool, they broke the 464-bit key. This took 43 hours on a quad-core PC and just 14 hours on a 24-core server.

The two researchers then built a Python script to decipher the hijacked files “and save the precious pictures”. They have made the decryption script available at the following bitbucket repository site (free sign-in required): https://bitbucket.org/cybertools/malware_tools. 

But they told SCMagazineUK.com via email: “The decryption mechanism requires the breaking of an RSA key and the use of a Python script, which is not something a normal user could do. The tool is mostly for researchers and people with a solid knowledge of computer security.”

Perigaud and Pernet established that BitCrypt is new ransomware, with the domain bitcrypt.info only registered on 3 February and a first sample submitted to Virus Total on 9 February. The malware encrypts not just photos but over 50 file types including .doc and .txt files, as well as PowerPoint, JPEG and other common extensions.

They said the origin of the ransomware is still to be determined but told SCMagazineUK.com: “The web pages are only in two languages: English and Chinese”. But they added: “There has been no report of massive infections with this ransomware for the moment.”

The two are long-standing friends and work together on a daily basis. They said it took Pernet some hours at night to gather information and analyse the malware sample, before he gave it to Perigaud for reverse engineering. It then took Perigaud about two days to find the vulnerability in the algorithm, break it and write the decryption tool.

Commenting on their discovery, Professor John Walker, a director of Integral Security Xssurance, said BitCrypt is evidence that “the new age of ransomware” has extended to SMEs and home users, attacking personal or business-related data such as “insurance documents, correspondence or other irreplaceable objects, such as a photograph of a deceased mother or father”.

As a result, Walker told SCMagazineUK.com via email: “The time has arrived when all users who care about what is stored on their PCs, and other computer-related assets, start to exercise what I call ‘home-front security', starting with the basics of up-to-date anti-virus/malware protection.”

But with BitCrypt Walker said: “We see the clear need for other extended measures to preserve security in the form of backup.” He suggested low-cost attachable storage, cloud storage such as Dropbox - “again not forgetting security” - or more professional forms such as Microsoft's OneDrive (recently renamed from SkyDrive).

Walker added: “As the use of computers ever increases, the related risk posed by cyber-criminals should be expected to follow an exponential path, and will get much, much worse, before it gets better. So no matter how unimportant the home user feels their data is, just ask the question - if I lose it, would I care? If the answer is yes, the time has arrived to start thinking about ‘home-front security' with some urgency.”

In their blog, Perigaud and Pernet describe the emotional impact of ransomware then say: “Some lucky people do not care at all: they have done regular backup of their important data on an external hard drive. Luckily enough, they disconnect that external hard drive every time they do not use it. Their data is safe, and they will just try to disinfect their computer from the malware. If they cannot do it, well they will reinstall the whole operating system.”

But they add: “Everything changes when someone you know is hit by this kind of malware.”

Can RebelMouse Energize Your Social Campaigns?

By now, the word is out. Social media is the way to publicize your events, products, and services. It’s effective. It’s free. Everyone is doing it.

Unfortunately, that creates a dilemma. With so many marketers now flooding social media sites with their messages, making yours stand out can be a challenge. Social media users are learning to breeze right past blatant marketing attempts, so it’s important that your message be fresh, engaging, and customer oriented.

Innovative Tools

The good news is that software providers realize this demand and have stepped forward to offer solutions. RebelMouse is one of those providers. With a free account, businesses can add up to three administrators and enjoy many of the app’s features. RebelMouse creates a “social media front page” for users, aggregating a variety of one social media profiles onto one page.

Social media management dashboards are nothing new. HootSuite and Buffer both offer social media management services, but RebelMouse promises a level of customizability not previously seen in social media dashboards. The app’s design takes a cue from today’s visual-based nature of social media, using imagery to allow users to create a layout similar to the bulletin boards they set up on Pinterest.

Easy Posting

But the question isn’t, “How can I read my social media posts more easily?” For businesses, the question is, “How can I more easily market using social media?” These dashboard services offer businesses the ability to post to multiple sites at once, which saves time. But there are other factors, as well.

As a business, you’ll benefit from being able to create and share your own RebelMouse page. On this page, you’ll display your own social media posts, as well as content you’ve curated from a variety of sources. This feature is how businesses will improve their search engine visibility, as promised by RebelMouse on its website. There is nothing built into the app itself that increases the search engine visibility of the posts placed on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media sites.

Downsides

One feature HootSuite has that RebelMouse appears to be lacking at the moment is the ability to schedule posts for a later date. This is huge to many marketers, who are now operating using content calendars where posts are time-delayed to promote product launches, big events, and more.

For those wanting enhanced analytics, RebelMouse offers that, as well, but users must upgrade to the “Prime Time” plan, which runs $500 or more per month. This plan also includes faster feed processing and enhanced brand control, although the site isn’t clear on what those features actually are. This feature uses Google Analytics to show how your RebelMouse page is appealing to your customers.

Businesses have nothing to lose in trying out RebelMouse’s free plan. Setting up a page is easy and it adds yet another website that can increase search engine visibility. However, at $500 or more a month, the paid plans with RebelMouse seem high, especially considering competitors’ plans include analytics at a much more affordable rate

Why mobile malware attacks vary by region

February 21, 2014

Researchers at Lookout Security have found that mobile malware is becoming a big business, with cyber-criminals tweaking the method of their attack for different regions to avoid detection and improve profits.

For its latest ‘Mobile threats, Made-to-Measure' report, the firm collected data from more than 50 million users between January and December last year, and on evaluating this data, was able to break down attacks and malware types by region.

What stood out was that attackers are not only viewing mobile as a new avenue to spread malicious code - and in turn boost profits - but that they are also spreading their attacks out by region to maximise profitability and to avoid potential detection.

“2013 stood out as the year when mobile threat campaigns became increasingly targeted by geographic region as the criminals adapted their practices to maximise profit and minimise ability to be detected,” reads the report.

“Regulation varies by country and a criminal enterprise that might be highly profitable and difficult to prosecute in one part of the world is often explicitly forbidden and easy to prosecute in another. This regulatory variation produces a state of natural selection in which criminals evolve to exhibit attack strategies that are best suited for their environment.”

Marc Rogers, Lookout's principal security researcher, later added in an interview with the BBC: "When it comes to mobile malware, everything is now regionalised.”

For example, Rogers said that European mobile users - and those in China and Russia - were increasingly targeted by so-called “chargeware”, which attempts to trick people into paying for a service or an app, while there has been a rise of adware apps and others which look to steal sensitive data, such as log-in details for online banking systems in the US.

Chargeware, which is often used by pornographic apps, was also a significant concern in the UK, where it had a 20 percent “encounter rate”.

Premium-rate malware remains prevalent in Russia, but this was partly due to most of these users getting apps from third-parties, and sometimes unvetted, application stores and not from Google Play or Apple's App Store.

Indeed, Russian mobile users, especially those on Android, had the highest rate of encountering malware (63 percent), but this was much lower in the US and Canada (both 4 percent), as well as in the UK (5 percent). Spain (18 percent) and China (28 percent) were more susceptible to mobile malware attacks.

Regulation, profit and BYOD play a part

Speaking to SCMagazineUK.com, Larry Ponemon, founder and analyst at Ponemon Institute, said that most attacks rely on the weakest link - the end-user.

“It appears that one of the most significant threats to mobile security is the human factor -- that is, good people who do stupid things such as downloading mobile apps without fear of malware infection,” said in an email exchange.

But he added that the infection rate was also down to cultural differences, with users in some countries less aware of privacy and security matters.

“In my opinion, country differences are most likely due to cultural factors. In countries with high malware infection rates, mobile users are less likely to hold expectations of privacy or security.

“Another reason for country differences concerns wealth. I predict mobile users in high wealth countries have more to lose and therefore are more risk averse to insecure mobile apps. Finally, countries with strict compliance over privacy, data protection and information security are more likely to experience a lower mobile infection rate.”

Brian Honan, analyst and founder at BH Consulting, told SCMagazineUK.com that how often these devices are updated or even replaced is likely to play a part too.

“Other areas that may influence issues on a regional basis would be the adoption rate of latest mobile devices,” he said. “In regions with high adoption rate of new phone models, such as Japan, and other parts of Asia, infected devices have a short lifespan as they are replaced by newer ones.

“The opposite would be true in countries and regions where adoption of new technologies is slower resulting in devices having older operating systems. This leaves them at a higher risk of becoming compromised and remaining online longer as they are not replaced as quickly.”

Honan continued that the popularity of less secure - but more affordable - Android devices is also likely to be a contributing factor, as is how often telcos provide system updates.

All of this is likely to be a big business concern, not least considering that a third of all mobile phones and tablets (approximately one billion devices) are expected to be in the workplace by 2018, most likely as part of some bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scheme.

“As BYOD becomes more common in the workplace, rather than attacking traditional, heavily monitored network services, we expect criminals to evolve once again and turn to mobile devices as an easier way to get into the enterprise and access valuable data,” the report states.

Ponemon added: “This problem is exacerbated by the BYOD movement.  Despite the predicted rise in mobile risk, I don't have much faith that end users will proactively defend their smart phones or tablets from criminal attacks.”

It’s One of Those Days

I was reading an article in the library one day about aligning - how to align, who should align, why you should align. (When I was still working a day job, I think the preferred jargon was “on the same page.”)

The more I read about aligning, the sillier it sounded. For a while I played with all sorts of terrible puns and plays on words and basically got nowhere.

Then, on the drive home I was able to sort of mentally back away from “align” a bit and found this cartoon.

I’m sure in a few years “align” will be replaced with something else, but in the meantime this cartoon rings true and makes me really happy.

Horse and Carriage Controversy Threatens Small Carriage Owners

A controversy in New York City is pitting small carriage owners against the city and more specifically, newly elected Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio has vowed to eliminate horse drawn carriages in Central Park, a long tradition and an ecosystem supporting many small business owners including owners of the carriages, horses and stables. But for the moment, city council seems to have stopped the mayor in his tracks and the issue has yet to even make it to the council’s agenda.

Opponents of the carriage rides, including animal rights groups, insist the horse and carriage trade is bad for the animals. They say the horses are denied proper pasture, are exposed to exhaust fumes and are over worked, Treehugger reports.

But Stephen Malone, spokesman of the Horse and Carriage Association of New York says the carriage trade has supported many horse and carriage and stable owners down through the years. In a CNN editorial he writes:

“My father stumbled upon the horse and carriages on Central Park South and hit the jackpot. He was a third-generation blacksmith and went to work immediately as the stable hand and blacksmith to the carriage trade. He would work all day, fixing problems with the carriages and then shoeing horses.

The stable owner allowed him to drive a carriage on weekends to earn extra pay. He worked like this until 1967, when he purchased his first carriage. This is the origin of my family tradition. The horse and carriages have put the bread and butter on my family’s table since 1967 and I intend on keeping it that way for years to come.”

What’s more, those in New York’s horse and carriage industry insist charges that horses are being cruelly treated are wrong. And even Treehugger admitted in an earlier post that charges of neglect or abuse seem unwarranted.

The mayor has proposed replacing the horses with environmentally friendly “vintage” style electric cars and offering them first to former carriage owners as compensation for a ban. But no one can imagine tourists paying $50 for 20 minutes or $130 for an hour to ride in a car in New York City.

But it’s more than just the livelihood of so many small carriage, horse and stable owners that’s at stake. The industry employs 300 people and generates about $19 million annually for the city’s economy.

Like so many other small business owners, those involved in the horse and carriage trade have added substantially to the fabric of their community. Defenders of these business people say the proposed ban isn’t about the welfare of the animals. It’s about politics and influential animal rights activists who contributed to de Blasio’s campaign.

They have vowed to fight city hall to preserve businesses that continue to thrive in New York City that they believe make their community a better place.

Carriage Photo via Shutterstock