Technology & Productivity Weekly
May 9, 2008
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This
Week's Headlines
Five Security Tips to Protect Your Small Biz
Investment
Gain Control of Your Email
Taking Full Advantage of CRM Software
New Dell Servers: Big-Business Performance at
Small-Business Price
Backups Are a Breeze Online
Don't Let Your Networked A/V Devices Go it Alone
Cyber-Thieves' New Target: Business Processes
Weave Your Web
The links at the end of
each abstract are to the publisher, publication, or article.
Some links may require registration or subscription.
Information, Inc. is not affiliated with the referenced
publications.
o the top Five Security Tips to Protect Your Small Biz
Investment
Small Business Computing (05/06/08); Simonds, Lauren
There are several steps small businesses can take to protect themselves
from external threats such as viruses and malware, according to John Clay,
the product-marketing manager at Trend Micro. For starters, small
businesses should make sure that their security applications are kept
current. Failing to do so will leave the business vulnerable to attack,
Clay said. Small businesses should also be sure to use security software
designed specifically for small businesses, not software designed for
consumers. Security software designed for small businesses has a number of
advantages over consumer-based products, Clay noted. For instance,
business-grade security software allows companies with several employees to
manage the security settings on their computers--a feature that is
important because employees may not know how to use the software properly,
Clay said. In addition to making sure that they have the right technology
and that it is up to date, small businesses should establish policies on
how employees handle sensitive data. Finally, small businesses should
protect themselves from being held legally liable for losing data by
following security best practices. For instance, small businesses should
implement an e-discovery solution, since the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure require that they produce every e-mail that pertains to a legal
dispute, Clay said.
(http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/3
745056)
to the top Gain Control of Your Email
Processor (05/02/08)Vol. 30, No. 18, P. 1; Millard, Elizabeth
There are a number of techniques IT managers can use to gain more
control over the thousands of e-mail messages that move through their
companies' networks every day. One of the best first steps in an e-mail
control strategy is to conduct activity profiling, said Chris Bradley, vice
president of marketing and business development at MessageGate. According
to Bradley, activity profiling can help an IT department get an idea about
what has been happening on the company's network for the past month and see
areas such as redundant information, overflowing inboxes, and possible
risks. This step allows IT managers to get a bigger-picture view of what
is going on in their company's network, instead of controlling pieces such
as inappropriate content and exposure risks on a day-to-day basis. IT
managers may also want to address e-mail storage when developing an e-mail
control strategy. One way that IT managers can alleviate storage problems
is by replacing attachments with links to documents that are stored in one
accessible server, Bradley said. Finally, IT managers should follow up
with employees and make sure that they have read the company’s e-mail
policies and that they understand them. To ensure that employees know
their company's e-mail policies, IT may want to consider developing a test
on those policies that employees could take once a month or once every
quarter, depending on the scale of the e-mail security problems at the
company.
(http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?Article=artic
les/p3018/20p18/20p18.asp&GUID=428D344003A242DEABBDA0AB4624E566)
to the top Taking Full Advantage of CRM Software
WebCPA.com (05/01/08); Wolosky, Howard W.
New York-based Marks Paneth & Shron is one of the growing number of
companies that are beginning to see the benefits of using customer
relationship management (CRM) software. The company uses InterAction, a
CRM application from LexisNexis. The software--which can be accessed by
Marks Paneth & Shron's marketing department, internal accounting, and human
resources department, as well as the company's partners and their
administrative assistants, directors, and some managers--allows the firm to
analyze how well an administrative assistant manages their partners'
contacts. The software makes this possible by allowing Marks Paneth &
Shron to see when contacts are not being maintained and updated. In the
event contacts are not being maintained and updated, the CRM software can
automatically update contact information from a partners' Outlook address
book. In addition, an add-on product called Tikit allows outside contacts
to manage their mailing preferences and contact information. According to
Jean Frohman, marketing senior at Marks Paneth & Shron, the company's
clients like using the CRM software because it allows them "to take back
control of their preferences." She added that her company's clients have
also appreciated them sense of community that has developing from
"know[ing] who knows who."
(click for more)
to the top New Dell Servers: Big-Business Performance at
Small-Business Price
ITWeb (05/05/08)
Small and medium businesses no longer have to sacrifice server
performance or reliability for price. Dell's new PowerEdge R300 and T300
servers have industry-leading performance, memory and high-availability
features previously only available in more expensive systems designed for
larger businesses. Utilizing the quad-core Intel Xeon x5460 processor, the
PowerEdge R300 achieves up to 26% better performance than the HP DL320 G5p,
and up to 51% over the IBM System X 3250. The T300 tower server achieves
up to 31% better performance compared to the HP ML310 G5 server, and up to
51 better performances than the IBM System X 3200. The new R300 and T300
servers helps companies better handle memory-intensive applications by
offering 24GB of memory - essential, high-availability features include
hot-plug hard drives and redundant power supplies to help increase uptime
and prevent loss of data access. Dell's new services portfolio,
ProSupport, gives small and medium businesses greater flexibility to choose
the support options that make the most sense for their companies. These
service options, combined with features delivered in the R300 and T300
servers, make it easier for customers to spend less time worrying about
their IT so they can focus more on productivity and growing their
businesses.
(http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/computing/2008/0805060724.as
p?A=SBC&S=Servers%20and%20Server-Based%20Computing&O=FPIN)
to the top Backups Are a Breeze Online
Boston Globe (05/01/08); Bray, Hiawatha
Many small businesses and professional practices forgo backup systems
despite expert advice. Many of these business owners find backup devices
too costly or confusing, while others contend that there is no need for
backup if a fire destroys the office building or home where the computer
and backup files are stored. Online backup systems can provide these
business owners with some relief. IDC Corp. estimates only 1.5 percent of
consumers use online backup technology, which copies files over the
Internet and stores them in high-security data centers. However,
businesses can find companies to store their data for free or for $50 per
year in some cases, though some services have size restrictions and other
conditions. Mozy and Carbonite are just two online backup services
available for low fees and storage is unlimited, though high-speed
Internet connections are required. Each online service will require an
initial software download, which will monitor and backup data
automatically.
(http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/05/0
1/backups_are_a_breeze_online/)
to the top Don't Let Your Networked A/V Devices Go it Alone
Small Business Computing (05/02/08); Moran, Joseph
There are two different approaches to wirelessly connecting multiple
electronics devices to an existing WLAN. In one of these approaches, each
device that is to be connected to the network is equipped with a
proprietary wireless adapter. In the other approach, an ethernet
connection is used to link each of the devices to a wireless bridge that
supports multiple devices. This approach has a number of advantages of
equipping each device with its own wireless adapter. For instance, the
cost of buying a wireless bridge is often less than the cost of buying
wireless adapters for each individual device. In addition, this approach
requires the configuration of just the wireless bridge, not several
different wireless adapters. However, there are some downsides to
connecting several different devices to an existing WLAN via a wireless
bridge. For instance, a configuration problem or hardware failure with the
wireless bridge will leave the devices connected to it unable to link up
with the network.
(http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/
3744401)
to the top Cyber-Thieves' New Target: Business Processes
E-Commerce Times (04/01/08); Germain, Jack M.
Businesses worldwide depend on e-mail, but malware is putting corporate
data at unprecedented risk, according to a survey by Webroot. Cyber crooks
focus on e-mail because they can extract valuable personal and corporate
information, said Webroot executives. Chris Benham, vice president of
corporate marketing for Webroot, said firms need to be more proactive by
establishing policy rules and enforcing strict compliance to e-mail rules
among employees. Too many businesses are being too "casual" about
safeguarding their email, he said. "Attackers are going where the money is
by breaking into business processes. Their actions are hard to track and
harder to prosecute," Benham warned. Webroot's survey of 1,494 e-mail
security product decision makers involved individuals from the United
States and six other countries. Three-fourths of all respondents said
e-mail is very or extremely important for communicating with clients. The
biggest security concern cited was infections from viruses and spyware,
followed by data breaches and spam. Upwards of 50 percent of respondents
were affected by spyware and virus attacks in 2007, and more than 40
percent had to cope with a phishing attack. Roughly a third of the
organizations responding said they experienced a reduction in employee
productivity and system performance as a result of spam in 2007.
(http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Cyber-Thieves-New-Target-
Business-Processes-62066.html)
to the top Weave Your Web
Entrepreneur (05/01/08); Holloway, Lindsay
Businesses can bolster their online presence with new electronic
commerce solutions. Microsoft Office Live Small Business recently rolled
out an updated version with new features that is designed specifically for
entrepreneurs that wish to market their services and wares online. To
begin, businesses need to use AdManager to launch an e-mail marketing
campaign via the Windows Live and Ask.com networks. Entrepreneurs can also
use Homestead.com's e-commerce solution Storefront, which has a starting
cost of $24.99 a month. Other advertising options include Homestead's
comprehensive keyword advertising service SearchLight, Homestead Directory,
and a new Local Listings service that lists local businesses on Google
Maps, Yahoo Local and similar sites.
(http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/may/1
92794.html)
Sponsored By: Information, Inc.
Information Inc.'s handcrafted business intelligence services provide
up-to-the-minute information on critical issues. Decision-makers in more
than 2,000 major corporations, associations and government agencies
worldwide have relied on our comprehensive news services for the past 22
years. To learn how our timely, targeted, custom
services can help you compete in the 21st century, go to: http://www.infoinc.com/s
tatecpa/contact.html
