10 Ways to Trim Your IT Budget
TechRepublic (02/25/08) ; Shinder, Debra Littlejohn

There are a number of ways that organizations can cut their IT budgets while causing a minimum amount of pain for themselves and their employees. One way organizations can reduce the amount of money they spend on IT is by putting off unnecessary upgrades of operating systems and productivity applications. Organizations should base their decision to upgrade an operating system (OS) on whether or not the new features offered by the new OS will increase productivity, solve a problem with the current software, or save money. The same criteria should be used when weighing a decision to upgrade productivity application. The decision should not be based on an arbitrary timeline, such as one that calls for an upgrade when the latest version of the OS or productivity application is released. Another tactic that organizations can use to reduce their IT costs is outsourcing. By outsourcing some of their IT functions, organizations can make better use of the IT personnel they have and run their IT departments in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=315

Demystifying a Wireless Network
Small Business Computing (02/26/08) ; Moran, Joseph

Wireless networks are a cost-efficient means of building on existing networks. To improve performance, some wireless network hardware manufacturers use non-standard technology. However, experts recommend that all wireless devices be purchased from the same vendor and use the same technology standard. How well wireless network hardware performs depends on its performance quotes, although users should be warned that some hardware never achieve the speed promised by hardware manufacturers. Depending on the environment, the range of wireless networks also varies. When it comes to security, there is little users can do to prevent anyone within range from detecting a wireless network. However, organizations can prevent unauthorized users from connecting to it with encryption features that scramble data. Wired Equivalent Privacy, Wi-Fi Protected Access and WPA2 are the most common encryption hardware.
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/37302
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Before the Storm
WebCPA.com (02/25/08) ; Gold, Liz

A disaster recovery plan can help a company make sure its business will not be interrupted during a disaster, and in some cases, firms can see reductions in insurance premiums if they have disaster recovery plans in place. Integro Insurance Managing Partner and Property Practice Leader Gary Marchitello estimates that showing a disaster recovery plan to an insurer can result in a 50 percent cut in premiums. In areas particularly vulnerable to catastrophes, a business continuity plan may be required to get insurance coverage. Insurers are encouraged by these plans because if a business can continue serving their clients with a minimal interruption, then insurers do not have to cover dramatic losses in revenue. A disaster plan should have each critical step firms must take to ensure operations are protected and at least partially functional should a disaster occur; these plans also need to address employee training needs to ensure workers are prepared should a disaster occur. Keeping a business operational during a disaster is important because over 25 percent of businesses closing after a disaster never resume their operations. Businesses that have a disaster plan should still purchase business interruption insurance, which covers income losses and extra expenses, though firms will need to carefully assess their business interruption coverage needs. After Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, many businesses discovered that their insurance policies only covered loss of income, not additional expenses, such as renting space or purchasing additional equipment. The businesses with adequate insurance and a solid disaster plan along the Gulf Coast were the best prepared to resume operations quickly.
http://webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=26753

Rewind Your Network Woes
Processor (02/15/08) Vol. 30 , No. 7 , P. 23 ; Ortiz, Sixto Jr.

Retrospective network analysis (RNA) solutions operate in a similar manner to a network TiVo by recording, retaining, and replaying network traffic, so that administrators have an ongoing history of their network traffic. RNA enables administrators to access and study prior network troubles as they happened. There are substantial technological obstacles to get past, however, states NetScout's James Messer, who explains that the capturing and storing of RNA mandates that packets be obtained at line rates and that every byte be placed on a hard drive. Network Instruments' Charles Thompson explains that his firm's GigaStore system facilitates the capture of as many as 48 terabytes of packet-level information which can assist administrators in diagnosing and fixing problems regarding the network, application performance, VoIP and security. Meanwhile, MIKSUN's NetVCR appliance offers real-time networking tracking and can be set up to operate with SAN storage. When choosing the appropriate RNA solution, there are several things to consider, including selecting the correct size. In addition, potential purchasers need to think about network speed and connectivity. Lastly, RNA should provide the capability to reconstruct information streams.
http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2
Fp3007%2F31p07%2F31p07.asp&guid=&searchtype=&WordList=&bJumpTo=Tr
ue

Can E-Mail Authentication Kill Spam?
E-Commerce Times (02/21/08) ; Germain, Jack E.

An Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) study reveals that over 50 percent of all e-mail is authenticated. The AOTA, though, wants the sector to campaign for increased adoption, and has proposed installing e-mail authentication at the leading-level business domain in the coming six months. E-mail authentication is a procedure that tries to identify a message sender by confirming the domain name. While industry watchers had hoped that e-mail authentication would eradicate spam, certain network experts contend that the technology is not formidable enough to do away with all kinds of spam. Experts claim two elements prevent authentication from terminating spam, the first being the nature of the spam, the other the nature of people using the computers. Ben Chestnut of MailChip.com, an e-mail marketing-services company, states that so long as spammers can transmit email from any computer to any e-mail address, spam will continue. He feels that the best way to overcome this situation is to keep incorporating layers to the system so that it will become too troublesome to send spam. Meanwhile, JangoMail's Ajay Goel thinks the combination of e-mail authentication and harsher laws and penalties may be the best way to get rid of spam.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Can-E-Mail-Authentication-Kil
l-Spam-61732.html

Portals: Gateways to Data
Accounting Technology (02/08) Vol. 24 , No. 1 , P. 20 ; Alexander, Antoinette

The desire to increase security and to implement a more efficient workflow procedure is causing numerous businesses to install portal software. Manning & Co. has been using the NetClient CS Portals and UltraTax/1040 Portals from Thomson Tax & Accounting for the past three years. The decision has improved the company's tax-operation procedure and permits the business to work more effectively in a paperless arena. Meanwhile, WithumSmith and Brown introduced two years ago its Client Portals, which function as a depository where customers can enter to get certain economic data and documents that have been kept there to review and download. The company employs GoFile Room from Thomson as its document management system, as it offers a safe encrypted portal. XCM Solutions, which offers companies Web-based process-automation solutions, could be regarded as a type of internal portal to centralize data for multiple-office companies. XCM Solutions merges with CCH's document-management solution so that companies can use the ProSystem fx Document option portal to give information to those outside of the business. "In one to five years [portals] will explode because [they] will be a have to have," predicts XCM president Glen Keenan.
http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=26624&searchTerm=port
als&print=yes

Company E-Mail on Employee-Owned Cell Phones
Processor (02/15/08) Vol. 30 , No. 7 , P. 24 ; Weisman, Robyn

Many enterprises have chosen not to deploy smart phones as widely as they have deployed laptops, in part because they are unsure about how to address the ramifications of the use of these devices. As a result, many of these enterprises' employees have chosen to buy their own smart phones so they can access their e-mail on the go. This growing trend has created several problems for enterprises. For example, many companies are unsure about how to apply their document retention policies to e-mails that are replicated on employee-owned devices. If companies fail to resolve this question and lose e-mails stored on employee-owned smart phones, there could be an impact on the organization during discovery for a legal proceeding, said John Rostern, technology risk management director for the New York-area offices of consultancy Jefferson Wells. To address the problems created by employees' use of their own smart phones, enterprises' should at least produce, issue, and enforce company policy on employee smart phone usage, said Patrick Gilbert, the CEO of enterprise mobile solutions provider 4SmartPhone. He noted that a policy that states that employees are not allowed to use their own smart phones will not work, since some employees will do so whether they are allowed to or not. In addition, enterprises must address concerns about secure access and data security, either by buying and running their own solution in-house or outsourcing the solution to a hosted service, Gilbert said.
http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2
Fp3007%2F32p07%2F32p07.asp&guid=&searchtype=&WordList=&bJumpTo=Tr
ue

Open Source Applications for Small Business
Small Business Computing (02/02/08) ; Weiss, Aaron

Open-source software (OSS) is founded on the idea that Linux/Unix developers dispense their software equipped with the source code for customization or inspection. OSS applications, however, are more frequently being used for Windows. Small-business owners with a limited budget can select from several no-cost, open-source applications devised for Windows that will dependably handle their productivity requirements. OpenOffice.org is a free open-source office suite that provides a word processor, equation editor, visual database, drawing application, and presentation authoring. Mozilla Thunderbird is a completely-featured messaging client with support for IMAP and POP email, NNTP newsgroups and RSS feeds. Calendaring can be added to Thunderbird through the Lightning extension through operating Sunbird, a standalone version of the calendar application. The ClamWin anti-virus, anti-span software maintains a current database for viruses and software. Meanwhile, UltraVNC is a remote desktop client and server for Windows that supports as well live text chat and file transfer. Possibly the most infamous free, open-source application is Firefox, whose browser is based on the Mozilla Foundation's Gecko engine, which is the basis as well for numerous other no-cost, open-source applications.
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/news/article.php/3729396

Speeding Toward Convergence: Changes to Come Rapidly for Accounting Profession
Pennsylvania CPA Journal (Quarter1, 2008) Vol. 78 , No. 4 , P. 32 ; Henry, Allison M.

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are being speedily adopted by the investment community, which is driving the accelerated pace of accounting standards convergence. Simultaneously, the need for the conventional historical financial reporting model is being challenged by changes in technology. All of these shifts are expected to have a huge impact on the model for accounting and auditing. According to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Christopher Cox, financial reporting has grown too complicated. In response, the SEC is developing multiple projects aimed at streamlining the process. One such initiative involves advancing the convergence of IFRS with U.S. GAAP. Though the convergence process is underway, it is unclear whether the U.S. markets are prepared to handle both groups of standards. While financial professionals resistant to change may be ambivalent about these efforts, financial professionals keen to implement convergence will be much sought after by companies needing assistance with the transition.
http://www.picpa.org/asp/Journal/journal_article_details.asp?acti
on=Normal&ID=1344