Eight Steps to Improve Business Security in 2008
Small Business Computing (01/07/08) ; Simonds, Lauren

There are several ways companies can make their computer networks safer this year, the first being to keep all the business' software and hardware operating with the most up-to-date versions and with all the latest security updates, which requires a patch management plan. Teaching staff about online security and a business' individual protocols is also vital, as is combining network-based intrusion detection with host-based intrusion protection. A vulnerability study can scan a company's operating system, networked servers, workstations, and printers to find areas where a business does not have the correct protection; it is smart to conduct this kind of assessment along with application-level testing. Content filtering keeps individuals on a company network from entering sites that management feels are not secure. As the majority of computers are equipped with some type of anti-virus protection, centralizing those networked desktops and being able to look at them from a single workstation makes it simpler and more efficient to implement, oversee, and maintain continual virus protection and thereby reduce exposure. Creating security rules and then overseeing them guarantees that workers are obeying those rules. Lastly, the majority of firms have sensitive data they wish to keep internal; to that end, an extrusion management solution keeps that information from exiting the network.
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/372007
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New Phone System for Today's Businesses
TCM.net (01/07/08) ; Viscusi, Stefania

New VoIP phone systems offer organizations the chance to increase efficiency. It is a well know fact that VoIP technology offers real-time voice capabilities and saves organizations money on long distance fees. However, new VoIP systems promise to increase employee productivity and efficiency by enabling them to answer their extension from any location. "New handheld devices that contain both wireless receivers and voice over IP encoders allow mobile staff to roam seamlessly from a cell tower to a wireless hotspot. As a result, an intelligent phone can find the least expensive way at any given moment for a user to make a phone call, without disrupting important conversations," explains Joe Taylor Jr., Vendor Guru Columnist comments in the article, "Telecommunications for Business: VOIP, Phone Service, & Communications Equipment." The new phone systems benefits companies of all sizes.
http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/phone-systems/articles/17743-new-p
hone-systems-todays-businesses.htm

Wireless Is Everywhere; Ignore It at Your Peril
EE Times (01/07/08) ; Ojo, Bolaji

Personal computers are being replaced by wireless applications. Wireless is predicted to go beyond typical communication and networking sectors and infiltrate the industrial, manufacturing, medical, retail, and service markets. As such, "Enterprises should prepare for increased virtualization, wireless networking in the office, dramatic developments," Gartner Inc. analyst Ken Dulaney notes. The sector is vast and increasing quickly. While yearly PC shipments are in the hundreds of millions, the demand for wireless requirement, including mobile phones, digital music players, game platforms, and PDAs, is in the billions. ISuppli Corp. thinks that overall mobile-phone shipments nearly doubled last year over 2003, to 1.15 billion units. Unit shipments will rise to 1.47 billion by 2010, the company claims. Experts state that wireless connectivity will most likely inundate nearly every area of Americans' lives in the future as companies and governments implement applications in new arenas to heighten productivity.
http://www.eetimes.com/rss/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205208620&
cid=RSSfeed_eetimes_newsRSS

Small Businesses Turn to PEOs for Human Resources Help
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (01/06/08) ; Tablac, Angela

Professional employer organizations (PEOs) can help small and medium-sized businesses provide better benefits for their staff members. These organizations work as off-site human resource departments to oversee payroll, health-care and 401k benefits, employee recruiting, and training programs. They also can ensure compliance with a constantly expanding list of state and federal regulations. Moreover, PEOs help their clients offer wider benefits packages than they would be able to on their own. Orthodontics, education payments, online certification programs, and other training reimbursements are just some of the extras PEOs enable employers to use to attract and retain skilled workers. These benefits are important to smaller businesses trying to compete with larger counterparts in a tight job market. On average, PEOs charge about 17 percent of a client's payroll for their services, according to the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/0/77A55221D
ECAEA06862573C7000A8FBB?OpenDocument

Fine Tuning Corporate Data Protection: Are We Ready?
Enterprise Networks and Servers (01/08) ; Shacklett, Mary

Hurricane Katrina pushed the need for disaster recovery plans to the forefront; but experts note that small businesses in particular pay less attention to these plans when things are running smoothly, as they typically lack the manpower to make data protection a top priority. Federal regulations mandating that data be kept for certain periods of time and be easily accessible underscore the importance of firms ensuring their data protection plans include archiving, backup, and recovery. Storagepipe Solutions President and CEO Steve Rodin says CIOs should urge upper management to outsource data protection--a move that is justified by the cost-savings associated with handing over the purchase and maintenance of backup hardware and software, as well as reduced costs for labor and tape pickup services. Additionally, companies that hire vendors to store data in off-site facilities benefit from the vendor's use of encryption and security protocols that differ from their own. As part of their data recovery plans, firms should determine what data needs to be archived and what information can be deleted, institute email retention policies that are made known to all employees, conduct regular tests of the backup and recovery system, and ensure outsourcers are aware of the company's recovery point and recovery time objectives.
http://www.enterprisenetworksandservers.com/monthly/art.php?3513

Writing Compelling Promotional Copy
ConstantContact.com (12/19/07) ; Goodman, Gail

The execution of an excellent promotional email campaign relies heavily on the effectiveness of the copy that is written. Good copy helps readers understand what is being offered to them and gives them a clear way to respond. One key guideline is to know the customer - the more that is known about the audience being written for, the more targeted and relevant the copy will be. The copy writer should ask: why should a customer buy this product or service? What's in it for them, and why is it better than others? The more unique the offer is, the better the chances of getting a response. Rosser Reeves, the author of Reality in Advertising, defines the Unique Selling Proposition as a promotion that offers "something that competitors do not, or will not, offer." He also states that, "The proposition must be strong enough to pull new customers to the product." A compelling subject line is critical in convincing readers that they really need to open the email. The best word to use to get the reader's attention is "you." The word "you" says that the message is about them.
http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/hints-tips/ht-2006
-07.jsp?cc=December07HTEMArticle3

Information Security Standards
Risk Management (12/07) Vol. 54 , No. 12 , P. 11 ; Lindenmayer, Gerhard

For many organizations, the most essential asset is information, which means organizations must implement security measures to ensure data is not inadvertently or maliciously compromised. Certain best practices exist for securing network data. A layered approach--which combines technology, policy, training, and enforcement--is the best way to achieve full protection. Encryption, antivirus software, and firewalls are key technological elements of data security. Adopting an intrusion detection system helps safeguard the network infrastructure and notifies the IT department when problems occur. In addition, it is crucial to train employees regarding the data in their control and to enforce a robust password policy. Workers should have a limited ability, if any, to use memory sticks, CD/DVD drives, and other portable USB storage devices; though strict, this policy will prevent data from being carried away from the premises. Restricting workers' Internet access to work-related sites also keeps the network safe from viral downloads. Finally, it is important to have outside consultants conduct regularly scheduled patches and yearly penetration tests. Businesses that utilize credit cards for online transactions should scan their servers and ports at least four times each year to adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
http://www.rims.org//Magazine/PrintTemplate.cfm?AID=3544