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Sorry, All I Have Is Plastic



I remember when Nextel came out with an attachment for a cell phone that had magnetic card reader on its side to accept transactions for mobile business sites.  I thought that was pretty cutting edge.  Jack Dorsey, native St. Louisian and co-founder or Twitter, found a smilar frustration that I have often had around a pool table.  How do you accept a payment from someone when they happen to have a greenback deficiency?  You find an easy way to accept plastic, and Jack's solution to the dilemma and his newest company is called Square. 
 
With the availability of Square’s device, just about anyone can be a merchant, that is, anyone with an iPhone or iPod Touch, at least for now. The store owner simply plugs it into the audio input jack of his mobile phone, and he can now start accepting credit card payments. Buyers, on the other hand, can then swipe their credit or debit cards through the ‘Square’ device, which will transfer the payment information into an application on the iPhone.  Square uses a magnetic-strip reader that plugs into the iPhone’s headphone port. All users of the app need to do is swipe the card, punch in the amount and have the customer sign right on the phone. After the transaction is complete a receipt is sent via email.
 
“…We wanted to allow people to very easily and quickly, within 10 seconds, be able to accept these plastic devices as payment,” said Dorsey.

If this device goes into mainstream, it will do away with the prohibitive costs businesses find with credit card processing. For instance, the credit card payment terminal alone can easily cost about $1,000, compared to Square, which runs on a $299 mobile gadget.

In the past there have been several offerings for those who want to use their iPhone to charge one of their customers credit card but they require you to punch in the card’s entire number.

I want one just so I can avoid friends saying, "I don't have any cash, I'll get you next time."  Rob Dyrdek went so far as to install an ATM in his basment next to his pool table at his home in Hollywood.  I think I would rather invest in one of these little Square devices so I could take it with me.
 
The new companies website is https://squareup.com/

                                         

Background - In February 2009, Jim McKelvey wasn’t able to sell a piece of his glass art because he couldn’t accept a credit card as payment. Even though a majority of payments has moved to plastic cards, accepting payments from cards is still difficult, requiring long applications, expensive hardware, and an overly complex experience. Square was born a few days later right next to the old San Francisco US Mint.

Today the Square team is focused on bringing immediacy, transparency, and approachability to the world of payments: an inherently social interaction each of us participates in daily. We’re starting with a limited beta and rolling out to everyone in early 2010.

Posted by Rick at 12/9/2009 7:29 PM | Add Comment

Marketing Tips for your Small Business

How do you differentiate your business?

and get more touches on your prospects..

 


Small business owners know that running a business is more than a full time job, it takes a lot of time and effort for each segment of one small company to run smoothly. When it comes to small business marketing, many make a mistake thinking it is not of great importance to have an annual marketing plan and work on developing it throughout the year. Well organized marketing activities are the only ones that actually bring results, and consistency is a crucial thing here. Here are some useful tips for your small company’s marketing.

For small business marketing to be successful, you need to make sure that your marketing efforts are not tied to one day a week, but to engage in at least one marketing activity every day. Determine your annual marketing budget and then decide on the type of marketing that can be actively employed all year round without negatively affecting your financials. The best thing to do is to have specific annual marketing goals and try to achieve them, reviewing the plan once every three months for possible adjustments. Ideas are key for marketing success, so do not let any good idea go to waste; gather ideas and keep them safely filed so you can use them later on. As a business owner, you represent your business 24/7. Your acquaintances are your potential customers or business partners; always carry business cards that you can give out to the people you meet.

No matter what kind of a business you own, knowing your market will have a huge positive impact on your success. Stay in tune with the trends that might impact your target market, product, or promotion strategy. Make sure that you know your competition, gather their ads and literature and learn about their strategy, products, benefits and so forth. You can never go wrong with asking feedback from your customers, it is them who keep your business alive. Ask for their opinion on how you can improve your service in the future. If you can afford it, use giveaways and freebies as your marketing tool as nothing is more compelling than that.

It is important for a business owner to be well informed; reading market research studies about your profession, industry, target market groups, is a good way to keep track of what’s new and make educated decisions about your marketing strategy. Search online for information about marketing seminars in your area that you can attend to and get some useful knowledge. You can also subscribe to a marketing newsletter or some other type of publication. Your clients and your staff can play a big role in your company’s marketing. Word of mouth referrals give great results, so make sure to train your staff and your clients to promote referrals.

Publishing a newsletter for customers and prospects is another affordable way to get the word out about your business. You can also develop a brochure of services, print business cards and pass them out to your prospects. Print a slogan of your business on letterhead, fax cover sheets, and invoices. Today it is almost unimaginable to run a business and do not have an online presence. Developing a website doesn’t have to be expensive and it can mean a lot for your business. You should go online for either promotional purpose or selling your products or services. Setting up a website will reach more customers from a growing number of online buyers. Create a signature file to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details, including your Web site address and important information about your company that will attract readers to your business.

Posted by Rick at 12/2/2009 11:14 AM | Add Comment

It's no secret, I am a bit old school...


In today's businesses we use a vast variety of technologies to make us more productive, more efficient, and hopefully keep us more secure.  We all use technology such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to remember conversations and to help us keep in touch with our clients.  We use the Contact features in our Outlook to sync with our cell phones so we never have to risk loosing a phone number.  Many of us have our Smart Phones configured so the information is constantly updates with Exchange at the office or beamed wirelessly to our service providers.  I can't be the only one that misses the feel of a rotary handset wedged between my shoulder and my ear while I create an new document with my rollarball ink pen.

At last, I found the product for those of us that remain!  This little dandy plugs into our tiny little computers we call cell phones and gives us the feel of picking up a real rotary handset!  It even comes in nine different colors and provides additional features such as reduced background noise and greatly reduces radiation.  How can we lose!

https://www.yubz.com/eng/prod_mobile.php

Specializing in Microsoft products, at my office we love to showcase productivity software including Unified Communications.  I have to admit I really enjoy being able to use OCS to see if someone is available to talk or receive an instant message.  I think it's very useful to be able to quickly call someone by clicking on their name to begin a conference call.  I really do like that my voice mail and my email arrive in the same inbox giving me total hands free use of my Outlook mail box while driving to my next meeting.  But I also like having a handset on my desk!

Thank you YUBZ!!

Posted by Rick at 11/16/2009 6:18 PM | Add Comment

The Art of Creating Strong Passwords

There was a great article posted that reinforces what my team has been preaching about password protection.  I would like to continue with how important it is to create a password policy that is strong enough but also simple enough so that the password can be remembered.  You may have the greatest policy ever but if an employee needs to write it down, I bet i can find it under a keyboard, or taped to the side of a monitor.  Quite often I can log into machines because the passwords are either the default (usually for admin applications, and very scary) or they are located nearby!    The article here by Michael Scalisi mentions a number of simple ways to create password policies and all i'd like to add is that words found in the dictionary and/or are under eight characters can be cracked by automated programs in under a second!

Please read the article below for specific examples:
 

The Art of Creating Strong Passwords

By Michael Scalisi, PC World

When it comes to password strength, educating users is just as important as enforcing policies.

The Art of Creating Strong Passwords (Image courtesy of PC World)
While security has never been more important than it is today, the fastest way for an IT professional to become the most despised person in the company is to start enforcing a strong password policy. A policy perceived as overbearing may cause people to write down their passwords on a sticky note near their computers, circumventing its very purpose. Your policy will be ineffective if your users don't know how to create strong passwords that are easy to remember.
Left to their own devices, people will choose passwords that are simple for them to remember. They'll use their spouse's name, their dog's name, their favorite sports team or a recent vacation spot.

Sometimes while working on a user's computer, I'll need to log on as that person after a reboot. Unfortunately, he's wandered off, not wanting to hover over the IT guy. I generally prefer not to know other people's passwords, so I usually don't ask. In this situation, I sometimes take a guess. I've been right a surprising number of times, and sometimes with people who are very powerful. It's easy. I simply glance around their offices and note what their obsessions are.
Clearly, password policies are needed.

By using the following tips, people will be able to create easy-to-remember passwords that follow these typical requirements: at least eight characters long and with at least three of the following character types: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
  • Substitute numbers for letters and vice versa. (o instead of 0, 4 instead of A, 1 instead of L, E instead of 3)
  • Substitute words for numbers (one, two, three ... )
  • Combine both of the above (0ne, thr33, f1ve)
  • Use capitalization in random places (bLue, happY)
  • Use special characters ( !@#$%^&*(){}[] ) to punctuate and separate words
  • Create passwords out of words, numbers or phrases you'll remember
  • Misspell words
Using these tips, you can create memorable passwords that will be nearly impossible to guess. Here are some examples of converting memorable information into a complex password
We'll start with some easy ones:
  • Friday becomes frYday!
  • Robert becomes #robERt#
  • 867-5309 becomes 8siX753o9
More complex passwords:
  • 19 Peach Place becomes: 0ne9peacHpl!
  • I love Jill becomes: eYelov3Jill
  • My dog Fritz becomes MeyedogfrltZ
While some of these examples look nearly indecipherable, you can see how they're not difficult to memorize -- as long as you know the originating word, number or phrase and the basic methodology used to create it. By educating users on how to create strong passwords, you strengthen the security of your company, and your users will benefit additionally by have safer personal experiences with online banking and social networking.

Michael Scalisi is an IT manager based in Alameda, Calif.

 

Posted by Rick at 9/17/2009 11:21 AM | Add Comment

An Amazing Laptop Recovery Story

This story is just too funny not to include. Social engineering and a little knowledge of computing can go a long way. Read how David Krop remotely observed the person who stole his laptop.<< MORE >>
Posted by Rick at 9/16/2009 11:02 PM | Add Comment

Six Basics to Protect the Data on your PC



Maybe you’re not storing state secrets, but you’ve probably got at least a few files and photos on your PC that are near and dear to you just the same. So suddenly losing them – or having the wrong people peek at them – is grief you’d rather avoid.

There are numerous ways to protect the files and folders on your PC, and in this instance, more really is better. So let’s get started!

1. Protect against viruses and spyware. Computer viruses and spyware are transmitted via e-mail or your Web browser. They can cause all sorts of grief, from changing or deleting files to allowing outsiders to access what’s on your PC. Antivirus and anti-spyware programs are widely available and essential to install.

2. Set up a firewall. If you have an always-on broadband connection, a firewall can help prevent intruders from gaining access to your computer. A software firewall is included and turned on by default in most Windows operating systems, but there are other harware firewalls to consider as well.
3. Keep your software up to date. When security problems are discovered after a software product has shipped, companies typically issue updates that users can download to fix the problem. It’s always a good idea to install recommended security updates as soon as possible. If you run Windows or Microsoft Office, you can have them automatically sent to your PC through Microsoft Update.  You'd be surprised how many computers my team comes across that don't even have the correct version of the update software installed.

4. Back up your computer. Bad things happen no matter how hard you try to prevent them, so getting in the habit of copying important files to another location is just plain smart. There are various ways to do it, from copying files to a CD or USB flash drive, using an online storage service or buying an external hard drive.

5. Use passwords. If you have files and folders that you don’t want prying eyes to see, then make sure you’ve got your PC protected with a strong password and get in the habit of logging off your computer when you’re not sitting in front of it.

6. Protect individual files or folders. With Microsoft Office, you can limit access to files on your PC in a few simple clicks. For instance, with Microsoft Office 2007, you can encrypt files so people have to know the password to view them. You can also encrypt e-mail messages. Or, with a Word 2003 document open, click Tools and then Protect Document. You can choose what you want to allow others to do with the file, from restricting formatting changes to making the file read-only. You can also encrypt files and folders using the Encrypting File System in Windows.

Liz Enbysk, State Street Writing

Posted by Rick at 9/7/2009 2:48 PM | Add Comment

Small-Business Networking Basics



Today more than ever, good network security is vital to businesses of all sizes. Cybercriminals, equipped with sophisticated software that automates the task of seeking out vulnerabilities, aren't focusing on large enterprises alone; any easy target will do. Fortunately, however, good security isn't as expensive or as complicated to implement as it used to be.

Technology for protecting valuable data from prying eyes, warding off malware, managing spam or empowering employees to work remotely and securely is now bundled in routers at prices that most organizations should be able to afford. Though consumer routers offer some of these protections, you don't have to spend a lot more for business-class alternatives that provide more robust defenses and, typically, features that consumer products simply don't offer.

Small businesses must cope with the same Internet security threats as larger companies do, but usually without the same budget and manpower. And in recent years, the threats have diversified and become more subtle: Whereas several years ago, you worried that a hacker or virus would crash your computers, now you may never even realize that your network has been compromised until real economic damage has been done. For example, your data may be lost or held hostage; you, your colleagues and/or your customers may fall victim to identity theft; or your computers may be used to distribute spam or malware.

Of course, once your business grows to a certain size -- 100 to 200 staffers or more -- you're best off putting security in the hands of a pro, typically an independent contractor or a reseller. But if you're handling security for a work group or a smaller business and money is tight, you can develop and implement your own security policy. This doesn't cost a dime and it can be very effective if you put in the required effort -- but make no mistake, effort is involved. Nobody likes to change passwords every month, perform regular backups and check for software updates, but tending to these chores can help minimize your risk.

Posted by Rick at 8/24/2009 3:32 PM | Add Comment

Running out of .COM's?!

Would $200,000 be worth my investment to offer the use of ".demko" instead of the common ".com"?

Probably not but for companies like Disney, maybe..




Have you tried to secure an address on the Internet lately? Not only are all the good names taken, but likely more likely than not, your name is already spoken for, either by a doppelganger (look it up if you don't know German) or some poacher who grabbed it in hopes that you'll pay for it. Are you looking for a catchy title, or even a vaguely descriptive one, for yourself or your enterprising operation? Good luck! While you were still trying to figure out what "www" meant or what sounds catchy, a flock of techno-savvy early birds have probly already grabbed every obvious product name--and just about every English-language word in the common dictionary!  I know quite a number of people in my field that make it a practice to think of domain names they'd like to purchase and just hold on to until an appropriate cash offering is made.

I remember when I first thought about creating my own website.  I thought for the Demko family a hub for pictures, schedules, news and interaction would have been great!  I think I began to flirt with the idea in '99 only to find that Demko.com was already taken.  I know Demko isn't a real distinct name but I'm sorry but my name isn't exactly Smith.  Granted in my case, the apparent self proclaimed Dr. Death, simply beat me to the punch and I had to settle for rickdemko.com.

Think about the politicians, sports figures, or other celebrities that want to use the web to further promote themselves.. good luck finding a domain and if you do be ready to get out your wallet to purchase every spoofed site on the web.  On a side note: I will not pay for rick-demko.com or any other deviation of my name, so don't even try.  I'm just not that important

I happen to know an individual that makes a very good amount of money in royalties due to miss guided hits to their website, because the address is so similar to an intended website.  The paid advertising and links that are on the page of the closely named '.com' site are Very impressive!  Case in point, try miss typing google a few ways, I tried ggoole.com and goggle.com and found different sites.

How wonderful would it be to have a www.rick.demko site though!  Is it worth the $200,000 to register.. nope!  Could it be for www.walt.disney, I would think so.  Instead of web surfers stumbling into misguided sites or just blatant scam sites the investment maybe on the horizon.

                                                                                                                                                 

Posted by Rick at 12/15/2008 10:53 AM | Add Comment

Windows 7 not intended as a service pack


Microsoft exec: Windows 7 is no service pack


Posted by Ina Fried 


Microsoft is attempting a challenging task with its positioning of Windows 7. The company is trying to make the case that the product won't break things that work with Vista, but at the same time trying to convince users its a worthy upgrade.


Bill Veghte, the senior vice president of the Windows ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Rick at 12/3/2008 9:34 AM | Add Comment

Get your head in the Cloud

 



As businesses grow in terms of human resources and inventories, spatial constraint is becoming a critical issue. Most importantly, as companies expand their client base, the more critical issues of providing reliable online data storage and other services demand a fail-safe resolution.  Could cloud computing save the day?

How cloud computing works

Cloud computing has recently become one of the buzz words in the IT industry in the midst of all the issues relating to the advancement of document portability. So how does cloud computing actually work?

Companies offering online services such as shopping sites, mobile application developers and gaming companies require huge server spaces to accommodate the huge amounts of traffic to their servers. To solve this, cloud computing service providers create a viable solution to ease small businesses’ capacity issues. Service providers rent out a portion of their server space according to the clients’ requirements. Companies are now liberated from having to acquire new hardware for data storage.
As an added benefit, with cloud computing, data can be accessed by predefined users anytime, anywhere, eliminating the need to be physically in the same location as the data source.

Cloud computing service providers

Internet giant Google is known for its various innovative services, which include cloud computing. Google Apps includes quite an impressive line-up of Web-based applications such as Gmail for email, Docs for file sharing, Calendar and Sites. With these applications, the line that sets Web-based applications apart from pc-based applications is gradually blurring.
Other companies offer software-as-a-service, a subset of cloud computing, as part of their small business solutions products. One such example is a Web-based leave-management form that conveniently allows employees to request for leaves online wherever and whenever. Similar software also features access to leave balance and automation of work schedules.

Benefits of cloud computing

There are great benefits to be had in cloud computing. While some business owners are skeptical regarding the security aspect of cloud computing, at the back of their minds, the call to explore this technology is constantly nagging.

Let’s take a look at some of the major benefits of cloud computing:

• Cloud computing effectively addresses the capacity issues of small businesses.

• The need to acquire your own servers and pay for a qualified IT specialist to run them is eliminated.

• Fees paid to cloud computing providers are based on the capacity you need at a given time. This is advantageous as opposed to investing in your own servers, where you pay a fixed price regardless of whether those servers are busy or not. The cost of implementing cloud computing for small businesses depends on the number of users and the amount of storage required. It can be anywhere from free to $50 per user per year and beyond.

• Cloud computing takes off the burden of having to manage all your business processes and lets you concentrate on your core business.

However, cloud computing also has its own drawbacks. The service providers’ systems may go down all of a sudden. In other words, there is no guarantee that cloud computing provides 100% up-time. Delegating your data, some of which are most likely proprietary, to service providers may also mean exposing them to possible intrusion. However, cloud computing vendors often do a better job at backing up data than most small businesses.

So, when considering implementing cloud computing to your business, examine your strategy. Which among your applications should you delegate to cloud computing? Do you need that extra, low-cost space for your email needs? Do you need to file and share your data so that any of the pre-defined users in your organization can access them anytime, anywhere?

The bottom-line is cloud computing can save small businesses huge amounts of money, either instantly or in the long run. In the face of the recession’s uncertainties, small businesses can choose to run some of their operations in the clouds, or run on constrained budgets and limited productivity due to expensive applications.

Posted by Rick at 11/24/2008 10:56 AM | Add Comment
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