Is Reader’s Digest being killed by the smartphone?
Published by Dave Murray on July 21, 2010 at 2:16 pm. Filed under General, New Technology
Recently Reader’s Digest filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy as the company continues to fall from their peak of 18 million subscribers to an all-time low of 6 million. What happened to this institution of Americana that many of us have enjoyed in our quieter private moments?
Founded after World War I, Reader’s Digest was the first magazine to aggregate commonly available information into short excerpts and provide short editorials while feeding us with a supply of jokes. In effect, Reader’s Digest was traditional media’s answer to today’s blog, joke of the day, and Huffington post. Unlike other companies, Reader’s Digest was unable or unwilling to adapt their model to new media. The company started to lose market share early in the internet revolution, but things did not really accelerate until the shipment of the smartphone.
What changed? We didn’t—we still all like opinion pieces, jokes, and easy access to information. Unfortunately it looks like many of us have found it easier to get our fix from our smartphone. Reader’s Digest believes it can reinvent itself to align with new media. Is this too little too late? What are you doing to ensure your business stays ahead of the curve?
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Microsoft Tags QR codes
Published by Steve Eason on July 6, 2010 at 4:53 pm. Filed under New Technology
Earlier we touched on QR codes and how they are starting to be used by companies to reach out to tech savvy customers. In a recent release, Microsoft has taken the idea of QR codes and added additional functionality and creativity thus improving on the original dramatically. Microsoft has recently released their version of QR codes, called Microsoft Tag. Microsoft Tag uses a proprietary technology that they created called the High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB). The intent in this design is not to replace the traditional barcode, but to be more of a partner barcode.
Microsoft Tag uses a grid of colored triangles to encode data. The grid size, symbol density and symbol count can be varied depending on the content encoded. Amazingly these barcodes can hold up to 3,500 alphabetical characters of data per square inch. Four and eight color geometric patterns can hold up to two pages of data, which is double the amount of traditional black and white, striped barcodes.
Additionally, unlike QR codes, the Microsoft Tag system has built-in reporting to let you know how your tags are being scanned. Each phone that uses the Microsoft Tag software is assigned a unique device ID. This ID is used by Microsoft to provide you access to analytics that can help you form marketing strategies and help you make effective and efficient decisions about marketing. The device ID does not contain any personal information and does not infringe on the user’s privacy. It just helps you to be able to track how effective your tag is.
By the end of the year, the colored barcodes are going to start appearing on DVDs and Xbox 360 disks. Other ideas range from putting them on billboards, which could be scanned to give directions or coupons for the store, a walking tour of historical buildings in Chicago and magazine advertisements. TV Guide is going to start including tags in their magazine that takes the user to behind-the-scenes footage and other additional media.
Windermere Real Estate has started including Microsoft Tag on their signs in front of homes for sale, starting in the Seattle area. They cite many different reasons for utilizing Microsoft Tag:
- Pamphlets can get wet or blow away.
- It saves paper.
- The interested person now has the house information on their mobile phone.
- The customer instantly has access to more information about the home, including photos and other media.
When you scan the tag, you can get all of the home’s listing details such as price, bedrooms/bathrooms, pictures and contact information. They plan to use tags in their print media advertising, which will also include a link to the company’s website.
Are you interested in creating your own Microsoft Tag to promote your products or company? It’s easy to start making your own. Visit Microsoft’s Tag website to get started at http://tag.microsoft.com/consumer/index.aspx
I’ve included an example of a Microsoft Tag below. Give it a try and see where you end up.
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Effective security training helps your employees watch your back
Published by Dave Murray on June 23, 2010 at 12:27 am. Filed under General
Otherwise good employees can unknowingly pose security risks to the organization they work for in a number of ways:
• Poorly designed passwords may increase the risk of network attack.
• Improper control of laptops or other mobile devices can lead to loss of proprietary information.
• Failure to update virus software may lead to the infection of one or many computers.
• Surfing the web and downloading files from the internet can reduce network bandwidth and worker productivity.
• Falling prey to a social engineering attacks may lead an employee to divulge confidential information.
The good news is that with the right training employees can become your organization’s strongest security asset. A security awareness program enables organizations to improve their security posture by offering employees the knowledge they need to better protect critical information through security-conscious behavior. To get the best protection employees at every level need a basic understanding of security policies as well as their respective responsibilities in protecting these assets. To be effective, a security awareness program must be ongoing and include continuous training, communication and reinforcement.
By consistently following these practices your organization can greatly improve its security.
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What is a QR Code and why should I care?
Published by Steve Eason on June 1, 2010 at 7:41 am. Filed under New Technology
Recently, when Convergence Networks made a change to our mobile phone carrier, I had the opportunity to choose a new Motorola Droid as my phone. Moving from an older Windows Mobile phone to the Droid was a dramatic improvement. After making the move, as I explored all the new applications that you could use on the Android operating system, I came across something I had never heard about before. QR Codes.
What is a QR code you ask? The QR code was created by a Japanese corporation, Denso-Wave, back in 1994 to help them track parts used in automobile manufacturing. The QR stands for “Quick Response”. In Japan, QR codes are very popular, and most current Japanese phones can read this code with their camera. The Google Android operating system supports the use of QR codes natively by using the barcode scanner software.
Today the codes are used in a much broader context aimed at mobile phone users. The intent of the code was to provide information to the user very quickly in a compact form. Using one of several free QR code generators, a company or individual can create a QR code that will display the company’s website or phone number to the person who scans the code into their phone. For example, you can scan the code below to open up Convergence’s website using your phone’s camera and barcode scanner.
Since I found out about QR codes, I am noticing that companies are starting to use them all over the place. You might see them in a magazine, on a billboard or a web page. I’ve even heard about people putting them on their t-shirts. In the near future, you are likely to start seeing these in more and more places. One could be added to your business card containing your contact information, so that your clients can add you to their contact list on their cell phone. You can add them to print advertising with information inside, such as product details, a coupon, Facebook or Twitter information or details about upcoming events. The versatility in their use is pretty amazing considering their compact form.
Currently, few companies may be using them, however for those that do, their tech savvy customers will certainly appreciate their tech knowledge. At the very least, it might open some doors for conversation, which might lead to a potential sale.
If you are interested in creating your own QR codes, visit Kaywa’s QR code generator at http://qrcode.kaywa.com. You can also visit their site to get a QR code reader, if your phone doesn’t already have one installed, at http://reader.kaywa.com. Convergence is integrating QR codes into our materials over the summer. Do you think this tool could allow you to connect more closely with your customers?
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Are you setting yourself up for a patent liability by entering the cloud?
Published by Dave Murray on May 18, 2010 at 7:28 am. Filed under Cloud Computing
As organizations have started to implement cloud computing and started to realize some of the potential cash savings, patent holders have started to see cash of another sort. Over the past twelve months there has been a sharp increase in patent litigation related to cloud computing. As a result it is important to make sure that any organization you enter into the cloud with is financially stable enough to deal with the financial strains of potential patent infringement issues. In some ways this is nothing new in that this has been the crux of the cloud computing value proposition. The costs savings of cloud computing has to off set the potential risks of giving your critical data to an out side vendor.
Nolan Goldberg, a patent and trade secret litigation attorney for Proskauer Rose LLP in New York recently suggested a far more concerning risk. Due to changes in patent law organizations can seek infringement licenses and damages from an individual company or end user. According to Goldberg, “One model of enforcing patents says I can go after the manufacturer, but once I do I’m done because then all his sales are licensed, But if I keep going after all his customers, I can keep going forever and the customer is really not in the best position to fight back. So it creates increased risk.” So it is important to evaluate these potential costs in relation to any savings you may have by entering the cloud. Your organization may want to consider seeking some sort of indemnification from patent infringement liability. As always it is important to be sure that your organization doesn’t get singed by being on top of the cloud.
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Don’t help fund your state or federal regulatory “economic stimulus” package
Published by Dave Murray on April 20, 2010 at 5:47 pm. Filed under General
Over the last couple of years there has been an increasing trend towards enforcement of regulatory requirements. Initially the questions about privacy regulations were not about the regulations themselves, it was about enforcement. The when, who, and how these regulations would be enforced. Our questions are being answered as FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) become more active and State Attorney Generals immediately start enforcing the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act to enforce provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). Unfortunately we are seeing that these regulations are gaining “teeth” as state and federal agencies see these regulations as their own personal economic stimulus.
On April 12, 2010 FINRA announced that it had fined D.A. Davidson & Co. $375,000 for failing to protect its customers’ confidential information. This was because they found that D.A. Davidson did not employ adequate safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of customer records and information stored in a database housed on a computer Web server. D.A. Davidson became aware of the security breach when one of the persons responsible for the intrusion attempted to blackmail D.A. Davidson via email on January 16, 2008. When they became aware of the breach the firm quickly took all of the appropriate steps. They very quickly notified law enforcement and provided affected individuals with two years of credit monitoring. D.A. Davidson also immediately took proactive steps to close their security breach. In spite of these steps the damage had already occurred and the firm was forced to consent to the entry of FINRA’s findings.
Using a legal authority granted to state attorneys general under the HITECH Act Attorney Generals are beginning to actively enforce HITECH. An example of this trend is Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal who is already in the process of investigating his second case involving HIPAA violations this year. This is immediately after he filed the first HITECH case earlier this year!
Jeff Drummond, health law partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker LLP, says the power granted to state AGs to pursue lawsuits is a major change for HIPAA enforcement. “Combined with the ability of individuals to get a ‘piece of the pie’ when penalties are handed out, this will be the biggest game-changer in HITECH,” says Drummond.
This aspect of “sharing the spoils” built into the economic stimulus in 2009 is very disturbing in light of recent state and federal budgetary shortfalls. It is important that we all ensure compliance so that we don’t help our regulators enact their own stimulus package. Check this page if you have any questions about how Convergence can assist you on your compliance needs.
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Increase your flexibility and reliability with Cloud Computing
Published by Dave Murray on March 23, 2010 at 3:40 pm. Filed under Cloud Computing
In Cloud Computing like every other aspect of your business it is not necessarily good to be the ‘Pioneer’. Although the learning opportunities presented by this experience can be invaluable to your industry the pioneer experience may not be valuable for you or your company.
That being said not all aspects of Cloud Computing are new and risky. Even though Cloud Computing is the technological hotness of the moment many aspects of it have been around for quite awhile. Aspect like Google applications, and solutions like hosted Exchange and encryption are mature technologies that have been around long enough to safely consider.
In cases like these the pros and cons as well as any security risks are well understood.
For example Google applications might be a good solution if you have distributed workforce and don’t have need to collaborate with outside organizations utilizing Microsoft Office. Organizations regularly determine that it is the most cost effective, as well as secure and safe, to host their email or encrypt their email with an outside solution provider like Convergence Networks.
In these cases cloud computing can be implemented without having to endure like a pioneer. To ensure your organization is safe Convergence Networks extensively evaluates the companies, technology, security and internal policies of all the solutions we provide. Contact your Convergence Networks representative to see which of our secure cloud solutions are right for you.
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Can your organization enter the cloud securely?
Published by Dave Murray on February 17, 2010 at 3:25 am. Filed under Cloud Computing
With each new wave of innovation there are opportunities for increased productivity and cost reductions. Unfortunately new risks often accompany these opportunities. The buzz around cloud computing is that it is a key technology that will allow your organization to aggregate costs with other companies and obtain a more cost efficient solution. What many organizations are not discussing are the security risks these solutions can introduce if you choose the wrong provider or implement a solution incorrectly.
When considering a cloud computing provider it is important that you ask some tough questions. Make sure to check these key points before engaging with any provider:
1. Make sure the solution was designed and implemented with proper security and human controls. Know who has access. Get as much information as you can about the people who manage your data. Ask for specific information on the hiring and oversight of administrators, as well as the controls over their access.
It is really important to avoid vendors that refuse to provide detailed information on their security programs and procedures. Your organization needs to make sure the provider has clearly thought through and validated the policies, risk-control processes and technical mechanisms that are in place. Verify that an adequate level of testing has been done to confirm that service and control processes are functioning as intended; and more importantly that vendors can identify unanticipated vulnerabilities.
2. Find out how your data is segregated from other customers. Data in the cloud is normally in a shared location. It is important to find out what is done to separate data. Encryption is usually a key component of this separation. Make sure that the data separation methods used has have been thoroughly tested. Your organization should evaluate the trade-offs made in this separation and make sure these trade-offs are ones your company is comfortable with.
3. Understand that any solution is only as good as its recovery. Make sure that an effective disaster recovery plan is in place. Preferably with data backed up across multiple data centers.
4. Understand who your organization is dealing with. Do not assume your provider is financially viable. The natural human inclination is to believe that any company providing an online service or application is both financially qualified and technically able to provide this solution. One of the hard lessons learned with ASPs (Application Service Providers) when they were introduced was that the financial viability of an ASP is a key security consideration. When many of these early ASPs abruptly closed their doors during the “Dot Bomb” they often did it with data that was critical to their customers. These types of scenarios are why it is important to verify that your provider is financially viable. It is also important to find out what contingencies are in place if the provider does somehow go broke, get acquired, or experience some other disruption. Ensure your data will remain available if any of these unexpected events occur. It is also good to verify that the data will be in a standard (compatible) format that is easily moved into another environment.
By following these steps you can ensure that your company has a safe entrance and experience in the cloud computing environment, and enjoy the benefits without the risks.
The good news is that if cloud computing is implemented properly with a reliable provider, cloud computing can also be a security enabler. The Executive Director of ENISA, Dr. Udo Helmbrecht, underlines: “The scale and flexibility of cloud computing gives the providers a security edge. For example, providers can instantly call on extra defensive resources like filtering and re-routing. They can also roll out new security patches more efficiently and keep more comprehensive evidence for diagnostics.”
To ensure your organization is safe Convergence extensively evaluates the companies, technology, security and internal policies of all the solutions we provide. Contact your Convergence representative to see if our secure cloud solutions are right for you.
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What is cloud computing?
Published by Dave Murray on January 6, 2010 at 2:26 pm. Filed under Cloud Computing
Convergence HDIT helps you utilize new technologies to help you decrease support costs, increase productivity and improve your bottom line. Cloud Computing is an exciting resource that you should consider for your company.
Cloud Computing allows us to centralize and consolidate resources to reduce costs, increase scalability, improve flexibility and manage risks. Cloud Computing has become so ubiquitous that you are probably using it and don’t even know it. Free on line applications like Google Gmail, and Yahoo Calendar, as well as paid applications like Salesforce, GotoMeeting, and QuickBooks Online are all examples of commonly used cloud applications.
There are several key reasons Cloud Computing is growing so rapidly:
- Cost: Can be greatly reduced. Capital Expenditures (CapEx) is converted to Operational Expenditures (OpEx). Pricing on utility computing applications like hosted Exchange is fine-grained with usage-based options and fewer IT skills are required in house.
- Agility: Users are able to rapidly deploy new services.
- Computer and location independence: Users are able to connect anywhere regardless of their location or device (smart phones as well as computers).
- Pooling of resources: The ability to share costs across a large pool of users providing a better ability to handle unexpected loads in usage and provide greater efficiency.
- Increased Reliability: By utilizing redundant sites continued operations are assured. This reliability is driving the fastest growing categories in Cloud Computing backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery.
- Scalability: Near real-time access to resources without having to engineer for unexpected loads.
- Security: If properly implemented the security of your organization can be increased.
- Easy Green IT: Sustainability is improved through resource utilization, more efficient systems.
- Support and Maintenance: Applications are easier to maintain, since they don’t have to be installed on each user’s computer. They are easier to support and improve because changes as well as updates reach each server and clients instantly.
As you can see there are a wealth of benefits when we considering the “Cloud”. Contact your Convergence representative to see if this is a good option for your organization. In the following posts we will explore each aspect of the Cloud and how you can use it to improve your company.
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Getting IT in HD
Published by Dave Murray on December 28, 2009 at 3:06 pm. Filed under HDIT
High-Definition television (HDTV) has brought a level of clarity, quality and reliability previously unavailable. Wow! What a huge improvement over standard TV. This whole notion of HDTV made me think about our “High-Definition IT” (HDIT). Like the HDTV revolution, Information Technology (IT) is experiencing some dynamic transitions as well. Convergence Networks utilizes the best available technology and embraces emerging technologies to provide High-Definition Information Technology (HDIT).
HDIT provides our customers with:
Clarity:
Our state of the art monitoring allows us to assist you in making proactive decisions rather than reacting to the “fire” of the day. Our team continuously monitors your network, servers, and workstations for alerts and potential disruptions. For example we routinely detect hard drives when they show the initial signs of failure before our users are even aware of a problem. By proactively replacing these hard drives we save our users from the frustration and expense of down time and data loss. By actively monitoring usage and service trends we are able to assist our customers in making clear decisions to drive growth and reliability.
Quality:
Our quality solutions for Desktops/Notebooks, Servers, VPN/Remote Access, Hosted Exchange, Email, Backup, AntiVirus, Firewalls, Wireless, and cloud computing make sure that your organization is operating on a reliable foundation. By implementing things correctly in the first place we ensure that your organization gets the maximum value and reliability out of your computers and network. As an organization we work with you to anticipate upcoming needs and implement innovative solutions to reduce costs and maximize your value.
Reliability:
Part of HDIT is making sure our customers are up-to-date and online. It is a proven fact that good maintenance will prolong the life of your car, reduce operating costs, and reduce the risk of being stranded. Computers and networks are exactly the same way. Regular maintenance and support does reduce operating costs and downtime. At anytime during the day we just want our computers to work! We make sure your computer is periodically scanned, defragged, and rebooted – either at night or over the weekend. These seemingly mundane tasks along with our proactive monitoring and quality solutions keep your technology infrastructure up and running reliably and consistently.
HDIT evolves your computing environment so you can rely on your computer and network day after day, anticipate and prevent potential outages and plan for growth, HDIT gives you the tools to maximize productivity and value as well as plan for growth.