Although the title of this installment of my series on the Top Ten Cyber Menaces for 2008 may seem humorous, this is a very serious cyber security issue.  As I stated in Part 1 of this series, my goal is to raise awareness and to focus on the business impact of the CMW (Cyberspace Most Wanted) threats.

The CPU snatchers I refer to are the Botnets that are running out of control throughout the Internet.  Bots are not a “new” cyber security phenomenon; they have been in cyberspace for several years.  They have become more sophisticated and seem to be the preferred choice for crime ware activities today.  Thus, security managers can no longer point to a well configured anti-virus system and say they are protected from malware.  Even though a well

Many small business owners make the mistake of launching their website and never looking at it again!  If you're not updating your website regularly, visitors aren't likely to visit your site on a regular basis, and you may even be reducing your chances of higher search engine rankings.  Improving your search engine rankings is much easier when your site is updated with fresh content, contains significant keywords, and features relevant backlinks.  Developing a valuable small business internet marketing strategy is essential for driving traffic and increasing website optimization—a well-developed strategy can also make your website more credible.

Is your site outdated or in need of a refresher?  Here are just a few top signs that your website could be br

In good times, running a company is exhilarating. Money is flowing, customers are happy, employees have a spring in their step. In not-so-good times—like now—the very same job can feel like scaling Mt. Everest in a snowstorm while wearing a knapsack filled with bricks and suffering from a bad case of the flu. All reports indicate that a recession is coming and you suspect the next few years will be rough. You know there's no "magic pill" for business success, but you do wish someone would at least give you, say, a guidebook to healthy habits.

Actually, says Quint Studer, there is something you can do to fortify your company for the future: create an organizational culture that develops great leaders today and instills the mechanisms and the mindset that will

Small businesses typically focus on researching, understanding and managing elements related to their businesses. That’s good business sense, after all.
Accountants, in other words, invest time maintaining pace with changes (legislative, economic, etc.) that impact their customers, servicing clients and building their businesses. Physicians, dentists, plumbers, financial services companies, non-profit organizations, automotive dealerships and numerous other small business do just the same.
Few, if any, have time to monitor the daily changes that impact information technology. Even fewer possess the resources necessary to keep current with changes to Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, proprietary business software, critical business applications, printing technologies

It’s hard to imagine our personal or professional lives without email.  It’s fast, it’s easy and for the most part it’s free.   There’s no doubt that email has changed the way we communicate and revolutionized the way we do business, but alas, it does have its shortcomings.

There are two major problems that businesses often face when using email.  The first is something you’ve probably run into at one point or another, and that’s the inability of most email systems to send or receive large files.  However, there’s another problem with email that has lately become such a major issue that the federal government and many state governments have passed new laws to address it.  

The problem is th

Running a small business is hard, a statement that every business owner can identify with. One item we learn early on is that we can't do it all. We can try to do it all for many reasons, often times because we can't always afford to hire an expert. I understand this issue, and in the past, have dealt with the same thing. How many of you have tried to create your own company logo in Word or Publisher because a graphic design firm was out of your price range? I know my first logo was done that way. However, there comes a time where we all need to realize as business owners, that experts are needed and should be seen as an investment instead of a cost.

The question you need to stop and ask yourself before moving forward is, "Do you want an expert or technician?"

Do

Today’s mobile phones combine nearly all functionality offered by separate portable devices, making it a great advantage to the users who want to have everything at hand when on the go, and do not want to carry too many gadgets or be afraid of leaving something behind.  Mobile users do not have to carry photo and video cameras, laptops, address books or other necessities -- nearly every option is available in one tiny device.  Offering many more options than those of previous generations, devices like smartphones combine some great capabilities offered by computers, photo and video cameras, and phones, making a busy life more manageable than ever.

But what threats do users encounter when they own and carry mobile phones? One of the biggest worries is loss or theft

If you're a business owner, it's likely that some of your recent workdays have gone something like this: You bolt awake (probably after a sleepless night!), grab the financial section of the paper, and turn on your TV to get the latest worrisome financial news. Then, once you make it to work, you lock yourself in your office to carefully examine your company's financial projections for the next few months, wringing your hands as you fret over every possible worst case scenario. Sound familiar? If so, David Giannetto says it's time for the handwringing to stop—and the smart thinking to begin.

"The word 'recession' by itself has been known to send business owners into a panic," says Giannetto, coauthor along with Anthony Zecca of The Performance Power Grid: The Prov

There is good news right around the corner. Somewhere in the middle of summer, Microsoft will release a long-awaited update to its popular Windows Small Business Server product, known affectionately as SBS 2008. The timing couldn’t be better for several reasons impacting both small and medium business (SMB) channel partner consultants and small business customers.

Small Business Customers – Taking Technology To The Next Level!

The release of SBS 2008 requires a hardware-level upgrade for most small businesses to 64-bit processor technology. That suggests good times ahead for server manufacturers and for SMB consultants. But even better times are ahead for small businesses. Going to 64-bit technology is not as absurd in developed countries as you might think. Re

I received an interesting e-mail early today from a professional associate. He writes that “We are going to transition to WEBS as soon as it is available, as our agency has grown by leaps and bounds since we implemented SBS.  I haven't been this excited about a software release since... well, ever.” This friend, Michael, is the IT manager for a small not-for-profit agency in Bend, Oregon, a town known for great skiing. HE has worked with Windows Small Business Server (SBS) for many years and is now excited about the soon-to-be release Windows Essential Business Server (called EBS by Microsoft).

Some readers will recall a time before Y2K when Microsoft had a popular network infrastructure software bundle on the market called BackOffice. This product consisted of