Technology & Productivity Weekly

Sponsored By: Information, Inc.

Information Inc.'s handcrafted business intelligence services provide up-to-the-minute information on critical issues. Decision-makers in more than 2,000 major corporations, associations and government agencies worldwide have relied on our comprehensive news services for the past 22 years. To learn how our timely, targeted, custom services can help you compete in the 21st century, go to: http://www.infoinc.com/s tatecpa/contact.html

The links at the end of each abstract are to the publisher, publication, or article. Some links may require registration or subscription. Information, Inc. is not affiliated with the referenced publications.

The popularity of the mobile phone as an office productivity tool is revolutionizing business. A new application from virtual file server provider Egnyte has been designed to allow remote workers access files online from anywhere that the Web is available. Egnyte Everywhere lets users access and share files through iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones, and BlackBerries. Egnyte had previously conducted a survey that found an overwhelming number of SMBs have the need to access files from a server, a factor that impairs their ability to work more productively from home. As remote working becomes more common, Egnyte says that it is increasingly important to offer business access from mobile devices. In addition to file storage, Egnyte Everywhere provides file backup, security, and designates shared and private folders. Egnyte Everywhere is also available to other mobile devices through a Web browser, with plans for the app starting from $15 to $100 monthly, depending on the kind of support desired.
(http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/news/article.php/38938 61/New-Smartphone-Apps-Let-SMBs-Access-Files-Online.htm)

Time well spent is essential to the success of every firm, but conducting effective meetings is sometimes a challenge for the small business. The most productive meetings generally do not occur on Mondays; employees that are swamped from catching up with a workload from the weekend will be likely to zone out during a Monday meeting. Meetings should never be conducted for simply sharing updates, since this can easily be accomplished via voicemail or email. Calling a "standing" meeting is more effective than convening in office chairs, where employees can be more sluggish and less attentive. Standing meetings also encourage management to quickly get through the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, the purpose should be stated while the end of the meeting should conclude with action steps each employee has captured. Consultants recommend giving employees 10 to 15 minutes of travel time, which eases the monotony of the meeting. Finally, a study from LifeHacker reports that more than 100,000 respondents cited Tuesday at 3 p.m. as the best time for attending meetings, a finding that SMBs might want to consider.
(http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/operations/article207 490.html)

Small businesses tend to overlook the importance of cybersecurity until a major security breach occurs. To remain aware and prepared for potential risks, SMBs should follow a few recommendations. First, every company should regularly test their security systems, even if there has never been an attempted cyberattack; this method is the best way to expose existing vulnerabilities and ensure future preparedness. No one employee should be responsible for a company's critical data, since this privilege often results in many more opportunities for external or internal data breaches. Companies should conduct an information security risk assessment to identify the mission-critical operations and recognize which assets potential intruders would seek. Third parties are helpful for conducting security assessments, whether it be auditors or consultants, because they will be more likely to spot major vulnerabilities. Employees should receive a user awareness training for preventing simple data breaches in the form of errors or observing important precautions. Finally, any security incidents that occur should be tracked for the benefit of IT personnel and essentially, the firm.
(http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?Article=artic les/p3215/20p15/20p15.asp&GUID=BD23DFEE52314FE194A8AA3E58689862)

Gartner reports that as much as 40 percent of productivity is compromised due to employees surfing the Web during work. Companies must also manage the security of intellectual property and sensitive data in an age of evolving technology that obfuscates the accountability of data thieves. Firms that are uneasy about their employees' access to the Internet and want a way to better control their offices can consider employee-monitoring software. Internet monitoring and filtering is a viable option for some companies who want to identify how much time workers spend on specific Web sites, like Facebook. File and document logging is also helpful for preventing data losses through external storage devices like flash drives. Application monitoring and filtering is another key measure for tracking employees that spend excessive time downloading leisure applications instead of ones that can be used for business; this measure also prevents specific applications from being downloaded altogether. Screenshot and keystroke logging provide businesses with small screenshots of an employee's computer and log every keystroke at an employee's computer. Depending on the size of a business, the complexity of the employee-monitoring software will vary. Spytech Software and Design is one of the many employee-monitoring products on the market that supports a number of the aforementioned measures, starting at about $70.
(http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/3 892376/SMB-Security-Do-You-Need-Employee-Monitoring-Software.htm)

Setting up a small business network is simpler than most companies imagine. To set up a basic connection, a wireless router and Ethernet cable are needed. The router is the network's DHCP server so that every connecting device receives an individual IP address. Additionally, wireless routers have added security protection through firewalls. Router bundles like the Cisco Valet Plus are user-friendly and start at $150. For $170, the D-Link DIR-825 Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit is a dual-band router that is especially useful for SMBs with heavy computing needs. Companies will need to select a networking standard, which will be in the form of n, b, or g. Most popular wireless devices have 802.11n capabilities, with a maximum transfer rate of 540 Mbps. If a business is running an earlier standard, like 802.11 b or g, the wireless-N routers can still be connected through the "mixed mode" setting.
(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2366262,00.asp)

Recent findings from Carnegie Mellon indicate that security vulnerabilities have been linked overwhelmingly to insider attacks. Insider attacks most often target businesses for money, in the form of intellectual property or competitive advantages. Other attacks manifest in the form of sabotage or theft. Database administrators are easily transformed into culprits of insider attacks due to the sensitive nature of the information they work with and the amount of access to a company's database. Insider attacks can also stem from recently fired employees who know ways to get into a firm's system and want to launch malicious attacks in the form of spyware or other viruses. To reduce potential threats, firms should have multiple accounts separated by duties so that no one individual is responsible for a company's overall security. Enlisting an auditor is also important for ensuring security protocols are in place. Lastly, firms should designate sensitive data they store to a few systems rather than having numerous computers with critical data.
(http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=artic les/P3214/15bp14/15bp14.asp&guid=0769070C110A4A8986F498440940FC81)

Twitter still lacks credibility among some social media users, but savvy marketers will recognize it as a current of free consumer information to be mined in almost-real time. To demonstrate to marketers how they can observe trends using Twitter, this publication mined nearly 548,000 tweets containing the word "iPad" that were sent during the product's launch weekend in April. Key words that appeared in the tweets were then categorized: 13 percent of iPad tweets were spam messages containing the words "free" or "win"; 18 percent were predominantly positive; and 8 percent were mostly negative. Here are six more ways marketers can use Twitter to enhance organizational value: Learn about competitors by seeing what Twitter users are saying; look for unexpected connections between products; dig deeper into Twitter streams to see what other words are being used in relation to a product; look for user experiences by singling out search words such as "typing" and "keyboard"; learn why negative words are coming up; and pay attention to words that suddenly dominate the tweet stream.
(http://hbr.org/2010/06/vision-statement-six-ways-to-find-val ue-in-twitters-noise/ar/1)

There are many useful tools to help a tax preparer to automate tax documents, writes John Higgins, CPA and former CEO of a technology consulting and training firm. The first is to use online organizers to eliminate as much handling of tax documents as possible. These tools automatically capture supporting documents, and those that the preparer must see can be scanned ahead of time by clients through web portals. There are also several “scan and organize” tools that can automate the document scanning process, which automatically recognize W-2s and other documents and stores them in the proper sequence. The documents can also be captured electronically with a PDF print driver, and “scan and fill” software can capture the data on scanned documents and input it into tax prep software. Adobe Acrobat allows for automatic annotation of electronic tax documents and can also secure and encrypt them, while workflow software can automate the movement of documents through an office. There are also electronic document management systems that speed document retrieval and organize items consistently, while client portals and online faxing make it easier for clients to supply documents in electronic format. And finally, one of the newer tools is web conferencing, which allows an accountant to review documents in real time with clients without having to meet face to face.
(http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/print/The-CPA-Technology -Advisor/10-Tools-for-Tax-Document-Automation/1$2840)