Small Business | Briscoe Network Solutions

Transitioning with Office 365 and SharePoint

November 25, 2011 By Phill Briscoe Leave a Comment

The last couple of years as I learned more about BPOS and SharePoint, I began encouraging small businesses to test and experiment with SharePoint as a document management/collaboration system. To this effort, I’ve posted several notes and “How to videos” illustrating simple uses of SharePoint.

As a collaboration tool, SharePoint has many facets which were illustrated by a real estate company I visited recently. They are an Office 365 business using SharePoint to automate many of the paper shuffling aspects of their business; including maintaining an up to date MLS listing of the current market, their current sales listings, pending sales; plus a reservoir of standard forms/documents needed in the sales process. Further, they are using mobile devices (phones and tablets) to be fully interactive their SharePoint site. I was quite impressed by their ambition and understanding of the potential of the SharePoint tool.

I’m well aware that new technology requires increased understanding and training (me included) but how long did it take you to learn to saw in a straight line, bake you first “perfect” cake or knit a pair of socks. This point is again stressed in a recent a blog posting from Robert Crane (SharePoint) evangelist, http://supportweb.ciaops.net.au/blog/archive/2011/11/02/it%e2%80%99s-more-than-that.aspx. The defense rests!

Let’s recap:

Office 365 for professionals and small businesses (P-1) is designed for organizations with one to 25 employees and there are a number of assumptions that come with this option. Like with all cloud applications the fundamental selling point is that a business reduces its overhead by eliminating or reducing dependence on an in house server. Originally, the primary reasons behind the marketing of Microsoft Small Business server was giving the staff a company branded email with shared calendars and easy access to shared document. This still is the first assumption of the O-365 (P-1) option. Not only do we reduce the need for an on premises server but the mail server maintenance and spam/malware issues are handled by Microsoft and SharePoint becomes the location for shared documents. The next significant Office 365 selling point is Web Applications; i.e. Word, Excel, Power Point, and One Note, giving users access anywhere to standard Microsoft productivity applications whether they have Office 2010 installed or not. Documents, spreadsheets, or presentations are saved to SharePoint 2010 allowing all collaborators anywhere access.

I like the simplicity of this approach but I’m aware that many small businesses are not that simple. Productivity tools are designed for tasks as needed not just “bells, whistles or hype”. More directly, beyond email and simple document storage, to truly gain the full potential of this technology a little planning is necessary.

Download Microsoft Office 365 for professionals and small businesses (Plan P1): Service Description and really read the document. It is easy to get snowed by the technical aspects of SharePoint but stay focused on the potentials for your business needs.
I suggest beginning with a full review of your business processes and outline those steps: What happens when you meet a new contact? Who approves what documents? Who needs to access your inventory? Etc.
Literally, graphically display site pages with stake holder descriptions, processes and workflows. If you’ve organized your current website this is primarily the same process but you are looking from an interactive perspective; i.e., feel, touch, open, view, and contribute.
What technology features will you need to automate you process or who will need to have access to your information and how will they access it? At this point things can get difficult and it may be time to call a SharePoint professional but take note:
- What security needs will you have?
- Who will be accessing your site?
- Why?
- Will you need to create a sub site for each set of users?

Always keep in mind that the vision is yours and the structure must meet your demands; also note that those “demands” will change over time and as you, your staff, and clients become more familiar with SharePoint as it relates to your business.

Learning curve:

Become aware of the limitations for Office 365 P1. Brett Hill of Office 365 has posted a listing of major limitations which you should be aware, http://www.office365answers.com/AllArticles/ID/2344/Office-365s-P-Plan-What-you-must-know.aspx. Note: Brett states that O-365 P1, user account passwords are set not to expire (default 90 days) but that has not been my experience.
This option has no Microsoft phone or ticket support thus you need to become familiar with the Office 365 Community.
The biggest boon for businesses is the capacity to share with external clients and vendors; this presents a couple of issues.
1. Who can access your site? You may invite external users to share your site or documents but they must have a Windows Live ID or Hotmail account to be able to authenticate for accessing any content. See, http://community.office365.com/en-us/f/154/p/12697/57469.aspx#57469. My understanding is that this will evolve in time but I want you to be aware of this issue.
2. How to share. See. http://community.office365.com/en-us/b/the_grid/archive/2011/08/11/how-to-share-sharepoint-online-sites-with-external-users-office-365-grid-user-post.aspx. Also see and view video, http://community.office365.com/en-us/f/152/p/8008/33039.aspx#33039.
3. Site security. Unlike on premises SharePoint that offers a secured socket layer (SSL) for external access, that is not currently available with O-365 P1 SharePoint. Please review the following community posting for how to secure specific site information, http://community.office365.com/en-us/b/the_grid/archive/2011/09/12/office-365-sharepoint-online-sharer-beware.aspx.

I encourage small businesses who are contemplating purchasing or upgrading their server to add Office 365 to their evaluation process; try it for 30 days it’s free!

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Filed Under: Blog, Office 365, Sharepoint Tagged With: Busines networking, Office 365, Sharepoint, small business

Getting started with SharePoint: Creating a vacation calendar

May 25, 2011 By Phill Briscoe Leave a Comment

Imagine my surprise when I visited one of my clients this past week to discover that they had created a staff vacation calendar. They have been using Small Business Server 2003 and now 2008 for about five years and had resisted any suggestion that they look at SharePoint. I had envisioned them using SP as a document repository, or “library” to house a number of business related books and document in PDF format that are currently accessed via CDs. Needless to say this fell on deaf ears; but the calendar is a hit. Well maybe you don’t need a document library or business knowledge base but how about trying calendar? The following two videos demonstrate how to set up a calendar in SharePoint. Keep in mind that SharePoint items can be set to integrate with your desktop Outlook.

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Filed Under: Blog, Business Tools, Office Tools, Sharepoint Tagged With: Busines networking, Microsoft, Sharepoint, small business

Are you ready for the cloud? Part 2

November 17, 2010 By Phill Briscoe Leave a Comment

Much of the hype about browser computing is as if it were a great mystery or new slice of bread but most of us are already involved with various forms of “cloud” computing as we check our bank balance; send email using our Gmail, Yahoo, MSN accounts; pay our telephone bill online; review our stock selections; create online photo albums and order books or movies. So the concept of Cloud (browser) computing is not new but rather a different way to leverage the flexibility of internet-based applications. The questions is: will components of cloud computing replace your current hardware/software infrastructure?

One of the innovators in cloud computing that I respect is Scott Barlow, of Reflexion Networks. Scott noted the following in an article in ChannelPro Magazine:

“Technology practitioners increasingly recognize that we are moving toward a purchase/delivery model in which, as former Gartner Group VP Craig Baty observed, customers are shifting from the “acquisition of assets to the acquisition of access.” Of course, what’s driving this shift are the compelling advantages of the model, such as avoiding the time and expense of deploying and maintaining on-premises software and hardware, swapping capital budget dollars for operating budget dollars, and potentially freeing up internal resources for other priorities, even “going green.’“

The assumption is that the hardware and software costs of computer/server, operating systems, and business productivity software can be supplanted by ongoing less expensive monthly subscription web based services. Although we believe this to be basically true it is not all inclusive. Realistically, as a business owner you are looking at two aspects of the situation:

Are there online applications you will integrate into your network to leverage online computing power for a more reasonable cost without the hassles of on-site network hardware or software management?
Can you move all of your network computer functions to the cloud?

The first example is most easily demonstrated by Google Apps with a branded (xxx@yourdomainname.com) email, shared calendars and documents. At $50 per year per user this becomes an inexpensive option for a small company that doesn’t have specialty line of business software. Most significant, users no longer need to be in the same physical location to access work tools. Google Apps and Microsoft BPOS (soon to be Office 365) try to fill that all in one niche and although I think they are quite functional, they aren’t as helpful when specialty applications are needed, sensitive documents need to be stored or there are large capacity needs.

There are a number of specialty apps which can complement both a cloud and/or hardware infrastructure, such as customer relationship management tools such as Salesforce, Sugar CRM and Microsoft Dynamics CRM; accounting tools such as QuickBooks Online; secure professional document exchange such as Acct1st.com and Experience Denistry; or collaboration tools from 37 Signals. These niche online tools may serve your needs by not requiring additional hardware or software expenses for your network infrastructure; recognizing that the process of “going to the cloud”, doesn’t have to be an all in one solution.

More specifically, my first question is what is your motivation? In tech parlance we often talk about what is your pain, i.e., what is the problem you are trying to solve? It becomes imperative that you become specific about what’s your motivation is and what problem you want to solve. From my point of view this can be two questions.

For example, it’s time to replace your server or upgrade your workstations or even purchase your first server. Traditional thinking would involve the cost of a new server, the cost of migrating data and services from the old to the new, the time commitment for this change and does it involve any down time effecting staff and clients. A more prudent way of looking at the situation would to consider what functions does the server perform?

Is or will you be hosting your email on the server? If so, will this include calendar sharing? Can this function be better served with hosted Exchange or another form of hosted email? Will the online solution integrate with your on-site server? Do you need it to? What is the monthly subscription cost?
Does/will your server host any direct business applications? Are there online offerings from your specialty vendor? Does the online version have the same functionality as the on-site version? Does the online version need to integrate into your on-site software or online email client? Client database? Inventory and price listing? What is the monthly subscription cost?
Many specialty solutions may not work for your business “out of the box” and may need to be customized; can you do the customizations? What are the costs associated with customizing the user interface or database?
Is your server used for document storage and collaboration? How sensitive is the information? Do you need to manage various versions of documents? If so, is there an adequate online solution for this? How much data do you need to store online? What is the security level of the stored online data? Where is it the online data stored?
Does the server manage data backup? Is there a cost effective online backup option? My bias here is that there should always be on site backup for rapid operational recovery and minimum business down time.

You and your technology support person should ask these questions to vendor tech support persons when considering online solutions. Note, I said vendor technology support persons, not the sales person. The motivation for the sales person is often too self-evident but a tech person should know how his/her solution will work with work with your needs and thus minimize the support calls you will have to make to them. We’ve all had some “sales” person offer a product just for pennies a day and that is one of the prime allures for online services, i.e., a subscription based approach is a most cost effective way to handle technology infrastructure. I suggest that you take a long look at the time cost of money. If your server costs you $2500 plus $2500 installation, that is $5000 plus normal maintenance over an expected life time of the server of 3-5 years. On the other hand, an hosted exchange option with SharePoint which costs $14/mailbox, the cost for a 10 user office over 5 years is $8400 plus setup and maintains; whereas, a 25 user office would cost $21000.

In conclusion, we aren’t trying to come up with an outline of specific rules for whether you should “go to the cloud”; because we realize that you are already using various browser solutions in your everyday life. More importantly, we have suggested that you begin taking a serious look at how you use technology in your business. Briscoe Network Solutions runs well with Google premier apps for email for two people ($50/year/person); Constant Contact ($135/year); and Word Press blogging site ($250 setup including hosting). On the other hand, Ebony Knight, Inc. our parent company is server based as we backup documents from workstations, host QuickBooks database, Exchange database, SharePoint, integrated antivirus for the network, and we use a smart host to filter our incoming email. What works for us may not work for you, but asking yourself some key questions can help you find the solution that is both cost effective and compatible with your business needs.

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Filed Under: Blog, Online Tools, Resource Center Tagged With: Busines networking, IT support, Network Assessment, small business

Is your wireless still naked? #2

October 29, 2010 By Phill Briscoe Leave a Comment

In my last wireless post I mentioned that Brian Posey was writing a series on wireless security and rather than duplicate effort I direct you to his latest blog postings on wireless security. Brian reiterates what we discussed in our article about simple security, i.e., most wireless appliances are configured through your web browser and the default user name and passwords are well known and used by everyone. Changing the default password is a simple security step which many techs either don’t configure or forget to configure. The excuses that access to the access point is infrequent and over time passwords may be forgotten only means that the network hasn’t been documented. As to default passwords, as Brian covers in his article, the following chart is a case in point.

Common Wireless Device Browser Access Defaults
Device	Access Address	User-name	Password
Linksys	http://192.168.1.1/	“blank” or admin	admin
Netgear	http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1	admin	password or 1234
Trendnet	http://192.168.1.1	admin	admin
DLink	http://192.168.0.1	admin	“blank” or admin

Now before you get upset that I’ve given up the farm, just think are you using the default passwords with your wireless access points; are you using the default IP address; did you know that this information is readily available from the manufacturers support site? Take a little time, read Brian’s article, and think about it. Are you going to make any changes?

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Filed Under: Backup and Security, Blog, Business Tools, Maintenance, Network Maintenance, Network Security Tagged With: Busines networking, computer maintenance, IT support, Maintenance Plans, Network Security, small business

Corey’s Corner | Social Media Experts?

October 21, 2010 By CoreyY 1 Comment

It never fails. Every time a new internet sensation pops up, a wave of people claiming to be specialists appear to take your money and somehow monetize the craze, no matter how inappropriate the new service/program/good is. When it comes to the internet, this is exacerbated by the ease with which people can disseminate incorrect information, and of course, by how fast a new site or fad can change from one month to the next.

Social networking is no exception from this. More and more, I see more people touting themselves as “social media specialists”, ready to tell potential customers that Facebook is the new Google, and can make them millions if only they let this person have access to their business and pay a hefty service fee. Now, this isn’t to say there aren’t individuals who have the marketing knowledge to leverage your Facebook to help your website and other online operations gain more business. It can be done, but there are a few things you need to watch out for before opening your pocketbook.

1. If they sound like they aren’t making sense, they probably aren’t. Just like any scammer, some people can and will say anything to try and get you to give them money for a “service” they can provide to you. If it sounds like they’re all buzzwords and no substance, they probably are.

2. Their price seems pretty high for the services they claim they are offering. Honestly, if they can’t break down what they’re charging you for and why, why would you give them money? Any specialist soliciting your business should be able to explain the benefits of their services, how they feel they can generate more customers for you and then give examples from the real world on how what they are claiming can be done.

3. They guarantee results. While it’s tempting to go with a “sure thing”, the internet rarely offers any kind of surety where marketing is involved. Unless you’re paying a service directly for results, you can’t be sure about what you’re getting. (ie: Paying Facebook or Twitter for the results, not a third party claiming they can advocate for you.) Just as an organic search optimization can’t guarantee your the #1 spot on Google, a social networking specialist can’t guarantee that 50,000 people will “Like” your page on Facebook and bring you money. They can give you their tailored strategy to show how they will work to get you more business, but the keyword here is more. Exact numbers are a dangerous game to play with internet results, and specialists all too often use shortcuts that can get your site flagged at a later date by the very sites they optimized for. By the time you’ve been penalized for their methods, that specialist is long gone with your money.

5. They use buzzwords and make outrageous claims while trying to earn your business. I can honestly say that if I hear “Search is Dead” one more time, I won’t be able to stop screaming. While Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites are excellent ways to disseminate information, they are tools to be used lightly and appropriately. They will never replace a customer’s need for a search engine, and can only marginally influence their spending trends. Can you use them in a way that gets you more business? Of course!

This would be a pretty poor article if I didn’t give you a few pointers on how to make your Facebook fan page or Twitter do some heavy lifting for your marketing plans. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while updating your respective social networking accounts:

1. Think about what you’re posting. While this may seem like a simplistic piece of advice, I see countless updates by clients that obviously have no idea how people use Facebook. Social media is best suited to spreading information about sales, new services and deals. It can also help with giving your customers reminders about special events or celebrations. For instance, I’ve seen some car dealerships offer a Facebook service special that could be applied to an oil change. I’ve also seen a massage company advertise specials for their Facebook friends only. All can gain you new business.

2. Be creative! Your product or services may not be an easy fit for social media marketing. Try to keep any sales text succinct, to the point and energetic. For example, if you’re a clothing shop with a sale on say, sweaters for the Fall season, a good Facebook update could be: “Brrr! It’s chilly out there! Don’t suffer at the bus stop, come in and save 20% on all sweaters, through Friday at Sammy’s Sweater Emporium.” The point is to grab attention as quickly as possible, deliver a short message, and then end it before you lose your audience. They have other Facebook updates to read, after all.

3. Try to make a connection. It’s easy to de-friend or remove a page on Facebook. It’s even easier to hide updates from a certain user. The trick is to try to make a connection with your audience without clogging their news feed with countless updates they aren’t interested in. Red Mango is an excellent example of a company that updates their Facebook fans while still keeping everyone interested. They encourage customers to prove their love for their frozen yogurt by sending in pictures, showcase new flavors or poll customers to see what they want to see next on their menu.

4. Keep things updated! Another common sense bit of advice that is much harder to follow than is apparent. Social networking is hard work, and can be time consuming to do properly. It isn’t something that can be done halfheartedly, or you run the risk of losing your audience through inactivity. Make sure there’s a little something for your Facebook fans on a regular basis, or even better, update the same time every week if appropriate.

5. Have a plan. Just like your website, your social networking accounts should have a clear goal along with a plan on how to reach that goal. If your goal is to gain 50 more fans by next week, how are you going to manage that? What kind of marketing are you willing to do? How will you encourage your current fans to bring in their friends? If you stop and ask the simple questions before you go on a Tweeting or updating frenzy, you’ll be in a much better place to handle your social networking efforts and turn that time into new business for your operation.

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Filed Under: Blog, Corey's Corner Tagged With: Corey's Corner, small business, Social Media

Is your wireless naked?

October 14, 2010 By Phill Briscoe Leave a Comment

Over the years I have always been reluctant to endorse or install wireless networks for clients, but who am I fooling as I set in my neighborhood coffee shop and begin this post? Wireless networking is fact of life for all of us, so let’s be clear that the primary issue with wireless networks is always security. Wireless network security has two major points of vulnerability: 1. Laptop vulnerability in open networks and 2. Securing wireless access points (wireless routers).

Whether your workstation is wired or wireless it can always be a target for hackers or malicious malware (viruses, Trojans, worms, etc.). All networks should have a physical/hardware firewall separating the network computers from the Internet. Depending on the level of sophistication, the firewall can not only provide separate private addresses for the local network, thus separating the local network from internet, but more sophisticated firewalls can also control or limit the type of inbound and outbound traffic. In many coffee shops and open networks there is no access control except network address translation (NAT) to provide private addresses for multiple machines which allows them to access the internet using one internet connection. This is done to accommodate all wireless users that may come in wanting to use the wireless internet. Some “hot spots” require a web interface logon which may require an additional paid access or some kind of acknowledgment (room number or agreement) which may mean that remote access is better controlled with increased security. In addition, some of these locations may limit remote access Virtual Private Networking (VPN) or remote desktop access (RDP) allowing only web based email or Remote Web Workplace connections. In that case, however, the security is increased.

On the other hand, you are at the local neighborhood coffee shop and what do you do?

Install a personal firewall! The following links provide a list of current personal firewalls including several that are free: http://www.firewallguide.com/software.htm#Top_Picks and http://personal-firewall-software-review.toptenreviews.com/. I don’t make any recommendations because other than intrusion defense the various models work differently. Some are configured automatically (my favorite) while others are more technical; if you don’t know what SMB or ICMP means, work with the more easily managed applications.

As stated earlier, I believe all sites whether office or home should always have a physical firewall in place and wireless routers can also serve that purpose. Note that the range can be varied both in function and cost; recently one of the professional magazines to which I subscribe gave a list of 5 quality WLAN (Wireless Local Access Network) adapters: http://www.channelpro-digital.com/channelpro/201009?folio=20#pg22. Take time to do a little research about the appliance you want to buy; besides being rated for bandwidth speed, I recommend that the appliance have a web interface that you can understand and if you are using virtual private networking to access a site make sure that its firewall can be configurable and that it allows VPN pass through. When I encounter a router that I’m not familiar with, I go to the manufacturer site and look at the user manual and view not only technical specs but also how to configure the router for my clients.

Finding the right wireless adapter/access point is only part of the issue when setting up a wireless network. Almost all of the consumer grade products come ready to go, just plug it in and you can reach the internet. Although this can make life simple, an open network is an invitation to trouble; therefore the next step, configure encrypted wireless access. Did you look at how to configure wireless security when you reviewed the user manual? Use WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encrypted security. We aren’t a how to site but take a look at Brian Posey’s evolving discussion regarding Wi-Fi vulnerabilities and how to secure your home or office network: http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Securing-Wireless-Network-Traffic-Part1.html. Wireless networks are a fact of all of our lives but there are risks; please play heads up ball.

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Filed Under: Backup and Security, Blog, BNS Services, Maintenance, Network Maintenance, Network Security Tagged With: BNS Services, Busines networking, computer maintenance, Network Maintenance, Network Security, small business

Simple Security

September 8, 2010 By Phill Briscoe 1 Comment

Last month, shortly after finishing a telephone call with my friend “Lucy” I got an email from her saying that she was stranded in London, her suit cases and passport had been stolen and although she had found refuge at the US consulate she needed some money to tide her over until problems could be resolved there. I know spam when I see it so I deleted the message.

Later that day I got a panicked call from Lucy relating how her Hotmail account had been hacked, her account password had been changed, and the problems she encountered with Hotmail trying to regain control of her account to change her password and eventually delete the account. Lucy uses this account as one of her business email accounts and she was much chagrined when a spam/solicitation email was sent to all of the addresses in her email address book. Besides of the embarrassment, Lucy had to contact all of the people on her list to explain and apologize for some criminal’s actions.

I tell this story not to point a finger at Lucy but to illustrate that crooks and thieves use any method possible to gain control of your personal information though hacking, viruses, spam, and other malware. My message is to be careful. I’m often angered when I talk with clients who don’t get that point. Although nothing is fool proof, may I make the following suggestions?

Change your user passwords several times a year (ideally change passwords every 90 days). More often than I’d like I’m confronted by a client who finds that passwords are too much of an inconvenience. Even if you only have one computer at least put a password on it to keep the kids out.
Not using your computer? Log out or shut it down. Before we became so environmentally conscious it was customary to always leave business computers on to allow for operating system updates and remote access but in today’s world if your aren’t going to remote into your workstation over the weekend shut it down. If you are going to use the machine at least log out to break the direct link to the server and your user profile.
When was the last time you updated and ran your antivirus or antimalware software? Yes I know that these applications are automated but other than just a maintenance check are they running properly?
Do you have a personal software firewall installed on your computer? Many of us laptop users are at home sitting at the neighborhood coffee shop. Although the major coffee vendors include some sort of authentication and have monitored systems most local coffee houses do not; which gives rise to a concern for added hacking security. Most major personal antivirus and personal firewall vendors now offer Internet security products which include anti-virus, anti-spam, and firewall protection. I like the additional firewall protection but it requires that you learn how to use it as to not block you favorite programs. I’ll discuss this more next month.

With the convenience of the Internet comes added responsibility; quite often the most secure thing you can do is turn off your computer or change your passwords every several months.

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Filed Under: Blog, CyberCrime, Maintenance, Network Security Tagged With: Basics, computer maintenance, cyber crime, IT support, Network Security, small business

Corey’s Corner | Avoiding Scammers

August 5, 2010 By CoreyY Leave a Comment

Usually I write about getting your website up and running. I’m going to take a little detour this time around and talk about a persistent and seemingly never ending problem them plagues businesses and private residences alike: scammers/spammers.

We’ve all gotten the gibberish emails, the “male enhancement”, Russian dating and Nigerian prince emails. We all know they’re spam and opening them or downloading a file from them can spell our computer or network’s doom. Did you know, however, about Tab Nabbing? I sure didn’t. Apparently, the new way scammers get your information is by opening a new tab with a dummy site loaded in it mimicking Amazon.com or your bank website. The goal is to trick you into putting your information into the fake site and giving the scammers your password. With that in hand, they can drain your account, buy expensive items, or, in the case of Facebook and your email, send distressed emails to the people in your address book asking for money to get you out of a jam.

With new scams being born every minute in cyberspace, it’s hard to keep up with all the possible dangers. Just this last weekend, I received an email telling me that one of my friends on Facebook recommended a page. I clicked on the link and thankfully nothing happened. I heard later that day from that same friend letting me know that his account had been hacked, and that any emails from him via Facebook should be ignored. (I of course immediately changed my password and kept vigilant for any unusual activity on my account for the next week or so.) With all these new dangers being born any moment, what can we do to keep our information safe?

Two excellent tips offered by scambusters.org is to always pay attention to the icons in your browser. For secures sites such as bank sites, Amazon.com, etc, the padlock, located on the lower right side for many browsers, should be lit up. Also, the URL should look like it normally does. (ie Amazon.com/a long string of characters that allow you to log in.) If the URL doesn’t look right, or you are suspicious, re-enter the URL. If you’re super paranoid, like me, you can also search for the company using Google or Bing. Search Engines are usually pretty good at not recognizing dummy URLs, and Google especially is harsh on scammers when it can. So when in doubt, simply close the tab and try to get to the site in another way. Another excellent resource is snopes.com. You can search urban legends, chain letters and many other possibly shady things using their database of information. They also usually have fairly up to date information on new scams.

While it’s hard to keep on top of keeping your information safe in cyberspace, vigilance is key. While the internet can seem like an endless playground of information, toys and entertainment, you can never let yourself forget that there are people out there that will take your information and use it for nefarious purposes if they can get a hold of it. Pay attention, close tabs when you aren’t using them, and you should be all right.

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Filed Under: Blog, Corey's Corner, CyberCrime, Network Security Tagged With: Busines networking, Corey's Corner, crime, Network Security, small business

Corey’s Corner | Finding the Web Designer for You

July 7, 2010 By CoreyY Leave a Comment

In my last post for Corey’s Corner, I covered some easy to make mistakes when dealing with building a cohesive and easy to use site to promote your business. This month, I’d like to cover the process on finding the right web designer for you, and how to utilize their talents to the fullest.

It’s easy to be intimidated by technology you imperfectly understand. We all have had a moment when facing someone from a younger generation, full of internet slang and enthusiasm, babbling in a language that is near incomprehensible. In fact, to some, I have been that person. In the end, it’s easy for both parties to feel frustrated by the lack of effective communication, and both walk away unsatisfied by the interaction. Sound like something you want to encounter every time you need to update, upgrade or change your website? Heaven forbid that you ever have anything actually break. This is why choosing a web designer that you are comfortable with is such an important task. It literally can make or break your foray into starting or even expanding your online presence.

Some key things you should look for in a web designer are their organizational, professional and communication skills. Do they respond to your emails promptly? (We’re talking within 48 hours, not 30 minutes people.) When you have questions, are they able to answer in a way that you can understand? If their initial answer is vague or incomprehensible, are they able to take the time to explain what they mean? While inability to accomplish these things doesn’t make the individual a bad web designer, it does make them a bad fit for you and your needs.

Another important thing to take note of is skill. While that may seem obvious, it can be easy to fall prey to fancy promises and guarantees of success. If the designer in question isn’t able to produce a portfolio of work, makes promises that sound too good to be true, or doesn’t seem to be listening to your concerns, they may not be the designer for you. Better to spend time talking to prospective designers than find out they’re scam artists after you’ve invested thousands of dollars for a site you and more importantly, your customers, hate.

A little time spent looking at ideas and talking about goals not only helps the designer understand what you want, but it can open a dialogue in which clear deadlines and goals are set for both sides of the designer client relationship. Don’t be afraid to be clear and up front with what you want! A competent designer should be able to tell you if what you want is possible within a given time frame. An ethical one will tell you if the goals you’ve set are reachable. Remember, however, that some of the onus is on you as the client too. Are you being unrealistic? Are you listening to what the designer is trying to tell you? As long as you keep your mind and ears open and use discretion, your employment of a web designer can be rewarding and worth the sometimes steep prices.

One last thing to consider when looking at developing a new or improved website is choosing between a company or freelance designer. While a company does offer the kind of personnel flexibility that can make finding the right designer for you easier, they also can tend towards template website designs as well as more rigid website packages. With a freelance designer, you can pick and choose what you do and don’t want, and can come out with a more unique look. On the other hand, you’re dealing with an individual that could get sick, have a family emergency, or even simply leave the industry. There’s no replacement for your needs in that situation, save hiring a new designer that may or may not know how to work with the previous designer’s website. This loses you money and time, not to mention the frustration of starting the search again.

In the end, how you conduct your search for a web designer is your decision. It’s your website, your money and your business. You are ultimately responsible for how well your website performs when all is said and done. With that in mind, take a moment to see this comic by my current favorite, The Oatmeal. Are you acting like this customer when dealing with web professionals?

How a Web Design Can Go Straight To Hell

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Filed Under: Blog, Business Tools, Corey's Corner Tagged With: Busines networking, Corey's Corner, Networking, small business

Robert Crane: Basics of SharePoint Video

June 5, 2010 By Phill Briscoe Leave a Comment

Collaboration is the key to effective business use of the Internet. There are numerous tools both general and specific for business; Microsoft SharePoint is one such business tool. We believe that SharePoint is a good tool for small business owners but recognize that before it is widely accepted more business owners need to understand how to use this tool. Thus we present Robert Crane, a noted SharePoint expert who focuses on the Small Business market; recently he released a full version on his presentation on the basics of using SharePoint. We are adding it to our library of SharePoint presentations. This video and other videos in our library will give you a good orientation on how to use SharePoint.