December 2009

Most Data Theft Occurs INSIDE Your Business

We know you trust your people, but unfortunately that trust is abused. It is a cold hard fact. The best way to prevent fraud and theft of company assets, including virtual assets such as computer information, is to educate your people and implement strong Internal Control procedures, monitor them, and enforce them with disciplinary action. Based on a survey of 600 financial industry workers completed by Cyber-Ark in November 2009;

Microsoft Confirms Office 2010 Suite Release in June 2010.

As I reported a couple of weeks ago, several respected blog sites had announced that Microsoft had confirmed a June 2010 release date for Office 2010 and that the product will be released in both 32 and 64-versions. After the rumors ran rampant, Microsoft confirmed and it was published in more reliable sources such as InfoWorld.  At this point it does not looks as if the June date will slide, but you never know. There is more information related to new features starting to appear and I have been using the Technical Review version for several months successfully and so far at least, I am very pleased with it.

Deadline for Small Company SOX 404 Audit Reports: June 15, 2010

While large U.S. publically traded companies have dealt with Section 404  of SOX compliance for some five years now, the time is quickly approaching for Small Businesses to comply as well.  If you have not gotten your Internal Controls documented and tested - it is time to pay attention!

Different Users Prefer Different Cell Phone Benefits.

I have been doing a number of Technology Update Conference Sessions for K2 Enterprises, www.k2e.com, the past few months and in the presentation I discuss the most popular Cell Phone/PDA devices.  Blackberry has long been the PDA of choice for corporate America, but I ran across this article last month that offers yet another reason for some to choose a Blackberry, enjoy.

Speaking of cell phone benefits, how about these top 10 iPhone business apps? I don't know how I flew all those years without Flight Pro. After fielding many questions as to my favorite apps, like Sit or Squat - sponsored by Charmin, I am preparing a new page for next year on just Cell Phone Applications. That should be fun.

What You Need to Know About Windows 7

While Windows 7 is a vast improvement over Vista, it is far from perfect, and there are a number of new features you should be aware of. So what do you need to know about Windows 7?

Microsoft Readies Microsoft Azure Cloud Services.

Microsoft is entering the Cloud Computing Services arena with a passion. Initially undercutting what Amazon charges for its Elastic Cloud Services. Amazon has since come back with competitive rates, leaving the field open for more price adjustments to come. Amazon also announced last month that it would support MySQL up to 1TB as it's Amazon Relational Database Service with very aggressive pricing and features.

November 2009

October 2009

Office 2010 is more than a light weight update to 2007!

As we await the big release of Windows 7 in a couple of weeks, I am busy looking at Office 2010, due out the beginning of next year. So far I have gotten through the visual differences such as the new "Chiclet" Office Button that replaces the round Office 2007 button and similar cosmetic changes and started looking at deeper changes such as the new Outlook file (a .com file?) format and the impact of the new Outlook 2010 Ribbon. There is an excellent article from PCWord, called an Overview of Office 2010 that makes for a good read. I will have more over the next few weeks to give you a good introduction as to what's coming. In the mean time, I see no short term issues with going with 2007 if you need to, otherwise 2010 will be a big deal for Outlook and PowerPoint users. Excel and Word users saw the worst of it (in terms of converting) with version 2007. Over all, after a couple of years with 2007, I am very pleased with the update - particularly Tables and Conditioning Formatting features in Excel. If you have 2003 and using it to its fullest, it is hard to justify the cost of upgrading. If you are using a version older than 2003, then it may be time to move to 2010 next year.

Review the 10 Most Useful Usability Findings and Guidelines.

As the creators and visitors to web-sites become more savvy and develop higher expectations, the qualities expected in the web experience has changed. Smashing Magazine, published an invaluable article recently on 10 Useful Usability Findings and Guidelines. It is rate that I fully agree with anyone, but the author, Dmitry Fadeyev, of this article hit it on the nose. I you are spending money on a web-site, e-commerce site, or even a blog, you really need to read it. And, if you are into web site development, visit www.SmashingMagazine.com  often. Thanks to Justin Spencer, www.spencersem.com, for the article link.

September 2009

Deduplication does more than simply eliminate duplicate (read identical) files.

I have been lecturing the past few months on managing electronic content, and the associated risk in keeping information too long. In the world of Electronically Stored Information (ESI, see Federal Guidelines for Electronic Data Discovery) the term Deduplication is becoming very popular as a means to find and remove unwanted duplicate files. The techniques used can be very advanced, or very simple - sometimes it is a matter of system versus network wide solutions.

Deduplication essentially refers to the elimination of redundant data. In the Deduplication process, duplicate data is deleted, leaving only one copy of the data to be stored. However, indexing of all data is still retained should that data ever be required. Deduplication also allows you to reduce the required storage capacity since only the unique data is stored. Therefore less data to maintain, the less cost to maintain it. Deduplication programs are very popular to scour systems and remove .mp3 and other multimedia files that could be illegal.

If you are going paperless, moving to a new application, or just need to clean up files to bring your business into compliance with its Records Retention Policy, then you might look for some software to run on all your systems to help you find duplicate files. Here are a few of the highest rated shareware solutions from www.tucows.com. If you have others, let me know.

http://zizasoft-llc.software.informer.com/ 

http://www.winpure.com/dedupe2.html?gclid=CKelyL6kjZ0CFShGagodSAtOAA  (more comprehensive solution)

http://www.remove-duplicate-files.com/remove_duplicate_files.html

http://www.removeduplicatefiles.eu/remove_duplicate_files_now.html

It is a Flat World after all!

Flat World Knowledge that is. Flat World Knowledge has been announcing record numbers of text books available in their Open Text book program. Next month more than 40,000 college students at more than 400 colleges will access the publisher's e-learning services and textbooks. Given that the program started in Spring 2009 with only 1000 textbooks sold to 30 colleges, the growth for Fall 2009 is nothing short of amazing.  Flat World Knowledge could save college students (and their families of course) nearly $3 million in textbook expenses over the next 12-15 months. Flat World is expanding subject matter to incorporate genetics, psychology, sociology and math to meet a growing demand digital textbooks. Flat World offers students free online web browsing as well as $20 PDF versions, $30 black and white printed versions, $40 audio versions and $60 color print versions. The company also gains revenue through the sale of audio study guides, quizzes and flash cards. Flat World bridges the gap between open textbooks and open courseware offering something inexpensive for students and modifiable for faculty. Note, Flat World offers texts in multiple formats, including "real" printed books. Its soft book offerings are increasing and I noted a number of books coming in 2010 showing a strong growth in this direction.  So when will Amazon enter the text book market for the Kindle?  Keep your eye out. It's coming.

This is Google, can I help you?

Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411 ( that's 1-800-466-4411)   This is an awesome service from Google (first released September 2007, and updated over time), and it's free. If you are driving along in your car and need to call the golf course and you don't know the number. Just hit the speed dial (don't text when driving please!) for information that you have programmed.   The voice at the other end says, "City & State." You reply. He says, "Business, Name or Type of Service." You reply." He says, "Connecting" and there you go. How great is that? This is nationwide and it is absolutely free!   YOU DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF THE BUSINESS, NO PROBLEM call and say the city and state and Pizza Delivery and it gives you options for Pizza delivery in that city. You simply make the selection for the choice you want and say connect. THEY ANSWER.   You can also get the information sent to your phone via text or have a map sent to your internet ready phone.   Visit Google and watch the short clip for a quick demonstration.   http://www.google.com/goog411   Enjoy. Now, what if you want to use that service to find your business.

In reality, Google’s 411 service is about training a powerful speech-to-text engine that will one day find itself in things like video search. The more sample audio they have (people looking for businesses), the more accurate their system will become. Marissa Mayer did an interview with InfoWorld in October 2007 where she explains what GOOG-411 is really all about. So two years since it's birth I am seeing a resurgence of interest and people "finding" it again.  Who knows, maybe you will like it.

SyncMaster D190S with DisplayLink USB Graphics for NetBook and Notebook connectivity

I have had several inquiries lately asking for advice on hooking up multiple monitors to laptops. Most everyone knows you can use an external VGA or DVI port to hook up a second monitor and then extend the desktop into that display space. (Some Dell laptops will not allow you to use the external connector as a secondary display controller, so you cannot extend into the external display.)  However, one external display on your laptop may not be enough.  Samsung has partnered with DisplayLink to create these monitors that are designed to quickly extend the displays connected to a  Demonstrated for the first time at 2009 International CES, the Samsung SyncMaster D190SU and D220SU monitors are designed to easily multiply visual workspace for notebook and NetBook users. DisplayLink's USB graphics hardware and software make it possible for people to connect their portable computer to the Samsung display with the simple snap of a USB connection, providing expanded visual workspace in an instant.

DisplayLink (www.displaylink.com) is a chip and software company that modernizes the antiquated way people connect computers and displays - via USB, Ethernet, or over other standard digital networks. Its innovations make it easy to incrementally expand the desktop visual workspace at significantly lower cost and power than traditional solutions. Using universally accepted wired or wireless networking protocols and proprietary software compression techniques, DisplayLink technology can transmit graphically rich content between a single device and multiple displays over a network. Leading global manufacturers have integrated DisplayLink USB graphics - a 2008 PC Magazine Technical Excellence Award winner - into an array of PC accessories including monitors, docking stations, display adapters and projectors. Shop DisplayLink enabled USB graphics products at www.displaylink.com/shop

Time to learn a little Network Etiquette.

Learning what to post and went to post it is not easy chore. With communications at the speed of light we assume that everyone is as tuned in and turned on as we are. Well guess what, there not. Networking etiquette is emerging as a real issue. Don't assume anything, as many of us today do not seem to exercise simple face-to-face etiquette, but none the less is time for think before you post. This is a very nice article from MSNBC.

Do Red Flag Rules Apply to Accountants?

The AICPA is once again calling for the exemption of Certified Public Accountants to the Red Flag Rules that apply to Financial Institutions as well as those who are a creditor. Which could apply to Accountants who bill their Clients. In any case I think you will see the broad application of this applied across industries and the likes of TJ Max loosing credit card information affecting thousands. At the very least accountants should familiarize themselves with the ruling and advise clients whom you believe the Red Flag Rules apply.

August 2009

Augmented Reality, The next big thing - again.

It is amazing how long the next big thing can be around before it is declared the next big thing. This year there was a great presentation a the national AICPA Technology Conference on Virtual Reality featuring Second Life. No one remembered that I had spoken of virtual reality spaces including Second Life and Active Worlds, and commerce in these virtual worlds several years. Why? Because they are just now reaching a critical mass where the technology can be applied.  Gartner Group has just declared Augmented Reality as the next big thing (see article for more detail on Augmented Worlds and the emerging applications in mobile technology.) While a lot of the Augmented Reality may still be hype, the technology, both hardware and software, has caught up to the concept and some great stuff is rolling out. Some states, Maryland the most notable, are rolling out virtual CPE for accountants. H&R block set up office in virtual space a few years ago, and many of the major retailers, universities, and corporate America are there too. If you have not visited, perhaps you should. There is much to see and do, much more to come.

Bye Bye Twitter and Facebook - Let the Merging Begin.

Many of you have been reading about the Twitter and Facebook outages as hackers waged DOS attacks on many popular social media sites, well some think that this denotes the beginning of the end for the big bang in social networking. No, I don't mean that they will simply disappear, but the major growth is past us, as is the excitement. We will see the technology become more integrated into the mainstream just as we saw with electronic mail. Microsoft will integrate social media tools for social networking into Outlook, as it did with RSS feeds.

As fast as technology moves, it is no wonder that many users are frustrated. Especially those who learned something and thought that it would be useful the rest of their career, forget that. From the time a freshman enters collage and reaches graduation, fully two thirds of what they learn will be outdated or obsolete (history and language majors aside, perhaps.)

Let the merging begin. It was just announced that social media site FriendFeed was being acquired by Facebook. The acquisition is likely to change Facebook in interesting ways (FriendFeed's creators were the inventors of GMail and Google Maps.)  If you are not familiar with www.friendfeed.com, it is a social media aggregator, a place you can bring your FaceBook, Twitter and other media sites together.  I see the acquisition of FriendFeed as only the beginning of the expected consolidating in competing and complimentary social networking technologies. A newer structure for this which is taking form is the RSS Cloud, see rsscloud.org, this structure  will build upon the next evolution of the web (Web 2.0, where we are today is ancient in Internet time and is ready for another evolution.) This next evolution may be the Pushbutton Web (you really should read this article as I elected not to try and restate it here,) or something with a better name. But the basic concepts will be the same. Either way you look at, exciting changes are underway but that does NOT mean social networking is dead already, just the opposite, it is growing up and making a place for itself where we work and play. 

Can 256 bit Encryption protect your PDF files?

There has been considerable discussion as to file protection and the solution offered is often "encrypt it!" Many state breach laws say that if files containing encrypted data are lost you don't have to report it. The question is, is this good enough? Are Acrobat 9 passwords are susceptible to more efficient brute forcing than previous versions? Great question and addressed very well in the ZDNET blog.

Will GPS continue to be free? Will it even continue to BE?

I will be driving around four different cities this week, which is a pretty typical week for me. I could not survive nearly as well without my GPS. Now that I use many Location based applications on my iPhone, GPS positioning is even more critical to having a good experience. However, US government officials are concerned that the quality of the Global Positioning System (GPS) could begin to deteriorate as early as next year, resulting in regular blackouts and failures – or even dishing out inaccurate directions to millions of people worldwide. Oh, I hope not... finding a Starbucks is getting harder everyday!

July 2009

Microsoft offers new features (lots of Social Networking) for Office 2010

As anticipation of Office 2010 increases, Microsoft has given us a glimpse of what is coming, and has released Office 2010 to technical review. This version seems geared toward users steeped in Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other popular Web 2.0 tools. Microsoft stated that the Office 2010 release, slated for the first half of next year, will include free Web versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Office, and Notepad. The move is expected to compete against similar offerings from Google and others. Read about the bells and whistles to be expected.

Threats to older Operating Systems should be taken seriously.

Microsoft has issued a security advisory about a zero-day vulnerability in the Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. The flaw could allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute malicious code on computers running Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server. "A browse-and-get-owned attack vector exists," acknowledged Microsoft security engineer Chengyun Chu on the company's Security Research & Defense blog. "A user needs to be lured to navigate to a malicious Web site or a compromised legitimate Web site to be affected. No further user interaction is needed." I expect this to be only one of many threats from older versions of Microsoft Operating Systems of which Windows XP is now a member. In June, Microsoft issued set of software patches that addressed 31 vulnerabilities in 10 separate security bulletins. Microsoft plans to release its July patches next Tuesday. It's unlikely the company will have had enough time to prepare a patch for the Video ActiveX control vulnerability.

Will Google be Your Next OS?

Google is designing an operating system primarily for "netbooks," lower-cost, less powerful computers which are used primarily for Web based applications.  The new operating system will be based on the company's nine-month-old Web browser, Chrome. Google intends to rely on help from the open-source community of programmers to further develop the Chrome operating system, which is expected to be available in the second half of 2010.

   It Seems that the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program has Begun!

 As of June 26th, Microsoft announced a new upgrade offer for users who may be waiting to buy until Windows 7 if officially released. Through this offer, anyone who buys a PC from a participating OEM or retailer with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate on it will all receive an upgrade to the corresponding version of Windows 7 at no cost from Microsoft. The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program will be available until January 31, 2010 – and is global! For more information on taking advantage of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program, visit www.windows.com/upgradeoffer.

Social Views of Email

The people at Microsoft Research are designing a new Outlook add-in that will literally redesign the look of your email user interface. First reported a couple of days ago by Ron Barrett, one of my favorite bloggers, Microsoft's Research group as also posted a white papers on what is evolving. The proposed change would work much like Xobni does. For those that have not tried Xobni, it is worth a glance for those drowning in "real" e-mail correspondence.

Google Wave May Represent the Next Communication Metaphor.

While everyone else is excited about Twitter and Facebook, I have been looking for what will be next, and it may be Google Wave, a soon to be released tool for communication and collaboration on the web, created by the very smart guys who created Google Maps. This is very cool stuff and only a little more than Twenty Seconds In the Future. Check it out.

June 2009

State Data Breach Laws Are Getting A Lot Tougher

Mass. 201 CMR 17 Compliance - What This Means for the Rest of Us. Massachusetts has introduced a tough new data protection law designed to prevent security breaches and identity theft. The state law is extremely interesting as it is the most comprehensive law surrounding data protection and could well result in other states following suit as in the case of data disclosure laws. This law addresses standards to be met by persons who own, license, store, or maintain personal information about a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and this includes any business that handles Massachusetts residents’ sensitive data regardless of where that business is located. There are a number of States that are looking at Massachusetts' new law, as well as Nevada's NRS 597.970 to set the new standard for data protection and Federal guidelines are coming later this year that may make these look like slackers.

Internal Data Security Threats Outstrip External Threats

According to a new survey released in June 2009 by Ponemon Institute, more employees are ignoring data security policies and engaging in activities that could put a company's data at risk . A large number of employees copy secure data to USB drives or turn off security settings in mobile devices like laptops, which could put a company's data at risk, according to the survey. One of the most striking responses, roughly 69 percent of the 967 IT professionals surveyed said they copied confidential company data to USB sticks, even though it was against the rules. Some said they had lost USB sticks with confidential corporate data stored on them, but did not report it immediately. Nearly 31 percent of respondents engaged in social-networking practices via the office Internet using company computers. Additionally, around 53 percent said they downloaded personal software on corporate PCs, exposing corporate networks to malicious software. The number of errant employees is higher than the last survey conducted in 2007, so the trend is in the wrong direction.

Professionals surveyed blamed companies for poor training or ineffective data security policies. Close to 57 percent said their company's data protection policies were ineffective, and 58 percent said they were not provided with enough data-security-related training. The report also went on the state that the expanding use of mobile phone, Smartphone, technology is expanding the potential misuse and exposure of sensitive data. 

The Future of Software Delivery

The Future of Software Delivery: The Opportunities and Challenges of Emerging Software Delivery Models is a new study released by www.researchandmarkets.com. The study points out some very interesting changes in the manner and speed with which business is adopting SaaS.

Key Findings    

• The size of the on-demand CRM market will increase rapidly through 2009 to reach 27% of total market size as the CAGR for on-demand far exceeds that for the total CRM market.    

• There are signs that enterprises with revenue of more than $1bn are also adopting more SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. Originally some industry commentators predicted SaaS would not expand beyond SMBs into larger organizations.    

• A study by Triple Tree and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) found that on-demand deployments were 50% to 90% faster, with a total cost of ownership five to ten times less than installed software.    

• The growth rates for on-demand CRM and ERP application markets are significantly higher than for the premise-based market. This is an indicator of the high levels of growth potential in the market.  

The report is not free, but for those considering a significant investment in software and technology it may be worth the price.

Enter the Digi-Novel - The next evolution in the written word - may be video.

What's the next multi-media revolution? Well Anthony Zuiker, creator of CSI and related spin-offs, thinks it may the be digi-novel. The new multimedia "digi-novel" will launch a "revolution in publishing for the YouTube generation."

Level 26: Dark Origins, to be published by Dutton Sept. 8, is the first in a series in which each book will be supplemented with 20 videos, or "cyber-bridges," featuring actors playing characters from the novel. The series, written with Duane Swierczynski, features a rogue investigator who hunts serial killers. The title refers to 25 levels used by law enforcement to classify serial killers. Zuiker vows to introduce readers and viewers to level 26.

After every 20 pages or so, readers will be able to go online to watch a three-minute video. The videos are designed, Zuiker says, "to embellish the novel and drive readers to the next book."  If Zuiker is right, this could set the stage for a whole new media mixing the written word in novels with motion video.  One might suppose that this is for those too lazy to imagine their own characters - I think it is simply a new art form. We will see.

May 2009

WolframAlpha Debuts to Mixed Reviews

Stephen Wolfram is building something new, very impressive and perhaps significant to the world of computing. In may be as important for the Web as Google was, but for a different purpose. Wolfram's computational engine offers a new way to search and find more than simply information, but answers themselves. Basically, Wolfram and his team have built what he calls a "computational knowledge engine," www.wolframalpha.com for the Web. You can ask it factual questions and it computes answers for you. The WolframAlpha is better experienced than read about. The company hosted a webinar last Friday, very well attended, and released the alpha site Friday night. I will not recreate all that has been written up so far,  but there is plenty you can research if interested. Give it a try, www.wolframalpha.com, if you are at a lost as to what to ask it, here are a few Easter Eggs you might try;

http://mashable.com/2009/05/17/wolfram-easter-eggs/, http://mashable.com/2009/05/17/better-wolfram-Easter-eggs/

Google Outage Proves the vulnerability of life in the Cloud

On May 14th, 2009 Google suffered it's second major outage of the year. The outage, which lasted nearly two hours, prompted a wave of distress and frustration among users, highlighting just how dependent they are on Internet services. It was also an embarrassing failure for Google, which considers itself an example of dependability. The failure, combined with previous ones this year, prompted some people to reconsider relying on just one company for so much of their online activity. Google said the problems started at 7:48 a.m., when a systems error caused a portion of its online traffic to be rerouted through Asia. The glitch created an online traffic jam, slowing or interrupting service for 14 percent of Google users globally. Panic set in when some users discovered they couldn't get access to their e-mails became fearful that urgent messages were being missed. The always connected crowd, suddenly wasn't connected. Companies that store their documents online with Google suddenly found they couldn't access them; the technology addicted feared their work was lost, or worse.

I consider this a lesson in the future. Is the Internet infallible? Of course not. Can we expect failures to happen? Of course. Rather than hold themselves out to be perfect. Internet based companies, like any responsible business, must have contingencies in the ready. For example, a fail over site, or message of some type that says the effect of "Sorry for the interruption, we are experiencing technical difficulties, we will be back soon,"  Or my favorite "The Sky is Falling, the Sky is Falling" (get it, a pun on Cloud Computing... oh well.) After all, this is what television stations did in their early years before redundant systems and better solutions made them more reliable.  You can still see the message sometimes at 3 a.m. when they are performing maintenance. Today we seem to have no tolerance for systems, or even accept that human error still exists. Too bad, those who do not have tolerance, are most likely doomed to a tragic and fatal demise, not of their choosing.

Those considering Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) should not be so much fearful as cautious,  and must include proper contingency planning so that the company is not adversely impacted or suffer economic hardship they cannot recover from. As with all new technologies, there will be issues to work out and improvements to be made. As my father drilled into me (he was a Drill Sergeant) "Prior Planning Prevents _ _ _ _ Poor Performance." (I left out his more colorful expletive.)

 In the mean time, if you lose your Internet - chill out, turn off the computer, and go fishing - the mail will be there when you get back.

Amazon introduces the Supersized Kindle

I guess someone decided to supersize the Kindle. Amazon announced this week the Kindle DX, which will have 3.3 gigabytes of storage, or room for 3,500 books, compared to 1,500 books on the Kindle released in February. At 18.9 ounces, the DX is also heftier than the Kindle, which weighs 10.2 ounces. The larger screen is targeted to text books and of course newspapers as many of the nations publishers look for ways to survive. Being a Kindle lover, and also fond of Kindle books on the iPhone, this will be an interesting addition at $489.

April 2009

Good Primer on Network Scanning

My friend Kevin Neal from Fujitsu has posted this very good overview document on Network Scanning this I think is a good read for those doing paperless and looking to manage the scanning process across the network.

Will Earth Day Really Make a Difference?

As we see the dawn, and quick passing, of Earth Day 2009, I have to ask myself how large is my Carbon Footprint - this from a guy with a size 13 shoe who is used to having a very large footprint.  I have a very simple home office, just my wife and I. We turn our systems off at night to save a few dollars as new systems really no longer need to stay on all the time as they are not as susceptible damage from powering on and off as computers were a few years ago. Unfortunately, we, like many small businesses, leave the printers on and running all the time. Who remembers, or even wants to take the time to turn all those devices off and on?  I have four monitors as you can see form the picture above, and my wife has three. I usually have my laptop on during the day and I often reach for my MacBook Pro while in the living room catching the news or watching the Daily Show. We call it our coffee table computer and it has replaced that large travel book that no one every opened, but looked good.

We have our cell phones recharging, our iPods charging and our Kindles charging! The TV's are on passive quick start mode - all four of them and it is only my wife and I, so they are all pulling power all the time. Just as my stereo, two DVRs and two DVD players are. I even walked by and realized I had hung up my electric guitar last night - but, I left the electric amp on. Just forgot about it.

When was the last time you got up late at night when all the lights were off and followed the trail of glowing red and green LED's?  All those devices are pulling phantom power, and, according to national studies, comprise about 8% of your monthly power bill.

All this, and I am one of those who considers themselves energy conscious. I believe that we are getting very close to having to be more Green aware. Several states are considering fining businesses who use too much energy, and a recent story on the critical power requirements at California State University shows us just a glimpse of what is to come. Now, you may not have 250 servers to worry about, as the Director of Server and Network Operations as CSU does (this is a good technical read for IT managers), but many of my clients have been reducing 40 server and less data centers to Virtual Servers to reduce costs and I imagine that many more will follow. As my friend Brian Tankersley, www.bftcpa.com, and I were discussing a few weeks ago - The energy crisis is poised to hit U.S. business where it hurts the most, in their wallets, and we should see this hitting hard by 2010, 2012 at the latest.

So as we contemplate Earth Day, Global Warming, and the coming of Spring - let's go around and turn off a few of those devices and see if we can save a little for those to come. And, do ourselves a favor in the process.

Ubuntu Release embraces Cloud Computing and Amazon

The next release of Ubuntu Linux is expected to significantly improve the operating system's status as a real contender in enterprise networks for companies looking to connect to cloud computing systems. The release is available for download, April 23. Linux fans have been widely anticipating version 9.04 or "Jaunty Jackalope" for months. Available in desktop and server versions, the software is expected to be a viable alternative to basic Windows XP PCs, especially in the category of compact laptops, called NetBooks.

Ubuntu boasts that Jaunty Jackalope's desktop improvements will give users more time between charges along with immediate access after hibernation. Included in the bundle are the OpenOffice.org 3.0 productivity suite and support for Skype, Adobe Flash. Improved switching between Wi-Fi and 3G environments also has been broadened to support more wireless devices and 3G cards. The server version's biggest addition is its connection with Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC). The feature makes Jaunty Jackalope the first commercially supported distribution to let companies build cloud environments on an intranet or connect with an external cloud provider like Amazon's EC2.

Oracle Buys Sun

Oracle announced that it is set to buy Sun Microsoft for $7.4 billion dollars. That's $5.6 net of Sun's cash and debt, or about $9.5 a share. According to Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison, "Java is the single most important software we've ever acquired." And that is saying something for a company that has acquired the likes of PeopleSoft, Siebel, and BEA over the past few years and a dozen smaller specialty companies no one had heard of. Oracle Fusion Middleware is built on top of Sun's Java language and software.   The arrangement would provide Oracle ownership of Java and Solaris and give Oracle control of MySQL database software.  Oracle was not considered a contender to purchase by many, and this may have come as a surprise by IBM. who walked away from an offer to buy Sun last week. This announcement also does something else important - it puts Oracle in the hardware business for the first time. A place that it may not want to be, so we may see at least part of the business spun out before long.

Not everyone, especially open system developers, are happy to hear the news. One blogger commented, "I sense a disturbance in the force. Like millions of developers crying out in terror, and suddenly being silenced all at once."  Perhaps with good reason, as the acquisition not only gives Oracle Java, but the MySQL Database as well, which was starting to make inroads into Oracle Database space. No one can be sure of the future, but we can be sure that the world has once again changed. Only time can tell if for the better or not.

Oprah Tweets and the Whole World Twitters

Yes, you read that correctly. Oprah's show last Friday was all about her joining Twitter. She was also  very excited that Aston Kutcher had more followers on Twitter than CNN - a million plus individuals want to know what Aston is doing. A million followers is a lot. To put that in the proper perspective, consider that is more people than the mob following the Verizon Phone Guy in the television commercials. What does this all mean? That Twitter is now mainstream. Your Grandmother Twitters. Well, at least my grandsons, Tyler and Garrett's grandmother twitters. So is this something you should care about? Only if you don't...

Office 2010 Officially Titled

Estimated 83% of Businesses Will Not Deploy Windows 7 Next Year

Not good news for Microsoft. An early study, released by InformationWeek this week, indicates that only a small percentage of businesses plan to migrate to Windows 7 when it is released.  Even with Windows XP expiring today the economy and compatibility issues seems to be the overpowering concerns. Spending on IT in general is down because of the current economic crisis and Windows 7, while fixing a number of Vista performance issues, and adding some cool new technology, does little to address the compatibility problems with older software. The cost of upgrading the Operating System and having to upgrade all applications is more that business owners what to face. So now we wait and see. There are a lot of nervous faces in Redmond, WA these days.

Intaact Partners with AICPA and CPA2Biz

The AICPA, through its subsidiary CPA2Biz, has partnered with Intacct to develop and deliver a new client accounting solution specifically designed to transform your firm's client accounting services line and revolutionize the way you serve your small and growing business clients. The new solution for public accounting firms is delivered online as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution. Intacct Accountant Edition provides anytime, anywhere access and eliminates the many headaches you face today managing data across disparate systems in your practice and your clients' businesses. Many accounting firms have been asking for a comprehensive solution to allow them to run their entire business via a SaaS solution and Intaact seems to be the first provider to present a viable solution.

Have you ooVooed?
Last week I mentioned the new and improved Skype, and that you should give it a try. Well, this week there is a new kid on the block you might enjoy ooVoo, www.oovoo.com. ooVoo is a full multimedia experience. It supports up to six persons on a video conference as well as the ability to send and receive video e-mail. Simple, quick, and easy. What is amazing will only be expected in the months to come. Give it a try, it is free for the basic version

March 2009

Google To Give You Voice
I told you on Wednesday, March 11, that there was some really cool tech news coming, and it should be available to you in the next few weeks. Google acquired GrandCentral way back in 2007. The basic idea around GrandCentral is “one phone number for all your phones, for life.” As we change jobs, homes and cell phones, there are a lot of phone numbers to keep track of, and keeping everyone up to date with your most recent phone numbers is a real cost. If you use GrandCentral you can give out a single phone number. Google's online voice-mail and call management system GrandCentral will be reborn as Google Voice, with several new features. The service will remain in private beta for existing GrandCentral only users for a few more weeks. But after that, Google expects to open Google Voice to the general public.  Google Voice provides a single phone number that routes incoming calls to six of the user's phones at once. It also provides a single online in-box for voice-mail messages. With everything in one inbox, you now have only one voice mail to check." 

Google Voice inherits GrandCentral's many features, including the ability to screen calls as if in a room with an answering machine, to record calls and access those recordings online, to block unwanted callers, and to receive notifications of voice mail via e-mail or SMS. It includes various personalization features, such as the ability to set how calls to one's Google Voice number are routed, based on time or caller. It also allows personalized greetings, per user or group, and the ability to personalize the ringing sound that callers hear while waiting for you to answer.
Google Voice also features GrandCentral's WebCall Button, for connecting a would-be callers phone to yours using a Web-based button, the ability to initiate a call from your online address book, and visual voice mail.

Google Voice adds several new features: automated transcriptions of voice-mail messages, the ability to receive SMS text messages sent to your Google Voice number on a mobile device, and the ability to send SMS messages from your Web-based Google Voice in-box. Voice-mail recordings can be embedded in any Web page, a feature that's sure to provide countless hours of amusement as embarrassing messages receive public airing. Goggle has acknowledged that Google Voice's automated transcriptions aren't perfect. The service indicates that by varying the shading of transcribed text, with darker words representing a higher level of confidence in the accuracy of the speech-to-text transcription. At some point, Google will probably tune its voice-recognition algorithm to recognize words in other languages and accents, but for the moment, voice-mail transcriptions are intended for speakers of U.S.-inflected English only. Perhaps one of the most broadly appealing new feature of Google Voice is the ability to place free domestic calls in the United States and low-rate international calls to select countries. The costs are comparable to the price Skype charges to call the United Kingdom from the United States. In addition, Google Voice provides easy conference calling. People simply call your Google Voice number and you can add them to a call in progress. Google says it doesn't have a current plan to monetize the service, but plan to follow their mission to make Google users happy. Google Voice may also make some telecom companies happy by increasing the use of billable SMS messages. However, just as ads have found their way into other Google properties where they hadn't existed previously, ads may find a home in Google Voice as well. You expect a lot of excitement when this rolls out to everyone so be ready! Now how fun is this?

CISCO Wants Your Servers!
What contributed to CISCO's rise to power and popularity. Well, their stuff works for one thing!  IT people want to partner with companies who provide good products, good service, good support, and good training. CISCO knows this. So when CISCO began talking about selling servers as well as network and VoIP equipment a few months ago, companies such as IBM and HP took notice. Well, after months of speculation, Cisco has officially entered the blade server market, unveiling a server offering as part of its Unified Computing System. CISCO expects to dramatically increase the use of virtualization in data centers.

There is no free Beer, but there is Skype

If you have not tried Skype, www.skype.com, or you tried it a few years ago and decided it did not work so well, try it again. I have been using Skype since late 2008 and using it heavily this year as I am in my office developing materials and working on a book. With family, friends and clients on Skype it is very easy to call someone Voice, or Video Call. I have a Logitech Pro 9000 Webcam attached and one or more of us can carry on a video call quickly and easily at NO COST (my favorite cost.)

The ability to conference call is great, but if you are a Mac user and you also share your desktop. PC users will hopefully have this ability soon. You can also simply IM someone quickly or transfer files to them immediately. a number of my associates are scattered all over North America, so the ability to hit them with a quick question immediately is great. Just like going over to their office and bugging them as we do in the traditional office environment.

While Skype to Skype PC is free, you can also use Skype from your PC to a landline anywhere in the U.S. for less than $3 bucks a month, or a couple of cents a minute, and Europe for under $7. check out the rates. Just one more tool to add to your arsenal.

Kindle Breaks OUT!  Kindle for iPhone

The exciting news, the talk of the town, There is a new application at the Apple App store that allows you to read books published for Kindle on your iPhone or iPod touch. I have been watching for and expecting this move for some time, at least to see Kindle books available across other devices than my beloved Kindle. Now it looks like the Apple platform is first. I won't reinvent the wheel, it is easier for you to read the story at CNET to get the idea. What this means is that there is a good possibility that Kindle will become the new publishing platform, newspapers, magazines, and more, books are only the beginning.

Yes, I have a Kindle 2. I should admit that I did buy a Kindle 2 (If the IRS asks, it was to demonstrate in my seminars and lectures.)  I have the original Kindle, as seen on Oprah, and so does my wife. We read a few books together (you can share books across an account so more than one person can legally read the same book at the same time) so we do our own little book club, which gives us something to talk about over breakfast now.  Many of the books are protected, so you can't just read a book and share it with someone else; but that may be coming soon as well.  I am most impressed with the Kindle 2 text to voice capability. On a flight home last week, it was late and my eyes were tired, so I simply turned on text to voice and my Kindle 2 started reading to me where I left off. Next day, I turned text to voice off and picked up reading. Text to voice is great, but not the same experience as reading a book. The Kindle 2 turns pages faster and is much more responsive to the touch controls. I is also about one-third the thickness and a little lighter. The battery is sealed in this unit and there is not SD card slot. All internal memory. But it holds up to 1500 books, so that should be enough. There was an article recently on the first Kindle 2 owners having bragging rights. This is true, I got mine the day after they shipped. I have ran into some very jealous people with Kindle envy. Expensive? $357, yes, that is a bit pricey, but new books are a lot cheaper than hardback editions, the ease of selecting a book to read is wonderful, and the availability of downloading a new book wirelessly for free in seconds just cannot be beat! What do I miss? Barnes and Nobles. I would take my Kindle there and sit and read and sip a Starbucks, but they frown on that for some reason ;-)

February 2009

Ballmer Says "No Office 14 in 2009"

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer announced that there would be no release of Office 14 this year, which may also mean no release of Office Web, as the Office Web based components of Word, Excel, etc. is being called. There was speculation that Office 14 would include rights to a web version of the same applications. All this is still speculation, but we are starting to see some results of new development emerge. For the full version of Microsoft's announcement read the Information Week article, no reason for me to reinvent the wheel. What about Vista? Not sure yet. We could see a Win 7 OS in late 2009, but it depends on a number of variables including if Microsoft decides to separate the OS roll out from the new Office, and what the economy does. I will keep you posted when I know more.

Google Mobile App For Windows Mobile

Google is getting even more serious about Windows Mobile, releasing another application following its Google Latitude and Google Sync for Mobile releases last month. Google Mobile App is a search bar for the home screen of your Windows Mobile device that allows you to quickly search the Internet. It also has 11 icons to launch other Google services on your device. One of the icons will launch the Google Maps application, which includes the Google Latitude social mapping service. Other icons will launch Web pages that will take you to mobile versions of Google Calendar, Google Documents and so forth. For now, Google Documents on Windows Mobile is a read-only service, but that may change in the near future. It's already allowing limited editing on the iPhone so other mobile platforms may not be far behind. There is an icon to launch mobile versions of Google News, Gmail and so forth.

Know your State Breach Laws.

 I received an inquiry last week from a seminar attended who lost a company laptop as the airport after Christmas. The questions was simple, "Do I have to notify my clients of the lost?"  The answer is not so simple. A safe position is that you should notify any client or customer immediately if you think that sensitive data has been compromised. In some cases, if you do not know what data was stored on the lost or stolen device, you are supposed to notify ALL your clients! There is an excellent interactive map of data breach laws by state available to let you know your potential exposure and laws by state.  There are also a series of articles explaining how to respond in the event of a security breach. My good friend Brian Tankersley let me know this morning that there have been five additional states which passed security breach laws in 2008, so updating yourself would be a good idea.

Windows 7 Pre-Beta Available for all!

Microsoft's Pre-Beta of Windows 7 is available for download. This is labeled a pre-beta, meaning it is a first view and much of the anticipated functionality that is expected in later versions is not there. This is not a "ready for prime time release" and should not be used in a real-time production environment, is real-time production is your objective.   With that said, I recommend your IT people download a copy and install inside a Virtual Machine, or a test machine to test interfaces to hardware and legacy applications in your office to begin ascertaining the impact of this OS version on you now.

January 2009

Yes, You Can Take Your Mac to Work!

As am Apple Mac user, I have been interested in posting help for newbie's as to how to interface in the Windows work world and survive. Yes, it can be done. After much delay, I have begun the process, it is only a beginning and I will post more information here over time. If you have experience with the Mac at work, or just want to share some great business tips and tricks, please e-mail me and I will add as time permits. So, check it out and come back often. The site can be reached from the helix above.

The real cost of e-Mail

So what is the cost of e-Mail, no not the liability or even the cost of storage and retrieval, I mean the real cost area! The cost to productivity. One recent study showed that it takes on average 64 seconds to return to your train of thought after being interrupted by e-Mail. Consider that if you check you mail every 5 minutes, you waste roughly 8.5 hours a week. The study recommends you make the interval every 45 minutes and turn off the new mail alert so you are not interrupted. I agree with other studies that say that on average we check our mail every 30 minutes already and this is too often. Three times a day is more productive and still provides plenty of time to respond. Want to make more money? Manage your use of e-mail better!

Why LCD Monitors are better for you.

More personal computer users are replacing older CRT displays with LCD displays as the older CRT monitors either fail, or users simply realize the benefits of LCD.  This may be due to the fact that manufacturers have retooled production lines to favor LCD, which are less expensive to manufacturer and generally better for the ecology, think green.  LCD screens are considered beneficial to knowledge workers, who spend long hours at the computer, because LCD displays tend to produce less eye fatigue to the user. The constant light barrage and scan lines of a CRT tube tend to cause strain on heavy computer users. The lower intensity of the LCD monitors coupled with their constant screen display of pixels being on or off produces less fatigue for the user. There are a number of resources to understand how an LCD display works and some background is helpful in determining size and type of screen display which is best for you. Professor Alan Hedge, Dept. Design & Environmental Analysis, Cornell University, has published a paper on the specific research findings as to the benefits of LCD. Again, those wrestling with the decision of what to buy might want to review his findings. In the meantime, I have to apologize to a recent seminar attendee, Stephen, who called me on the discussion of refresh rate. Refresh rate is one of the negative aspects of using older CRT displays. Users of CRT displays experience flicker when refresh rates are not high enough and the eyes have to constantly adjust. LCD displays work differently as the appropriate Pixel is on until turned off. However, LCD monitors suffer from different problems than their CRT predecessors and refresh rate would more accurately be referred to as frame rate in their case (often locked at 60Hz). The only part of an LCD that could produce CRT-like flicker, its backlights, typically operate at around 200–Hz. So, if you are one of the 180 million people replacing your computer display this year, take a few minutes to learn more about the electronics you will be staring at for the next 10 years (the economic life of a typical LCD.)

Workers can buy their own computer.

Citrix Systems, Miami, Florida, may be the first major company to come out with a new plan to get out of the computer business, but they will not be the last by any means. Citrix is giving employees a $2,100 stipend to buy a laptop and three year service plan.  Citrix says that the cost to purchase and maintain company own systems is between $2,500 and $2,600. This is probably a conservative estimate and in fact most companies can save significant dollars by not providing systems to employees.  If this sounds shocking, consider how many employees use company owned equipment for personal shopping, gaming, and social networking. Many crashing the system for IT to repair in the process. Management believes that employees would take better care of equipment they own and in the age of Virtualization,  Software as a Service (SaaS,) and mobile computing the model works. In fact, several large accounting firms have told me they  are getting out of the cell phone business as well. On the premise that we don't buy employees a car to drive to work, cell phones and in some cases computers, are not considered commodities - everyone has one.  The decision is up to you, but when you are ready to make that move remember to properly secure company owned information, software and other resources. 

What are My People Doing?

Wondering where your people surf to from your company Internet connection? I receive a number of request year for software recommendations that allow business owners to monitor web usage at the office. There are several solutions that I and associate Randy Johnston have used and recommended to others. It is important to let users know that you do monitor computer usages and to have appropriate use policies in place.

http://www.stbernard.com/products/iprism/web_filtering

http://www.track4win.com/Monitor_Internet_Usage.asp

http://www.cymphonix.com/Products.html

http://www.websense.com/glo