Tag Archives: business owner

Guarding Against a Network Breach with Security Testing

As people spend more time shopping on the Internet and less time shopping in stores with cash, it is vitally important for a company’s data to be well-protected from hackers, data thieves and even security breaches from within. There are two ways to find out if a company’s computer network or data server are safe and sound from sabotage. One is to wait and see if it is hacked and compromised. The other is to do security penetration testing and fix any problems before they occur. The second option is a better business practice and, in the long run, less expensive.

Reputation Consumers do not want to do business with a company that will not protect their personal data, such as credit cards, names, telephone numbers and addresses. Even if the data is only used for an e-mail distribution list, customers will hesitate to trust the company in the future. If sensitive data is used to make credit card purchases or compromise the bank accounts of customers and contacts, it won’t take long for them to find out. When they do, the business owner can be sure that everyone the person knows – and the press – will probably hear about it, too. Keep in mind that not only will consumers avoid a company that cannot keep information safe, they will not want to make any types of purchases or use its website – even after it has been fixed.

Financial Ruin Capturing information from a company’s database for e-commerce or even day-to-day operations can force them out of business. Compromising a company’s server can not only cause problems with data, the company’s bank accounts and online e-commerce user names and passwords can be captured as well. This means that funds can be spent without the company’s knowledge until a red flag is raised. For those with loosely structured accounting departments, this is detrimental to a company’s financial health.

Solution By hiring a reputable application testing or penetration testing specialist, a business owner or manager can find out whether their applications, database and computer information can be easily hacked. Referred to in the industry as ethical hacking, a series of popular hacking techniques are tested on the website, network or database to see whether the target can be breached. After the test results have been obtained, expert consultation is done to limit the possibility of breaches or future episodes.

Time Frame The process of hacking into a company’s database or website may take only a matter of seconds, minutes or days for the malicious competitor or money-hungry thief.. Cleaning up the mess left behind could take the business weeks, months or years. Some companies never recover. Penetration testing by a reputable and thorough penetration testing contractor usually takes one to two weeks. Rather than rush through the process in two to three days, the specialist uses a number of methods and attempts a number of entries before stating whether a business’ system is adequately protected. Most vulnerabilities can be fixed within a week.

Your Business Needs an Internet Marketing Plan

If you’re going to use online marketing techniques, then you need a plan. Here is how you can do it.

Any business owner that wants their company to be successful will need to put together a complete business plan. However, when it comes to online marketing, there is a large number of business owners that come to a internet marketing company without first analyzing what they want to achieve online or how they will get there. While partners such as online marketing companies can help you put together a strategy, as a business owner you’re the one who is the best placed to set some goals for your online activities and figure out how exactly you will achieve your objectives.

Creating an online marketing plan isn’t so difficult and a recent report from Webmaster World has given some insight on what one needs to include in one.

The first step, before you even contact a Boston search engine marketing company or other online partner, would be to do an analysis of your situation. Define what your business is, what your products and services are and what groups of customers are going to be targeted by your business or by the specific products and services you will be selling. Write down the benefits that your products will bring to your customers and the problems that they will help them solve.

Then, you should analyze your competition. You already know what you’re offering and who you’ll be offering it to, now is the time to do some research on your markets so that you can figure out who your main competitors are. This analysis needs to be thorough, as in many cases it will lead to you making adjustments to your business strategy in order to be more competitive in your niche. It shouldn’t be limited to only doing a Google search to see who is selling the same products and offering the same solutions you are. Take a look through online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Look through classified ads sites to see who else is selling products similar to yours. And don’t forget your brick and mortar competitors and their offerings. After you’ve done this analysis, note down what makes your offerings better and more valuable than those of the competition.

One other important step would be to analyze the marketing channels that you will be using. Your website is the main point of contact that your customers will have with you and can be created by a Boston web development company or done in house. But you need strategies to get traffic to your website. Look at SEO, pay per click ads, social networks, video ads, email marketing, classified ads, etc. Analyze every marketing channel that is usable by your business and determine which ones are likely to bring you the most advantages as a business owner. However, be careful as to not to launch too many marketing campaigns in different channels at the same time. Start off by focusing your efforts on the tactics that are the most likely to be successful.

Your Business Needs an Internet Marketing Plan

If you’re going to use online marketing techniques, then you need a plan. Here is how you can do it.

Any business owner that wants their company to be successful will need to put together a complete business plan. However, when it comes to online marketing, there is a large number of business owners that come to a internet marketing company without first analyzing what they want to achieve online or how they will get there. While partners such as online marketing companies can help you put together a strategy, as a business owner you’re the one who is the best placed to set some goals for your online activities and figure out how exactly you will achieve your objectives.

Creating an online marketing plan isn’t so difficult and a recent report from Webmaster World has given some insight on what one needs to include in one.

The first step, before you even contact a Boston search engine marketing company or other online partner, would be to do an analysis of your situation. Define what your business is, what your products and services are and what groups of customers are going to be targeted by your business or by the specific products and services you will be selling. Write down the benefits that your products will bring to your customers and the problems that they will help them solve.

Then, you should analyze your competition. You already know what you’re offering and who you’ll be offering it to, now is the time to do some research on your markets so that you can figure out who your main competitors are. This analysis needs to be thorough, as in many cases it will lead to you making adjustments to your business strategy in order to be more competitive in your niche. It shouldn’t be limited to only doing a Google search to see who is selling the same products and offering the same solutions you are. Take a look through online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Look through classified ads sites to see who else is selling products similar to yours. And don’t forget your brick and mortar competitors and their offerings. After you’ve done this analysis, note down what makes your offerings better and more valuable than those of the competition.

One other important step would be to analyze the marketing channels that you will be using. Your website is the main point of contact that your customers will have with you and can be created by a Boston web development company or done in house. But you need strategies to get traffic to your website. Look at SEO, pay per click ads, social networks, video ads, email marketing, classified ads, etc. Analyze every marketing channel that is usable by your business and determine which ones are likely to bring you the most advantages as a business owner. However, be careful as to not to launch too many marketing campaigns in different channels at the same time. Start off by focusing your efforts on the tactics that are the most likely to be successful.