Doug

Business Executive Guide to Password Management

May 222013

If you looked at your bank account balance expecting to see a big pile of cash and the balance was zero, what actions would you want to take? What sense of urgency would you have? Put another way, have you ever had the fire alarm go off next to where you sit? The loud blaring noise is insufferable. You do something, right? I want you to hold that mindset for what I’m about to tell you.

Password Management Software and Intentional Management Services offers Bus Execs Security

ALL IS NOT NORMAL

While on a work out session at the gym, something happened to my email account. When I returned to my computer, I received a wakeup call seeing some crazy messages in my inbox. Hackers exploited my Hotmail account because of a weak password. They somehow got access to my email account, used it to send out their spam email. They did not change the password. So luckily, I easily regained ownership of my account, changing the password, stopping them in their scheme.

Intentional Management delivers security consulting services

I was used, determined to do something about it. They violated my good name and credibility to send my contacts their spam. Maybe this has happened to you. Because of this event, I know some of my contacts might question receiving email from me in the future. Fortunately, a couple colleagues quickly alerted me to the problem, realizing I wouldn’t solicit them with the type of spammy offer in their inbox. I suggest you notify your friends if you detect their email account has been violated. They will thank you for it.

WHAT TO DO NOW

Get a password safe or vault with the following attributes. The safe is a software application dedicated to storing your secret user name and password logins. Here is a site that compares several 2013 Password Management Software Products. It’s a partial list, but a starting point. They include RoboForm Everywhere, Sticky Password, Kaspersky Password Manager, DataVault, Handy Password Manager, SplashID Safe, Aurora Password Manager, TK8 Safe Pro, AnyPassword, and Password Agent.

You and only you know its password to gain access
It holds all the login credentials of the sites you visit
It’s encrypted with AES 256-bit keys
It’s synchronized across multiple devices in different locations
You use passwords or phrases that are not guessable

WHAT NOT TO DO

Use the same password in multiple places
Use a guessable password
Tell your trusted friend or partner your password
Write them on paper or post-it notes
Make an excel or text file on your computer called ‘passwords’ to store them

TAKE AWAYS

The good news is this episode motivated me to change some of my passwords because they were guessable and had a low level of complexity. They needed to be updated. If the bad guys guessed my password for email, I reasoned they might guess the password for my other accounts too. I noted the number and type of characters in the login passwords that I use on many sites. For the ones with weakness, I changed them, extending their length and complexity by using upper and lower letters, numbers, and characters. I am not using words that someone can guess. Further, I am not using the same password repeatedly on different sites.

There are no shortcuts for us. We need to be vigilant and take action here. Can you hear the alarm? Can you see the big pile of cash gone? When you use password management software, it’ll do two things: thwart hackers and criminals from compromising your most precious asset, your identity; and secondly, it’ll increase your confidence to set up and manage more trusted online accounts so you can take advantage of what’s great about the world wide web. The risk to your reputation of being digitally violated grows every day, and the delay of inaction using strong passwords and a manager is not worth taking chances.

For additional tips to contain the security risks of digital lifestyle, download my report: “18 Methods to Cut Risk of a Security Breach”

I welcome hearing your comments, stories and realizations that password management is serious. Perhaps you made a difference in someone’s life because you helped them realize they needed to manage their passwords better.

A Look at the Sentiment of U.S. Small-Business CEOs

Customers No Responses »

Feb 122013

I find it important to note any correlations that may explain opportunities or an impact on my business at a local level. The sentiment results of a national survey, like the Wall Street Journal/Vistage is a good place. Here’s a monthly survey result measuring the sentiment of U.S. small-business CEOs and owners about the economy. How does its picture compare with your growth results?

Respondents are limited to businesses with annual revenues of $1 million to $20 million. The findings are analyzed by Dr. Richard Curtin, University of Michigan. Read more about the survey.

Microsoft Windows 8 Surface Is a Breakthrough

Technology 1 Response »

Jan 302013

I recently attended to the Steve Ballmer Worldwide Partner Conference Keynote address. What I learned about Microsoft’s Re-Imagined future was fascinating. Steve Ballmer and team once again demonstrating that this tech giant is stepping boldly forward. Here are some of my take aways. (Incidentally, if all you see below is a square white space, that means you will view this post on my slideshare channel)

What To Do With No Space Left On Your iPad Tablet

Technology No Responses »

Jan 022013

There Is No Memory On My iPad Now What?

I’m capturing lots of great images on my iPad. Even when I didn’t take the original picture, like my fabulous nature shot of colors, lighting, spaces, and shapes. Yesterday, I found myself at the Apple Store Genius Bar, getting a behavior wakeup call and a tablet tune up. For me, it’s like realizing I may have to admit I’m eating too much bacon. Now I’m coming to grips with the required pivot adjustment.

As the owner of a smartphone or tablet for a while, you know it’s easy to fill it with content. You’ve been a happy data hoarder. It’s time to admit it. Perhaps you’re a big data sleuth, a designer maven, or a number cruncher. Maybe you’re none of these, but you don’t like to waste time cleaning up the data; and, you want a trouble free and efficient ability to do your stuff.

Symptoms

You suspect there’s a problem when you see ‘failed’ and ‘Invalid’ messages on routine tasks; your operating system has become corrupted, some functions don’t work like they used to, moving from one task to another happens sluggishly, there’s no room for adding more stuff, like you used to do.

Causes

What’s causing the problem? You collect data, you consume data, curate it, re-create it. You take pictures or videos, you download and sync audio files in iTunes, you run applications like Naturespace, you post and synchronize files in a collaboration cloud workspace like DocsToGo, Skydrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox. I don’t mention iCloud here because it serves as a single image back-up for a lost device that must be restored in its entirety.

I recommend the next time you get your new hand held device, buy the one with the most amount of memory possible. It’s easier than changing your data hoarder habits, or becoming a master of data management for a myriad group of applications.

Remediate The Bursting Data Problem On Handhelds

Be sure to check out my upcoming eReport for work out routines and nip and tuck prescriptions to manage mobile device data gluttony.

Side Notes

I invite you to tell us about your stories of enjoyment using your mobile device, whether you’re snap happy shutterbug or an iTunes sync junkie, there was a time when you loaded up your device. It’d be good to get your impressions about habits, technology, your lessons learned, any advice for the rest of us.

Please Tell People About Honest Intentions

If you like this article, please ReTweet it with the little tweet button above, or tell a friend through the Share and Enjoy buttons below. I have been introduced to these features to make it easier for you to email it to a friend or add it to your favorite social media website. I understand that if you post to Facebook or tweet it on Twitter, that will get more readers here. Many of my thanks in advance for your help. I appreciate it.

What To Do With No Space Left On Your Smartphone

Technology No Responses »

Dec 312012

Is More Memory For Your Android The Solution?

Some things I’d rather forget, like Kanye West wearing a kilt at the Sandy hurricane relief concert in New York. Other things I remember, like Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars in a Tom Ford cream evening column and cape. Awareness of our memory usage and capacity on our mobile devices is like being able to pick the correct item for our wardrobe to wear.

When it comes to wardrobes, we may not have the same designer aspirations as Hollywood Stars, but we definitely look at fit and size in our considerations. The same holds true for our choice of the amount of and the way we use the memory in our mobile devices.

Is a new wardrobe with larger sized items the answer? Maybe, but that’s outside of my scope of expertise. With mobile devices, larger sized definitely, yes—bigger is better.

Most of us would agree, getting bigger sized items in our wardrobe is a less than ideal solution, but very different from getting more memory on our new handheld. At the same time, there is wisdom examining habitual behavioral patterns. For examples in both cases, be careful on diets what you eat and on devices what you sync.

My first Android hand held had 64MB of memory. It was Fall 2009. I thought it was great. My preceding Windows Phone handhelds had less. 64MB worked for a while, letting me explore the Google app store, take pictures, collect and consume data. Soon enough, I had installed App 2 SD to create some memory space because I lost basic functions, like my text messages and phone calls were choked.

I thought App 2 SD was a clever app because it let me move certain applications from device memory to the secure digital card. That worked for a while, having some apps and data onto the SD Card, off of the device, letting me run it again. Some apps didn’t run from the SD Card.

When my device filled up again, my choice was uninstalling applications. That was no fun. In the beginning, I removed apps that weren’t too important, then towards the end of device life, I was forced into choosing to let go of either Twitter or Facebook. It felt like cutting off a limb. That was when I had had enough.

Time For A Tech Refresh

The second Android device I brought home had 500x the memory of my first device, at 32GB. Coupled with the larger SD Card, I have ample space for apps and data, but I have a premonition that history will repeat itself.

Compounding The Data Excesses

Today, you may not anticipate using 500x the amount of memory on your next device, but know this: Technology today will change much in three areas: hardware, software, the network. Over the next two years, these factors coupled with virtualization, will drive the need for more mobile device memory. The ways we will use devices will drastically change too.

Capabilities shipping inside devices today include higher definition Retina Displays, Quad Core Processors, more Mega Pixel HD Cameras. Way more memory is being consumed on these items.

Secondly, another fascinating area in applications is Augmented Reality, using multiple device sensors to enable advanced computer vision, and going way beyond mere gaming use cases. How about virtually wearing new garments when shopping for new clothes? Features in applications being developed include data encryption to handle privacy and security concerns, driven in part by more financial transaction processing on mobile. Lots more memory will be required to deliver these types of applications.

Thirdly, to carry all this additional data from all the new devices, networks will need to become more ubiquitous and intelligent. For a while now, network service providers in the US like AT&T, Sprint and Verizon wireless have been building internet capacity expansion, caused by massive explosion in the number of handheld tablet and smartphone devices. Today we have 4G network coverage build outs, and Wi-Fi enhancements. To meet these higher data transport needs, more memory and processing will be built into the switches, routers, servers, access points, receivers, transmission infrastructure.

In summary, my advice is forget the kilt except on the right occasion, obtain as much memory as possible.

Remediate The Bursting Data Problem On Handhelds

Be sure to check out my upcoming eReport for work out routines and nip and tuck prescriptions to manage mobile device data gluttony.

Side Notes

I invite you to tell us about your stories of enjoyment or frustration using your mobile device, whether you’re snap happy shutterbug or an iTunes sync junkie, there was a time when you loaded up your device. It’d be good to get your lessons learned, any advice for the rest of us.

Please Tell People About Honest Intentions

Three Tips To Remain Connected and Productive While Mobile

Technology No Responses »

Oct 012012

I had the opportunity to be a mobile warrior the other day. Yay! I had accepted an invitation to take a certification course for a business partnership. At the event, I wanted to be productive, brought my laptop, and backup materials.

I expected I’d be able to connect into the internet with my laptop to participate in training. It didn’t connect. Maybe you’ve experienced this before. I released and reset my IP address, to no avail. I rebooted the machine. Nothing. I asked the host if someone could help me. Nobody could help. There was no ‘network or system administrator’ available to troubleshoot my system. I believe many mobile users would be dead in the water at this point. Not a mobile warrior.

Have a backup device handy

My back up plan was to have my iPad available in case my laptop didn’t connect. I’m happy I brought it. Using my iPad, I connected and was fine participating in the required exercises, until I needed to download a particular spreadsheet file. I thought this problem was not unique to my situation, so I asked someone else in the room if they had a similar problem with their iPad. It didn’t work in my safari browser, nor my instructor’s iPad safari browser.

Have the applications to get the job done

This obstacle prompted me to use one of the applications that I’ve recommended in my video series. One called Ignition from LogMeIn Pro. There are others like Citrix GoToMyPC and TeamViewer with similar capabilities, but my point is that if you run an iPad and need to accomplish tasks normally requiring a desktop or laptop, then you must have this capability to access your desktop. When I used LogMeIn on my iPad, I accessed the same webpage with the download file link from my desktop at home. I loaded the file into my cloud platform application with no issues and continued with my assignment, all the while using my iPad.

Ask others for assistance

Another gotcha occurred when I noticed my battery power was draining rapidly. I asked to borrow an Apple iPad charger. The meeting host loaned me one, and although I never dropped below 65%, I quickly recharged the battery to get through the day, and the upcoming evening’s requirements.

When you’re a mobile device warrior, there are bound to be challenges while you’re attempting to complete necessary tasks. What separates the mobile device warrior from the everyday user is having a back-up plan, and the stick-to-it-tiveness to find a work around and get it done.

It’d be interesting to read some of your ‘work around’ stories on mobile devices and what strategies and resources you used to accomplish your task. Why not drop a note here, let me know what you did?

The Stigma Of A Sales Person

Sales Strategy No Responses »

Aug 112012

The low opinion of the sales profession bothers me. Why does sales carry a stigma? We all have experiences of being sold something from someone that didn’t work out. On the other hand, we tell stories of where we bought something from someone and it was quite enjoyable.

Olympics Gold Medalist, Gabby Douglas pictured with her own edition of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

I’m fascinated when my conversation partner says ‘he’s got the personality of a salesperson,’ and ’she is a born salesperson,’ or ‘I’m not a salesperson.’ We all are salespeople and it’s time to get over it.

Some of us are better at sales than others, but that’s not the point. It doesn’t matter what one’s personality is, or how many degrees one has. Many other things matter more. The ones who are better, chose to educate themselves more and worked harder at it. I believe we all can be better.

Some people say, if we just get rid of commissions, then we’d get an honest sales person. The real estate profession is one that comes to mind, right? A few bad apples can really mess things up. Commissions are not the problem, as explained in Baylor research from Vinita Sangtani, Ph.D. and John Andy Wood, Ph.D.

Statements like ‘He is a born salesperson’ couldn’t be further from the truth and this HBR article does a good job of spotlighting deficiencies in the readiness state of our sales profession.

We, the educated business professionals are not so smart in this area because we underestimate its importance every day. We don’t recognize excellence enough in the sales profession.

Our mass media and most web conversations overlook opportunities to recognize the positive impact and inspiration from great sales pros. No wonder the sales profession has a stigma.

Do you remember Lionel Logue in the Academy Award winning movie, The King’s Speech?

Let me read your story of a sales engagement that was poignant in some way.

Three Cool iPad Apps I Use

Technology No Responses »

Jun 302012

Many people use their iPad as an entertainment and digital consumption device, but it has some powerful data capture, productivity, and communication capabilities as well.

I especially like taking pictures and videos using the camera, even recording audio files. The files can be curated and refined, and later consumed or embedded into office productivity documents, presentations, or messages.

I saw this photo awards backdrop painting at a conference this week. It looked to me to have the flair to capture one’s imagination about night life in San Francisco. I quickly snapped a picture with a good frame using the gigantic screen available on the iPad. Many times in the past when I had a small camera screen, I missed the proper frame.

I wirelessly move the photos from my iPad to the desktop using Photosync from touchbyte GmbH. It is easy to pick the ones I want to move, and I can choose to sync, copy iPad photos and videos to another iOS, Mac or Windows machine, or do the reverse. It also transfers to Dropbox, Picasa/Google+, Facebook, SmugMug, Flickr, Box, FTP, WebDAV, and now Google Drive.

Another must-have application that I probably use the most is Notability By Ginger Labs. Allows me to capture the audio recording, linked with my handwritten notes, auto sync to the cloud. Also, I insert photos and videos. I’ve used a couple writing instruments instead of my finger and found the best designed one for my iPad is Bamboo Stylus from Wacom.

Lastly, I found SkyDrive on iPad is a real UX winner. I have for years been a big user of SkyDrive, and have found that it works well on the iPad to access my photos and files and those files shared with me. You can share files, photos, send a link via email or copy and paste a link to send. Works with the new retina display. Continuing with the Microsoft line, I am still testing OneNote on the iPad, and will offer my impressions when the tests are further along.

There are many more applications on the iPad that will accomplish important productivity tasks. I’m sure you have some favorites that help you zing through the day too. Why not make some comments here, and share some of your impressions about apps you use?

Mobility Strategy For IT Organizations

Technology No Responses »

May 312012

Consumer driven mobile devices and applications in the corporate landscape are everywhere. It’s causing uproar in some circles. Information technology professionals are playing catch-up to re-gain control. Employees are not waiting. Millions of iPad tablets and smartphones are coming onto the corporate network.

It is crucial for IT shops to have a well implemented strategy that supports BYOD, Bring Your Own Device. The days of all employees having the same corporate provisioned mobile device and notebook computer are ending. With the end, comes the challenge for IT shops to move rapidly. Even if you’re with a small firm or are an entrepreneur, these principals apply for the same reasons of security and management. I believe these elements form a viable Action Plan for IT organizations.

Action Plan for IT Organizations
1.	Start with Mobile Device Management
2.	Lockdown Tablets and Smartphones
3.	Consolidate Mobility Projects
4.	Monitor and Manage Corporate Data on employee devices
5.	Have a Device Inventory
6.	Accommodate more than one device per person
7.	Focus on full life cycle approach with Enterprise Mobility Management capabilities

Mobile Device Management (MDM) is more than a corporate app store. When specifying requirements for MDM acquisition, it’s important to look for capabilities to manage the data on the devices and access to data in the corporate data stores.

The Lockdown piece is a mandatory requirement that the device owner use passwords and the central IT administration be able to wipe the device in case it is lost or stolen.

Too many mobility projects sprawled out across the corporate landscape will lead to duplicative efforts that need to be managed anyways. Useful guidance under IT Service Management (ITSM) is a best practice used by leading IT organizations.

The monitoring and management of corporate data on the devices should be done separately from personal data. Many architectures, processes, technologies like HTML5 versus native device applications or hybrids are gaining acceptance as solutions. We’ll be revisiting these elements in future blog posts. Enabling these capabilities and automating the management and monitoring of private and corporate data are two aspects needed at the beginning.

Knowing how many devices each employee has is important and what is in their hands is important to see the picture of the risk landscape. Basic fundamentals.

Finally, the enterprise mobility management (EMM) element is a focus on the full mobile lifecycle approach: when managing the device it’s not enough, but also required is managing the mobile data, and the access. All corporations with a handle on directory services and identity and access mechanisms will be at an advantage in support of the mobile strategy.

All IT organizations know their mobility strategy must enable the business drivers underpinning the increased demands of mobile device warriors. Effective IT organizations will implement a mobile strategy that will contain these action items. Non-effective IT organizations trying to somehow muddle through without a mobile device strategy run at great risk that their employees will inadvertently expose corporate intellectual property, trade secrets, or vital plans.

How much longer can the IT department sustain the risk of heightened exposure of being out of compliance, breaking the law, or harming the firm’s reputation?

Do you agree with this action plan? I welcome your comments here.

An Easy Way To Safely Use Your Tablet In Public

Products No Responses »

Mar 142012

You turn on your iPad tablet and want to do some viewing. You’re in close proximity to others and you are uncomfortable with them gazing onto your screen. Have you experienced this? Then micro louver could be important to you.

You are working on a sensitive and very private marketing plan.

Unbeknownst, your competitor sits nearby, screen scraping the page with his eyeballs.

When the plane lands, your competitor conveys the newly harvested info to his boss, sending your key relationship into the garbage bin.

Think it can’t happen you? It happens a lot, and with bad results. Occasionally, Spying in the business world makes the news headlines. These famous Corporate Espionage cases produced expensive and embarrassing consequences. According to SANS Reading Room report writer and course instructor, Shane W. Robinson, corporations spend billions every year spying on their competitors, and tens of billions more is lost with corporate intelligence swindlers.

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