Don’t Mess with Scammers.  

by Felicien | Aug 17, 2017 | Education

Just because you know that an email is a phishing attempt, doesn’t make it safe for you to play along. Discover the dangers of engaging scammers online.  
Most of us find phishing emails in our inbox each month—Some of them are so outrageous that they make us laugh out loud.

How many times have you read emails from scammers trying to entice you to hand over cash and personal information?  Some use stories about foreign princes who’ve chosen you to help them move millions of dollars to offshore. Or, emails saying that you’ve won a lottery that you never entered? There are many different scams out there. The only thing they have in common is a preposterous back story, and poor English that’s riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes.
These phishing emails are so outrageous that people typically recognize them.  But, cybercriminals are getting smart.  Their scams are becoming more difficult to identify.  However, there are always clues if you look hard enough. You can stay safe if you follow some basic rules:

Don’t download attachments you aren’t expecting.
Call a company or individual who requests information so you can verify the email came from them and not a criminal.

Policies and Training
Make sure your company has procedures and professional security training in place to help your staff recognize and properly handle potential phishing scams.  Bring in an IT security professional to:

Train new employees on email security polices as soon as they come onboard.
Conduct refresher training for current employees each year.
Give phishing tests to see how your team scores.

Fighting Back Against Scammers
Some people want to fight back against the scammers. There’s even a name for this online vigilantism—It’s called “scambaiting.”Websites like Vice run humorous articles about tricking scammers. And, spambaiting videos are very popular on YouTube.
Entire websites such as 419Eater and Mac’s Bait Store are dedicated to providing tips on how to scambait successfully. Most of these stories portray spambaiting as a fun and exciting intellectual challenge.
Is it Spambaiting Worth It?
Honestly, I realize how the idea of spamming a scammer can seem like a mildly amusing diversion. Yet, if any of my clients asked me if it’s worth engaging with a scammer, I would tell them, “No.”
There’s never a reason to respond to someone that you believe may be trying to take advantage of you. While it’s amusing to read the stories about how others have retaliated, and what they did to turn the tables on scammers, it doesn’t mean that you, or anyone in your company, should try to do the same. After all, these scammers are criminals, and nothing good can come from communicating with people who make a living by conning people.
Don’t Respond to a Scammer’s Email.  Here’s What Can Happen If You Do.
Although you have little to gain from responding to someone who sends you a phishing email (except a fleeting feeling of moral justice), there is a lot you can lose. When you respond to a phishing email, you’re telling the scammer a lot more about yourself than you can imagine.
First, when you respond to an email, you acknowledge that the email address is still in use. It can prompt the scammer to place your email on a list of active addresses that can trigger more email scams. This is just the beginning of the information you’re unintentionally providing to the scammer.
As you probably already know, every email has a header. It’s easy to see some of the information that’s included in the header, like the time the message was sent, the email address of the person who sent it, and the recipient’s email. But what you may not know is that there’s a lot more hidden information in the header. One of the most valuable pieces of hidden information that scammers can use against you is the pathway to your inbox. When a scammer knows the name of your server he can easily find out the general area from where you’re connecting to the Internet.
Once a scammer finds out your general location, it’s simple for him to look up the kind of information you really don’t want a criminal to know, like your social media accounts, your phone number, and even your home address.
So, What You Do?
My best advice to avoid becoming the victim of an email scam is to delete any suspicious emails from unknown persons without opening them. If you ever receive an email from a legitimate contact asking for personal information, don’t reply. Instead, call the person directly on the telephone and confirm that he’s the person who emailed you. If possible, provide the required information over the phone.
Three of the Most Advanced Phishing Scams to Avoid
Unfortunately, not every phishing attempt is so blatantly obvious. There are a few email scams out there that can fool even the most attentive person. Learn more about these three advanced phishing scams and ways to avoid them:

The Google Doc Scam
The Gmail Scam
The Amazon Scam

Remember that you can report phishing and other email scams by forwarding suspicious email messages with their complete header to: spam@UCE.gov
For more information about phishing scams and how you can protect your business with employee IT Security Training, contact the experts at {company}.  {phone} {email}

6 Big Website Mistakes You’ve Probably Made

by Felicien | Aug 16, 2017 | Education

That Are Costing Your Business Money.
Have you fallen prey to these common website mistakes— Ones that will alienate your customers and deplete your revenue?

If you tried to save money by constructing your own website, or had it built by someone without the latest knowledge in digital marketing, you’re wasting money, and probably losing business. Check out these common mistakes, and find out how you can overcome them.

Lack of Credibility

The first thing prospects look for when visiting your website is a professional image that inspires confidence in your brand. When the information on your home page is weak, outdated or inaccurate, the trust you’re trying to develop will never happen.
Here’s a tip: If you’re part of a larger consortium, or have recommendations from organizations like the Better Business Bureau, list these prominently throughout your site. Readers will find these brandings comforting, as they represent a known entity. This is especially important if your brand is new, or you’re reaching beyond your market to bring in new customers.

Inconsistent Branding

Branding your business consistently with professional logos, images, and language is just as important online as it is in print materials. If your website is slick and stunning, but looks completely off-brand, you run the risk of confusing potential customers.
The template that your site is built upon is another issue. If you use stock images, it’s a good possibility that viewers will recognize this. Visuals are important. Pay for professional images, or better yet, use photographs that truly represent who you are and what you’ve accomplished.  This will elicit honesty and promote trust.

Long Page-Load Times

People are busy. If it takes upwards of 4 to 5 seconds to load a web page, viewers will give up and Google your competitor. Free websites that offer low-cost hosting may seem attractive. However, as you know, you get what you pay for in this regard.
Shared hosting accounts run thousands of websites on the same server, causing latency issues along with significant security concerns. Successful businesses work with local IT Managed Services Providers to create secure, highly-structured websites that provide consistent experiences with quick load times.  This encourages visitors to dig deep into a site, increasing the possibility of sales.

Missing a Call to Action

You’ve got a gorgeous website design. You’ve nailed the mobile experience. Your branding is on point. However, you’re still not making any sales! What’s wrong? You’re probably missing an obvious call to action.
After you lead customers down the path to learn about your business and brand, it’s crucial that you ask for them to take an action. This can be as simple as having them sign up for a newsletter, download a PDF document, or create an account and purchase an item.

Inadequate Mobile Experience

More than 50 percent of website views are using a mobile device. It’s critical that your website is mobile-optimized. Google, Bing and other large search engines provide preferential treatment to websites with a great mobile experience.  This will raise your search-result rankings without much effort.
If you’re not sure whether your website is mobile-friendly, grab your phone or tablet and start clicking.  If you see images that flow off the page, forms that require you to scroll before you can submit them, and you’re constantly frustrated with the whole thing—chances are you need to work with a professional to create a mobile-first website that uses responsive design.

Sub-Standard SEO

One of the best ways you can differentiate your business on the web is to have stellar SEO (search engine optimization) rankings.  This means your business shows up in the first page of search engine results for your product or service.
Online discoverability is of critical importance to growing your business. It will increase traffic to your website. Work with a partner who can create a website structure that’s consistent with SEO best practices. 
{company} in {city} has digital marketing professionals who can work with you to beat your competitors online. They can quickly and easily walk through your site and identify places where you can effectively gather information, encourage people to sign up for services or make a purchase.
Contact us at {phone} or email {email} to get started.  We’ll help you open your digital front door.

Affordable Apple Products?  Yes!

by Felicien | Aug 16, 2017 | Education

Apple has long been known as a high-end brand that caters to the younger, wealthier consumer. However, market shifts and changes in the industry have them rethinking their business model.  They are now focusing on mid-market consumers to maintain market share.

Apple’s marketing efforts have long been legendary throughout the world.  In the past, their target demographic was young, hip urbanites who had plenty of discretionary income. Owning an Apple brand was a self-expression of belonging and achievement.
Apple’s drive for efficiency, expedited access to information and advanced capabilities goes as far back as the iPod release and continues today. As a result, Apple has grabbed over 14 percent of the global smartphone market share.
However, fast-moving Chinese companies, along with market leader Samsung, are now taking command of global smartphone sales with their lower-cost products. This new fierce competition has Apple considering a jump into the fray of mid-market offerings.
Global Market Shifts
U.S. consumers may believe that they’re the most technologically advanced in the world—However, they are sorely mistaken. More than 44 percent of global users will own smartphones in 2017— And that number is even greater in countries like South Korea, which leads the world in smartphone ownership, with a whopping 88 percent of the population owning a smart device.
In fact, the U.S. is barely in the top five when you consider usage, with Australia, the UAE and Israel ranking higher, and Spain, the U.K, Canada, Chile and Malaysia following a few percentage points behind. This, in part, is fueled by the prevalence of lower-cost Android phones that offer much of the same functionality and design points as an Apple phone, but at a more affordable price.
Apple’s Marketing Prowess
Part of the reason that Apple has maintained their market dominance, even with their expensive price points, is due to their exceptional marketing prowess. Apple product releases are major events that the media and consumers flock to in mass. Their usability testing focus helps Apple understand their customers at a deep level, fulfilling not only their physical needs (a smartphone), but their aspirational needs (acceptance and a chance to be the “cool kids”). Apple’s strict focus on customer needs, combined with the highest quality in product design and packaging has created an attractive, premium brand.
The Shift in Cellular Provider Models
Another factor that is increasing Apple’s focus on the mid-market is the monumental shift in the cellular industry. Providers such as Verizon and Sprint no longer subsidize the cost of handsets. What this means is that consumers who may have paid on a monthly basis for phones without realizing it was part of a 2-year contract, are now being forced to shell out upwards of $650 for a new Apple phone every year or so. This will limit the range of consumers who can make this type of purchase, further narrowing Apple’s target market range.
Shifting to Mid-Market
Apple has already expanded into the mid-market with their various levels of Macs, such as the less-expensive MacBook Air at around $999 versus the MacBook Pro at several thousand dollars. They also continue to offer older model phones when new models are introduced, to provide customers with an entry-level option. The recent introduction of the iPhone SE seems to be taking off, and the iPad Mini offers a lower-cost option for the tablet crowd without sacrificing much in functionality.
Services Income
Apple’s services business is the size of a Fortune 100 company, with a 30 percent revenue from each sale on the iTunes and App stores, plus Apple Pay, storage payments for iCloud, and their new Apple Music offering. Services continue to outpace product sales by a significant margin, and this may be one reason Apple is looking to broaden their scope of offerings to appeal to a larger market.
Currently, Apple targets younger consumers to lock them into the services infrastructure early on.  They know that as this population ages, and moves upwards in their careers, making a change to a new service will be hurdle.
While targeting the budget market is not likely for Apple, other smartphone and tablet manufacturers should continue to watch their back as Apple extends their reach into the mid-market with offerings that appeal to a broader base of consumers.
Want to learn how to leverage Apple or other technologies for your business in {city}? Contact {company} at {phone} or via email {email} to speak with one of our IT experts.

Thinking about adding remote workers to your team?

by Felicien | Aug 16, 2017 | Education

4 Problems with Remote Working and 4 Ways to Overcome Them
I love the idea of working remotely. It’s a convenient solution for a variety of personal issues, ranging from lack of transportation to reduced physical mobility. And hiring remote workers is good for business.  Studies show that remote workers are more productive, and it allows companies to hire the best talent available from a broad geographical region.

Plus, companies save an average of $11,000 a year on each remote employee. That’s a lot of money, but it’s only a drop in the bucket when comparing the costs of replacing an employee who quits because of a move or the need for a more flexible work schedule. That price averages 20 percent of the person’s annual salary!
However, before you start scouring the Internet sites looking for new remote hires, there are things you need to consider.  Relying on off-site workers presents a unique set of problems. For example, when remote workers don’t have the proper software to work effectively, it can lead to misunderstandings and delays. Luckily, one of my favorite business suites, Office 365 Business Premium offers some applications you can use to solve most of these issues.
Problem #1: Your workers are spread out across the country. One of the greatest strengths of hiring remote workers is also one of the biggest problems – different time zones. If the time difference is only one or two hours, there’s not much of a problem. But, when your company is employing workers from the other side of the world, how do you overcome such a large time difference? One option is to arrange meetings for the time when the workday overlaps. If that’s impossible, then record meetings using Skype For Business. Co-workers who can’t attend a meeting can download reports from SharePoint or OneDrive.
Problem #2: Keeping in touch with supervisors, colleagues, and adapting to sudden changes. Goals and priorities are fluid. You can keep all of your employees up to date on new developments instantly with  Office 365 Business Premium programs like Microsoft Teams and Yammer. Microsoft Teams brings everyone together in a customizable virtual workspace to chat, share ideas and collaborate on projects. Yammer lets you create groups to help your employees learn, share and socialize. Plus, it keeps everyone on the same page, even when they’re miles away from one another.
Problem #3: Accessing software and shared documents. It can be difficult to provide your remote workers with current word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. However, with Office 365 Business Premium, the most popular productivity applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint are already included and available anywhere your staff has an Internet connection. When employees use the same software, coworkers will never have to deal with frustrating compatibility issues. One of my favorite features is the capability to view and edit in real time with my colleagues. OneDrive makes it easy to upload and download any type of digital media quickly, easily and securely.
Problem #4: Remote workers feel isolated and separated from the company culture.  Today a “workplace” is no longer tied to a physical location, but a digital space as well. Of course, this is a quite a change for older workers who are accustomed to going to work at a physical location with a high level of interactions each day. But for younger workers who grew up interacting with people thousands of miles away online, a remote work lifestyle is much more acceptable. These workers already have the experience creating meaningful collaborations and relationships online. Applications like Skype For Business and Yammer can help remote workers feel more like a part of a team by allowing them to interact and develop stronger bonds and trust.
I recommend to my clients that they consider hiring remote workers only once they’ve developed the proper framework for collaboration. With Office 365 Business Premium, you’ll get a complete system, ready from day one.
Want to learn about Microsoft Office 365 or other technologies for your business in {city}? Contact {company} at {phone} or via email {email} to speak with one of our IT experts.