Merry Christmas!

Some Thoughts on Planning

There are many things to think about when planning for the year. What will be the financial strategy? Will marketing look different? Is there new equipment that needs to be purchased? Obviously, running a business can get stressful, but if there's one thing we know it's that, while there is a lot of risk in business, there are great frameworks that can help to make things operate and function a little smoother. A couple of things included in those frameworks are:

• Guesses need to be educated and risk needs to be calculated.
• How you build can matter just as much as what you build.
• Make sure that your marketing brings in revenue not just attention.
• Worry less about timing, things get re-invented all the time.

This is by no means an all inclusive list, but will hopefully spark some ideas. Frameworks have been developed for many things, so keep in mind that you don't always have to re-invent the wheel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Planning Time

We went from cassette tape to cd to download and now to streaming. The music industry, as with all other industries, has had to adapt and change. As time goes on, as technology improves and advances, we have to adapt and keep up or get left behind. As, the year comes to an end, be thinking about how you could improve. What technology could be implemented? How could you make your business more efficient, more effective? This will look different for everyone, regardless of whether or not you’re in the same industry.

The following are a few things to remember and to help guide you in your thoughts about planning:

• Adapting to new technology is becoming increasingly more important. We’re moving faster than ever and new technology gives us the tools to be more efficient and effective at both our daily tasks and big picture strategy.
• Online tools are amazing and can give us access from anywhere we need it. The downside? With more and more web based apps will inevitably come more cyber attacks. This means that security protocols will become increasingly important.
• Cloud strategy. I know that we sound like a broken record, but things happen. Every company needs to have a disaster plan and part of that could and probably should be a cloud service. Whether all information is hosted and/or run off of a hosted server or all files (not just the critical ones, space is cheap) are backed up and accessible from off site, every company strategy plan should involve the cloud.

Just remember that even a small step is still a step, so take that step forward as we plan for and get ready to move into a new year.

What passwords?

What if there was something better than passwords? Well technically there is, but it isn't necessarily widespread just yet. Biometric readers have been used for years as a way to unlock our computers (and many other things) and after Apple introduced Touch ID, passwords started becoming less necessary. For instance, I have several apps that now ask me if I want to use Touch ID instead of typing in my password. While this technology isn’t full proof, it certainly is very convenient and a little more difficult to hack. But Apple isn’t the only one in this game. Microsoft introduced Windows Hello which, on compatible devices, can not only read your finger print but also recognize you by your face or iris.

How does this work? Basically, when you set up Windows Hello, the system will take data from the finger print, face or iris sensor and create what Microsoft calls a data representation. In their words, this isn’t a picture, in the case of the face or iris, but more of a graph. This information then gets encrypted and stored on the device. The one thing that some people might not like is that some of this data is collected in effort to see how people are using the software and if it’s working properly. Microsoft does, however, say that all information that could identify the user is stripped out before it’s sent.

What do we think? This could be a good step forward for security. For years, organizations concerned about security have been using facial recognition as well as iris and finger print scanners. This is not, technically speaking, a new technology. It’s just finally made it to the hands of the average consumer and at the end of the day, it works. Will it stop all attacks or all possible break-ins? No, but it’s definitely moving in the right direction.

Keeps your eyes peeled!

A few days ago I received an email from "UPS". They were claiming that I had unpaid invoices. Now, we as a company use UPS all the time. However, I'm not the contact person nor do they have my email address on file as a contact... It's easy to see through a scam or email virus when the foreign prince is trying to entrust his fortune to you, but this email from "UPS" was not as obvious. At the end of the day, we can never be too careful, so keep your eyes peeled.

How's you virus protection?

When's the last time you thought about the virus protection on your computer? Often, we only talk about what to do after the infection has happened. However, there are ways to be proactive and in many cases avoid the infection altogether.

One basic way to be a little more secure is to find and fix the areas where a computer might be vulnerable. This might look like running an operating system that is no longer supported, such as Windows XP, or leaving outdated programs, that aren't being used, on the computer. In both of these instances, "doors" are open to an attack. Our advice, delete programs that you're not using. Not only will this free up space and help that computer to run faster, but it will also remove a possible entry point for a virus.

Of course, we can't talk about security without mentioning email. Plain and simple, be safe and cautious. Some things to look out for are the email address (do you recognize the sender?) and the formatting of the email (does the wording seem odd?).  

We've mentioned this a lot in the past, but always make passwords protecting critical information as cryptic as possible. The less they make sense, the harder they are to crack. Basically, don't use your birthday or easily found personal information.

No computer is unhackable, but why make it easy? So, take a few steps or as many as you can to protect that device.

Flooding...

With all the flooding in Louisiana, we figured that it would be the right time to remind everyone about having good secure backups. A few things to keep in mind with backups are:

1. Using an external drive can be a very inexpensive way to backup the company server, however, these backups need to be kept off-site in case of a disaster whether natural or un-natural i.e. flooding.
2. Having an off-site realtime backup, like Carbonite, is always the best option. This also makes it possible to be back up and running much faster given that files can be accessed from anywhere. If you've taken the next step and started having the company server hosted by a service, then the team could log in and continue working as if nothing ever happened. 
3. A final note is to regularly verify backups. We've seen far too many times where someone thinks they have a valid backup only to realize that either important files are missing or the backups are unusable.

Again, backups are extremely important and, in the long run, very cheap insurance. As always, if you have any questions, feel welcome to send those our way.

Easy Mobile Selling with the Windows Tablet

DataWeld’s new tablet based software products give drivers and outside sales people the same order processing capabilities in the field that they would have if they were sitting at a terminal in the office.

1. Orders can be processed with full taxing and special pricing capabilities.
2. Customer specific purchase history is available with a couple of keystrokes.
3. Inventory balances can be checked.
4. Cylinder balances can be confirmed.

All the questions drivers and sales people would typically need to call the office for can now be answered in seconds with no office interruptions. Also, orders taken in the field are automatically updated when the driver or sales person returns. Data entry bottlenecks are eliminated and mistakes are reduced.

Does the customer want a full size receipt? The blue tooth capabilities of the tablet make it possible to print to an onboard printer. Do you need to scan barcodes on your cylinders or products? The built in barcode scanner makes it easy. And the optional cylinder serial number tracking with barcode scanning is built right into the order entry program.

Do you want a lot of data on the tablet for your drivers or minimal data? The choice is yours. It's easy to move from bare bones ordering to full blown customer service inquiries by simply deciding what data you do and don’t want on the tablet.
 

The best part is how the data moves back and forth. All that is needed is WI-FI and the data moves seamlessly between the tablet and the server with a click on the mouse. No cables or cradles to worry about. Drivers and salespeople don’t even need to come into the office. They can send their daily orders to the server while still sitting in the cab of their truck. Convenient, quick, and easy.

Proper Tools make all the Difference

Having the proper tools can make all the difference in how my day goes. For instance, I'm not a designer, which is why I got excited when I heard about the site Canva. I was listening to a webinar and the speaker talked about it as a design site for non-designers. This instantly got my attention and, after some investigation, I was impressed. The site offered exactly what the person had described. Essentially, this company has designers create the foundation and then the end user can come in and tweak that design by adding their content and pictures. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, then take some time and rearrange the elements. It doesn't have everything, however, it’s great for specific things like setting up an email template, social media post, or infographics. This tool may not be the ultimate design tool, but it might help you and your team to better portray a message to customers. Also, it’s a given that, in smaller businesses, most people on the team will wear multiple hats. Tools like these help those of us that are juggling multiple jobs to do them better, faster, and more efficiently. As always, if you have any questions about this newsletter or suggestions to make it better, please feel welcome to send those our way!

Passwords

We talk a lot about passwords and security here, but that’s because of how important they are to your computer’s security. If you have a simple password, i.e. 12345 or password (yes people do use that), then keep in mind that hacking such a simple password takes less than a minute. As we’ve said in the past, it doesn’t have to be so complicated that it can’t be memorized. However, a strong password should have upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters when possible. 

Barcode Scanning with the iPhone has been Improved

The latest iPhone, the 6S, now has an improved 12 megapixel camera. How does that impact you? If you're using the DataWeld iPhone app, or plan to, it can have a big impact. The app allows an operator to use a traditional bluetooth barcode scanner or the built in iPhone camera. The iPhone camera has always worked, but it was more of a last resort. It took too much time to focus to be practical for continuous scanning. Our recent internal testing has shown the iPhone 6S to read barcodes almost as fast as a dedicated barcode scanner. What this means is that you may want to look closely at the iPhone 6S for scanning purposes. If, after your own testing, you decide to use the camera as opposed to a traditional barcode scanner, then you've saved some money. If you decide to continue using the bluetooth scanner, then you have a vastly improved back up scanner. 

Automate those task!

Having the correct tools can make all the difference when you're trying to finish thousands of tasks during the day. For instance, backups are critical, but if you have to remember to go to the server, plug in a drive, and set the backup to run, then you've spent time on a task that could have been automated. Instead, you could setup a service like Carbonite that backs up automatically and then worry about more important tasks, like filling up your cup of coffee... Seriously though, having the proper tools in place can save little bits of time that may add up to massive chunks of time. What's the point? Always ask the question: Am I doing this task the most efficient and effective way?

There's an iPhone update!

A newly enhanced and updated version of AcuTrax for the iPhone will be available this May. It will actually make the iPhone work a little more like the other handhelds you're used to using, such as the Janam and the Workabout Pro. When scanning cylinders, the operator will enter the total to be shipped or returned and then start scanning. The program will automatically increment the total number of cylinders shipped and wait for the next scan. 

New Trovan iPhone Reader
In addition to this new version of AcuTrax for the iPhone, Trovan recently released a new transponder reader for the iPhone market. The reader is about the size of a garage door opener and connects via BlueTooth, eliminating the need for cables. The price has been dramatically reduced making the new reader a mere $200. Want to read more? Click here for the PDF.

Going Green

All of us know that we need to be responsible with our natural resources and with our bank accounts. What does this look like? This might look like changing the light bulbs to LEDs (which are much more efficient and last significantly longer) or maybe turning off some of those unused lights... It might also look like setting up recycling for the company. Regardless, the big idea here is to start thinking about the impact of how we do business. The next two points are some ideas to hopefully get you started.

1. Go paperless: This is one of the things I say all the time and that’s because it has so many benefits. First, with no more paper and automatic backups set to run, critical files are never lost. So scan the important documents and setup a real-time automatic backup. Second, you’re helping the environment while saving money. Consider the following statistic: 39% of copies are thrown in the trash... so why not email that file? Or scan that document into the digital filing system (where everyone has access without printing) and recycle the paper.

This can also look like going paperless on bills. Most companies these days will send a digital version of an invoice (many encourage this) and many like receiving a digital version. When the bill is emailed, it's there immediately and there's no money spent on paper, postage, or envelopes. If you're a vendor, with a good accounting system, the invoicing process can be automated. Invoices could be processed and emailed out automatically without anybody getting involved other than the initial entry.

At a bare minimum, going paperless makes a company more efficient, but in the long road it can make a company more profitable and environmentally friendly.

2. Alternative energy: Solar Power. I know that solar can be a large upfront cost but, if the plan is to stay in the same location for a while, it can easily be looked at as an investment. First, we’re talking free energy. That means no longer paying the power company for electricity or at least not all of it. Second, with enough solar panels, the power company will start paying for the excess energy that is sent back onto the grid. This helps the bank account and the environment. 

There are companies that will cover the roof in solar panels and even create covered parking with solar panels. Installing panels on the roof is pretty much permanent. Covered parking is fantastic, but that is definitely a much more permanent and costly solution. While these options are great for the companies that have the bank accounts to fund them, they're not always practical for everyone to implement. Let's say you're not planning on staying for a long time, maybe just a year or a couple of years. Smaller panels can be mounted on the outside of a building (much like hanging a sign) and used to power smaller setups. Think powering some computers and maybe the lights, but not necessarily a server room.

Again, the main point of this article is not about the above two points, but more so to get us thinking about the impact of how we do business. These ideas are just two ways of many that a company could be more efficient and environmentally friendly, while saving money.

See you at GAWDA!

Spring Cleaning

t's officially spring and that means spring cleaning! I do understand that the warehouse is probably going to remain dirty, but that's not really what I'm talking about. We urge people all the time to create backups and there's a reason: they're extremely important. However, there's no reason to back up that third extra copy of the photo from last year's company picnic that somehow kept getting copied and re-saved in random places... So, in honor of spring, take a few minutes to clean off those old files and get a little more organized. If you need a jumping off point, then click here to read more on Getting Organized.

Safe Browsing

Between Apple being asked to create a back door to the iPhone and Google having to once again update security protocols, we can never be too safe. Information is becoming more and more difficult to protect, be cautious while browsing. There are people creating fake download buttons and attempting to replicate trusted sites in an effort to steal private information or extort money. Should you be worried? I would say no, at least for now, but would encourage everyone to implement safe browsing practices.

Safe Browsing and Deceptive Ads

Google recently announced that they would be enhancing their Safe Browsing protection to now include deceptive embedded content, such as social engineering ads. This will be in addition to the policies that they announced back in November. What does this mean? It means that embedded content, such as ads on a web page, will be consider social engineering (viruses, malware, phishing, etc.) when they meet certain criteria. 

These criteria are:

• Pretend to act, look, or feel like a trusted entity. This means that the content could look like the actual website or browser.
• Tries to trick the user into doing something that they would normally only do with a trusted site. This could mean trying to get someone to share their password, personal information, etc.

What does all of this mean? Be cautious. If you’re not certain of the validity of a link, then don’t click on it. If you get an email from your bank, email service provider, etc., stating that you need to update information, then go directly to that site instead of following the link. 

With the amount of viruses and malware floating around right now, it’s simply smarter to take the philosophy of better safe than sorry. Also, always have virus and malware protection installed on every computer. Attacks can spread to every computer on a network. Just as important, if not more, have a verified backup. There’s no excuse anymore given the prices of external drives and online real-time backup services. This is cheap insurance that is worth every penny and it could mean the difference between being up and running the next day as if nothing happened or not being able to open for business.

Be Visible

In continuation of the Cutting Cost article from last month, we’ve written up an article with some more tips. The first section is about getting your information out there and in view of your clients. The second section is about helping people and sharing the wisdom gleaned from you’re years in business.

The big idea behind this list is Be Visible.

• Add Company Information Everywhere – A company needs to have their information everywhere that is reasonable and logical for the company. This means that company communications, such as emails, invoices, promotional materials, etc, should include not only contact names and numbers, but also the company website, any forums and/or blogs that are regularly posted to, social media, etc. If it can be linked to, then it should be included. The point here is to let clients and potential clients know where they can find you.
• Offer Professional Advice – I once had someone tell me that they may not be able to give good advice on running a business, but they could certainly make a list of all the things not to do. While mistakes are guaranteed in business, if you’ve been in business for awhile, then chances are that you have some wisdom to impart. This is all about being involved in and helping the community around you. If a client or potential client is having trouble on a project that you have expertise in, then offer up your advice to help them finish the project. This could be in an online forum or at your customer’s site. Projects like this show that you care about your clients and can help establish a company as an expert in the field, which can lead to word of mouth referral. As we’ve seen time and time again, word of mouth is one of the strongest marketing tools that can be harnessed.

Again, the big idea here is to be visible. While these changes may seem small, the goal is to use the tools that are already at your disposal. Adding your company information and any place where you can be found doesn't take long. This means, in many cases, making one time changes to email signatures, invoice templates, etc. Becoming the subject matter expert for your community can be as simple as spending a little time in an online forum answering questions, posting helpful tips to social media, or spending time at a client's site to find the issues and offering you're advice. 

Don't feel like you have to be involved in every possible outlet or that everything has to be implemented all at once. Simply find the specific social sites, forums, etc. that are relevant to your client base.