Following Target's data breach, in which the financial and personal data of 40 million Americans was leaked online, cyber security has been the focal point of businesses everywhere - or so we've been told. A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, however, reveals that only 17 percent of businesses are fully prepared to prevent or combat a digital breach. This information is particularly evident when considering another recent - and record-breaking - security breach. In February 2014, a number of incidents resulted in the theft of 360 million personal records; those stolen records then went up for sale in the virtual black market. One theft in particular consisted of 105 million records, which is likely the largest internet-related security breach in history. Furthermore, this data does not include the 1.25 billion e-mail addresses also available in this marketplace. Even more alarming is that the businesses and organizations from which this information was taken may be … [Read more...] about Survey: 83% of Businesses Aren’t Prepared for Online Threats
Using business credit card for personal
App.net Giving Out Invites For A Free Month
It’s a smart move that should help bump up App.net’s user levels, especially in the wake of last month’s decision to lower the subscription fee from $50 to $36. According to Appnetizens.com, App.net currently has about 28,700 total users and is adding new users only at a clip of several dozen per day. Existing users on a yearly plan will find a “small number” of invites at account.app.net/invite — my account shows three invites. Invites are emailed and, if the recipient accepts, s/he will need to provide a credit card for billing purposes during the sign-up process. The new member, though, won’t be billed until after the initial free month and can cancel before that happens. App.net launched this summer in part out of frustration over Twitter’s changing approach to working with developers. It’s still a very small community but, in some ways, it’s a test of whether social networking users are willing to pay for an ad-free … [Read more...] about App.net Giving Out Invites For A Free Month
Squares Game-Changer: Mobile Credit Card Processing With One Monthly Fee
There’s an interesting race happening right now in the mobile payments space — it seems like every week brings news of another company or collection of companies trying to squeeze in on the space. Much of the focus, though, is on the consumer side. Meanwhile, over on the merchant side of things, Square changed the game today with its announcement of a flat monthly fee payment plan for small business owners. Square has introduced a $275 monthly plan that doesn’t include a percentage-based processing fee for each transaction. Square’s original plan, with no monthly fee and a 2.75 percent transaction fee, also remains in effect. There are two requirements to qualify for the new plan: It’s available only to businesses that process up to $250,000 in payments per year. There’s a $400 maximum for any single transaction. Transactions that go beyond those limits will be charged at Square’s original 2.75 percent fee. Both of Square’s plans are … [Read more...] about Squares Game-Changer: Mobile Credit Card Processing With One Monthly Fee
Don’t Be a PPC Turkey: Last-Minute Tips for Your Campaigns
If you’re reading this on Tuesday November 25, 2014, then chances are good you’ve got the turkey defrosting and a good line on pumpkin pie. But wait! Before you leave the office to celebrate, take a few minutes to make sure your PPC campaigns are ready for the top three spending days of the year: Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. If you’re tempted to just leave all your PPC campaign settings as they are and get on with the cranberry sauce, consider these critical facts: Half of the top shopping days for the year are in the same week, around Thanksgiving, according to Experian.com. This year two of the top three spending days (Thanksgiving and Black Friday) fall in the last days of the month – when budgets are usually depleted. 18 Simple Last-Minute Tactics Before You Leave the Office These tips for your last-minute PPC check-in come from the experts at Bing Ads, and holiday tactics can be applied on both engines. Don’t Go Dark Increase … [Read more...] about Don’t Be a PPC Turkey: Last-Minute Tips for Your Campaigns
How to optimize your Google My Business listing: expert tips
A Google My Business profile is an essential for local SEO. It’s free and will enable you to appear in local search results for queries specific to your products or services. Even broad queries with large volumes are now showing local results which is something small business owners can capitalise upon. We’ve been asking SEO experts for their advice on setting up and optimising GMB listings.. The experts are: How important is Google My Business for local SEO? Greg Gifford: GMB is incredibly important, but it’s going to lose prominence now that they’re removing all location information from the GMB listings. There’ll now simply be a social interface (on a social network that no one is using). But – the GMB dashboard still feeds the info to Maps and the Knowledge Box for a business, so it’s still of vital importance to claim your location and fill out your info. Kevin Gibbons: The increased visibility that Google has placed around Google Local … [Read more...] about How to optimize your Google My Business listing: expert tips