We are all completely moved into our amazing new data center and we couldn’t be happier! It’s incredible how productive a person can be in such a lovely environment. Don’t get me wrong, our old office was lovely too, but the big open space, great windows and comfy offices in this new building are so inviting. It almost makes a person want to live here! It’s also been wonderful to be in the middle of town. It’s easy to walk to shops and restaurants– it feels like the perfect place to really integrate ourselves into the local business community! We’re already regulars at the Chamber of Commerce and other local business groups, but there is something to be said for being right at the heart of the action.

Finishing our move into our new home has been the perfect cap on our year, and we’re all in very high spirits going into 2012. We managed the transition without any service issues and all our hardware is humming along, backed up by our new generator. The neighborhood has been welcoming and understanding of the many vehicles coming in and out each day as we migrated all our hardware to the new space. We’re now taking a collective breath, putting the finishing touches on our offices and looking forward to the holidays!

Early in the new year, I will post that virtual tour I’ve been talking about. With our space fully decorated and complete, you’ll get a real sense of the vibe of the office and the great personalities of our team. You’ll get a peek into the inner-workings of your hosting company (this is some spy stuff, I’m serious). Stay tuned.

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The holidays bring cheer, presents and a fresh new round of scams to our Internet. It’s a time of year when folks are busy shopping online and we’re all feeling a little more giving. Unfortunately, our giving attitudes and rush to get gifts for everyone on our lists make us likely targets for the opportunistic crooks in our midst. So hunker down, have a cup of cocoa and learn how to protect yourself from the 12 scams of Christmas, 2011!  Thanks to the folks over at McAfee for reprising the list! We’ve included some from them and some others we’ve seen in our own travels. Enjoy!

1. Online Shopping

Everyone buys gifts online these days. It’s a great way to find the perfect items without having to leave the comfort of your home. But beware of the scam store! If you’re shopping somewhere unfamiliar, be careful to check out the store’s credentials. Otherwise you may purchase a gift that never arrives.

2. Mobile Malware

As mobile devices become ever more popular, malware that targets them does too. As more consumers than ever use their mobile devices to shop, check bank accounts and redeem coupons, more of us are in danger. You should pay particular attention to QR codes this year. Malware exploits the little black and whites to gain access to your phone (particularly Androids).

3. Fake Apps

Who doesn’t love apps? They’re cute, cheap and entertaining. Unfortunately there are many malicious apps out there that will steal information from smart phones or send out expensive fake texts. They’re often masquerading as games or cute applications.

4. Fake Antivirus Software

It’s ironic: you get this stuff to protect you from viruses and here it is causing them! Fake antivirus software or scareware, as it’s now known, frightens users into installing it with a fake alert about an active infection. Once the user clicks “install” the real infection takes hold.

5. Scammy Facebook Promotions

Facebook is chock full of fake promotions, contests and prizes. While this is always true, users are particularly susceptible around the holidays. Protect yourself from this one by simply refusing to click! Just say no. If something seems too good to be true… well… you know the rest.

6. Holiday Screen Savers

They’re so cute: Rudolph and his glinting nose, 3D santa, a festive tree, but be careful! Downloading anything from a site you don’t know and trust can be dangerous. The scariest part is you may never know you were infected!

7. Mac Malware

This is a first! Until recently Mac users have been protected from your typical spammy malware, but not so anymore. According to McAfee, there were 5,000 pieces of malware targeting Macs at the end of 2010. You better believe that number is only going up.

8. Phishing at the Holidays

Phishing scams are a matter of course all year round, but at the holidays they take on a decidedly trickier hue. Many holiday phishing scams claim to be charities, social holiday greetings from friends or coupons for holiday shopping. Always be suspicious of any unsolicited communications!

9. Online Coupons

Speaking of coupons, watch out for them! Everyone is looking for coupons while they’re doing holiday shopping, and scammers know it. Most coupon scams involve entering personal information. Never enter personal information on an unfamiliar or untrusted site.

10. Mystery Shopper Scams

Who doesn’t want to be a mystery shopper? It’s a fun job doing what you already enjoy (if you’re like me). In this tough economy, many people are looking for extra work to make ends meet around the holidays. If you’re attracted by a mystery shopper job offer, beware. Don’t enter any personal information and you’ll be safe.

11. Tickle Me Elmo

Okay, so this particular “it” gift isn’t so much the rage anymore, but every year there is some toy or gadget that everyone simply must have. Scammers love to use that raw desire to their own advantage. If you see that special something offered for a deep discount or on a strange website, don’t bite. Read all the text carefully. Poorly written copy is often one of the only signs that a scam isn’t the real deal.

12. Away From Home

This is an old-fashioned scam in a new-fashioned world. Don’t announce on Facebook that you’re going out of town. You might not realize it, but chances are good you’ve got some followers you don’t know all that well. Chances are even better that they’ve got followers you know even less. Take a simple precaution and keep your travel plans to yourself.

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No matter what business you’re in, data security is important to you and to your current and potential clients. For many small business owners, the fear of poor security is enough to inspire them to invest huge amounts of money in in-house data infrastructures to run their businesses. In many (if not most) cases, this level of infrastructure far exceeds what the company needs, or even what it can handle. Hiring the IT staff necessary to keep in-house technology running and up-to-date, alone, can put you out of business. And with the constant evolution of technology today, the costs are not likely to go down any time soon. On top of all that, your data security probably isn’t as solid as you think it is.

Downsize

The first step towards financial independence from your IT infrastructure is downsizing. I don’t just mean buying cheaper or less robust equipment, I mean getting rid of your equipment all together. It might seem like a bold step, but the number of world-class, secure, affordable web hosting and data storage providers out there make this step a no-brainer. Not only will you enjoy improved data security and performance, your out-of-pocket costs will plummet. Good web hosting companies can afford to have the most robust, powerful security measures available. Why not trust the experts?

Going Remote

While it will probably feel strange at first–like you’re arriving at high school without your pants–you will quickly realize how liberating it is to trust your data to a company that specializes in security. If you do your homework and sign up with a reputable company that offers guarantees (guaranteed backups, guaranteed bandwidth, etc.) you will have someone to hold accountable when things go wrong, and you will be protected by their terms of service and their public reputation. No good web hosting company is going to let your business fail because that means their business fails. In an online climate where word of mouth makes and breaks businesses every day, the small business consumer is protected like never before. Also, when your data is accessible remotely, your office suddenly becomes mobile. You can access your business website, client records, everything, via a secure remote connection. This can be a real boon for a small business, especially when that business only has a few very busy employees.

Save The Green

By outsourcing all of your IT costs, you won’t have to worry about electricity, IT staff, hardware replacements or the potential for catastrophic data loss due to fire, flood or any other natural or man-made disaster. Your business won’t be tied to one physical location. If you sign up with a company that has multiple data centers, you can opt to have your data backed-up to multiple geographic sites. This redundancy protects you, your clients and your business future.

Upgrades

One of the most compelling reasons to get your infrastructure out of your office is the possibility for on-the-fly technology upgrades. What if your business suddenly takes off? Do you want to be held back by your aging infrastructure? With a good web host, you can add server space quickly and easily. Often all you will need to do is submit an online order!

Support

If you are not particularly tech-oriented, or don’t feel entirely comfortable letting go of your hardware, find a package that includes fully managed support. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to call when things go wrong? Someone who knows the technology backwards and forwards, and who’s fee is already included in your monthly bill? Yes. Yes it would.

Provider Competence

Of course, what goes without saying here, is that you need to find a solid, reputable provider (that’s right, I said it anyway). In addition to solid guarantees and a good TOS, look for a company with a proven track record with small businesses like yours. If other business owners are happy with the service, chances are you will be too. Funnily enough, one such business pops to mind: TurnKey Internet. We specialize in small businesses! We also offer a huge collection of additional automation services to streamline every aspect of your business. Hop on live chat if you’ve got questions. We’d love to make you an offer you can’t refuse 😉

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Keeping your website fresh and up-to-date may not be on the top of your list of priorities at the moment, but it should be. While it may not be fair, an out-of-date website speaks volumes about your business. It portrays a lack of technical savvy, imparts to clients that you may not be the most reliable company out there and may send new business to your competition. Of course, you know you have a strong company with good customer service, excellent products and a proven track record. The thing is, it’s not enough to know that, you also have to communicate it to potential clients. In the world today, your company website may be the first, last and only impression your clients have of your business. That and that alone should make it a priority.

Credibility

In our fast-paced marketplace, we don’t have a lot of time to investigate a company before we give it our business (or, alternately, take our business elsewhere). We make snap decisions, often not even realizing why we’re making them. Think about it: if you visit a website for a clothing store and find broken links, an outdated template, a sloppy design and an unpleasant color-scheme, are you likely to trust that business with yours? This is especially true if you sell products online! I am not putting my credit card information into a form from 1998. With all the identity fraud out there, consumers are wise to the dangers, and they’re much more careful than they used to be. This is a good thing for consumer safety but it makes your job harder. The look and feel of your website goes a long way towards building client trust.

Marketplace Perception

Your website doesn’t just speak to your potential clients, it also speaks to your competition. If your competitors visit your site and see a sub-par presentation, they will probably do their best to upstage you, and it won’t be difficult. if you’re competing in a niche and you know your competition, check out their sites. Does yours measure up? Thinking objectively, would you shop at your site or would you trust the competition? So much of business is about subtle perceptual hints. Take advantage of that.

It’s Something You Can Control

There are many things in the marketplace that you can’t do anything about. You can’t change the economy. You can’t force clients to visit your store. You can’t predict the future. However, one thing you can do, today, is change your website. You may find that a simple re-design is all you need to bring your site up-to-date. Maybe all you need is a new background, some new fonts, some fixed links and a better photograph! Small changes really can make a big difference.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive!

One of the greatest things about technology today is the large amount of automation available to people with relatively little technical experience. In fact, right here at TurnKey we have a great product called TurnKey Website. It’s an all-in-one website builder with an easy-to-use interface, lots of pre-made professional templates and total customization. In under an hour, starting with no experience whatsoever, you can build an entirely new website for your company. While it may feel intimidating, the learning curve really is very shallow! And with everything you have riding on the quality of your website, it’ll be an hour well spent.

Learn more here:
http://turnkeywebsite.com

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