I haven’t posted about the tools I use for my small business in a while, which is a shame because I use Mailchimp every month.  It is also a shame because Mailchimp is a local Atlanta company and I am all about supporting local businesses.

What is MailChimp?

Mailchimp  is an extremely easy to use email publishing platform.  Most companies use it to email newsletters but you can use it to email anything from regular old letters to invitations and  coupons.

Easy to use

There 3 main activities to creating a newsletter:  creating your email list, creating the campaign and monitoring the results.

1. It is a breeze to import your contacts – directly if you use a CRM (customer relationship management system) that integrates with them, thru a CSV file if you don’t.  I use Batchbook so I just share the Mailchimp API with Batchbook and click a button and my contacts are moved over.   You can manage your contacts in Mailchimp but I highly recommend you do that in a CRM.  Hmm, sounds like a topic for another blog post.
2. Once you have a list created you can create campaigns from their templates or from scratch.  They have a ton of good-looking templates.  If you are familiar with Word or WordPress you’ll find them very simple to use (and pretty hard to break).
3. They provide clear and concise reports detailing how many people opened the email, what and where they clicked, etc.  You can even access the reporting on your mobile device.  They provide you with a ton of information you can use to improve the quality of your campaigns.

More advanced features

They include many  advanced features beyond just sending email.

• They have integrations with Facebook, Youtube , Twitter and more so you can share your email campaign on almost any social network.
• They also integrate with events hubs like Facebook and Evenbrite so you can use those tools with Mailchimp’s great templates.
• They have a good reputation for avoiding spam.  What this means to you is that a high percentage of their emails get delivered.
• It is easy to integrate their forms into your website if you like.
• Finally, you can do fancy stuff like a/b split testing (two versions of an email to see which performs better)

Cost

If you have fewer than 2000 subscribers and send fewer than 12000 a month, you can use Mailchimp for free.  Only catch is they put a small logo on the bottom of your email.  It is small and unobtrusive so I don’t mind it.  Here is what it looked like at the bottom of my last newsletter.  If you don’t want the logo or have a bigger subscriber base, you can get a paid account.   Monthly plans start at $15 and are based on your number of subscribers.  You can also opt to pay as you go.

What is the best part?

I mentioned the CRM integrations earlier but the company has obviously made a conscious effort to be open – they integrate with a multitude of other applications.  They integrate with more than 20 CRM applications, more than 20 CMS (content management system) applications and more than 20 e-commerce applications.  They actually integrate with a lot more partners but I got tired of counting.  What does this mean to you?  It means that when you use Mailchimp for your email marketing you stand a great chance of having that data  (coming in and going out) integrate with something else you are already using or thinking about using.  In today’s world of cloud computing this is no small thing.  I also think it shows the right mindset – do what you do well and play nicely with others who do what they do well.  We could all learn something from that.

I read an interesting article on CMSWire today called In the Cloud, the Role of IT Changes.  The opening argument was that now most companies, large and small, outsource things like wiring, copier support, phone support and the other “crawl on the floor to connect wires” type of IT work.  Now that they are also starting to move applications away from their premise and to the cloud, what role is there for IT in a small or medium sized organization?

I agree with the conclusion that IT will not go away.   The activities that IT folks do will change from installing, supporting and monitoring applications in house to choosing and managing vendors and external applications and making sure any integration work.  IT resources will be aligned more tightly with the business and focus on how the business uses the software and how the software might be configured to be most efficient.

In fact, as technology becomes more strategic for companies, the IT roles become more strategic and less “cost of doing business”.  How can your business best leverage emerging technologies?  What is your level of risk in various circumstances and how can you mitigate that risk?  Are you signed up for the appropriate level of service for your company?  Have you negotiated the best possible deal?

The points in the article are all good but how does this apply to small business?  I think it leads to a number of questions that each business owner has to address:

• Do I have the time and knowledge to make technology decisions?
• Do I have the time and knowledge to choose, negotiate with and manage any number of vendors?
• Do I have the time and knowledge to integrate the solutions my business needs?

Didn’t get enough buzzwords last week?  Not to worry, I am here to fill the big gaping void in your week!  Here are more buzzwords that every small business owner should know.

Lets get started!

1. Business intelligence – CIO.com defines business intelligence or BI as “… an umbrella term that refers to a variety of software applications used to analyze an organization’s raw data”.  So what does that mean?   Generally it means going beyond straight transactional reporting to using data to  improve decision making, cut costs or identify new business opportunities.  It generally entails merging data from various sources and looking at data over time to identify trends, etc.  You use BI to answer questions like “who is my most profitable customer” or “which is my costliest route”.  I talked about BI in this post.
2. Cloud computing – there are lots of definitions but mine is this:  any computing resource that you use that isn’t on your desk or in your office.  For example, this blog is physically stored on a server that I think is in New Mexico.  Heck, I am not entirely sure where it is.  Where it is NOT is in Dunwoody, GA – hence it is in the cloud.  If you use Gmail, Evernote, Dropbox or any other software as a service (SaaS – another good buzzword) program you are “in the cloud”.  You can read more about the cloud here and here.
3. CRM – stands for customer relationship management.   It is a business function, usually supported by technology, designed to improve interactions with customers.   It allows a business to, in one place, keep track of interactions and communications with a customer like inquiries, complaints, phone calls, emails, and transactions.  It can help marketing, sales and customer service stay on the same page when dealing with customers and prospects.   I wrote a few posts about CRM you can read here and here.  If you go beyond traditional CRM that and start to keep track of a customer’s online behaviors thru social media like Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and the like you are dabbling in Social CRM (see, another free buzzword for the price of one!).  There is a great article that describes social CRM here.
4. ERP – is the acronym for enterprise resource planning and it refers to an integrated system that manages most of the business functions of an organization.  It can include finance and accounting, HR, supply chain management, project management, CRM and more.  ERP solutions for small businesses include NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics and a plethora of smaller niche applications.  There are so many choices it can be confusing – Laurie McCabe has a good article on how to choose the right business applications.

What does all this mean?

All of these buzzwords should be in your technology plan - if you aren’t using them now you will want to use them in the near future.  If you aren’t sure how to get started or don’t even have a technology plan, get help.  These are all tools to help your business grow and be effective.  And who doesn’t want that?

Guest Blog by Cindy Bates, Vice President of Microsoft’s US SMB Organization

Planning for “the worst” isn’t quite as fun as refining a business plan or coming up with new ways to market your products or services, but doing so just might make the difference between the success or failure of your company. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more than 40 percent of businesses never reopen following a disaster; and, of the remaining companies, at least 25 percent will close in two years.

Yet, small businesses that take time to develop a disaster preparedness plan that includes preventive measures as well as actions to be taken in the event of disaster greatly increase their odds of withstanding catastrophe. To get started with creating a disaster preparedness plan, I recommend small- business decision makers consider the following: 

• Insurance plans and policies – Understanding the intricacies of an insurance plan or policy requires a good bit of time, but it’s a step well worth taking now since it’s unlikely there will be much time to do so when disaster strikes. Also, you might notice gaps in your plan that can be addressed before it’s too late.
• Money management – It’s always wise to keep your finances in order, but all the more so when it comes to disaster preparedness. Have all financial obligations, including bill payments, payroll details and account information, in a safe place, since these responsibilities will still require attention even in the midst of dealing with a disaster.
• Cloud-based software for storage and more – Cloud-based software services designed for small businesses store data in secure, offsite locations and provide access to data from anywhere employees have an Internet connection. If your physical office is hit by a natural disaster, you’d still be able to access your information for business continuity. Furthermore, many small businesses have found cloud-based software to provide a host of other benefits, including access to enterprise-class capabilities at an affordable price.
• Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home or small- business PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download from Microsoft that is simple to install and easy to use and that is automatically updated to protect your PC with the latest technology. The greater the security of your PCs, the less the chance that a virtual disaster like cybercrime could impact your business.
• Technology updates – By maintaining updated technology, small businesses can prevent many virtual disasters from happening in the first place. Install updates whenever prompted to do so, or set company PCs to install updates automatically.
• Virtualization – Virtualization consolidates physical server hardware onto virtual machines that live in the cloud. This not only helps small businesses recover more swiftly from disaster but also can lead to cost savings and more efficient operations. 

Small businesses that need to implement new technology systems to better prepare for disaster should engage the help of a qualified IT services provider and can find a list of Atlanta-based providers here. 

Also, for more advice on preventing and preparing for disaster, check out this free eGuide on disaster preparedness. Finally, I encourage you to keep tabs on my blog, where I regularly address a range of business and technology issues relevant to small businesses. 

Cynthia (“Cindy”) Bates is the Vice President of Microsoft’s US SMB Organization where she is responsible for the company’s end-to-end SMB sales and marketing efforts, including SMB strategy, business development, regional field sales and national distribution sales, channel marketing, and customer marketing.

Cindy and her team align Microsoft’s resources across customer and partner engagement to drive success in serving the millions of Small and Medium Sized Businesses in the US, helping them start, grow and thrive by leveraging today’s powerful and affordable technologies. At the pillar of these technologies lies cloud computing, in which Microsoft has more than 15 years of experience and understands how to meet the demands of SMBs for simplicity and impact, with enterprise-grade capabilities, flexibility and affordability in a familiar environment.

In keeping with our New Year’s tradition, we have compiled our list of the top technology trends for 2012. We scanned the available data, reviewed our previous predictionsand made some leaps of faith. We are optimistic about the economy and expect many delayed IT expenditures to be completed this year. Advances in business technology continue their steady progression with many smaller businesses adopting leading edge technologies.  This year will be interesting for consumer electronics.  Maybe Steve Jobs left his next great invention in the Apple pensieve.

Local Data Centers – As Cloud Computing gains acceptance and market shares, more businessess will move their equipment and applications to the cloud.  Companies will look for neighborhood data centers that are accessible and provide boutique services. This provides an opportunity for IT service providers and managed service providers (MSPs) because smaller businesses will be looking for help in managing their collocated equipment and cloud applications.  Many small businesses are accustomed to contracting IT services rather than maintaining in-house IT expertise and will look for service providers that can meet their changing IT model.

mCommerce – Mobile commerce is not only for impulsive buyers, but for smart, savvy shoppers looking for the best deal.  The 2011 holiday season broke all records for mCommerce and this will continue as increasing numbers of merchants and consumers embrace mobile applications.  Powerful processors will give handhelds a big boost in acceptance for those that have been reluctant to adopt the technology.  Near field communication (NFC) will take off as applications are developed that use NFC for everything from sharing contact information to reading garment labels to purchasing anything with the swipe of your phone.  In 2012, if you are in the consumer market – become an expert in NFC and mCommerce.

Speech Recognition – This could be a breakout year for speech and voice technologies.  Speech recognition has been used by medical and legal for years and widespread acceptance is just around the corner for all types of businesses.  As mobile device users embrace speech recognition for on-the-go computing, they will bring this technology into the office for a variety of efficiency improvements.

Handhelds Replace Laptops – With more powerful CPUs, handhelds can replace many of the features of laptops.  The keyboard and screen size continue to be obstacle but projection and foldable technology will bridge the gap.  One day we will think and our computer (probably won’t be called a computer) will translate our thoughts into input and output, but in the meantime virtual docking stations will be used to interface with our analog (hands and eyes) systems.

Another Social Media Surge – With Google+ claiming that it will have 400 million members by the end of 2012, we are expecting another surge as social media expands its audience. Online aficionados will continue to be plagued with spam and scams, but new strategies will emerge to catch and isolate the offenders.   The number of users and the average time spent online will increase, but there are too many platforms for the market.  Users will consolidate around the most beneficial and productive sites.  Facebook may take over the world in 2012, but then again it may not.

Disclaimer: Like horoscopes, our predictions for the Top IT Trends of 2012 are general in nature and for entertainment purposes only.

If you have your own 2012 trends, please send to me at mary@lansystems.com.

Taking time off to spend with family and friends is such a treat, but alas for many it is hard to stay away from the computer.  If you are going to do some online shopping, play a new game or check your work email, be sure to practice safe computing.  Your home computer may not have the same protection as work, so before you download that file or visit a new site make sure you are protected.

Protecting your computer

1)     Make sure your operating system is updated and all security patches are installed.  If you are using Windows, go to Control Panel Home, then Windows Update. This page will show you if you are up to date or if you need an update.  If you are out of date, follow the instructions and consider turning on automatic updates.  If you have a Mac, the update is similar to Windows so just follow the instructions. If you have Unix or Linux, you are probably an expert and know how to patch your system.

2)     Browse safely.  Be sure your browser is current and that you are protecting against malware.  Malware are those nasty intruders that we often call viruses, trojans, worms or spyware. For Windows, you can use Microsoft Security Essentials.  It is a free Microsoft tool that runs in the background and will alert you when a threat is identified.  Remember no protection is 100%, so you have to think before you click and be prepared to remove infections.

3)     Use a firewall. Firewalls can be hardware or software and screen Internet traffic as a first line of defense.

4)     Use spam filters. Most email programs include a spam and junk filter.  Not only can you trash unwanted junk mail, but you can disable email links (recommended) and be warned of malicious content.  There are many malicious emails that look legitimate so be careful when opening emails and never click on attachments or links unless you are certain of the source.

5)     Download safely. Only download from sites that you know are legitimate and reputable. When you download, save the file and be sure that your antivirus software is set up to scan when you open files. A good rule to follow when opening anything is when in doubt – don’t!

6)     Have a computer expert you can count on.  If you are unfamiliar with computer protection, be sure to have someone who you can consult for advice and help.  It seems complicated, but there are many tools that are easy to configure that run automatically to keep you safe.  Be sure you are protected so that you can enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends rather than fixing your computer.

Online information and help is abundant, but be cautious that you don’t get fooled by malware that pretends to offer help.  If you get a pop-up that claims it will remove an infection from your computer for a price, stop and call your expert!

If you need help or have comments/suggestions, please feel free to contact me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Wishing you a safe and joyous holiday season.

 By now you have heard that hard disk drive (HDD) prices are increasing rapidly because of widespread flooding in Thailand. The monsoons of 2011 brought factory production to a standstill. The human toll has been devastating as hundreds have perished and millions have been displaced. The World Bank estimates the financial loss at 45 billion dollars making this the fourth most costly disaster in history. Thailand is the second largest exporter of HDD producing about 40% of the world’s HDD.  It is surpassed only by Singapore.

Supply and demand economics govern computer electronics and the inelasticity is apparent in much higher prices, at least for the short term.  Not
surprisingly, prices have doubled and tripled for HDD in the recent weeks. There are several price watch sites to compare prices online. For now, the
estimates of when full production will return in Thailand are pessimistic.  The supply will return as Thailand’s plants resume production and competing manufacturers ramp up, but prices may be inflated for an extended period depending upon how the global market responds.

So what should you do without jeopardizing your system or data integrity?

Don’t want to pay more – If you are price inelastic (meaning you don’t want to pay even a small increase for a server, PC or HDD) wait to make a
purchase and monitor prices.  Only choose this option if you can safely delay making an IT purchase without losing productivity or data integrity. Remember that a few hours of being “down” can cost considerably more than the price of new hardware.

Have to purchase now – If you have to make a purchase, spend time comparing prices to get the best deal.  You can explore the refurbished market for cost savings, but even those markets have sharply increased.

Buying refurbished electronics – If you buy a refurbished HDD, be sure that it has a warranty and that you have a spare.  Think about your backup and redundancy needs and be sure that you are covered in case of unexpected failure.

Compromise and choose less capacity – You may be able to choose a smaller hard drive for a price you are comfortable with and look to upgrade later.   Only choose this option if less capacity works for you without lots of extra work.  You can easily spend the cost of the HDD in administration costs to move and verify data.

As always, make sure that you have a good backup, just in case.

Need advice on the best course of action? Feel free to comment or email me.

I know, I know, the technology world is rife with slang, jargon and acronyms.   In fact, we’re famous for being almost impossible for the layman to understand . I’ve been using words with no vowels for longer than I care to admit.  That said, some of these terms are important for a business owner to understand – if for no other reason than to make sure their business has what it needs.

So let’s get started!

1. Backup and recovery - the verb phrase “to back up” means that you make a copy of your data so that if you lose it you can replace it.  The noun “backup” is the copy you made and the act of replacing it is “recovery”.  You can back up your data on any sort of schedule – monthly, weekly, daily, hourly or even more frequently.  I usually recommend making a backup at least daily.  There are a lot of ways to back up your data – to a USB drive or other external hard drive, to a CD or DVD or to the cloud.  Services like Mozy and Carbonite are a business owner’s best friend.  Here are a couple other thoughts on backup and recovery:  First, make sure you are backing up everything you should be.  I had an outage about a year ago and realized I was backing up everything except my email.  Ouch!  Next, test your recovery.  If I had done that, I would have realized I was taking incomplete backups BEFORE I got bitten.
2. Redundancy - redundancy essentially means duplication.  A system is redundant if services are split in two or more pieces so that if one fails you have something to fall back on.  It is important to think about your technology and to determine where and when you need redundancy.  If you are a small business owner with only a single pc your redundancy plan might be to go to Office Depot and buy a new pc.  Then you could use the backup from number 1 to be back in business in a few hours.  If you are a larger business or are looking to push technology services to the cloud you may have deeper needs.  When you talk to service providers ask them about their redundancy and look for two things:  first is hardware redundancy which means that they have split your services over multiple machines so that if they lose one you are still good to go.  Also ask about location redundancy – what if oh, for example, Hurricane Irene slammed into their data center?  Do they have services in another, preferably far away, location that can keep your business up and running?
3. Archiving - to archive means to save off old data that you want to keep around but don’t need ready access to.  Archiving is closely related to back up and recovery but with a subtle twist.  When you are archive you may choose to copy your data to a medium that isn’t as easy or fast to recover from and that is separate from your current data.  An example of this would be where you back up your current data to the cloud for fast and simple recovery but you put your really old stuff on a DVD and store it offsite.  It is important to consider what needs to be archived – you may not want to pay to back up and store all that old data every night and you certainly won’t want to add time to recover it in the event something bad happens.
4. Disaster recovery - Wikipedia says “ is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster”.  Your disaster recover plan will include your backup, recovery, redundancy and archiving plans.  It is the technology portion of your overall business continuity plan.

What does all this mean?

Recent cloud outages, earthquakes and hurricanes make all these issues relevant.  My advice is to make sure you have a business continuity plan that includes disaster recovery.  Get help putting together that plan if you need it.  In many cases you can contract with third party firms to make sure you have a plan and to monitor and maintain your systems for you.  If the bad thing happens the onus will be on them to get you up and running again – fast.

As the new tax season approaches, we all want to find ways to either postpone or better yet reduce payment of taxes. This is one of the major concerns for most of my individual clients.   In this article I will discuss some tax planning tips that can help lower your tax liability for 2011 and 2012. Every person’s situation is different so it is important to sit down with your CPA to optimize your tax savings.

Although medical expenses can be deducted on your return, most individuals are unable to make it over the threshold. I suggest contributing to a Health Savings Account (HSA), which allows pre tax payroll deductions to cover qualified medical expenses. HSA funds will remain available for use from year to year and will follow the participant until used. Also, you can use these funds after the age of 65 as retirement income. However, if the participant uses the funds in this way it will be taxed, but no 20% penalty will be incurred. Another tax free vehicle is the Flexible Spending Account (FSA), which can also be used to pay medical expenses. The FSA is a use it or lose it plan whose funds will disappear at the end of the year.

Charitable Donations both cash and non-cash remain to be a great way to lower your tax liability. If there is any traveling involved don’t forget to track your mileage. The charitable mileage rate for 2012 will remain at 14 cents. Another option is to donate appreciated securities so that you can deduct the fair market value and avoid capital gains tax. Please note that long-term capital gain rates remain at 15% through 2012, but may increase to 20% for 2013. The excess cash you save by donating securities could be used towards your retirement plan.

For self-employed individuals there is no better time to set up a retirement plan using a Keogh or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA. To receive a tax benefit for this upcoming tax season you would need to make a contribution by the due date of your income tax return. The maximum annual contribution is limited to 25% of compensation, but no more than $41,000. For employees, make sure to take advantage of employer sponsored plans. The maximum contribution for 2012 is $17,000 if you are under the age of 50 and $22,500 for anyone 50 or older.

For owners of businesses, you still have until the end of the year to purchase qualified property and get the 100% bonus deprecation for 2011. However, property with a long production period will be able to receive this 100% bonus depreciation deduction until 2013. The bonus deprecation deduction will revert back to 50% next year and is set to expire in 2013. It is important to see how the state you are in treats this deduction. For example, Georgia requires an add back for any bonus depreciation taken on the federal return. So there are no income tax benefits for this deduction in certain states.

Considering the above tips is a great way to get started on your tax plan. If you have any questions regarding this article please feel free to comment below.

Recently, I received a variation on an old email chain letter:

TH15 M3554G3 53RV35 TO
PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG TH1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 TH1NG5! 1N TH3 B3G1NN1NG 1T WA5 H4RD BUT NOW, ON TH15 LIN3 YOUR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 1T 4UT0M4T1C4LLY W1TH OUT 3V3N TH1NK1NG 4B0UT 1T, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C34RT41N 30PL3.C4N R3AD TH15.

Here’s one of the originals:

“Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”

 While it’s true that there was never a study at Cambridge or any other university that can be verified, the sentences are rather simple.  Even if  it is another email hoax, it is amazing that our brain easily organizes the jumbled up letters.  Experts argue that this is not a real test of the mind as the patterns are predictable and reorganizing the letters of a word greatly slows down our reading speed.  Even so, it is still an amazing triumph of the human brain that it yearns to make sense of a topsy-turvy world and fill in any void.

Memory – We like to believe that our memory is accurate and cognitive.  We think of our memories as a sequential recording rather than a collage of experiences, but the collage is more correct.  Our brain despises an enigma and will go to great lengths to fill in the gaps when pieces are missing. In filling in the missing information, we are very susceptible to outside suggestions.  Partially or completely false memories can be formed that are as real as actual experiences.  For instance, eyewitness testimony is highly regarded by juries, but many studies have shown the vulnerability of memory especially in the presence of outside influences and long periods of time.  Memory is affected by telling the story again and again.  We tailor the story to our listeners and embellish for effect often so subtlety that we don’t even realize it.

Learning – If you have spent time with a three-year old, you have certainly been amazed at how human beings learn. In three short years, they become masters of their universe and expert in analyzing the actions of adults.   There are many different learning styles. We all learned by the rote technique with alphabet flashcards and times tables, but we experience learning in many different ways.  We explore, evaluate, conclude and revise throughout our lives.  Sometimes unconstrained imagination gives us the greatest results, but other times conforming to convention works best. There are numerous models that attempt to combine our senses and intellect into a coherent basis for learning and each has merit.  Most important is to be a lifelong learner.  See wonder, explore and share just like a three-year old.

Perception – Perception is the brain function of understanding environment through sensory information.  It is reality as what we perceive in our mind’s eye can be as real as reality. In fact, our brain makes the world stable even while being bombarded with sensory input that would otherwise confuse us.  The modular structure of our brain allows our senses to feed each other without being overwhelmed which can cause a full or partial shutdown.

Self-Awareness – “I think, therefore I am” Descartes’ famous quote has become the definition of personal identity.  From the beginning, philosophers have mused over the concepts of existence, self and infinity.  You don’t have to be a philosopher, scholar or psychiatrist to understand self-awareness, we all experience it and observe it in our children.  It is a fascinating journey that continues to delight and baffle.

My three-year old granddaughter likes it when I say the wrong word to describe something.  She knows it’s a game.  Each time she patiently and enthusiastically corrects me with a laugh and a smile.  She doesn’t realize that she is using all of her amazing brain talents – she just thinks she’s having fun!

Send me a comment or your amazing brain stories and we’ll compare notes.