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About 1846 days ago Tools on Managing Technology

Essential Steps to Starting a Business Podcast

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Maybe a running buddy talked it up. Or a competitor started one and you don’t want to be left behind. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided your business need a podcast. And although you know what they are, you’re not sure how to start. Not to worry. Podcasts have become such popular marketing tools for sole proprietors and small businesses, a small army of professional producers is out there waiting to help. According to the experts, here are 10 essential steps a company needs to get started: Do some homework. The best way to learn about podcasting is to listen to podcasts, says Peter Brusso, an Anaheim, Calif., podcasting producer and technology marketing consultant. Visit directories such as Podcaster or SwitchPod and look for podcasts with a similar style or subject to you want to create, Brusso says. Decide on a topic. Podcasts could focus on a company’s products or services, an industry or on management or professional issues. Whatever the topic, make sure it’s related to a company’s business in some way, says Sallie Goetsch, proprietor of The Podcast Asylum, a northern California podcast producer and consultant. Gather your tools. Producing a podcast requires: A microphone, digital audio recorder or USB headset to record podcast episodes Computer with sound card and high-speed Internet connection Audio recording and editing software, either licensed software or free open-source programs such as Audacity Build a backlog. Before going live, build up a catalog of a dozen or more episodes. Coming up with ideas is easy, Brusso says. They can spring from talking to customers, going to conventions, reading trade magazines, or following current events. Be natural. When it’s time to record a podcast, organize talking points, but don’t use a script. “People don’t like being sold. The more from the heart the better,” Brusso says. Be consistent. Length, professional quality, and subject matter of a company’s podcast are important but not as much as on-air consistency. Whether it’s once a day, once a week or once a month, pick a schedule and stick to it. Podcasts are like radio or TV shows: audiences expect a schedule. Disappoint them and they might not come around again, Brusso says. Not a D-I-Y type? Hire a pro. Professional producers can handle the technical aspects of starting or creating a podcast. Goetsch and partners Priscilla Rice and Michele Molitor, for example, offer a small-business podcast starter package for $1,100 that covers scripting and recording three to four podcasts plus lots of extras, including finding a hosting service, setting up a podcast blog and submitting broadcasts to podcast directories. Brusso, who works with lawyers and other sole proprietors, charges $1,000 for an hour-long podcast with similar extras. But it doesn’t have to be expensive. According to Goetsch, a small businessperson could do everything themselves with an existing computer, $20 headset, free software for audio editing and creating a podcast, and host it on their existing website. Find your podcast a home. Companies can physically host a podcast anywhere, including with the service they use for their website. What really matters is getting the word out that it’s there. For maximum exposure, list podcasts on directories such as PodcastAlley.com, Podcast411, Podanza or TalkShoe. Forget about making money, at least not directly. Some podcasts collect revenue from advertising that podcast directories put on their sites. But that shouldn’t be why a company does it. Podcasts should be part of a company’s overall marketing strategy, Brusso says. “To get yourself known, you have to blog, optimize your Website for search engines and podcast,” he says. “If you do all three the results are phenomenal.” Keep up with trends. Use the following resources to find out more: PodcastFAQ Everything With Podcasting — A website companion to the book How to do Everything with Podcasting (McGraw Hill-Osborne Media, 2007). Podcasting consultant Sallie Goetsch’s humorous take on how not to podcast, from her Podcast Asylum Website.

About 1846 days ago Business Software

Essential Steps to Starting a Business Podcast

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Maybe a running buddy talked it up. Or a competitor started one and you don’t want to be left behind. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided your business need a podcast. And although you know what they are, you’re not sure how to start. Not to worry. Podcasts have become such popular marketing tools for sole proprietors and small businesses, a small army of professional producers is out there waiting to help. According to the experts, here are 10 essential steps a company needs to get started: Do some homework. The best way to learn about podcasting is to listen to podcasts, says Peter Brusso, an Anaheim, Calif., podcasting producer and technology marketing consultant. Visit directories such as Podcaster or SwitchPod and look for podcasts with a similar style or subject to you want to create, Brusso says. Decide on a topic. Podcasts could focus on a company’s products or services, an industry or on management or professional issues. Whatever the topic, make sure it’s related to a company’s business in some way, says Sallie Goetsch, proprietor of The Podcast Asylum, a northern California podcast producer and consultant. Gather your tools. Producing a podcast requires: A microphone, digital audio recorder or USB headset to record podcast episodes Computer with sound card and high-speed Internet connection Audio recording and editing software, either licensed software or free open-source programs such as Audacity Build a backlog. Before going live, build up a catalog of a dozen or more episodes. Coming up with ideas is easy, Brusso says. They can spring from talking to customers, going to conventions, reading trade magazines, or following current events. Be natural. When it’s time to record a podcast, organize talking points, but don’t use a script. “People don’t like being sold. The more from the heart the better,” Brusso says. Be consistent. Length, professional quality, and subject matter of a company’s podcast are important but not as much as on-air consistency. Whether it’s once a day, once a week or once a month, pick a schedule and stick to it. Podcasts are like radio or TV shows: audiences expect a schedule. Disappoint them and they might not come around again, Brusso says. Not a D-I-Y type? Hire a pro. Professional producers can handle the technical aspects of starting or creating a podcast. Goetsch and partners Priscilla Rice and Michele Molitor, for example, offer a small-business podcast starter package for $1,100 that covers scripting and recording three to four podcasts plus lots of extras, including finding a hosting service, setting up a podcast blog and submitting broadcasts to podcast directories. Brusso, who works with lawyers and other sole proprietors, charges $1,000 for an hour-long podcast with similar extras. But it doesn’t have to be expensive. According to Goetsch, a small businessperson could do everything themselves with an existing computer, $20 headset, free software for audio editing and creating a podcast, and host it on their existing website. Find your podcast a home. Companies can physically host a podcast anywhere, including with the service they use for their website. What really matters is getting the word out that it’s there. For maximum exposure, list podcasts on directories such as PodcastAlley.com, Podcast411, Podanza or TalkShoe. Forget about making money, at least not directly. Some podcasts collect revenue from advertising that podcast directories put on their sites. But that shouldn’t be why a company does it. Podcasts should be part of a company’s overall marketing strategy, Brusso says. “To get yourself known, you have to blog, optimize your Website for search engines and podcast,” he says. “If you do all three the results are phenomenal.” Keep up with trends. Use the following resources to find out more: PodcastFAQ Everything With Podcasting — A website companion to the book How to do Everything with Podcasting (McGraw Hill-Osborne Media, 2007). Podcasting consultant Sallie Goetsch’s humorous take on how not to podcast, from her Podcast Asylum Website.

About 1846 days ago Blogging and Social Media

Essential Steps to Starting a Business Podcast

our beautiful site

Maybe a running buddy talked it up. Or a competitor started one and you don’t want to be left behind. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided your business need a podcast. And although you know what they are, you’re not sure how to start. Not to worry. Podcasts have become such popular marketing tools for sole proprietors and small businesses, a small army of professional producers is out there waiting to help. According to the experts, here are 10 essential steps a company needs to get started: Do some homework. The best way to learn about podcasting is to listen to podcasts, says Peter Brusso, an Anaheim, Calif., podcasting producer and technology marketing consultant. Visit directories such as Podcaster or SwitchPod and look for podcasts with a similar style or subject to you want to create, Brusso says. Decide on a topic. Podcasts could focus on a company’s products or services, an industry or on management or professional issues. Whatever the topic, make sure it’s related to a company’s business in some way, says Sallie Goetsch, proprietor of The Podcast Asylum, a northern California podcast producer and consultant. Gather your tools. Producing a podcast requires: A microphone, digital audio recorder or USB headset to record podcast episodes Computer with sound card and high-speed Internet connection Audio recording and editing software, either licensed software or free open-source programs such as Audacity Build a backlog. Before going live, build up a catalog of a dozen or more episodes. Coming up with ideas is easy, Brusso says. They can spring from talking to customers, going to conventions, reading trade magazines, or following current events. Be natural. When it’s time to record a podcast, organize talking points, but don’t use a script. “People don’t like being sold. The more from the heart the better,” Brusso says. Be consistent. Length, professional quality, and subject matter of a company’s podcast are important but not as much as on-air consistency. Whether it’s once a day, once a week or once a month, pick a schedule and stick to it. Podcasts are like radio or TV shows: audiences expect a schedule. Disappoint them and they might not come around again, Brusso says. Not a D-I-Y type? Hire a pro. Professional producers can handle the technical aspects of starting or creating a podcast. Goetsch and partners Priscilla Rice and Michele Molitor, for example, offer a small-business podcast starter package for $1,100 that covers scripting and recording three to four podcasts plus lots of extras, including finding a hosting service, setting up a podcast blog and submitting broadcasts to podcast directories. Brusso, who works with lawyers and other sole proprietors, charges $1,000 for an hour-long podcast with similar extras. But it doesn’t have to be expensive. According to Goetsch, a small businessperson could do everything themselves with an existing computer, $20 headset, free software for audio editing and creating a podcast, and host it on their existing website. Find your podcast a home. Companies can physically host a podcast anywhere, including with the service they use for their website. What really matters is getting the word out that it’s there. For maximum exposure, list podcasts on directories such as PodcastAlley.com, Podcast411, Podanza or TalkShoe. Forget about making money, at least not directly. Some podcasts collect revenue from advertising that podcast directories put on their sites. But that shouldn’t be why a company does it. Podcasts should be part of a company’s overall marketing strategy, Brusso says. “To get yourself known, you have to blog, optimize your Website for search engines and podcast,” he says. “If you do all three the results are phenomenal.” Keep up with trends. Use the following resources to find out more: PodcastFAQ Everything With Podcasting — A website companion to the book How to do Everything with Podcasting (McGraw Hill-Osborne Media, 2007). Podcasting consultant Sallie Goetsch’s humorous take on how not to podcast, from her Podcast Asylum Website.

About 3368 days ago Setting Up a Website

The Perfect Host

Choosing the best home base on the Web starts with asking the right questions. For many small to midsized businesses, the first one is, obviously: Can I just do it myself? If your website is critical to your company, probably not. “Hosting is not just a matter of getting a connection to the Web,” says Doug Kaye, CEO of RDS Strategies LLC, an IT strategy consulting firm in Kentfield, Calif. Practically speaking, he says, the only businesses who can reliably host their own sites are those with dedicated, round-the-clock IT departments who can handle maintenance and problems anytime. That’s an expense most SMBs simply can’t afford, making outsourcing the most common option. Why the emphasis on 24/7 availability? “There’s no longer any question about whether a Web site has to be running all the time,” says Kaye, author of Strategies for Web Hosting and Managed Services (John Wiley & Sons, 2001). “It does.” Well, then, what about all those companies offering to host your site for free, or for just pennies a day? Again, if your Web site is important to your business, steer clear. “You get what you pay for,” says Ted Chamberlin, an analyst with the Gartner Group, the Stamford, Conn.-based research and consulting firm. Free or extremely inexpensive sites typically won’t offer service guarantees and may be vulnerable to hackers and e-mail spammers, says Chamberlin, a Web-hosting specialist. “Their site could go down for a month and you’d have no recourse,” he says. Chamberlin understands the SMB’s temptation to choose the cheapest option. “When you’re a small business, you tend to think small,” he says. “But with hosting you want to think three to five years ahead of the curve, about how you’re going to grow.” For that reason, he recommends questioning hosts about whether they’re capable of scaling with your company — and pursuing only those who are. The next question is whether to opt for shared or dedicated hosting. Shared hosting, in which your site shares server space with the providers’ other customers, is inexpensive: Expect to pay anywhere from about $8 to $35 per month, depending on the amount of disk space and other variables. However, your site may run sluggishly if other sites on the server get bombarded with traffic. Dedicated hosting, in which you lease a private server, eliminates the performance problems. But it costs much more — typically $150 to $500 per month for a professionally managed hosting company, Chamberlin says. With so many hosting operations out there — at least 10,000, Kaye says — how can you find one that’s reputable, reliable, and right for your company? “Finding qualitative information is difficult,” he acknowledges. “There’s no Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, no Consumer Reports.” First, spend some time online, looking at websites of similarly sized companies in your industry. Contact the webmasters (typically by simply sending e-mail to “webmaster@companyname.com) asking who handles their hosting and how they like the service. Next, tap into the online resources that list and review Web-hosting companies. Pick a few that, based on cost, capacity offered, and available services, seem like they might make a good match for your company’s needs. Then do some due diligence. Contact your top choices and ask tough questions about what’s offered, what’s guaranteed, and what they’ll do if there’s a disaster — whether it’s an earthquake, a network failure, or their own bankruptcy. Be sure to pin them down on their standard security measures (but prepared to implement your own as well, such as keeping your own backup copies of all sensitive data). In addition, request that hosts provide references from a variety of customers — and ask those customers your tough questions as well. “That’s the only way to evaluate the hosts,” Kaye says. If you’re switching from one host to another, ask potential new providers how they’ll assist you in the transition, which can be traumatic. “The only thing worse than having a fire is moving your website,” Kaye says. “It’s a very difficult thing and nobody is ever prepared for it.” An eager-to-please new host might, for instance, offer you one month’s free service so that you’ve got a bit of breathing room as you transfer everything between the two providers. Meanwhile, always keep an eye on the horizon. “The best advice overall is to recognize that your hosting relationship is not a permanent one,” Kaye says. “There’s a likelihood that at some point you’ll need to change providers.” As you develop your site, lean toward whichever options would transfer most easily to a new location. Sidebar: To Share or Not to Share? Among the first questions you’ll need to address as you seek the perfect host is whether your business needs shared or dedicated hosting. What’s the difference? Chris Kivelan, marketing manager for InetU Managed Hosting in Allentown, Pa., sums it up this way: Shared hosting means your website shares a host’s server with a number of other customers. The host manages the service, though you maintain your site and your account. This option costs the least, but can come with a major drawback: If one of your server neighbors gets heavy traffic, your site’s performance could suffer. Dedicated hosting means leasing a server from a host. You’ll pay more, but because you’re not sharing, traffic to other sites shouldn’t affect yours. This option is sometimes divided into unmanaged hosting, which provides limited support for lower fees, and managed hosting, which costs more but provides higher-level support, maintenance, security, and services. Deciding which to choose involves weighing several factors, including your budget, your business’s size, and the Web’s role in your company now and down the road. If you’ve got a small, fairly static site, shared hosting may be just fine. If you’ve got a bigger, more complex site — especially one you’re using for e-commerce or customer service — or if you expect to grow quickly, dedicated hosting might be a better choice. Sidebar: The Perfect Host Checklist Following are some questions to help you narrow your list of prospective Web hosts: How long have you been in business? What services do you offer? What are your specialties? Must I pay for features I don’t need or use? How much server space do I have? What happens if I exceed it? If I’m sharing a server, am I guaranteed a steady amount of bandwidth even if other customers’ sites get busy? Are there limits on the amount of traffic my website can receive? Can the service scale as my business grows? How will you tally, track, and report on visits to my site? Do you offer 24/7 technical support? Do you offer a reliability guarantee? Do you have network redundancy? Can you keep my site online even if your main network goes down? What kind of network security do you have? How will you protect sensitive or confidential information and transactions? What kind of disaster-recovery plans do you have? What will happen to my site if your facility gets hit by a fire, a flood, or a major power outage? Do you have contingency plans for keeping customers online if your company shuts down, begins bankruptcy proceedings, or gets acquired by another provider? What will happen if I need to move to another host? Can you provide some customer references? Sidebar: Selected Resources BOOKS Strategies for Web Hosting and Managed Services, by Doug Kaye (John Wiley & Sons, 2001). Written by a consultant and industry analyst who founded one of the first Web-hosting sites. Describes various options for Web hosting and provides types for finding and evaluating them. Includes checklists and companion website. Web Hosting: A Complete Strategy, by Carl Burnham (McGraw-Hill Osborne Media, 2001). Describes different Web hosts and explains how businesses can decide among available hosting plans. WEBSITES The Web is rich with information about finding and comparing Web hosting companies. Comprehensive sites include: FindWebspace.com Directory of Web hosts; includes search engine, comparison tool, glossary www.findwebspace.com HostCompare.com Information site offering a comparison tool, industry news, and many free articles, including one providing a basic introduction to Web hosting www.hostcompare.com HostIndex.com Directory of Web hosts; includes large searchable database articles, other resources www.hostindex.com SAS70.com Information about the Statement on Auditing Services No. 70 (SAS 70), an auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts for examining service-provider quality www.sas70.com TopHosts.com Directory of Web hosts; includes articles, industry news, instant price-quote function www.tophosts.com Web Host Directory Directory of Web hosts; includes searchable database, industry news, function for requesting price quotes www.webhostdir.com Web Hosting Talk Information site with discussion forums and searchable database www.webhostingtalk.com Web Host Magazine & Buyer’s Guide Reviews, articles, host-finding resources www.webhostmagazine.com Web Host Industry Review (also know simply as “WHIR”) Reviews, directory, news, glossary, tips on finding or switching hosts www.thewhir.com

About 3734 days ago Computer Security

There’s a Virus Going Around

Note: This is the first in a series of technology updates by former Inc. senior writer Anne Stuart. Future columns will explore topics such as “spam,” videoconferencing, cell phone messaging, and smart business use of online auctions. Slammer. Klez. Bugbear. Bubbleboy. Lirva. Those sound like names for characters in kids’ cartoons, but they’re neither funny nor harmless. They’re computer viruses. And they’re increasingly common. Over the past decade, virus-writers worldwide have created and released about 80,000 viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other “malware” programs, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for antivirus software vendor Sophos Inc. (www.sophos.com) And about 600 to 800 new variations crop up every month, although, typically, only a few cause widespread or serious headaches. What exactly is a virus? It’s tiny, malicious software program designed purely to disrupt or damage computers. What exactly do viruses do? Some simply display odd messages or images. Many — including the famous Melissa virus — perpetuate themselves by sending infected messages to everyone in a user’s e-mail address book. Others gobble memory or storage space, making systems sluggish. Some corrupt files — for instance, changing spreadsheets or chewing up text documents — or erase them entirely. Some alter Web pages. Some reformat hard drives, block user access, or cause systems to freeze. A few disable security measures or open secret “holes” into computer networks, providing hackers with easy access. Like their biological counterparts, computer viruses can spread fast, attack systems silently, and cause a great deal of pain. In January 2003, the SQL Slammer worm circled the globe in less than an hour, infecting 75,000 computers in 10 minutes. Slammer, which paralyzed computers running Microsoft SQL Server 2000, temporarily shut down South Korea’s telephone system, knocked out thousands of Bank of America automatic-teller machines, and slowed credit-card transactions worldwide. How much financial damage can viruses cause? It’s tough to find reliable numbers about the costs of virus attacks because some effects — for instance, decreased productivity and unrealized business opportunity — are tough to quantify. In addition, many companies simply won’t share information about security-related losses. Following are several ways you can prevent or minimize the impact of virus attacks in your business: Install antivirus software on every computer. That includes laptops and PCs in remote offices. Encourage employees to use antivirus programs at home as well, especially if they use their own computers to connect to your network. In addition, consider protecting e-mail gateways with software that automatically blocks all incoming messages carrying executable code — but keep in mind that those filters may also capture legitimate business communications with harmless attachments as well. Keep antivirus programs current. With new viruses popping up regularly, it’s critical to make sure you’ve got the latest protection. Most leading solutions can be set to periodically update themselves online; you can also do the job manually to respond to new threats. Launch a company-wide prevention campaign. State-of-the-art security measures won’t protect your company unless everyone uses them. A single employee can unintentionally infect the entire network by opening a booby-trapped e-mail attachment or installing contaminated software. Make sure everybody knows and follows these basic virus-prevention procedures: Always delete junk e-mail messages — ads, jokes, chain letters — without opening them. More than 85 % of viruses infect businesses via e-mail, according to the International Computer Security Association’s (www.icsa.net) annual Virus Prevalence Survey released in March 2003. Never open e-mail attachments from strangers. And even those from people you know should be scanned with software that might spot viruses forwarded unintentionally. Be selective about downloading and installing software. Know the source and scan the files before running any new program. Get knowledgeable about pranks and hoaxes. Phony virus alerts waste almost as much time as the real thing. When you get a forwarded e-mail message breathlessly proclaiming some new threat, check it out at Vmyths (www.vmyths.com) or on other virus information sites before responding. Regularly update Microsoft products. Many viruses attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in Windows, Outlook, Internet Explorer, and other products by the giant software empire. Microsoft’s security page (www.microsoft.com/security/) provides alerts, “patches,” and advice for both home and business users. Back up. Back up. Back up. At work, store files on both PC and network hard drives. At home and on the road, copy important files to CDs or floppies. Begin backing up entire systems nightly or weekly, perhaps storing an extra copy of critical information offsite. Look into Web-based storage services such as Connected Corp. (www.connected.com), Easyspace’s Easyarchive (www.easyspace.com/services/easyarchive.html), and Elephant Backup (www.elephantbackup.com). The computer-virus universe changes constantly, with, according to some estimates, about 20 new viruses surfacing every day. You can’t vaccinate your computers against all of them. But with vigilance and commonsense caution, you can strengthen your company’s electronic immune system, making it much more likely to survive an attack. Glossary Antivirus Program: Software that detects and removes viruses from computer hard drives. Such programs must be updated regularly to add profiles for the thousands of new viruses that appear every year; updating can often be handled quickly online. Trojan (or Trojan Horse): A malicious program in disguise, named for the giant wooden gift horse the Greeks used to conquer their Trojan enemies. Trojans appear benign, entertaining, or even useful, but actually conceal viruses that can harm systems. Backdoor.BO (also called Back Orifice) is among the best-known examples. Virus: A malicious software program used to deliberately infect a computer system. Typically, viruses are concealed in existing programs and activated when those programs are executed. Viruses often cause damage by replicating themselves, causing systems to crash, or by attacking or attaching themselves to other programs. Stealth viruses remain hidden or change themselves after executing so that they can’t be detected. Well-known viruses include Melissa and Bubbleboy. Worm: A type of virus that replicates itself and gobbles up computer memory but cannot attach itself to other programs. Well-known worms include Klez.H, LoveLetter (sometimes called “IloveYou”), Bugbear, and Lovgate. Further Reading The following books, all available from Amazon (www.amazon.com) and other booksellers, offer generally easy-to-understand information about computer viruses: Securing the Network from Malicious Code: A Complete Guide to Defending Against Viruses, Worms, and Trojans, by Douglas Schweitzer (John Wiley & Sons, 2002). Offers sound, practical, comprehensive advice from a security expert. Updates provided on a companion Web site. Malicious Mobile Code: Virus Protection for Windows, by Roger A. Grimes (O’Reilly & Associates, 2001). Focuses on defensive strategies. Viruses Revealed, by David Harley, Robert Slade, and Urs E. Gattiker (McGraw-Hill/ Osborne Media, 2001). Explains what viruses are, how they work, where they come from, how to prevent them, and how to deal with them. Includes case studies. Also available as a downloadable, searchable e-book. Resources The following Web sites provide comprehensive information about viruses, worms, and similar threats: About.com Antivirus Software Guide antivirus.about.com/index.htm?terms=computer+virus News, glossary, encyclopedia of hoaxes, links to vendors and other resources. CERT Coordination Center, Carnegie Mellon University www.cert.org/ A wealth of information on all aspects of computer security at work and at home. CNET Virus Alert Center www.cnet.com/software/0-7760531-8-6319437-1.html News on current threats, advice on PC protection, links to free resources, and antivirus software vendors. Computer Security Institute www.gocsi.com Major membership organization for technology-security professionals; Web site contains articles, reports, and links to additional resources about viruses and other security issues. International Computer Security Association (ICSA) Labs www.icsa.net Independent arm of security vendor TruSecure Corp. (www.trusecure.com) offers “vendor-agnostic” testing and research. Web site contains constantly updated virus alerts, white papers, studies, an annual Virus Prevalence Survey, and more. National Institutes of Standards and TechnologyComputer Security Resource Center Virus Page csrc.nist.gov/virus/ Information, links to other resources and antivirus software vendors. Sophos Inc. www.sophos.com/safecomputing Safe-computing advice for both network administrators and individual users. Virus Bulletin www.virusbtn.com Independent antivirus advice, news, profiles, and resources. Vmyths http://www.vmyths.com Supersite for information on virus myths and hoaxes. Vendors Following is a sampling of major antivirus software vendors whose offerings include products, services, and information targeted to small and growing companies: Command Software Systems Inc. www.commandsoftware.com Founded 1984; now part of Authentium Inc. Offers antivirus software for home users, large companies, and small businesses. Web site’s Virus Center includes news, alerts, a glossary, research, e-mail newsletters, and other information. Computer Associates International Inc. www.ca.com Founded 1976. Offers antivirus software for businesses. Web site’s Virus Information Center contains alerts, encyclopedia, and an extensive glossary. McAfee Security www.mcafee.com/ Founded 1989. Offers antivirus and security solutions for home users, large companies, and small and growing businesses. Network Associates Inc., McAfee’s parent company, provides free virus alerts, updates, update on hoaxes, and other information. Panda Software Inc. www.pandasoftware.com Founded 1990. Offers antivirus software for home users, large companies, and small and growing businesses. Web site includes Virus Information Center with virus encyclopedia (including “Top 5″ current threats), hoax updates, tips, and other resources. Sophos Inc. www.sophos.com Founded 1986. Offers antivirus software for companies of all sizes. Web site includes a rich collection of analyses, articles, updates on hoaxes, and alerts, including monthly “Top 10″ virus list. Symantec Corp. www.symantec.com Founded 1982. Offers firewalls, antivirus software, and other security solutions for home users, large companies, and small and growing businesses. Web site provides free virus alerts, library of virus information. Customers can download anti-virus updates from home page. Provides updates on hoaxes. Trend Micro Inc. www.trendmicro.com Founded 1988. Offers network antivirus software and other security products and services. Web site includes virus advisories, encyclopedia, prevention tips, and additional information. Also offers a free online cost-analysis calculator for determining potential financial impact of virus attacks. Send feedback, column ideas, and tech tips to annestuartinc@yahoo.com.

About 3734 days ago Antivirus Software

There’s a Virus Going Around

Note: This is the first in a series of technology updates by former Inc. senior writer Anne Stuart. Future columns will explore topics such as “spam,” videoconferencing, cell phone messaging, and smart business use of online auctions. Slammer. Klez. Bugbear. Bubbleboy. Lirva. Those sound like names for characters in kids’ cartoons, but they’re neither funny nor harmless. They’re computer viruses. And they’re increasingly common. Over the past decade, virus-writers worldwide have created and released about 80,000 viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other “malware” programs, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for antivirus software vendor Sophos Inc. (www.sophos.com) And about 600 to 800 new variations crop up every month, although, typically, only a few cause widespread or serious headaches. What exactly is a virus? It’s tiny, malicious software program designed purely to disrupt or damage computers. What exactly do viruses do? Some simply display odd messages or images. Many — including the famous Melissa virus — perpetuate themselves by sending infected messages to everyone in a user’s e-mail address book. Others gobble memory or storage space, making systems sluggish. Some corrupt files — for instance, changing spreadsheets or chewing up text documents — or erase them entirely. Some alter Web pages. Some reformat hard drives, block user access, or cause systems to freeze. A few disable security measures or open secret “holes” into computer networks, providing hackers with easy access. Like their biological counterparts, computer viruses can spread fast, attack systems silently, and cause a great deal of pain. In January 2003, the SQL Slammer worm circled the globe in less than an hour, infecting 75,000 computers in 10 minutes. Slammer, which paralyzed computers running Microsoft SQL Server 2000, temporarily shut down South Korea’s telephone system, knocked out thousands of Bank of America automatic-teller machines, and slowed credit-card transactions worldwide. How much financial damage can viruses cause? It’s tough to find reliable numbers about the costs of virus attacks because some effects — for instance, decreased productivity and unrealized business opportunity — are tough to quantify. In addition, many companies simply won’t share information about security-related losses. Following are several ways you can prevent or minimize the impact of virus attacks in your business: Install antivirus software on every computer. That includes laptops and PCs in remote offices. Encourage employees to use antivirus programs at home as well, especially if they use their own computers to connect to your network. In addition, consider protecting e-mail gateways with software that automatically blocks all incoming messages carrying executable code — but keep in mind that those filters may also capture legitimate business communications with harmless attachments as well. Keep antivirus programs current. With new viruses popping up regularly, it’s critical to make sure you’ve got the latest protection. Most leading solutions can be set to periodically update themselves online; you can also do the job manually to respond to new threats. Launch a company-wide prevention campaign. State-of-the-art security measures won’t protect your company unless everyone uses them. A single employee can unintentionally infect the entire network by opening a booby-trapped e-mail attachment or installing contaminated software. Make sure everybody knows and follows these basic virus-prevention procedures: Always delete junk e-mail messages — ads, jokes, chain letters — without opening them. More than 85 % of viruses infect businesses via e-mail, according to the International Computer Security Association’s (www.icsa.net) annual Virus Prevalence Survey released in March 2003. Never open e-mail attachments from strangers. And even those from people you know should be scanned with software that might spot viruses forwarded unintentionally. Be selective about downloading and installing software. Know the source and scan the files before running any new program. Get knowledgeable about pranks and hoaxes. Phony virus alerts waste almost as much time as the real thing. When you get a forwarded e-mail message breathlessly proclaiming some new threat, check it out at Vmyths (www.vmyths.com) or on other virus information sites before responding. Regularly update Microsoft products. Many viruses attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in Windows, Outlook, Internet Explorer, and other products by the giant software empire. Microsoft’s security page (www.microsoft.com/security/) provides alerts, “patches,” and advice for both home and business users. Back up. Back up. Back up. At work, store files on both PC and network hard drives. At home and on the road, copy important files to CDs or floppies. Begin backing up entire systems nightly or weekly, perhaps storing an extra copy of critical information offsite. Look into Web-based storage services such as Connected Corp. (www.connected.com), Easyspace’s Easyarchive (www.easyspace.com/services/easyarchive.html), and Elephant Backup (www.elephantbackup.com). The computer-virus universe changes constantly, with, according to some estimates, about 20 new viruses surfacing every day. You can’t vaccinate your computers against all of them. But with vigilance and commonsense caution, you can strengthen your company’s electronic immune system, making it much more likely to survive an attack. Glossary Antivirus Program: Software that detects and removes viruses from computer hard drives. Such programs must be updated regularly to add profiles for the thousands of new viruses that appear every year; updating can often be handled quickly online. Trojan (or Trojan Horse): A malicious program in disguise, named for the giant wooden gift horse the Greeks used to conquer their Trojan enemies. Trojans appear benign, entertaining, or even useful, but actually conceal viruses that can harm systems. Backdoor.BO (also called Back Orifice) is among the best-known examples. Virus: A malicious software program used to deliberately infect a computer system. Typically, viruses are concealed in existing programs and activated when those programs are executed. Viruses often cause damage by replicating themselves, causing systems to crash, or by attacking or attaching themselves to other programs. Stealth viruses remain hidden or change themselves after executing so that they can’t be detected. Well-known viruses include Melissa and Bubbleboy. Worm: A type of virus that replicates itself and gobbles up computer memory but cannot attach itself to other programs. Well-known worms include Klez.H, LoveLetter (sometimes called “IloveYou”), Bugbear, and Lovgate. Further Reading The following books, all available from Amazon (www.amazon.com) and other booksellers, offer generally easy-to-understand information about computer viruses: Securing the Network from Malicious Code: A Complete Guide to Defending Against Viruses, Worms, and Trojans, by Douglas Schweitzer (John Wiley & Sons, 2002). Offers sound, practical, comprehensive advice from a security expert. Updates provided on a companion Web site. Malicious Mobile Code: Virus Protection for Windows, by Roger A. Grimes (O’Reilly & Associates, 2001). Focuses on defensive strategies. Viruses Revealed, by David Harley, Robert Slade, and Urs E. Gattiker (McGraw-Hill/ Osborne Media, 2001). Explains what viruses are, how they work, where they come from, how to prevent them, and how to deal with them. Includes case studies. Also available as a downloadable, searchable e-book. Resources The following Web sites provide comprehensive information about viruses, worms, and similar threats: About.com Antivirus Software Guide antivirus.about.com/index.htm?terms=computer+virus News, glossary, encyclopedia of hoaxes, links to vendors and other resources. CERT Coordination Center, Carnegie Mellon University www.cert.org/ A wealth of information on all aspects of computer security at work and at home. CNET Virus Alert Center www.cnet.com/software/0-7760531-8-6319437-1.html News on current threats, advice on PC protection, links to free resources, and antivirus software vendors. Computer Security Institute www.gocsi.com Major membership organization for technology-security professionals; Web site contains articles, reports, and links to additional resources about viruses and other security issues. International Computer Security Association (ICSA) Labs www.icsa.net Independent arm of security vendor TruSecure Corp. (www.trusecure.com) offers “vendor-agnostic” testing and research. Web site contains constantly updated virus alerts, white papers, studies, an annual Virus Prevalence Survey, and more. National Institutes of Standards and TechnologyComputer Security Resource Center Virus Page csrc.nist.gov/virus/ Information, links to other resources and antivirus software vendors. Sophos Inc. www.sophos.com/safecomputing Safe-computing advice for both network administrators and individual users. Virus Bulletin www.virusbtn.com Independent antivirus advice, news, profiles, and resources. Vmyths http://www.vmyths.com Supersite for information on virus myths and hoaxes. Vendors Following is a sampling of major antivirus software vendors whose offerings include products, services, and information targeted to small and growing companies: Command Software Systems Inc. www.commandsoftware.com Founded 1984; now part of Authentium Inc. Offers antivirus software for home users, large companies, and small businesses. Web site’s Virus Center includes news, alerts, a glossary, research, e-mail newsletters, and other information. Computer Associates International Inc. www.ca.com Founded 1976. Offers antivirus software for businesses. Web site’s Virus Information Center contains alerts, encyclopedia, and an extensive glossary. McAfee Security www.mcafee.com/ Founded 1989. Offers antivirus and security solutions for home users, large companies, and small and growing businesses. Network Associates Inc., McAfee’s parent company, provides free virus alerts, updates, update on hoaxes, and other information. Panda Software Inc. www.pandasoftware.com Founded 1990. Offers antivirus software for home users, large companies, and small and growing businesses. Web site includes Virus Information Center with virus encyclopedia (including “Top 5″ current threats), hoax updates, tips, and other resources. Sophos Inc. www.sophos.com Founded 1986. Offers antivirus software for companies of all sizes. Web site includes a rich collection of analyses, articles, updates on hoaxes, and alerts, including monthly “Top 10″ virus list. Symantec Corp. www.symantec.com Founded 1982. Offers firewalls, antivirus software, and other security solutions for home users, large companies, and small and growing businesses. Web site provides free virus alerts, library of virus information. Customers can download anti-virus updates from home page. Provides updates on hoaxes. Trend Micro Inc. www.trendmicro.com Founded 1988. Offers network antivirus software and other security products and services. Web site includes virus advisories, encyclopedia, prevention tips, and additional information. Also offers a free online cost-analysis calculator for determining potential financial impact of virus attacks. Send feedback, column ideas, and tech tips to annestuartinc@yahoo.com.