Friday, January 17, 2014

What Are the Security Threats Facing Online Banking?

As any other internet security vulnerability, online banking security threats have become profound as the internet thieves seek for smarter ways to steal from unsuspecting users. You email account may be used as a target to steal your information. The email browser may also be targeted. Before you click any link on your email, you should know its source.

However "sweet" and "darling" internet use may be, its exposure to scammers, phishers and hackers is a daunting moment for internet enthusiasts. The digital edge is picking up with a new generation of high tech thieves. They are smart, intellectual and will challenge your ability to protect yourself from internet insecurity.


Online banking has unearthed one of the most convenient, cost effective and reliable mode of conducting business and transactions today. Internet insecurity poses the greatest challenge to online banking. Clients need to ensure that they observe the Internet security tips. When conducting business online, clients must avoid sending account information to unsafe and suspecting clients or sources.


Account passwords, pin numbers and other personal details such as name and addresses, are very sensitive features and being on the hands of the fraudsters can cause harm to the person’s financial security in internet use. The fraudsters use these details to advance in cashing out amount from your accounts. It is important to always log out from your email browser page after finishing a session.


Identity theft is the most common known threat of the online banking insecurity. Internet hackers trap the unsuspecting users. Hackers are able to steal important personal confidential details such as full names, account numbers, email passwords, bank account passwords, and identification numbers (PIN) and use these details to maneuver around and extort cash from the person’s bank accounts.


Normally, internet criminals are targeting online banking because of its immense trading and transactions base. The world is digitized and the billions population is getting Online. The internet thieves are repositioning themselves in order to harness the potentials of this richly endowed market.


Surely, the fight against Internet crime must be tightened through enlightenment. The Internet community must be harmonized and work as a team. Applause is given to those organizations, companies, firms, and individuals who in any way contribute to enlightening and informing the Internet audience readers on online insecurity.


Phishing is a common and publicized form of Internet theft. It mainly takes the form of emails that are purported to be sent from an organization and for that matter a bank, requesting the person’s confidential details and Internet information. It may as well contain a link to a website that identically resembles the legitimate bank website.


Here the customers are requested to enter their details. Usually this program captures the details and is used to defraud of the victims' cash from the bank accounts. They may also initiate illegal transactions in an account.


For the online banking customers, it is a matter of conscience and should gather information on Online banking fraud. One should be updated with the current trends and information on online banking fraud threats. It is imperative to note that Internet criminals are getting smarter day by day, often devising new and advanced techniques to beat and trap their targets.


If one has any information about Internet theft or may have been a victim of the same, it is critical to share out this experience with the other Internet users. You may never know, as you could save millions of online banking clients from the fraudulent actions of the Internet criminals. The online banking security threats need a proactive approach and a lot of information sharing to each other in curbing the manace.










7 Qualities You Should Look Out For In a Car Insurance Firm

Is it the premium rates or cost of insurance coverage that attracts and convinces you to buy that car insurance policy? Whether a yes or no, one thing is remarkably clear, that the dimension under which to determine the appropriateness of an auto insurance company goes beyond that. In the perspective of the policy buyers, a good insurance company is that which meets their need and expectations.

But what do insurance buyers really want from an auto insurance company. Is it simply cheap premiums? As much as the cost of the insurance may be a main factor, today auto insurance clients are looking for sustainable coverage. The policy must be affordable but affordability does not necessarily mean cheap.


Information at hand regarding the insurance company is another aspect that insured will search for. This is provided through advisory services that may be offered. Of the characteristics of good car insurance firm, they include;


1.    Reliability
The auto insurance should be there when the clients need it. They should be available and accommodative in times of a business uncertainty such as during compensation claims. As the company is interested with the client when they are remitting their premiums, they should also extend this hand when the clients are faced with difficulties, such as an accident.

Otherwise, that is what auto insurance business is all about. Auto insurance companies that observe this aspect acquire reputation. They build their brand within the market niche.


2.    Reputable and recognized
Car insurance clients will want to be associated with companies that have proved to be competent and have survived the sweets and sours of a business operation. Building a company brand is not easy. It requires innovations and sound business systems set up.

Reputable insurance companies must have been in business for a relatively long time. It is impossible to evaluate and establish the reputation of a business in a short period. For an auto insurance to obtain credits from the clients, it has to be in operation for a long time proving an ideal and commendable car insurance coverage. 


3.    Affordable coverage
This is one of the most checked factors of the auto insurance companies. A car insurance company must develop a coverage that does to extort the clients of their monetary resource. The premium rates are the main subject of determining the cost of a car insurance policy.

Nevertheless, there may be other hidden factors that may significantly affect the affordability of an insurance coverage. The future rate adjustments, which are caused by aspects such as accidents, damage of a vehicle and subsequent compensations, should be well analyzed.


The initial premiums imposed before an accident or damage occurs may be very enticing and attractive, however, the adjustors’ mechanism may be a hidden trap that can drive insurance buyers into financial debts. A client should enquire on the adjustments applicable whenever compensations. Other factors that may lead to rates adjustments include a noted poor driving behavior.


4.    Diversity of coverage
The kinds of coverage offered determine the suitability of a company. If a car, insurance firm is limited to one or two coverage this implies that it is incapable of providing a broad spectrum of services to its clients. Such an insurance firm may either be a young company getting in to the market or it has failed to expand its wings over time. This may not be the suitable a company to go for.

5.    Flexible terms of agreement

One of the issues that insurance clients should never forget to get conclusive information about is the terms of agreement in place. No matter how an insurance company may be cheap, it can turn to be very expensive hence complicating the whole aspect of insurance policy sustainability. The insurance companies should play a forefront role in ensuring that their clients are fully conversant with the applicable terms of agreements.

6.    Supportive advisory services

This is a pro-active initiative that insurance companies should apply. It helps in keeping clients in business. If not applied well, it can result to clients being unable to maintain their coverage. Advisory services may include a guideline on how to keep their premiums low. It also assists in alerting the clients on any future perceived uncertainties that may lie ahead of the clients such as recession of economy, which may drive the clients out of business.

7.    Easy claim process

You may not understand the true colors of your insurance company until that time you are involved in accident and you want compensation. Some companies may not have good claim process and this is why many complaints are reported. You need to re-examine the claim procedure and how effective it is for the motorists seeking for compensation.





What Are Unsecured Car Loans and When Do You Need Them

Whereas persons are looking forward to apply for car loans, the auto loan companies are repositioning themselves in line with the needs and expectations of the consumer. The financial institutions are devising appropriate ways to enable their clients have an array of alternatives to which kind of auto loan they would prefer. Unsecured car loans are those that do not require collateral to be placed as security.

This implies that the borrower does not give the auto loan company an asset or an item to stand for the loan as security in the event of failure to repay. Unsecured auto loans are preferred by those persons with stable and sufficient income because they are payable within relatively short time.


Due to the short period of payback, they attract a comparatively high interest rate. Usually, they are paid within months or a few years mainly less than two years. The decision to acquire unsecured loan is determined by both the individual and the institution.


For instance, a borrower may have sufficient amount of income, but the car loan company decisions not to offer unsecured loan. This is because the institution may have considered other factors such as the economic situations that might affect the borrower’s financial stability for example economic recession.


The car loan company might also take into account the credit worthiness of the customer by establishing the credit score. An auto loan company will grant a loan after ascertaining that the clients’ score is good. Typically, delinquencies are used to determine a personal discipline in handling credits.


Delinquency is the tendency to pay for advances or loan payment late after the stated date of remittance. Although there are many factors that may lead to this behavior, it is usually considered a personal financial mismanagement. On the other hand, if the score is bad, the financial company may not offer the unsecured loan.


A good credit score is characterized by ability to pay advances in time, increased personal bank savings, payment of important bills such as rent in time as well as sufficient personal income. Consequently, the individual may decide which car loan to apply. Depending on one’s financial resources, the borrower can opt for the unsecured auto loans because they can repay without stress.


In case the personal budget is manageable and a large amount is left as disposable income, the client can decide to have unsecured auto loan. In addition, if the income is stable and sufficient but there is a need to borrow soon, the clients may choose to obtain unsecured loan so that they can clear the repayment in advance to be able to apply for the other loan.


Indulging in multiple borrowing may hamper the ability of the client to repay comfortably. Also if the client has enough income, an unsecured loan can be applied. Furthermore, where the client feels that, the security placed as collateral may be confiscated, one may decide to have the unsecured loan.


It should be noted that although the secured auto loans attract a lower rate of interest, the period of payment is long and the total payable amount is usually high. This total payable amount entails the principal amount plus the interest chargeable sum. Therefore, even though the unsecured loans have higher interest rates, the total payable loan amount is less that the secured loans.


In essence, unsecured loans are less expensive than secured loans but more cumbersome to pay. In a nutshell, the advances paid per month for the unsecured auto loans are quite high and many clients do not afford to pay hence opt for the secured auto loans.


What Are The Business Startup Essentials?

When you roll down your business startup plan, this is when you discover the reality from the blue-print plans and wishes you want to fulfill and the realism in meeting to these obligations. Many businesses fail to succeed or take too long to gain market strength simply because the process of implementing the business strategies becomes more challenging. There are simple nitty gritty aspects, which are often overlooked but they can determine the success and failure of your business.

If you are setting up a mobile application business, you need to understand that you cannot do everything by yourself. You need to get support in your business whether from professionals or business partners.


Many people think that they can do it all alone in setting up a business only to fail in their mission soon after they begin the startup process. One of the areas that need to be emphasized is your IT resource input. It is important that if you do not know much in programming and designing, you give this task to an expert.


The ability of your business to peak exponentially will depend on the product that you launch in the market. The software system development, web design, and other IT applications may only be better done by IT experts. Defining your limitations will ensure that you don’t take chances when you are setting up your business.


Secondly, set your finances to ensure that you can take up the startup process. Grounding your business set up process due to lack of sufficient money can be very detrimental. Considering that you want to take advantage of being the first to launch your unique product in the market, it is certain that you do not want to waste time.


Fourthly, before you start the process, ensure that you have researched widely on your market. You need to ensure that you define your clientele base. It is important to test your product to ensure it’s what the buyers want. This will enhance the growth of your business.


Fifth, you have to broaden your selling gimmicks. You need to establish different ways to sell your product. For the mobile application business, you need to bring out the features that mobile users really want to use. There are business-oriented applications such as advertising, money transfers, instant messaging, mobile search and browsing.


For entertainment, music and video downloading features are important as this will capture this particular market. Sixthly, when you initiate a business startup process, you need to hire the right employees and empower them. These workers should have the passion to deliver to your expectations. You need to accommodate and appreciate their ideas and input in your business.


Nurturing a team of performing employees will take your business to great heights.

Seven, you need to utilize the power of internet in marketing your business. Internet is not only a cheap way of developing leads in your business but also an effective marketing tool that is necessary for your business growth.

Develop a website that is search engine friendly and explore all SEO marketing options available. Use content and visual channels such as blog sites, directory submissions, social media sites, and authority sites to further strengthen your online presence. As your business startup process peaks, take control of the growth.


Last but not least, measure your business startup performance. This is the only way you can how you are progressing in your business. There are many ways you can measure your business performance. You can establish how your customer base is growing. You can also evaluate your sales growth.


Create an interaction with the client so that you can get their comments. Social media platforms such as Facebook offer an ideal interaction where you get feedback on how your product is performing. Indeed, if you utilize social media channels, you can reduce the cost advertising and product research significantly allowing your business grow financially.


What Are the Benefits of Secured Car Loans?

The need to own a car by the US residents is practically essential in order to have an efficient and convenient travel from one place to another. Whereas the residents are working hard to ensure that they buy their dream cars, it has sometimes become daunting to successfully be able to buy the cars at the right time from personal savings. Hard economic times and poor budgetary controls have exacerbated the situation.

These factors have resulted to appalling personal saving behavior. In fact, many people are struggling to be in charge of their finances. However, financial institutions have provided a respite to the residents. Today, these financial institutions are more than willing to offer car loan financing and have put in place desirable measures to ensure that every citizen owns a car of choice. Car loans can be categorized as secured or unsecured.


Secured car loans car be defined as those that required collateral to be placed by the borrower. Collateral is an asset or item that is used as a security for the loan in case of an uncertainty repayment. Secured loans are offered based on the historical financial records of the borrower and other external factors, which may be beyond the control of the client.


These external factors include economic stability, political environment, and market trends. Where a client has unappealing previous financial record, this makes the car loan companies to take precautions against bad debts they may incur from failure to repay the loan. Consequently, due to their characteristics, secured loans are preferred because they usually attract low interest rates and are paid for in a relatively longer periods.


Mainly, the timeframe to repay secured loans may range from one year to six or more. When a client puts in place other considerations such as personal financial stability and income, they opt to borrow secured loans to be able to repay with ease. With a sound personal cash management, the clients can comfortably be able to pay the loan amount.


However, this kind of a loan has a disadvantage in that, incase the client fails to repay the loan, the collateral placed as security is confiscated by the car loan company. With secured auto loans, the possibility to loose the asset or item placed as security by the borrower is as high as the failure to repay the loan may occur.


It thus requires one to be self-disciplined in financial matters. It also assumes that other external factors beyond the person's control will not come by the way and cause financial breakdown. For instance, the retrogressive economic growths experienced all over the world between 2007 and 2010 displayed an ideal example where borrowers were driven to financial dark pits due to the prevailing unfavorable economic situations.


Many people lost their jobs, businesses shut down, and personal debts increased. The ability to repay secured loans was hampered. Collaterals were repossessed by the financial institutions. This left many auto loan clients bamboozled by the wary events.


Secured loans also limit the ability to borrow another loan in the near future, as one may need. This is because it takes a long time to repay the loan. Clients ‘shy off’ from multiple borrowing due to the repercussions attached to it.


Moreover, it becomes difficulty should a need arise that requires borrowing. When making that vital decision on which loan to undertake, one should put into considerations factors such as how soon one might need to borrow again, how stable the economy at large is, and how disciplined one is in personal financial management. Secured loans can help you acquire credit facilities at a lower interest rates compared to unsecured loans.


What are the Benefits of Online Banking

As technology advances so are the financial institutions operations. Today people can do their banking right from the office or in their homes. Applause to the technology developers who have made it possible to carry out online banking! It is today convenient to log on to the internet and initiate a transaction from the comfort of your home in any hour of the day. Isn't it amazing? Online banking has herald a technological cutting edge in the 21st Century.

The digital edge is not a myth as the legwarmers would perceive during those old days, but it has become a reality. There are no bank queues. Often clients are not kept in the contention of the laws that Graham forgot to mention, that the "other queue moves fast when you jump into another"


The days are gone when clients used to make long queues in banks lining for services with impatience. This has been molded into a click of a mouse and the bank service is self initiated.  There are certainly no bank holidays as a client can transact a business, make or receive payments on the peak hour of the weekend.


Online banking offers more security than the conventional banking in the sense that no paper works that may scatter around and expose ones bank details. Similarly, other people cannot overhear conversations and get their details.  With advancement in technology, it is easy to view statements.


With a click of a mouse, the customer can access details of the bank accounts, which include the account balances, the transactions initiated, as well as the dates of transactions. The customers can easily move cash between accounts. Making payments to clients such as suppliers is well tailored and fast to carry out.  Cheque books and statements can be ordered easily.


The cost of effecting a transaction is one feature that customers look out for.  The charges that are imposed for transactions in online banking are lower than those of the traditional banking. Convectional banking is often rendered expensive due to the logistics of operation.


It also requires that one travel to the bank to make their transactions. It's inefficient, time consuming and cumbersome.  With the development of mobile banking, it is even more convenient. The incorporation of banking, internet and mobile phones has further customized online banking to the interests of the clients.


Although the online banking is faced with the challenge of insecurity due to the crop up of a new trade in fraudulent activities, the benefits are more than the challenges of insecurity and clients opt to take precautions.  No in any time of history, has banking been made easy, friendly, convenient, and well tailored to the customer than in the online banking.


As people become occupied in other activities, time becomes a scarce resource and in order to beat this challenge, digital age has provided a solution for this through online banking. In essence, there are many benefits of online banking ranging from safety, convenience, and cost to flexibility.


Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Do Car Insurance Companies Take Advantage of Good Drivers?

The subject of car insurance companies and the payment of premiums continue to draw out debates on how companies benefit at the expense of their clients. Have you asked yourself this question; what happens when you buy car insurance coverage and you don't cause an accident in the entire lifetime? The answer to this question is as perturbing as to the lack of knowledge as to when you will cause or be involved in an accident.

A client remains in suspense of knowing when an accident will strike next. Although it is not within the desire of motorists to be involved in accidents, it is sometimes a bother to the insured when they pay insurance coverage only to remain uncompensated for injuries or damage to a vehicle due to good driving ethics.


Whether it's a good luck or simply an act of observing good driving ethics, the implication is that car insurance companies benefit at the expense of the insured when they do not cause accidents. Often the insurance companies have used the driving history as one of the main determinants of the insurance premium rates determinants.


Bad driving ethics characterized by subsequent accidents usually hike the premium rates and the insured bears the burden of bad driving practices. But then, what happens when an insured does not cause or is not involved in any way in accidents that warrant compensations?


As an appreciation of good driving ethics, insurance companies impose reduced rate of premiums to the insurance buyers. However, the company keeps attached to the assumption that the driver will at one time be involved in an accident thus has to keep on remitting their premiums. Nonetheless, the drivers keep on observing good driving behaviors and do not cause accidents that warrant compensations to be made. In this case the car insurance company benefits from these remittances and in fact there are no refunds that are made.


Insurance companies operate on a notion that, even if an insurance buyer is not compensated for any injuries or car damages, others are paid for the same. The success of the insurance company is based on the fact that only few drivers will cause accidents and claim for compensations. This is where the whole issue of car insurance payment becomes complex and often regarded as unfavorable for the drivers who observe an accident-free driving.


In fact some drivers have attempted to cause accidents so as to place a claim for compensation because they perceive that their good ethical driving practices as a benefit to the insurance company. Whether this is a justifiable act or not, the issue is that insurance companies should consider revising the way good drivers are rewarded for their good performance.


It is worthwhile mentioning that, car insurance companies and governments should get back to the drawing board and bring out a concise and clear answer to this heated debate. To grab the bull by its horns, insurance buyers feel betrayed by the insurance companies especially when they do not indulge in accidents that prompt the companies to reimburse compensations. The government must analyze this aspect and bring out a more customer oriented car insurance policy.


Auto insurance buyers who in most of their life time do not assume compensations of any nature during their driving history are dissatisfied by the way insurance companies use their premium contributions for their sole benefits. Aptly, there is a burning issue that needs to be resolved and this is; should insurance buyers receive a considerable amount of refund if they do not cause accidents or are not in any way compensated for personal body injuries or car damages within their driving experience?


Little Known Bitcoins Gain Value by Over A Million Times ...Peaked At $1,250 in November 2013

Since its introduction in the market in 2009, bitcoin has risen in value by over a million times. Crypto currencies are little known by many people and recently one of these types of virtual currencies has hit the virtual financial market in a storm. Introduced in 2009, Bitcoins have grown in leaps and bounds, and today the crypto-currency is trading way above $1000 dollars mark. 
Bitcoin 
A few years, if you were to buy a bit coin, you would get close to 1,000 bitcoins in every $1 US dollar. Today, a couple of years down the line, things have turned upside down and buying a single bitcoin will cost you more than $1000 dollars. The shift to using crypto currencies is creating a strong market for these kinds of virtual currencies.


The rise of Bitcoin has marked the widespread use and application of virtual currencies in the real financial market. Bitcoins are competing with government issued fiat currencies as merchants begin to accept this virtual currency. There is an historic change taking a toll in financial markets and whether consumers like it or not, virtual currencies may influence the way, online trading is done.

And, as the head of currency research Bank of America Merrill Lynch  said, bitcoins, the unregulated virtual currency might emerge as a serious competitor to the fiat or traditional money transfer providers.

Technology is behind the development of virtual currencies and one remarkable example is that of bitcoins. Bitcoins are today being used in trading foreign exchange and buying products online, and the popularity of this crypto currency is picking up so quickly yet strongly. More and more businesses and individuals are now becoming aware of the benefits of using the crypto currency over traditional currencies.


Although the value of bitcoins is constantly changing, it is heading on the higher scale, and as of November 2013, the virtual currency traded at close to $1300. This is an amazing growth considering that in just a few years, about $1000 bitcoins where trading for $1. There are more than $1.5 billion worth of the bitcoins in the market. Millions of transactions occur daily and there is no fixed price for the virtual currency. It depends on the rate at which the currency is trading in the market.


One difference between bitcoins and the traditional currencies is that this virtual currency is not printed by any centralized bank and no government or bank sets its value. The value of bitcoin fluctuates based on supply and demand. To get started using this type of virtual currency, you need to get a Bitcoin wallet. This is the first step in using the bitcoins.


There are different applications through which you can create your bitcoin wallet. A bitcoin wallet is like an app, which you can download and install in your computer or phone using a software wallet on the internet. Bitcoins can be obtained in different ways such as selling goods and accepting payment in form of bitcoins. More merchants are now doing this as they begin to realize the value and benefit of bitcoins.


You can also purchase and sell the bitcoins through virtual currency exchanges or Bitcoins exchanges. This is the common method used by people to obtain bitcoins. You have to be very careful when you trade online with bitcoins, as the frauds are ripe. You can also trade bitcoins with traditional currencies like US dollars.


Friday, January 03, 2014

How to Borrow a Suitable Car Loan and Safeguard Your Collateral

Collateral can be defined as the security assets that are placed against a loan by the borrower. Not all loans require collateral. Auto loan attracts collateral depending on the risk that is associated with the borrower in paying the loan. A client who has a bad credit score will attract higher interest rate on the loan granted. 

Similarly, a bad credit score implies that there is a need for the borrower to provide security against the loan. Consequently a loan recipient who has a high credit score and less debts proves the ability to pay for loan thus may not be required to place collateral against the loan borrowed.


In order to safeguard your assets against possible repossession by a financial company, you should consider various factors which include borrowing depending on your pay back ability. A client with a sustainable stream of income and sizable monthly returns can go for short period high interest auto loans.


These are described as the unsecured auto loans. These are clients with high and stable incomes. The recession has virtually affected most clients despite their financial status and thus acquiring an unsecured loan means that you do not pose a risk on your assets.


Consequently depending on your income levels and the sustainability, you may opt to go for the secured loans due to the low interest rate associated with.  However, you need to maintain a strict repayment program so that you do not result to delinquencies and possibly be unable to pay the loan leading to loose of your collateral.


If you have a low income but a sustainable, one you should consider the secured loan. In this case, your limited income can be able to pay the loan for a relatively long period on low interest rate. The recession has seen constraint in incomes and reduced business returns and most of the loans are attracting security. There is uncertainty in paying of the loans.


Moreover, those with well thriving incomes can still go for the unsecured auto loans. These attract high interest rates but the assets placed against the loan are not in a risk compared to the unsecured ones.  Financial institutions are calling for open discussion in regard to auto loaning so that the borrower is aware of the implications resulting to the failure to meet the auto lenders loan terms and conditions


All the mentioned aspects are considered by borrowers in order to acquire a car loan that will place the clients in the best possible position to repay. Through these factors a client can measure the level of uncertainty associated with borrowing that may subject the collateral to risk of repossession by an auto finance company. The borrower can then acquire a car loan or forfeit it altogether.


How Businesses Can Reduce Computer and Internet Network Vulnerability

In defining what is computer network security, it is imperative to mention that it is the application of security techniques to reduce network vulnerabilities. These security techniques help in protecting the usability, integrity, reliability and safety of computer networks and data. A network security protects your computers from threats such as viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware and adware. It also prevents zero-day attacks, hacking attacks and denial of service-DoS attacks.

Moreover, these computer security systems also protect identity theft such as stealing of your names, addresses, phone numbers and your personal information.  Network security systems include anti spyware, anti-virus, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems-IPS and virtual private networks-VPNs.


Loss of company information is one of the aspects, which place the survival of many businesses at stake and with breach of internet network security; businesses can lose data which cost them a penny. It is therefore essential for businesses to protect their data and information through computer network system protection.


Company data is not only threatened by physical intruders but also by internet and cyber war uncertainties. According to Forrester Research Incl., businesses in the world are losing close to about $221 billion in a year through data loss with the American businesses parting with about $54 billion due to loss of their company data.


At the same time, according to the ABI Research, businesses in the world are spending more than $6 billion a year in network and data-security technology and this figure is expected to rise to $ 10 billion by the year 2016. What this means is that businesses need to invest in data protection. The threat in cyber warfare is so real that every week there are news reports of companies and organizations from small businesses to the defense departments claiming to have lost their data.


The potential damage that is caused by such data loss goes far more than just lost or damaged data. For instance, information that is stolen amounts to lost intellectuality as well as jobs from the businesses since new product information can be stolen and shortly copies of that new product are found in other markets at very off the cuff prices.


One of the ways in which businesses can protect their computer network is through setting up a network breach prevention program. There is a need for businesses to define their computer and internet network security peripherals and put in place the best protection practices possible. There is a need to seek for internet services providers to establish, which IP addresses a business uses and also obtain proper permissions.


The IP addresses also need to be monitored so that the business can know when unused IP addresses suddenly come to use. All external network access points need to be managed through encrypted virtual private networks- VPNs and use of firewall. Two- factor authentication solutions help in providing secure remote access of networks. These authentications strictly control the access into your business network with authentication devices, passwords and account log in details.


The use of static passwords does not provide adequate security for your computer network. Gaining an unauthorized access to networks can be both simple and complex. In a simple way, ill-intended people can steal passwords to gain access to your network. On the other hand, they can use complex ways such as launching a Trojan or even a phishing attack.


The use of traditional static passwords is outdated and archaic and cannot effectively deter those using complex phishing and hacking techniques to penetrate internet network security systems and harvest confidential data. Statistics show that a shocking 43% of businesses who lose electronic data never reopen and that about 29% will close their businesses within two years, according to Researchers McGladrey and Pullen.


This shows the magnitude of the impacts of data loss in companies. Businesses can also protect their computer network through segmentation, which insulates the business from the risks. They can use firewalls to control the inbound and outbound traffic to their networks.


There should be internal network segmentation between different offices to help prevent breach of computer and internet network security. Businesses also need to use very strong encryption for their networks such as SSL. Last but not least, businesses should have a backup for their data through remote data backups. This can help in data recovery and retrieval when disasters strike and data is lost or damaged.


Great Tips on How to Get the Most out of a Trade Show

Despite the fact that trade show displays marketing strategy has a high cost of lead generation and qualification, when it is carried out appropriately, it has showed outstanding resilience in promotional activities. It has proved to be a great opportunity for meeting face-to-face with business partners and clients, something that lacks in internet promotional activities. In order to make your trade show a success, there are things that need to be observed by the trade show promotional team, which help in engaging, qualifying and disengaging the prospects.

The main goal for a trade show is to meet and qualify as many leads as possible, which can later be converted into sales. What this means is that the promotional team should focus on capturing as many leads as they can. The engagement time needs to be minimal and something close to 5 minutes may be regarded as an appropriate time that needs to be allocated for each engagement.


By waiting to convert leads after a trade fair helps in maximizing the number of booth visitors who are able to be qualified. It also helps to slowly nurture the lead prospects that have longer sales cycle time. The quality of leads that is generated from trade show displays continues to be one of the strongest and ranks among the most qualified.


When using trade show signage, you need not fill your booth with words. This is because, a trade fair booth is more of a billboard rather than a datasheet meaning that the booth should provide a selling environment. You should not wait for the visitors in your booth to stop by and start reading your signage as it is the role of the sales team to approach the visitors and to put across the message and product features.


A more aggressive face-to-face engagement is required to help qualify the leads. Moreover, the trade show signage should not be put below the table height as it may not be noticed or easily seen by visitors. The literature graphics as well as the booth appearance should match the look and message of your company website.


In addition, when on the trade show floor, the promotional team should not focus heavily on giving out the literature to unqualified leads since most of the literature that is collected from the shows never make its way to homes or offices. The trade show displays team can focus on obtaining emails and contacts of the prospects and promise that the literature will be send to them and therefore, they do not have to carry it.


One of the reasons why it is recommended not to close a sale with the qualified leads right on the trade show floor is that in general, trade shows convert only about 1-5% of the total number of visitors of a trade show booth. Attempting to close the sales during the show time can limit the team from qualifying a large number of visitors.


There is also need to use marketing automation strategies to help in nurturing the prospects to become sales. There are software programs, which can be used to generate tailored emails for those customers interested in your products and services but they are not able to make a buying decision right away at the trade show displays.


Using the software programs ensures that sales persons are readily involved when a lead is nurtured to a ready-to-buy status. This helps reduce the time which is wasted chasing after leads that are in the early stages of the sales cycle thus improving efficiency in lead qualification and conversion.


R4 Cards: Enhancing Memory Capacity of Your Console Device

Console games are increasingly becoming essential entertainment platforms and this is because they provide amusement experience to the users. However, due to limitation of storage capacity, they may not hold a huge number of games that allows users to get different choices of entertainment. This is one area where the use of R4 card features in. These games can be used by kids and adult meaning that depending on the target users, you can get suitable consoles for all ages.

The R4 cards are simply useful in enhancing the memory capacity of your console. This means that users are able to store more games and in addition, they can add more items into the storage space. This eliminates the traditional use of the consoles as just media games playing devices. If you install a memory storage card, it means that you can store music videos such as mp3. You can also store movies and other information that you may want to access when you are playing your games.


This makes the cards to be multimedia consoles giving the users an opportunity to enjoy other forms of entertainment like music and movie videos. These cards also allow users to get different games without having to switch the content through their computers. In order to provide optimal enjoyment for your kids and other people using the console, you can use the cards to accommodate more different games.


This creates a continuous entertainment without being distracted to change the content from your PC. Moreover, if you use the cards to store music, it means that you can enjoy different forms of entertainment when you so wish. It is not all the time you would want to watch the console games. At times you need a change on the kind of entertainment that you want to watch.


This means that you do not need to operate another device like a music player in order to listen to your music. You only need to switch the content you want to play from your console device. This increases the user -experience you get from these games devices. Since you can get a card that has a storage capacity of 32 GB, compared to the non SDHC variety of these cards, which allow about 2GB capacity, it means that you have a greater amount of extra storage media.


Although you can store some movies and music on the 2GB card, this does not give you great scalability. Only a few videos can fit in this 2GB memory card and with availability of cards with more enhanced storage capacity, this limitation on the amount of content you can store is alleviated.


In essence, the r4 cards have changed the way in which consoles are used. They have changed from their main use as only games playing devices to multimedia devices that can hold different contents, which the user would like to access. This increases the adaptability of the device as it can be used to store different contents, meaning they are now more convenient to use.


Structural Glass Solutions...Transforming Buildings with Glass Architecture

The structural glass solutions applied in building structures define the strength of the glass windows and doors to environmental and mechanical effects. When providing structural building and contractions services, contractors mainly focus on providing structures that are energy efficient, reduce the effects of environmental factors such as heat and rain as well as improve comfort and enhance the beauty of the structure. They also define the energy efficiency as well as the aesthetic beauty of your building. 

Similarly, the stability of the building glass structures such as sliding doors is determined by the materials and technological advancements applied. One of the best structural glass solutions you can use in buildings is structural glazing. There are different structural glazing methods used such as unitized, semi unitized and fully unitized. 

Spider glazing for instance, enhances aesthetic beauty and this can be incorporated with frameless glazing using spider fittings. The structural glazing designs are made from materials such as aluminum, silicon sealants and glass.

Glass glazing consists of glass sheets, which are held together with use of strong sealants. These are designed into specifications and they are easy to install and allow for low maintenance. The frameless structural glass solutions such as those done on door assemblies may require toughened fins that help reduce deflection that is created by load.


In addition, glass fin stabilizers are also used to support glass facades as backup structures. This also allows for maximum vision area. The glass fin stabilizers can be connected to the glass facades using spider fittings and this allows for transfer of the wind load from the facades through to the fins and then to the surrounding structure.


Curtain walling is a non-load bearing system that is used in the glazing solutions. This system is hanged on a building structure and this is where the name curtain is derived from. Nonetheless, the system can also be dead loaded. When carrying out curtain walling, there are certain things that need to be considered in the design work. These are such as air permeability, water tightness and wind resistant. 


Other factors are ventilation, acoustic requirements, solar shading, and thermal performance. The basic characteristics of curtain walling are usually square or rectangular grids of transoms and mullions though the designs can also be enhanced by incorporating sloped roofs, curves and facets as well as tilts and turns. One of the benefits of curtain wall facades structural glass solutions is the aesthetic beauty they display.

In order to ensure that stability, durability, and resistance to weather effects are attained on the curtain walling structures, they are glazed with state-of-the-art technological advancements. Structural glass solutions like the glazing designs offer efficient protection against noise. They also improve thermal insulation for enhanced energy saving.


A Sour Relationship between Federal and the Native American Tribes on Payday Lending

The US Federal government is investigating purported payday lending practices being carried out in native American tribal lands. There are payday lending firms that are said to be operating under companies owned by native American tribes. The crucial point is that the regulators are trying to protect consumers and the tribal leaders on the other hand are defending their economic rights since they claim to benefit from such trading of undercover payday lending practices.

The aspect of sovereign immunity is very complex but that said and done, it does not grant any group of people to operate in dealings that are outlawed. There is a problem in the way in which legal matters that touch on the native American tribes are handled in courts.


For example, cases put forward against apparent tribal payday loan operations are usually dismissed or tossed out of state court on grounds of sovereign immunity. The legal concept does not bar federals from taking appropriate actions against payday firms operating under cover or on false pretence. There is harm being created on the citizens while the native American tribes leaders claim that their sovereignty is being undermined.


Tribal leaders claim that the actions of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau- CFPB are unfounded and most of the payday lending firms that run under the auspices of native tribes are in fact owned and controlled by native Americans. They further claim that the services are genuine and should not spark tension or legitimacy doubts from the federal legal arms. The leaders argue that they will fight any incursion that is perpetrated on their rights.


However, there are also claims that these leaders could be shielding businesses that could be ruining their sovereignty. If not checked, the sovereignty of native American tribes could be ruined by their insatiable practices. There have been claims that a particular payday lender has unfairly subjected borrowers who are debt-burdened to travel to South Dakota to appear before a tribal court.


This is a court, which does not have jurisdiction over their cases, and therefore, there is need for urgent redress on this issue. Consumers may be suffering under these payday loan firm purporting to be operated by natives. Consumers are perhaps being subjected to abusive collection tactics and lofty or inflated fees. The question is; should the Federal government remain silent over the payday loan issues being witnessed in the native American tribal lands?

 



Essential Marketing Strategies for SMEs

For the Small Micro Enterprises- SMEs, there is still a challenge in internet marketing and with the ever shifting demands in online marketing; there is a need to keep molding your small business marketing strategies. Small businesses are dragging to optimize on Internet marketing despite the huge opportunities being offered. There are existing, and emerging trends in small business marketing on the Internet, which could help SMEs optimize on the huge potentials of clientele base found on the Internet.
These are;

  • Keep content centric – although new Internet marketing techniques will keep to edge their way in, content will remain the king in online small business marketing. Apparently, have changed the way content influences website ranking. There are many things used by Google algorithm to rank sites for example, the user experience created by your site, to what extend your site is being shared on social networks, and how much time audience readers are spending on your site, and so forth.
  • Rethink social media marketing- if you thought that Facebook and Twitter are too informal for your business, and then you are definitely missing it out. If a customer got a good deal from your business, it will probably be discusses on Twitter. You also need to join the discussions and pull the crowd, respond to the discussions and create more strong points to strengthen your brand. And the Google+ is something you need to target for small business marketing.
  • Switch to Google local search search/google maps- perhaps this was created for the small business marketing. This tool will help your business get noticed. What you need to do is list your business correctly using Google places. Google will favor businesses that have completed their profile with video and photos.
  • Google AdWords for SMEs- the small business marketing experts can utilize the pay-per-click AdWords. With Google local search, the trends on Google AdWords applications are shifting and small businesses can now take advantage of this tool. If you create an AdWords campaign specifically targeted to your local area, your ads will appear only when people in your geographic area use Google. This improves AdWords campaigns results. This is especially true with statistics showing that 61% of local searches in the US results to purchases.
  • Online reviews for social signals- there is a shift in customer buying behavior, and statistics show that about 63% of social media users are using reviews on consumer rating to get information on products and services.
  • Accountability through social media- Google is relying on reviews that are offered on social media as a way of ranking websites. And SMEs need to take social media seriously in their small business marketing activities.
  • Shift to cloud computing- this is an essential tool that SMEs need to utilize. Cloud computing uses networks of remote servers hosted on the Internet. You can store and manage data on cloud rather than using conventional shared local servers. You only need an Internet connection to access cloud options. It offers data scalability, reduces costs and has more accessibility.
  • Utilize apps- people are now turning to use of smartphones to access the internet. The QuickBooks Mobile on iPhone and Android will help create invoices and access customer data.
All said and done, you need to track your website performance with the free web tracking tools. Whether a blog site or a website for your small business marketing, you need to know how many people are getting to the site and what they are doing on the site. These free tools are such as CrazyEgg, Google Analytics, SiteMeter, StatCounter, and GoStats.


How to Find Legitimate Jobs In Dubai

Recruitment market analysts predict that job openings across many regions of the United Arab Emirates- UAE including Dubai jobs, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar job vacancies are expected to pick up in 2013.  If you are seeking for jobs in uae the prospects are high but you need to be warned that there is proliferation of agencies advertising their services on the internet, which claim to offer jobs in this part of the world. You need to steer clear of these sites because you will most likely get ripped off your hard earned money.

Many people have complained that recruitment agencies are requesting some fees in order to process your application for a job in uae but this is not allowed by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Labour. If you notice that you are being asked to pay a fee to sign up with an agency to be placed in a job in dubai, or a fee for an offer letter uae employment vacancy, you are mostly likely being scammed. Therefore, it makes sense to find an agency that does not charge any fee.  However, you may also find some trusted agencies still charging the uae job seeker some fee.


Whereas there are many good uae employment companies that can land you your dream job in Dubai and other UAE regions, finding them is not easy. So where can you find legitimate agencies that can help you get a job in UAE?


Some of the agencies that have received a bad reputation are those dealing with job search for construction workers in UAE where job applicants are frequently charged for their visa applications. This is illegal in regard to UEA laws.


Despite the dimming global job market, UAE has seen an exponential economic growth which has resulted to increased hiring of skilled workers in different sectors of the economy including construction, off shore oil and gas drilling, hospitality, airline sector and others. 

In a bid to help you find a reputable uea employment agency, “dubaifqs(dot)com” website provides a list of trusted companies that can help you get a job in Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and other UAE regions. Some of these recruiters include;
•    bacme(dot)com
•    bayt(dot)com
•    charterhouseme(dot)ae
•    manpower-me(dot)com
•    morganmckinley(dot)ae
•    kershawleonard(dot)net
•    monster(dot)com

Caution: Spammers try to use these domains and alter them slightly so that they deceive unsuspecting uae job seekers. You are likely to have a spam website that uses the main domain of these sites and changes the last part of the website to read like “.com” instead of “.net”


Therefore, you need to check the authenticity of the site offering careers in uae very carefully so that you are not trapped in another spam activity. Remember, if you are being asked for registration fees, uae employment visa fee or workers visa fee and other forms of charges, you would better stay away from that agency because it is most likely a scam. You can visit “dubaifqs(dot)com” and have a look at other recommended companies.


The reason why there are so many recruitment agency scams in Dubai and other UAE countries is that uae job seekers do not understand the role played by recruiting agencies. These agencies are not the employers and they only work for the employers. They are actually paid for the services they provide to the employer. They assist the employers to fill out vacancies they have in their institutions or companies including jobs in uae for americans and other workers from around the globe and therefore, they are paid by the employer and not the job.


In a layman’s language, a job seeker is a commodity being bought and the agencies act as sellers and the employers are buyers. Networking is one important aspect when you are seeking for jobs in uae, and this means that if you find any useful resource information, you need to share it out with your peers, family and job seekers so that other people seeking for jobs in United Arab Emirates are able to get the right information. This will prevent them from being swindled off their cash by spammers.


Building a Brand Identity with Graphic Design Services

Creating a brand identity revolves around many aspects and graphic design is an essential element of brand name awareness campaign. If you utilize graphic design services you can transform your business into a profitable entity. Small businesses need to tap the potential presented by graphic designers in order to help create awareness on their brands and market their products and services.

Graphic designing goes beyond creativity and includes the aspect of intuitiveness and ability to understand the business goals, objects, missions, and culture, and bring out these elements through pictorial and textual brand identity presentations. There are different ways in which small businesses can benefit from graphic design services and these include;

•    Logo designs,
•    Brochures and leaflets
•    Newsletter designs.
•    Business cards design crafting.
•    Business letterheads and envelops.
•    Banner modeling.
•    Website creation.
•    Custom designs such as t-shirt graphic designs.

The kind of graphic design services a business seeks helps define its image to the public. The designs should be appealing and needs to grab the attention of the readers. The designs should also communicate clearly and be able to pass across the intended message to the audience readers.


Logo design is very important aspect of the graphic design services needs for a business. It is the symbol of a business entity brand identity. It should bring out the business features in a few words and picture designs. A primed graphic designer has the ability to study the business features including its culture, goals, objectives, mission statement, management portfolio, cadre of employees, communication systems in place, and the interest of the employer. All these aspects are augmented in a logo design.


If businesses obtain the right graphic design services for their designs, they can create a positive image for their business. In marketing, graphic designs help in presenting products and services in pictures and images to the prospective consumers. One thing businesses need to understand is that the design work can help determine the buying behavior of customers.

Perhaps, advertising materials are the first things a consumer engages with as pertains to a business brand identity. They help create an impression.

It is said that the first impression last. If the design is elegantly and professionally designed, this can create a good image for your business. What this means is that a consumer can easily be influenced to make a buying decision through the graphic design services. Brochures and leaflet designs should display the qualities of the products and services. What the audience reads from these advertising materials should match the quality of products and services provided by the business. This is the reason why a designer needs to learn more about a product before presenting it on the design.


It is the intellectual interpretation and presentation of the product brand identity features on the design masterpiece, which defines professionalism in graphic design. In addition, the graphic design services expert should be able to read the mind of the employer to ensure that he or she produces a masterpiece, which meets to employer’s expectations. The corporate or business color should well be featured on the logo and all design works for a business. Newsletters are essential tools, which can help businesses spread the word about their culture, products and services.


With use of graphic design services, you can develop a business newsletter that can help create brand identity for your business. Furthermore, small businesses can enhance their brand identity through letterheads and envelop designs. Every design work no matter how small it is should be professionally and artistically designed.


Web design is one of the things that require great expertise in graphic designing. Text and images in web designs needs to be presented in a balanced manner ensuring that they play a complementary role. Neither of the two (text and images) should interrupt the clarity of the other. What this means is that the graphic design services you seek for your web design should be able to craft together text and images providing the most eye-catching web design that attracts and retains the reader thus enhancing brand identity.


If the graphic designs are vibrant, they can retain the reader on the site thus increasing the probability of the reader making a buying decision. Last but not least, there are other custom designs, which can be done by a reputable graphic design services expertise such as design prints for corporate t-shirts. In a nutshell, graphic designer can conceptualize and visualize your brand identity design needs and offer exactly what you need and in the most affordable cost.