98 Percent of Mobile Malware is Aimed at Android Users |  |
- 98 Percent of Mobile Malware is Aimed at Android Users
- CrowdtiltOpen Allows Free Crowdsourcing on Your Own Domain
- Customer Service Matters Much More Than You May Think
- China Based Huawei Introduces Five New Devices, Eyes U.S. Market
- Are You Discriminating Against Women Employees Without Even Knowing It?
- Have You Ever Been to a 3D Printed Fashion Show?
| 98 Percent of Mobile Malware is Aimed at Android Users Posted: 27 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST
Ninety-eight percent of mobile malware is aimed at Android users, a report from security experts Kaspersky Labs says. This is largely because of the popularity of the platform. But the study also notes the “vulnerability” of Android’s architecture as a reason the mobile operating system is vulnerable. And most of this malware is aimed at stealing money, including targeting credit card information. The report also says the mobile malware economy has moved from individual actors to more organized groups of programmers and developers mostly designing malware for profit. The study notes:
According to the study, a total of 143,211 new modifications of malicious programs targeting mobile devices were detected last year. Also, nearly 4 million installation packages were used by cyber criminals to distribute mobile malware. In the last two years, Kaspersky has identified 10 million unique malicious installation packages. Malware is spread primarily through apps downloaded from third party sites other than Google Play though a recent report also indicates the amount of Google malware on Google’s store is also increasing. Of course, being aware that your mobile device is nearly as vulnerable as your computer is the first step in protecting your business from being the next victim to an attack. We’ve recently noted that although mobile devices are increasingly being targeted, device makers are investing in defenses, too. Image: Securelist/Kaspersky The post 98 Percent of Mobile Malware is Aimed at Android Users appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| CrowdtiltOpen Allows Free Crowdsourcing on Your Own Domain Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:30 PM PST
The free, open-source crowdfunding site was launched last week. Unlike Indigogo, Kickstarter and similar sites, CrowdtiltOpen allows for full customization of the look and feel of your business’ crowdfunding site. You can even use your existing domain or another one. For startups or companies looking to expand their profile by launching a crowdfunding campaign, this may be an ideal option. The company says that you can raise more money, establish your brand, and establish longer term relationships with your supporters through CrowdtiltOpen. CrowdtiltOpen has several templates created for you to use, according to the company website. It also allows for HTML and CSS tweaking to get your crowdfunding pages exactly as you need them. Crowdtilt’s Ajay Mehta writes that CrowdtiltOpen is doing for crowdfunding what WordPress did for blogging:
CrowdtiltOpen allows your business to start a crowdfunding, pre-order or donation campaign through the platform. The site says it will handle the “back end” of your crowdfunding site, including processing payments and donations for non-profit organizations. The customizing of the look and feel is up to you. Since it’s an open-source platform, CrowdtiltOpen is free to use. There are third-party services that can be integrated into your campaign, like ones that manage your payments and shipping. All campaigns provide analytics which tell you who your customers are. Successful campaigns only pay standard credit card fees. This project started as Crowdhoster last year. Crowdtilt allowed hundreds of companies and non-profits toexperiment with the Crowdhoster platform. The company claims that some of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns have been launched through Crowdhoster. That includes a campaign for Soylent, a food/drink, which raised $2.1 million from about 20,000 contributors. Crowdtilt says the company is working to integrate Bitcoin payment options for campaigns. It’s also developing a way to purchase multiple rewards in a single transaction. Image: CrowdtiltOpen The post CrowdtiltOpen Allows Free Crowdsourcing on Your Own Domain appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Customer Service Matters Much More Than You May Think Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST
Customer service is a big "elephant in the room" for so many businesses out there. It’s really not easy to train yourself or your employees with the virtues required to be a well-rounded, service-minded personality – a person with all the necessary attributes to make patrons to your business happy each and every time. Learn From the Baby Boomers…One thing that’s caught a lot of young entrepreneurs off-guard as they’ve built their business is the fact that there’s an aged segment of customers out there (baby-boomers) who care just as much about the customer service experience they receive, as they do the quality of the product you’re selling them. Scott Hume, Editor at BurgerBusiness, says:
Gen Y and Gen Z individuals often don’t have the same expectations. To them, the concept of chivalry is a foreign one, and they’ve learned not to expect too much, particularly with regard to value-added-service. Does that mean if your business sells more to one and not so much (or at all) to the other, that you should develop customer service practices that suit that specific demographic? Absolutely not. Even if your target demo doesn’t expect much of you, they’re ten times more likely to come back and do business with you next time, if they have a decent experience. This is a universal reality across all businesses, regardless if you sell tangible or intangible products. Poorly Misunderstood Benefits From Providing Top-Notch Customer Service1. Getting it Right the First Time Generates More ProfitsPoor service can be about how the order system functions, how the sales staff treats prospects, how you develop and then satisfy consumer expectations of your product/service, or simply the overall perception they’re left with after doing business with you (i.e. did they feel treated fairly or rudely). What does this have to do with saving money, you ask? Poor service = Poor quality = Poor Profits It’s all about reworking. Every time you have to rework something it costs you money. If the customer feels like they were deceived, treated rudely, or any of their expectations weren’t met, it’s likely they’ll demand a refund, a redo, or a freebie – if you’re lucky. They may simply not come back and certainly won’t recommend you. One time sales rarely a rich man make. Every rework costs you money, unless the customer’s the type to only give you one chance. Then you just lost a repeat customer and the word-of-mouth marketing they could have provided you. Indeed, poor service quality directly affects your bottom line. 2. When They Come Back and Bring Others With Them, You Make More MoneyIn most businesses, return customers and word-of-mouth are what will make you successful. Using the burger analogy, let’s run with a fictional customer service scenario about two different burger joints: Exhibit A: The first burger place (Let’s call it "McGurdy’s"). Customers are greeted with a smile and the staff is taught to take their time answering any and all questions the customer might have. Each staff member is paid above minimum wage and the atmosphere is one of teamwork and positivity. The burgers aren’t going to be featured on Gordon Ramsay’s signature menu at Caesar’s Palace, but the health standards are excellent, the service impeccable, and the food is on par with other fast food joints. Exhibit B: The next burger place ("The Burger Pit") makes the best burger mankind has ever tasted. This little shop is run under the thumb of one man; a surly old fella who screams orders at his staff, who get paid the minimum pay allowed by law. The customer service staff jumps every time the old fella yells, often interrupting the customer service flow and interaction. The old man screams at staff for "talking to customers for too long" and tells customers who complain to leave his store and never return. The health standards are impeccable under the iron rule of the old fella, service is slow and disjointed, and the burgers are a fantastic experience to say the least. Which would you choose? Naturally, customers will choose the best burger on the planet, no? After all, the quality of the product should dictate popularity. But it doesn’t. Customers want to feel respected and listened to. Very few return customers would go to the Burger Pit over McGurdy’s because going to get the best burger means their patience is likely to be tried to the extreme, and they might have a downright unpleasant experience. The majority will go where the combination of product quality and service are best (a "happy medium" in the absence of a business that truly has all elements of their product and service covered.) 3. Staff Turnover Will Burn a Hole in Your PocketFranchise businesses understand this concept very well, yet they deal with more turnover costs than most small businesses make in a year. The small business owner has to learn this lesson the hard way, often letting ego get in the way of good judgement. The "take it or leave it" approach to staff management will eat a hole in your profits every time. You’re probably wondering: How the heck did we get here? What does this have to do with good customer service and how poor service can cost me loads of cash? Most employees, including front-line service employees, want to take pride in what they do. Also, every one of those employees is, and will again be, a customer at some point in their life. Question: So they’re not happy because you don’t care about the service level – what are they going to do? Answer: They’ll be less passionate about their job, making the customer’s experience even worse. Eventually, they’ll quit. Creating a positive, customer-focused environment is key. If your service levels are up to par, the majority of new hires will stick around longer-term, even if you’re in a high turnover industry like fast food. How much money does turnover cost your business? A lot more than most inexperienced managers and business owners think. Most employees are worth at least a couple of thousand (just in paperwork and training costs) after their first few days on the job. Customer service matters – much more than you may think. Customer Service Photo via Shutterstock The post Customer Service Matters Much More Than You May Think appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| China Based Huawei Introduces Five New Devices, Eyes U.S. Market Posted: 27 Feb 2014 07:30 AM PST
Chinese smart device maker Huawei unveiled a raft of new products at the GSM Association Mobile World Congress (MWC) over the weekend in Barcelona. The company is the world’s third largest maker of smart phones and tablets right now, and that’s all without much activity in the U.S. But that may change soon. The company unveiled a smartphone, a 7-inch phablet, an 8-inch tablet, a mobile hotspot, and a wrist activity tracker at the event. Company leadership said that making headway in the U.S. is its next goal, according to a Reuters report. If Huawei can eventually gain a footing in the U.S. market, it could be a boon for small business owners who feel they’re spending too much on technology. Huawei devices are known for their affordable prices but few mobile carriers are actually offering the phones and tablets. At MWC, the company unveiled its new smartphone, the Ascend G6 4G. The new smartphone features a 4.5-inch LCD display, weighs 115 grams and is 7.85 millimeters thick. It features a 5 megapixel front-facing camera and an 8 megapixel camera mounted on the rear of the device, too. The company is also planning a 3G version of the Ascend G6 smartphone in a few weeks and 4G version available starting in April. There was no word on pricing but one review suggests that it could retail for about $330 US. In addition to the smartphone, Huawei also unveiled its new 7-inch phablet device called the MediaPad X1 and an 8-inch tablet called the MediaPad M1. Businesses might use the devices as a way to keep connected in an ever more mobile work environment. The company calls the MediaPad X1 the slimmest 7-inch phablet of its kind. It weighs 239 grams, is 7.18 millimeters thick and has a 13MP rear-facing camera. But it’s uncertain when the device will be available in the U.S. The 8-inch MediaPad M1 is touted as an entertainment device, But it is loaded enough to get work accomplished, too. The device supports multi-window display so you can stream video while getting some work done at the same time. The device also has fast download and built in WiFi routers. The device will come to developing countries first before hopefully being available in the U.S. Huawei also introduced its first mobile WiFi hotspot device, the Huawei E5786. The company also unveiled its first wearable device, the TalkBand B1. It has a curved 1.4-inch screen and fits around the wrist. It can make and receive voice calls and can be synced to compatible Apple and Android devices. Image: Huawei The post China Based Huawei Introduces Five New Devices, Eyes U.S. Market appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Are You Discriminating Against Women Employees Without Even Knowing It? Posted: 27 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST
The collaboration between Getty Images and Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In organization to make stock photos less sexist is getting a lot of publicity. It's also a great example of how stereotypes find their way into our minds. When we see businesswomen portrayed in photos as weak, ineffective or overtly sexualized, it has a cumulative effect on how we think about women in the workplace. A Pew study about men and women at work reveals how stereotypes about working fathers and mothers are having a negative effect on women in the workplace. Discrimination Against Women in the WorkplaceThe intensive investigation into how men and women balance work and family found that even when men and women do the same things to care for their families, such as cutting back hours or taking time off from work, it disproportionately affects women's career progress more than men's. Could you be discriminating against female employees who have children without even knowing it? Overall, 27 percent of working parents in the study say being a working parent made it harder for them to advance in their jobs. Just 7 percent percent say this made things easier. However, there was a major gender gap:
While you might think Millennials would be better at the whole "balancing act," in fact, Millennial working mothers were even more likely to say that having children hinders their career advancement, and the gender gap was even bigger for them. Fifty-eight percent of Millennial mothers, compared to 19 percent of Millennial fathers, say being a parent makes it harder to advance in their jobs. Of course, part of the traditional justification for women's careers being negatively affected by motherhood is that women are more likely to take time out of the workforce to raise children. About half (53 percent) of working mothers with children under age 18 have taken a significant amount of time off from work, while 51 percent have reduced work hours, to care for a child or other family member. However, the study found that taking time off, reducing hours or refusing a promotion in order to care for a family member was far more likely to hurt a woman's career than a man's. Thirty-five percent of women who took significant time off to care for a family member say it hurt their career, while just 17 percent of men who did the same say their advancement was hampered. Are You Guilty of Stereotypes Against Working Moms?Is a mom who takes time off, needs flexible hours or refuses a promotion seen as unreliable and uncommitted? While for a man, do you see these acts as short-term needs that you'll have to accommodate for a little while, but soon dad will be "back in the saddle" and ready to commit wholeheartedly to work again? Just because you're offering flextime or time off doesn't mean you can't be guilty of stereotyping. Are you offering working dads more challenging assignments or bigger clients, while assuming working moms won't have time or dedication for such career-advancing projects? Next time you think about who to promote, take a long, hard look about whether gender issues are entering into the equation. You might be surprised at what you find when you're willing to look at the whole picture. Discrimination Resentment Photo via Shutterstock The post Are You Discriminating Against Women Employees Without Even Knowing It? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Have You Ever Been to a 3D Printed Fashion Show? Posted: 27 Feb 2014 02:30 AM PST
There are many ways 3D printing can be used in small business. It can be used to make prototypes, do small scale manufacturing and even industrial designing. And recently, a big show in New York City gave a glimpse of the full range of possibilities. New York Fashion Week is a pretty well known event. But there was a new type of fashion show taking place in NYC recently, and it was a little unorthodox. 3D Printshow is an event that fuses fashion and other types of art with 3D printing. 3D Printshow originated in London in 2012 and has since expanded to five additional cities worldwide, including New York. The NYC event launched with a fashion catwalk featuring 3D printed clothing from more than 20 designers. But the four-day event included more than just a fashion show. There were workshops and speakers to teach guests about 3D printing and how it can impact different types of businesses. Creator Kerry Hogarth spoke with Popular Mechanics about the event:
3D Printing has many potential business applications, particularly in creative fields. Movie studios can use it to create special effects and props. And thus video creators have similar options when creating creative content. Artists can use it to create sculptures or models. Designers can use it to create head-to-toe wearable art. The technology has already allowed for great advances in the medical field and a handful of other industries. Last year UPS announced it would the add the printers to some of its stores so that businesses didn’t have to absorb the cost of purchasing one of these machines. But even though it's already been put into use by some businesses, it remains a new technology. Some businesses may still be trying to determine if and how this technology can benefit them. The 3D Printshow and similar events can provide creative and more practical entrepreneurs with the inspiration to use the technology to benefit their businesses in new ways. It will be interesting to see what innovations in business use will arise as a result. Image: 3D Printshow The post Have You Ever Been to a 3D Printed Fashion Show? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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