Author: Paul Nichols, CPA
Paul is the President and co-founder of Nexxtep Technology Services.  

Customers have more control, choice, and information than ever. The companies most connected to their customers will win. Period.

• Product/Service Overview.  The purpose of this video should be help your potential customers answer the questions “What do you do?” and “Why should I choose you?” as clearly and briefly as possible.
• CEO/Owner Interview.  One of the reasons video is so popular is that people crave human interaction, even when they’re online.  Help your customers and prospects get to know who’s behind your products or services by setting up an interview with the founder or CEO of your company.  You might ask questions about his industry experience, business philosophy, and why he chose to start/run the business.
• How-To.  Generally, people can follow video easier than written instructions.  Use a how-to video to guide customers through an online ordering process, installation of a product, proper care for your products, etc.
• Working for _____.  Ask several employees why they love working for your company and record their answers on video.  You can compile their answers into one short video and post it on the career/jobs section of your website.
• Testimonials. In my opinion, testimonials are the most powerful marketing tool there is, and video only makes them more powerful.  Ask some of your best customers what you do that they value, and record their answers.  You can post these testimonials throughout your website to establish credibility for your business.

• Who is your audience?  Who is this video intended for– your prospects, existing customers, potential employees?  Keep this in mind as you develop your script and be sure your video ends up in the proper place.  For example, a general product overview might be a good fit for your website’s homepage, but a specific how-to video would work better in a “Existing Customers” or “Resources” section.
• What problem/issue are you trying to address?  Try to think from your audience’s perspective, and address their concerns.
• What are your expectations?  Why are you making this video?   Do you want to generate sales, improve customer service ratings, or increase your hiring pool?  Figure out what you want to achieve with this video and find a way to measure the results.

• CNET Camera Reviews.  Even though some of the newest Android phones and iPhones can record decent high definition video, you might want an enhanced experience. These camera reviews on CNET will help you find a good HD video camera that fits your needs and your budget.
• Wevideo. Edit your videos in the cloud directly from the Wevideo website.  It’s very easy to use and free for a limited amount of space.
• Viewbix. Allows you to add interactive calls to action to your videos (links to your website, social network icons, etc.).  Like Wevideo, it’s also very easy to use and free for a limited amount of videos.

As mobility increases, people are carrying around more and more important business information on their phones, laptops and tablets. If your phone is lost or stolen, that information could end up in the hands of the wrong people.  Protect your information and your business by taking a few preventative measures:

1. Install and setup a tracking app on your phone. 

If you’re an iPhone/iPad user, setup Find my iPhone using the easy instructions from Apple (make sure you have updated your phone or iPad to the 5.0 or higher OS). After setting up the app, you can log in to iCloud.com using your iTunes username and password.  Then, you can track the location of your phone, play a sound and message, or wipe the device.

If you’re an Android user, check out this post which has several options for phone-tracking apps. We recommend an app like iHound which can also wipe your phone in the event it’s lost or stolen.

2. Use a passcode to lock your phone.

Setup a passcode for your phone to prevent someone from accessing your information before you realize your device has gone missing.

iPhone/iPad Users: Go to Settings, then General, then tap on Passcode lock. Tap “Turn Passcode On.” and enter your chosen passcode.  Stay away from easy guesses like “1234″ or “5555.”

Android Users:  You have the option to set a password, draw a pattern, or set a PIN number for your phone.  Watch this instructional video to learn how. 

3. Ask employees to follow steps 1 and 2.

If you supply employees with their smartphones or they use their own phones for business use, make sure they follow these instructions as well.

Photo source: twek.wordpress.com

This week, we received a question from one of our readers.  Jessica in Virginia asks:

My office uses Microsoft office on Windows, and I have a desktop there.  I need to purchase a new computer for home.  I occasionally need to take Word and/or Excel files home to work on them.  I would like to move to Apple at home, and I understand Microsoft Office for Mac is available.  I haven’t been able to get a straight, thorough answer about whether files on Windows Office and Mac Office are directly compatible such that I can save a file at work and then open, edit and save the same file on an Apple.

Also, my boss said he heard that operating Office on the Mac opens you up to the Windows-related security issues that people use Macs to avoid.  If you could address that point as well, it would be great.

Answer:

First, I’ll address the issue of compatibility.  If you download Office on your Mac, you should be able to open documents from your work PC without any problems. This compatibility is verified on both Apple’s website and Microsoft’s.

Other Options:

• If you don’t want to spend the money on MS Office ($250), consider buying iWork ($80).  iWork is Apple’s own suite of productivity software, and it’s very similar to MS Office.  Keep in mind that all of the features you enjoy in Office might not be available in iWork.  Read a comparison of MS Office vs. iWork.   As with MS Office for Mac, you can save files in iWork that can be opened on a PC, and vice versa.
• If you don’t want to purchase any software at all, check out Google Docs.  Google Docs has most of the functionality of MS Office, but there are some disadvantages.  First of all, it’s not nearly as secure as MS Office or iWork.  Once you open, create or edit a file in Google Docs, it becomes the property of Google.  Also, you have to have an Internet connection to use Google Docs.  For most enterprise-level users, Google Docs is not a viable option for work-related use, whether you’re using it in the office or at home.

If your employer permits, use Dropbox to easily access your files from work and home.

As for the security concerns with MS Office on Mac, Jessica’s boss is probably talking about macro viruses.  A macro is a “series of commands and functions that are stored in a Microsoft Visual Basic module and can be run whenever you need to perform the task. For example, if you often enter long text strings in cells, you can create a macro to format those cells so that the text wraps.”You can tell if a file has macros by its extensions (for example, instead of a .docx file, it would be a .docm file).  Hackers use macros to write viruses that can attack your computer and erase all the files.  These viruses are embedded in an MS Office file and can be transferred when you open the file on your Mac.  If you never use files with macros, then seeing the .docm file extension is a red flag that the file could be infected—don’t open it on your Mac until you verify that the file is supposed to have macros.

A security lapse like this is unlikely, and virtually impossible if you’re just working with your own files from your work PC.  Also, Microsoft recently released a security update for MS Office for Mac to prevent security issues like this  from happening at all.  You would have to open an infected file on your Mac to be vulnerable at all, and as long as you have a good antivirus program in place on your work PC and Mac, files like this will be blocked completely.

Readers: do you have experience coordinating documents and spreadsheets on both PCs and Macs? If so, which programs do you use and how well do they work?  Let us know in the comments.  

We’ve written about remote access tools like GoToMyPC and LogMeIn before, but none have been offered for free on iPad and iPhone until now. LogMeIn now offers its iOS app for free in the app store.  If you already have an account with LogMeIn, you can download the app here.

If you aren’t already using LogMeIn, you can get started in just a few short steps.  Setting up an account is free and easy.

1. Go to LogMeIn.com and register for a free account.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to setup your computer for remote access.
3. Download the LogMeIn app on your iPhone or iPad. (There’s an Android version as well, but it costs $29.99)
4. Open the app, and login using your LogMeIn username and password.
5. Click on the mouse pointer icon next to your listed computer:

It’s (Almost) Perfect

Richard’s Predictions:

• Businesses will want more than email on their smartphones.  They will want all of their business apps to work on their smartphones. Some examples of these apps are sales apps, quoting apps, and researching apps.
• Businesses will use social media more and more, but will need help managing it.  They will particularly need help analyzing what works and what doesn’t work.
• Businesses will learn just how important mobile security is–the hard way. I’m not referring to hackers and viruses, although that is a concern as well.  I’m referring to what happens when people lose their mobile devices, either by accident or to theft.  Please remember that company secrets are on your phones. You need to treat them like you would your business computer.  Make sure your mobile devices are locked with a pass code, and that you have the capability to wipe all of your data in the event that you lose it.
• Online sales on mobile devices will quadruple, thanks to the Kindle Fire and advances in using NFC (near field communications) to make payments using mobile phones.

Richard Baker:  Account Manager

1)      The cloud discussions will move from “when” to “how”.

Cloud computing definitely took the spotlight this year and became a practical option for small and mid-sized businesses. Whether you’re talking about private, public or hybrid cloud solutions, the adoption rate for cloud computing skyrocketed this year and will only continue to grow in the years to come. 

2)      Verizon will launch a 4g iPhone.

The Verizon iPhone 4 launched in February, paving the way for other carriers to offer the popular product later in the year. 

3)      Cybersecurity concerns will remain a hot topic.

This is definitely true. Small and mid-sized businesses have become especially vulnerable.  Hackers often identify SMB’s as easy targets because they have valuable information but limited resources to protect them. Click here to read 10 Security Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses. 

4)      Facebook wins the location war. Foursquare loses.

This is not true…yet. Foursquare tripled in size over the last year, and now has over 15 million users and 600,000 merchants.  Foursquare has become more than a way to share your location with friends; it’s now a tool you can use to find the best deals nearby.  Facebook attempted to replicate this function with Facebook deals earlier in the year, but the project was unsuccessful and eventually pulled.  However, with Facebook nearing almost a billion users, they certainly have the resources and power to make Foursquare obsolete. 

5)      U.S. wireless carriers will meter your data. Consumers will end up paying more, of course.

Unfortunately, this is almost entirely true. Sprint is the lone US carrier to offer a truly unlimited data plan. 

6)      Smartphones will be the targets of hackers and viruses.

Android malware traffic rose by 400% in 2011. As many as 4% of Android devices will be infected with malware at some point. iPhones are generally safe because they have a closed operating system that hackers cannot breach.  However, if you jailbreak your iPhone (this is a process by which you “hack” your iPhone to unlock certain features–which we do not recommend), you will be susceptible to malware. 

Five out of six isn’t bad.  Are you psychic, Richard?

Gil Morris:  Systems Engineer

1)   I see Apple becoming the largest technology company on the planet, overtaking rival Microsoft, regarding market share and thus becoming the new “target” for cyber-criminals. That said, Apple security will be a “new” market poised for exponential growth as most Apple fans have rarely seen the need for enhanced security measures like their PC using counterparts.

This is a tricky one. Apple’s market share for tablets and phones definitely overtakes Microsoft– the iPad has as much as 75% of the tablet market right now. However, in terms of operating systems, Microsoft is still the clear winner, with 91% of PC users using Windows. However, Mac users were the targets, for the first time ever, of malware this year.  The Mac Defender issue was resolved in May with a security update for the operating system. 

Here is Gil’s response:

Given the malware epidemic we see out in the field, I think folks will be looking to alternatives to Windows (Linux, Mac) when their home PCs are shutdown (or worse they suffer some form of identity theft/financial loss) by one of the multitudes of rootkits I’ve seen in the past few weeks that are targeting Microsoft operating systems like never before. The security war is so bad now I just read the FBI is spending millions and hiring several new Special Agents to just help defend against cyber-criminals! (Link to FBI story: http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/fbi-likely-get-more-cybercrime-agents-121411)

2)   The American FCC’s current attempts to regulate the Internet will (hopefully) fail and the so-called Net Neutrality push will dissolve. I do see some form of regulation but nothing as heinous as Big Brother watching your every move online. Most modernized governments can’t even police themselves much less the Internet.

In November, the Net Neutrality regulations were passed in Congress. These regulations were put in place in an attempt to prevent Internet Service Providers from regulating how heavily people use the Internet.  However, Gil made a good point about how governments can’t police the Internet, as was evident in the Arab Spring uprisings this year. 

Stay tuned.  Next week we’ll reveal our Technology Predictions f0r 2012. 

10. A Tool That Summarizes Long Text Documents

9. How to Edit Word and Excel Documents on Your iPad

8. Employee Use of Social Networks to Talk About the Workplace, Guest Post by Megan Smith, SPHR, SmithBarnas & Associates

7.  How to Display Images by Default in Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2007 & 2003

6.  Comparison of Mobile Operating Systems

5.  Android Tech Tip- Make Good Use of Your Leftovers

4.  Great Weather Radar App for iPhone & iPad

3. QR Codes: What They Are, How to Scan Them, & How to Make Them

2. How to Use Your iPad in Presentations

And our number 1 Tech Tip for 2011 is…

1. How to Sync Pictures with Your Android Phone

After the installation, we spoke with Garrett to get his feedback.  Here is what he had to say:

What problems were you facing with your previous system, and how have things changed?

We were using Virtual Office from Creative Solutions, and although there weren’t many specific problems, running Virtual Office was very slow.  Stuart mentioned that if we bring everything in local, everything would run much faster. I knew that Stuart had great experience with time and billing applications, and with doing network installs like these.  Our primary issue was speed; now everything is faster.

A secondary issue was functionality.  For example, it was tricky trying to export files from Virtual Office into Excel.  Now it’s much easier to use.  One of the things we frequently have to do is email tax returns.  With Virtual Office, you had to complete a series of steps to get that done.  Now it’s as easy as pressing a button.

How did the installation go?

I thought it went very smoothly.  They did a lot of work beforehand behind the scenes. They did a lot of prep work, so when they got down here, it was just a matter of migrating the data, running some updates and getting everything installed.  It all happened over the course of the weekend, with no hiccups or problems.  Employees left on Friday and came back on Monday and didn’t notice much of a difference.

What does Nexxtep do that you value?

We had a computer guy before. It was just him, and when he could fit us into his schedule he’d come by. Now when we have an issue, I can call a number of people up there and someone will address my problem quickly. This is key, especially during tax season. Last tax season, my PC crashed, and it took the computer guy all day before he could get to it. A fair amount of revenue was lost that day.

We didn’t have a secure network before, either. I know Nexxtep takes security very seriously. They locked down our firewall and put things in place to make our network more secure. Now we have regular backups, and we didn’t before. It gives us a lot of comfort because we know we can get a file from yesterday if we need it. Nexxtep has been doing these backups for about a year now, and we have restored them a couple of times during tax season when files were corrupted.

Before, we had a computer guy who was very reactive. We were always bringing ideas to him; Stuart and the guys at Nexxtep  bring ideas to us.  Someone who adds value is worth the money.

Richard Baker, Account Manager

• Pulse: Pulse is a news reader that organizes stories in a beautiful display. You can customize Pulse by adding and removing  sources.  You can have anything from the Wall Street Journal to Popular Science to ESPN in your sources list.   (Available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.  Free)

• Tweetbot: Tweetbot is a Twitter client with a lot of functionality and features. (Available on iPhone. $2.99)
• Flipboard: Flipboard is the self-proclaimed social magazine.  Use Flipboard to access your social networking accounts, browse news stories, and read your favorite blogs. If you use Flipboard on your iPad, you’ll be excited to know that as of today, the Flipboard iPhone App is available.  If you want to transfer your sections onto the iPhone version, create a Flipboard account on your iPad and login with the same account on your iPhone. (Available on iPhone and iPad. Free).

• RemotePotato: Allows me to stream media from my iPhone and iPad to my television. (Available for iPhone and iPad. $6.99)
• ESPN FFL:  I use this app to manage my team on NexxFFL (Nexxtep’s Fantasy Football League). (Available for iPhone and Android. Free.)

Leigh Futch, Director of Web Marketing

• HeyTell: HeyTell has completely eliminated my desire to text while driving. It gives you the functionality of a walkie-talkie, but you can listen to messages at your leisure. When you’re driving, you can send a short voice message without having to place a phone call.  (Available for iPhone and Android. Free)

Anne Shenton, Marketing Director

• Shazam: Most of you have probably heard of this app, but it’s just too good not to share. I use it almost every day and it never ceases to amaze me. Use Shazam to identify any song that you’re listening to (live performances excluded).  Shazam will tag the song and show you all the details, including artist, title, cover art, lyrics, and more. If you have Spotify, you can play the song on your Spotify app.  If you have Pandora, you can create a station in the Pandora app based on that song. The app is free, and now you can tag as many songs as you want. It’s also available on almost any mobile device you can think of.  Learn more/download from the Shazam website.

Mike Adkins, Systems Engineer

• Menu-Planner: You can automatically pull recipes from many sites, or create your own. Once you do that, it will create the items you need and generate a shopping list. You can also sync everything to their server, assign grocery stores and prices, email menus, and a ton of other features (Available for iPhone and iPad. $2.99)

How about you?

What are some of your favorite smartphone apps?  Let us know in the comments!