A presentation for non-technical people on the technology challenges facing small businesses, and some solutions for overcoming them.

1. Overcoming the IT Hurdle

2. Introduction
Background – Infinity Technologies
 Started in 1996 – Retail Software
 Provide IT Support and Phone Systems
 9-person Tech Staff – Microsoft Certified
 Small Business Focus – 5 to 50 Users

3. Introduction
The Five Biggest IT Challenges Facing Small Business
1. Data Loss
2. Security Vulnerabilities
3. Downtime
4. Cloud Confusion
5. Productivity Problems

4. Introduction
Recommendation: Have a plan to manage your IT
1. Develop a ‘Playbook’ (living document)
2. Systemize
3. Delegate tasks and duties
4. Plan ahead as much as possible

5. Introduction
Technology solutions are still seen as critical to survival
The market for small and midsize IT
spending in the US continued to
grow through the recession, moving
from $305 billion in 2007, to a
projected $411 billion in 2012.
Compass Intelligence. “SMB Mania: Analysis of vendor marketing strategies targeting the SMB market.” September, 2008.

6. Introduction
Small businesses’ IT spending tends to involve outsourcing
“CONVENTIONAL WISDOM ONCE TOLD US
THAT A COMPANY WITH 1,000 EMPLOYEES
IS MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN ONE WITH JUST
TEN EMPLOYEES. TODAY, THAT WISDOM
HAS BEEN TURNED ON ITS HEAD AND WE
ARE SEEING SMALL AND MIDSIZE
BUSINESSES ACHIEVING RECORD GROWTH,
AND ACCOMPLISHING MORE WITH FEWER
RESOURCES.”
Compass Intelligence. “Stimulating SMB: Small and mid-size business IT market today & a look at the latest survey results.” September,
2009.

7. Small businesses’ IT spending tends to involve outsourcing

8. Threat #1

9. Threat #1: Data Loss
The data loss threat is real
70 percent of small firms
that experience a major data
loss go out of business
within a year.
Contingency Planning, Strategic Research Corp and DTI/Price Waterhouse Coopers (2004) and is widely quoted in places
such as: Diana Shepstone, National data awareness project launched to help businesses prevent data disasters
( Data Centre Solutions, Jan. 8, 2007)

10. Threat #1: Data Loss
Equipment theft/loss has become more prevalent as the number of
mobile and remote workers has increased
34 percent of small and mid-size
businesses admitted that they have
lost a company laptop.
30 percent of respondents have
important data contained on the
laptop, which is not backed up in
the office.
Insight UK Survey, 2009.

11. Threat #1: Data Loss
Redundancy is the key to an effective Data Protection Strategy
RAID
External Offsite

12. Threat #1: Data Loss
Redundancy is the key to an effective Data Protection Strategy
1. Inexpensive
2. Set and Forget
RAID 3. Fairly Standard
4. Local
External Offsite

13. Threat #1: Data Loss
Redundancy is the key to an effective Data Protection Strategy
1. Hands On*
2. Device Dependant
RAID 3. Software Costs
4. Local
External Offsite

14. Threat #1: Data Loss
Redundancy is the key to an effective Data Protection Strategy
1. Device Dependant
2. Local
RAID 3. Subscription*
4. Degree of Trust
5. Configuration
External Offsite

15. Threat #1: Data Loss
Online Backup is a standard Best Practice
“YOUR BACKUP MUST BE OFFSITE, SECURE,
AND AVAILABLE FOR RECOVERY 24/7. ONE
POPULAR OPTION THAT MEETS THE ABOVE
CRITERIA, WITH THE ADDED BENEFIT OF
EASE OF USE AND AUTOMATION, IS ONLINE
BACKUP.”
Walzer, Jennifer. “Small business guide: Disaster recovery. New York Times, September 9, 2009.

16. Threat #1: Data Loss
Redundancy is the key to an effective Data Protection Strategy
Total Solution
(sort of…)
RAID
External Offsite

17. Threat #1: Data Loss
Redundancy is the key to an effective Data Protection Strategy
Total Solution
(sort of…)
RAID
..if you
External Offsite Verify & Test

18. Threat #1: Data Loss
Monitoring the success/failure results of backups is critical
It is therefore important that backups
are not only automated to avoid
human error but also periodically
tested. It is useless having a backup
system if restoration does not function
as advertised.
“Security Threats: A Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Nonprofits, Brad Dinerman and GFI Software, 2009

19. Threat #2

20. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
In many cases, Security is viewed strictly as a cost center
“WHEN ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES LOOK
DIRE, IT IS EASY TO TURN SECURITY INTO A
CHECKLIST ITEM THAT KEEPS BEING PUSHED
BACK. HOWEVER THE REALITY IS THAT, IN
SUCH SITUATIONS, SECURITY SHOULD BE A
PRIMARY ISSUE. THE LIKELIHOOD OF THREATS
AFFECTING YOUR ORGANIZATION WILL
PROBABLY INCREASE AND THE IMPACT CAN BE
MORE DETRIMENTAL...”
Dinerman, Brad. “Security threats: A guide for small and mid-size nonprofits.” GFI Software, 2009.

21. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
“Trend Micro 2008 Annual Threat Roundup”. Trend Micro, 2009

22. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Exploit and attack threat levels continue to increase
“Trend Micro 2008 Annual Threat Roundup”. Trend Micro, 2009

23. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities

24. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Botnets have become an extreme threat
Botnet is a jargon term for a
collection of software agents, or
robots, that run autonomously and
automatically.
Botnet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

25. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Exploit and attack threat levels continue to increase
Altogether, ZeuS and other botnets
control more than 100 million computers.
This gives cybercriminals more
computing power than the entire
world's supercomputers combined.
Trend Micro. Threat Encyclopedia 2010.

26. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
ZeuS Server installation page
“ZeuS A Persistant Criminal Enterprise”. Trend Micro, 2010

27. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Security providers struggle to keep up
“Trend Micro 2008 Annual Threat Roundup”. Trend Micro, 2009

28. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities

29. Social Media has become a favorite method for exploits

30. Social Media has become a favorite method for exploits

31. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Exploit and attack threat levels continue to increase
Going into 2010, it is likely that social networks
will continue to be the target of cybercriminals.
However, it is also likely that social networks will
be further used by legitimate businesses
seeking new ways in which to communicate
and engage with customers. For the business
the challenge is how to harness the benefits of
social networks while ensuring their own
business networks remain secure.
Trend Micro, Inc. “The future of threats and threat technologies.” December, 2009.

32. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Attacks are trending to be more localized and targeted
“OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE THREAT
LANDSCAPE HAS SHIFTED, THERE ARE NO LONGER
ANY GLOBAL OUTBREAKS, AS WERE PREVIOUSLY
EXPERIENCED WITH SLAMMER OR CODERED.
EVEN THE MUCH-COVERED CONFICKER INCIDENT
OF 2008 AND EARLY 2009 WAS NOT TRULY A
GLOBAL OUTBREAK—RATHER IT WAS A CAREFULLY
ORCHESTRATED AND ARCHITECTED ATTACK. GOING
FORWARD, LOCALIZED AND TARGETED ATTACKS
ARE EXPECTED TO GROW IN NUMBER AND
SOPHISTICATION.”
Trend Micro, Inc. “The future of threats and threat technologies.” December, 2009.

33. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Advice for Businesses: PREVENTION
1. Keep your PC/network security current
2. Choose secure passwords
3. Educate staff on safe web usage
4. If possible, limit web surfing through
Content Filtering
5. Do regular scans for spyware infections

34. Threat #3

35. Threat #3: Downtime
Downtime can be the result of many possible factors

36. Threat #3: Downtime
The costs associated with downtime can add up quickly
"In a new study on network
downtime, Infonetics Research
found that medium businesses (101
to 1,000 employees) are losing an
average of 1% of their annual
revenue, or $867,000, to
downtime.”
Infonetics Research. The Costs of Downtime: North American Medium Businesses 2006

37. Threat #3: Downtime
Typical Small Business:

38. Threat #3: Downtime
Economic conditions have forced many businesses to put off
purchases of IT equipment
“To survive what many view as the
worst economic downturn since the
Great Depression, 69 percent of
manufacturers indicated they reduced
their workforce, followed by delaying
capital expenditures (66 percent),
negotiating with suppliers for better
deals (48 percent) and cutting
promotional activities (37 percent).
Society of Manufacturing Engineers. “Manufacturers detail recession survival strategies in new survey.”
September 3, 2009.

39. Threat #3: Downtime
Economic conditions have forced many businesses to put off
purchases of IT equipment
Nearly 40% of the PCs in small
businesses are more than 3 years
old, and a large percentage of them
are running older operating systems
such as Windows XP
“SMB Perspectives: SMBs – The Case for Buying Modern PCs. Techaisle, March 2010.

40. Threat #3: Downtime
Average Mean Time Failure Rate:

41. Threat #3: Downtime
Advice for Businesses: Maintenance & Planning
1. Perform regular maintenance
2. Look into redundant internet services
3. Develop a failover plan for telecom
4. Plan for equipment refresh cycles

42. Threat #4

43. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Mickey does NOT live in the Cloud

44. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Reliance on the Internet for satisfying computing needs

45. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Cloud usage is widespread and fairly common:
69 percent of America’s Internet
users are using some form of
Internet-based computing, such as
web-based e-mail or photo
storage.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2008

46. Consumer Cloud Services
2 billion unique calls per year
14 billion ads per month 23 million subscribers
Over 6 million songs in the
Over 600 million unique users catalog
Over 3 billion WW
queries each month
370 million active
500 million active Windows Live IDs accounts
Petabytes of data every
month to millions of PCs
10 billion messages
processed daily

47. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
The technical definition:
Cloud computing is computation,
software, data access, and storage
services that do not require end-
user knowledge of the physical
location and configuration of the
system that delivers the services.
Source: Wikipedia

48. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Reliance on the Internet for satisfying computing needs

49. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Cloud technologies provide a new method for content delivery

50. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
The Cloud is changing entire industries

51. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Types of Cloud Services
“SaaS” “PaaS” “IaaS”
software as a service platform as a service infrastructure as a service
consume it build on it migrate to it

52. Threat #4: Cloud Confusion
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS defined:
“A model of software deployment
where an application is hosted as
a service provided to customers
across the Internet.”
Source: Wikipedia

53. Why Business is Embracing the Cloud
“By 2012, 20% of businesses will own
no IT assets.”
Gartner, Gartner Highlights Key Predictions for IT
Organizations and Users in 2010 and Beyond, January, 2010
Survey of 318 customers on satisfaction with SaaS noted “top 3 pros were no in-
house maintenance(57%), shorter rollout(49%), usable anywhere via
internet(46%).”
Burton Group, “Gartner and Burton Group SaaS Surveys: Same High-Level Findings, Different Conclusions.”
Craig Roth July, 2009.

54. Familiar and Integrated
• 25 GB mailbox per user • Single location for sharing and collaboration
• Shared calendaring and contacts • Collaboration sites for teams, projects,
• Always-up-to-date anti-spam & anti-virus meetings, and documents.
• Access from Outlook on PC and Outlook • Offline access to documents in Outlook
Web App in the browser • Forms & workflow
• Offline access w/ Outlook synchronization • Portal sites, content management, and search
• Support for Windows Phone, iPhone,
Android, and Blackberry
• Online meetings, presentations, and • Business class Instant messaging (IM) and
training sessions chat
• Desktop sharing & whiteboard tools • Seamless presence awareness
• Rich media, hi-fi recording, live webcam video • 1:1 video and voice chat
• Multi-party video, VOIP/audio, switching • Integration across Microsoft Office Outlook
• Web client support for remote attendees calendar and contacts and other apps,
SharePoint
• Quickly check on another user’s availability

55. Small Business Feedback

56. Threat #2: Security Vulnerabilities
Advice for Businesses: PREVENTION
1. When time to replace, consider Cloud
2. Add online storage for additional backup
redundancy
3. Leverage Cloud solutions to improve
operational efficiencies
4. Avoid the hype – look for proven
products

57. Threat #5

58. Threat #5: Productivity Problems
Productivity can be negatively impacted by many possible factors

59. Threat #5: Productivity Problems

60. Threat #5: Productivity Problems

61. Threat #5: Productivity Problems

62. Threat #5: Productivity Problems

63. Threat #5: Productivity Problems

64. Threat #5: Productivity Problems
Voice Over IP phone systems greatly improve operations
“BEYOND ITS SUPERIOR FLEXIBILITY,
VOIP SAVES BUSINESSES MONEY.
DEPENDING ON THE SERVICE YOU
CHOOSE, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO AVOID
PAYING FOR BOTH BROADBAND AND
TELEPHONE SERVICES—OR
SIGNIFICANTLY SCALE BACK YOUR
TELEPHONE BILLS.”
Foley, Mary O. “VoIP: What are you waiting for?”

65. Threat #5: Productivity Problems
Web filtering and shaping can also help boost productivity
Are you experiencing any of these situations?
 Limited visibility of Internet traffic
 Slow Internet despite adequate bandwidth
 Lost hours due to internet abuse
 Anonymous proxy sites bypassing URL filters

66. Threat #5: Productivity Problems
Web filtering and shaping can also help boost productivity

68. Conclusion
Recommendation: Have a plan to manage your IT
1. Develop a ‘Playbook’ (living document)
2. Systemize
3. Delegate tasks and duties
4. Plan ahead as much as possible

69. IT Organiza+on for Any Business
INFRASTRUCTURE
Proactive Management Network Administration
Centralized Services Day-to-Day Support
 Downtime & Performance Monitoring  Help Desk Support
 Weekend Auto Maintenance Service  Backup and Disaster Recovery
 Backup Monitoring and Alerts  Desktop and Server Optimization
 Security Patch Management  Web Content Filtering
SUPPORT
 Virus and Spyware Protection  Adding and Removal of Users
 Asset Inventory  Best Practices Checklist
 Reporting
Chief Information Officer Reactive Support
Virtual CIO Field Support
 Technology Roadmap Planning  On-Site Support
 Design and Implementation Planning  Rapid Reaction/Response
 Budget and Strategy Planning  Mini-Project Jobs
 Research & Testing of New Technologies  Third Party Product Support
 Vendor Liaison  Virus REMOVAL and Cleaning
 Recovery in Event of Server Crash
STRATEGY

70. INFRASTRUCTURE
Proactive Management
Centralized Services
 Downtime & Performance Monitoring
 Weekend Auto Maintenance Service
 Backup Monitoring and Alerts
 Security Patch Management
 Virus and Spyware Protection
 Asset Inventory
 Reporting

71. INFRASTRUCTURE
Network Administration
Day-to-Day Support
 Help Desk Support
SUPPORT
 Backup and Disaster Recovery
 Desktop and Server Optimization
 Web Content Filtering
 Adding and Removal of Users
 Best Practices Checklist

72. Reactive Support
Field Support
 On-Site Support
SUPPORT
 Rapid Reaction/Response
 Mini-Project Jobs
 Third Party Product Support
 Virus REMOVAL and Cleaning
 Recovery in Event of Server Crash

73. INFRASTRUCTURE
Chief Information Officer
Virtual CIO
 Technology Roadmap Planning
 Design and Implementation Planning
SUPPORT
 Budget and Strategy Planning
 Research & Testing of New Technologies
 Vendor Liaison
STRATEGY

74. Conclusion
Recommendation: Have a plan to manage your IT
1. Develop a ‘Playbook’ (living document)
2. Systemize
3. Delegate tasks and duties
4. Plan ahead as much as possible