Green Small Business

IceStone's energy-efficient plant

New York's IceStone has earned Cradle to Cradle Certification from design firm MBDC for its process of creating durable surfaces from recycled glass and concrete. Here's how they do it:

How the Public Sector Can Prevent Costly Data Losses

Source: CheckPoint

Businesses are faced with an assortment of security risks. Among the most prevalent risks are network attacks and infected computing systems (servers and end-user endpoints). The consequences of loss of use - that is, network failures and out-of commission computing systems - are just too great for any business to ignore. In practice, most businesses have taken appropriate steps to avoid loss of use incidents by utilizing a variety of purpose-built security technologies such as firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems/Intrusion Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), and anti-virus/malware software.

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.govinfosecurity.com/whitepapers.php?wp_id=339

Small Businesses Emerge as Big Campaign Issue for Democrats and Republicans

By Lori Montgomery and Michael D. Shear



Washington Post Staff Writers
 
 
 As President Obama and his adversaries look for winning themes in the run-up to the November congressional election, both sides are noisily clamoring to prove their support for a critical constituency: America's small-business owners.

At the White House, the president's advisers are urging Democrats to portray Republicans as supporters of big corporations unfriendly to the interests of the small, family-owned enterprise. On Wednesday, as he visited a sub shop in Edison, N.J., Obama chided the GOP for blocking his proposal to expand tax breaks for small businesses and make it easier for them to borrow money.

"Helping small businesses, cutting taxes, making credit available. This is as American as apple pie," Obama said. "Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are central to our identity as a nation. They are going to lead this recovery."

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/28/AR2010072806034.html

Most Breaches Caused by Crime Gangs

New Verizon Report Cites Organized Crime, Insiders Among Top Trends

By Linda McGlasson, Managing Editor


Organized crime was responsible for 85 percent of all stolen data in 2009. And stolen credentials were the most common way to gain unauthorized access into organizations.

These are among the headlines of the 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, just released by Verizon Business.

Conducted for the first time in collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service, this year's report takes a broader look at the types and causes of data breaches. The USSS investigated 84 data breaches in 2009; Verizon investigated 57. Over the past six years, this annual report has reviewed over 900 data breaches, encompassing more than 900 million compromised records.

The latest report finds 2009's breaches of electronic records involved more insider threats, greater use of social engineering and the persistent, troubling trend of organized crime involvement. Of the 143 million records breached in 2009, 85 percent of them were attributed to financial service incidents. The one good piece of news: The overall number of breaches declined from those cited in 2008's report.

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.govinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=2792&rf=2010-07-29-eg

Workplace Identity Theft: How to Curb an HR Headache

By Douglas Hottle, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott

A rise in identity theft is presenting employers with a major headache: They are being held liable for identity theft that occurs in the workplace.

Identity theft is the misuse or fraudulent use of an individual's personal information. Unfortunately for employers, personal data, such as social security and bank account numbers, is precisely what is contained in HR personnel files, a goldmine for ID thieves.

Employers unwittingly aid ID thieves by misusing or mishandling employees' personal information. Consequently, employers are now facing considerable legal repercussions as the victims of such crimes are looking for restitution. For example, a Minnesota employer was recently sued for faxing a list of employees' names and social security numbers to different managers within the company.

To read the entire article, click here - http://hr.blr.com/display.cfm?id=19056

Residual Income (Passive Income) - What Is It?!!

Everyone dreams of earning money without actually having to do anything. Residual income or passive income really enables you to do that. Here we speak of the three most significant residual income opportunities that everyone can use to improve their financial health.

If you compare how earning lifestyles are functioning today with the way they were going on until a few years back, you will see a marked change. Today, most people have no qualms about chucking their day jobs and entering into an opportunity that pays them and keeps paying them. In fact, many people who are in daytime jobs already have a source of residual income bringing cash into their coffers.

Simply put, residual income or passive income is the money earned from a job that you do once, but which keeps on paying by itself for a long time. It is something like the concept of a perpetual motion machine – the machine that can produce work without consuming energy. But there is a difference. With residual income opportunities you do have to put in efforts and, unlike the perpetual motion machine, residual income is very much possible.

Passive income opportunities have always existed in the world, but with the Internet becoming an important part of the machinations of the world, the opportunities have multiplied drastically. There are many avenues quite easily open for you if you want to make some money on the side. Most of them do require some kind of talent, and hence you will have to check out where you fit in. Let us see some of the most happening residual income opportunities open for people like you and me.

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.buzzle.com/articles/residual-income-passive-income.html
 
What Is YOUR Plan "B" Income Stream?!! - http://www.greatworkplan.com/ggiddings

How To Create Multiple Income Streams

Written By Leo Babauta, Making Money
 
What do you do if you have one main client and for some reason the work from that client dries up?

Perhaps the client goes out of business or goes in a different direction or just has a lull in business?


Your main source of income is then gone. Which is why it’s crucial for anyone who relies on their freelance revenues to have multiple streams of income. That’s easier said than done, of course, as many freelancers have two or three main clients and are happy to focus on those alone. But as many experienced freelancers will tell you, that’s a mistake.

Today we’ll look at a few different ways to set up multiple streams of income to make your freelancing business more stable and ensure that you’re living the freelancing good life for years to come. Please note that the following are just different options you can choose — I’m not recommending you do all of them.


To read the entire article, click here - http://freelanceswitch.com/money/how-to-create-multiple-income-streams/
 
What Is YOUR Plan "B" Income Stream?!! - http://www.greatworkplan.com/ggiddings

Why EVERYONE Should Have A Home-Based Business, Even If You Already Have A JOB

Written By G. L. Giddings
Chairman, CEO, and President 
G. L. Giddings and Associates, LLP
The POWER Group Organization© Team

Quote: "If you can find a VOID and FILL it, you can become VERY WEALTHY."

 
I was an employee in the food service industry for over 28-years, working in places ranging from the U.S. Air Force and Monmouth Medical Center to restaurants like Ruby Tuesday's, Quaker Steak and Lube and Applebee's. I enjoyed cooking and having the chance to be creative, but was never full-filled financially. I worked long hours, was a hard-worker, but never felt I earned what I was worth. To make matters worse, I seemed to always get "passed over" for jobs I knew I was qualified for. Management and supervisory positions always flew right past me! I held a few trainer positions, but all those were just "glorified titles" for cook. I only made slightly more than my counterparts.

I have researched over (300) home-based business opportunities since 1985, and found many to be legitimate. Companies like Gillette, MARY KAY, Specialty Merchandise Corporation (SMC), and AVON use independent affiliate contractors to market their services. Others like Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., DISH Network, SPRINT/Nextell, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile also use independent contractors as well as network marketing to get the word out about their products and services.

There are many advantages to starting a home-based business. One is is that most of your businesses have low or no start-up costs. Unlike franchises, where you have to have a large amount to get started, you don't have that worry. You have total control of your TIME, which is what attracted me more than the money. My time is VERY IMPORTANT to me, so I needed to be sure that I wasn't wasting it on companies that didn't produce income or provide opportunities for me to advance. Another is that you can work full-time, part-time, or spare time. And because of this, your can pretty much dictate your income. You can make as much or as little as you want. And usually there is no teritorial restrictions.

I found a list of statistics about the home-based business industry. Let me know what you think. Also, please read the earlier blog about why it is important to have a "Plan B", especially in today's economy. Having a "Plan B" is a great idea because your "job" (I jokingly call it being "JUST OVER BROKE"!) isn't promised to be there tomorrow. There are many tax advantages to starting a home-based business.

Doing your research BEFORE you jump-in head first and you could find that pot at the end of your financial rainbow!

Call G.L. Giddings and Associates, LLP at (502) 992-9472 (OFFICE) for more information about the home-based business industry and how to get the most out of working from home! http://www.greatworkplan.com/ggiddings

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Recent Statistics About Home Based Businesses
Number of Home Business - 36 million to 18 million

According to IDC, a top national research firm, there are between 34.3 million and 36.6 million home office households in the United States alone.

Nationwide, the number of home-based businesses may range from 18 million to 38 million, depending on who is doing the counting. U.S. Census figures. Pittsburgh Business Times

The number of home-based businesses in the United States surpassed 20 million in 2002, and is expected to eclipse 25 million by 2003 according to International Data Corp.

In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are now more than 18.3 million homebased businesses in the United States. (Entrepreneur Magazine )

The number of U.S. households that have a home-based business currently exceeds 12 percent." - Office of Advocacy, Small Business Administration


Newsweek magazine reports that by the year 2005, it’s anticipated that 50% of the households in the United States will be involved in a home-based business!

To read the rest of the statistics, click here - http://www.kristiet.com/home-biz-fact-sheet.htm

Malware, Breaches Share List With Check & Mortgage Fraud

FDIC: Top 5 Fraud Threats

Tracy Kitten, Managing Editor

Online crimes are increasing in complexity and reach, but they represent only a portion of the fraud trends that banking institutions will face over the next 18 months.

In an exclusive interview, Michael B. Benardo, chief of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Cyber Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, says - despite high-profile incidents of ACH fraud and data breaches impacting financial institutions -- counterfeit checks and mortgage fraud still rank among the top fraud threats.

FDIC's Top 5
According to Benardo, these are the top five fraud threats of concern to the FDIC:

1.) Malware and Botnets -- These software agents or robots that take over a user's computer are often the root causes of commercial payments fraud, i.e. corporate account takeover. "Malware has gotten on the computers of commercial customers and financial institutions, thereby compromising their log-in credentials and causing the criminals to be able to commit fraud by moving money through wire transfers or ACH," Benardo says.


2.) Phishing -- The crime has evolved from badly-written, bogus emails to well-crafted assaults via e-mail, telephone and text message. "My worry is the next way that criminals will change phishing and be creative via social engineering," he says.


3.) Data Breaches -- Despite that most data breaches have occurred on the merchant and payments processor sides of the business, financial institutions are still deeply impacted by these losses. "They have to reissue cards and deal with the aftermath of credit card information getting out there, and how that can lead to the identity theft of their customers."


4.) Counterfeit Checks -- The circulation of checks continues to drop, but counterfeit check fraud remains prevalent. Cashier checks and bank official checks are most often the targets, Benardo says. "[Criminals] understand Reg CC and know that those checks have faster funds availability, which allows them to get their money out of the scam faster."


5.) Mortgage Fraud -- These crimes committed against financial institutions, as well as mortgage rescue scams that affect consumers and mortgage holders, continue to rock the financial market. "We're starting to see a lot of that," Benardo says.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=2774&rf=2010-07-24-eb

What Is Your "Plan B"? Five Ways To Plan For The Unexpected

Your "Plan B" Wardrobe

By Diana Pemberton-Sikes

Earlier this month, a textile mill in Tennessee closed abruptly one day when the owner couldn't make payroll. Hundreds of people were thrown out of work. In Colorado, a friend is waiting to see whether her husband will lose his job of 20 years because his company hit rough times and became vulnerable to a hostile takeover. Here in Delaware, several friends who work at Bank of America have already lost their jobs.

No doubt about it: the current financial climate is claiming unsuspecting victims at every turn. No one knows who could be next.

So how are YOU responding to this threat? Are you crossing your fingers and hoping for the best? Or are you putting together a "Plan B" just in case?
My recommendation is to make a "Plan B". Because when you take time to consider all your options, it gives you more control. Why willingly trap yourself in a corner when, with a little forethought, you could have an escape route in place?

Now I realize that thinking about alternate plans is a challenge for some people. It smacks of change, and change is hard. Even THINKING about change can be stressful. So don't think of "Plan B" as change. Think of it as "exploring your options" as you play a REALLY tough game of WHAT IF? with yourself:

What if you lose your job?
What if you have to relocate?
What if you have to change industries?

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.career-intelligence.com/management/Five-ways-to-plan-your-wardrobe-for-the-unexpected.asp

What Is YOUR Plan "B" Income Stream?!! - http://www.greatworkplan.com/ggiddings

Forum: Health Care Reform Creates Many Challenges

Sacramento Business Journal - by Kathy Robertson Staff writer


The 2,400-plus page federal health care overhaul is chock-full of new terms and new opportunities, but its effect on patients, providers and business will depend on the regulations still unwritten and evolve over time, speakers concluded at a Business Journal forum Friday morning.

The massive bill will expand coverage to millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans, including 8 million or more in California. It will also flip the health care industry on its head with a new focus on “value instead of volume.”

“Extremely complex legislation is being implemented at break-neck speed,” said Marty Keale, executive director of a coalition of area clinics called Capitol Community Health Network. “What that implies is they are going to make mistakes and some wrong turns, so there will be confusion for some time.”

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2010/07/19/daily62.html

Insider Threat: 'You Can't Stop Stupid'

Interview with Dr. Eric Cole on the Insider Threat - Top Risks and Solutions.

Much is misunderstood today about the evolving insider threat, says Cole. In particular, senior leaders must realize that they are at risk not just from rogue employees who intentionally cause damage, but also from loyal staffers who stumble into costly mistakes.

"You can't stop people from doing stupid things," Cole says. "But you can control and limit stupid."

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.cuinfosecurity.com/podcasts.php?podcastID=622&rf=2010-07-23-ec

IT Security Profession: Heal Thyself

By Eric Chabrow

Governance of information security professional certification is a hodgepodge of professional associations and for-profit companies that develop and issue certifications. But a consensus of members of the Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, in a white paper issued earlier this week, believe there's a better way to certify IT pros: the establishment of Board of Information Security Examiners, which would set the standards for all related activities for certification.


To read the entire article, please click here - http://blogs.govinfosecurity.com/posts.php?postID=630&rf=2010-07-22-eg

BP Aftermath: Fear of Fraud

Phishing Scheme is First Sign of Fraudsters Targeting Gulf Coast

Tracy Kitten, Managing Editor

 
Financial institutions in states along the Gulf of Mexico are taking action to prepare for the long-term financial impact of the BP oil spill - including fraud attempts against customers.

One Alabama bank last week reported a phishing scheme that enticed customers to click fraudulent links, using BP relief and recovery funds as a guise. All of the Alabama association's banks have been warned of this scheme, according to Dan Bailey, chief executive of the Alabama Bankers Association. Banks also have been urged to keep close watch out for a new wave of counterfeit checks, though no reports have yet been made, Bailey says.

To read the entire article, click here - http://www.govinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=2764&rf=2010-07-19-eg

What Are Identity Theft and Identity Fraud?

"But he that filches from me my good name/Robs me of that which not enriches him/And makes me poor indeed." - Shakespeare, Othello, act iii. Sc. 3.

The short answer is that identity theft is a crime. Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. These Web pages are intended to explain why you need to take precautions to protect yourself from identity theft. Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, your personal data ­ especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, your telephone calling card number, and other valuable identifying data ­ can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense.

To read the entire article, please click here - http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html