by Rafi Kronzon on May 10, 2012
This morning, I read a great post by Alex Payne, an entrepreneur/technologist from Portland. He not only touches on how today’s technology journalism has distorted our view of business and start-ups, but on the need for a new type of terminology to describe businesses that rely on technology for disruption vs. businesses that disrupt technology. The prior aren’t really technology companies, they are shoe companies, diaper companies, etc.
Best of all, he quotes the Fight Club: “Sticking feathers up your butt doesn’t make you a chicken.” Great line.
This reasoning is important not just for journalists, but for investors, venture capitalists, and small business owners. For instance, what does a VC that invests in technology disruption, and is staffed by former technologists, know about the Razor business?
It also relates to how small business owners should approach technology in their businesses, whether it’s IT, new SaaS software, or social media. For most of us, we should avoid confusing our businesses for technology businesses. If you’re in marketing, don’t forget that while you may be using technology in new ways to disrupt your field, your clients don’t come to you for technology, they come to you for your marketing expertise. Even though I’m very close to technology every day, I always remind myself and my colleagues that we’re not a technology company, we’re in the business of helping people.
While the massive disruptions in technology over the last ten years have made it easier than ever to start or run a technology infrastructure, I don’t think it has made it any easier to start or run a business. This got me thinking, does technology make small businesses lose focus on the true value to their clients? What do you think?
by Rafi Kronzon on April 24, 2012
Dropbox, Box, Jungledisk, and other cloud-sync services are everywhere. We love them, but using them carries a serious risk, and it’s not what you think.
Cloud-sync services all work in essentially the same way. They copy a subset of the files on your computer to their servers (“the Cloud”) and then sync any changes among your computer, the Cloud, and any other devices that you specify. Cloud-sync services also allow you to share folders with others using their service.
Many home and small businesses use Cloud-sync services for storing everything from personal photos to sensitive customer data. These services are all advertised as secure, and use security terms such as “256-bit SSL” and “256-bit AES encryption” on their web sites. The truth is, they are secure, but only after the files leave your computer.
When you create a Dropbox (or any Cloud-sync service) folder on your computer and put files into it, you may be under the impression that those files are immediately safe. However, if your computer is like 99% of computers out there, your files are not encrypted on your hard drive. That means that if you lose your laptop, all the files you’ve placed in Dropbox can be seen by anyone who finds your computer. This security hole is compounded if you share your Dropbox folders with others.
This is why we strongly recommend that all our small business clients, especially those that store sensitive data on their computers, encrypt their computer hard drives. This is different than simply using a boot password and requires special software. Next week, we’ll have a post on the different encryption software products, and which we recommend. Until then, you can check out products such as Symantec PGP, Microsoft BitLocker, and the popular shareware product TrueCrypt.
