Recession proof your business!

I’m sure you’ve heard the news. Businesses in the US are hurting and the economy is experiencing a bad spell the likes of which we have not seen in a long time. So, the obvious question for business owners is “What can we do to recession proof our business?”. While this is a complicated question with no sure answer, there are definitely steps you can take to ensure survival during these tough times.

Out with the old, in with the new!

Most business owners are very familiar with the traditional steps needed to keep the revenue stream steady while driving more business through the door. There are very specific things that are done to advertise and establish a brand in the real world which include: creating printed materials like business cards and brochures, purchasing advertisement space on television, radio and billboards, and hiring staff to perform sales calls and setup sales meetings. These are very true and proven methods of marketing and that’s fine and dandy, but should you still be investing the same amounts in these things to keep your eggs in one basket? The answer is no.

In a world where digital technology and digital advertising is everywhere from your home computer to electronic coupons at the grocery store; the question you should be asking yourself is “How does my business stack up within the digital landscape?”. Digital marketing is a must for companies who expect to weather the growing financial storm.

Top Analysts Rank Search Engine Marketing in Top 3 out of 10 Ways to Generate High Quality Leads

It’s true; people would rather use a search engine when looking for goods and services. Not only are Internet based Ads and Websites a “greener” approach to marketing due to the lack of ink and paper that magazines and postcards require, but consumers of all types find it easier to shop and compare when using Internet Search Engines like Google and Yahoo. On top of this a Digital Marketing Strategy can save your business thousands of dollars. We all win.

Things you need to do to stay competitive:

  1. Get an Attractive User-Friendly Website
  2. Get Your Website Listed with Google (this is a necessity..compare the stocks of Google(GOOG) versus a top competitor like Yahoo(YHOO) http://www.nyse.com/)
  3. Drive High Quality Leads to your Website through precisely targeted Pay Per Click Ads
  4. Consider Blogs, Newsletters, and Email Marketing
  5. Close your Sales and Stay Competitive!

Contact me at justin@jngstech.com for more information!

Or visit us on the web: http://www.jngstech.com

Posted under digital marketing

Credit Card Risks

Does your company accept credit cards?     

 

 

If so, your business could be at risk.  In 2005 Visa International, MasterCard International Inc., American Express Co., Discover Financial Services LLC and JCB Co. banded together to draft the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS).  These security standards were put in place to ensure that merchants, retailers, banks, and credit card processors were following strict guidelines to ensure their customers were protected.    

 

While this is great news to credit card holders failure to adhere to these rules can be devastating to a small business.  Consider these facts:

  • Since 2005, more than 80% of the credit card breaches have occurred at small businesses.
  • 60% of merchants using credit cards aren’t PCI compliant.
  • Since October of 2006, Visa has levied $3.3 million in fines for non compliance.

Lodi Beer, a microbrewery and restaurant in California had unknowingly stored 11,728 credit card records in their point of sale system. Track data from the credit card’s magnetic strip cannot be stored. When that data was breached, Visa and MasterCard fined Abanco, the restaurant’s merchant account provider, $27,000. Abanco then in turn passed that fine onto the restaurant. In addition to the fines, this merchant has spent over $50,000 in remediation costs, legal fees, upgrades, etc. This is a huge amount of money for a small business.

So what can you do to protect yourself?
 

  1. Verify that you are not storing sensitive authentication data. Storage of sensitive authentication data is never permitted.
  2. Choose a trusted processing partner.  It is absolutely necessary to protect yourself and your customers.
  3. Set clear business policies for your employees regarding the access and processing of credit/debit and payroll card data.
  4. Make sure that you keep your employees up-to-date on any changes made that affect the security of the data you store or transmit.
  5. Keep records of how your business is complying and validating the PCI standards.
  6. If you are not sure how to protect yourself call in an expert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted under reduce risk

This post was written by Stephen Jennings on September 15, 2008

Tags: , , , ,

#1

Welcome to True Colors!

This is our first post and I am extremely excited and proud that we have launched this site as a way to communicate with other business owners on the topic of Information Technology.  This site is much more than a simple blog about technology.  It is an online publication dedicated to educating our clients, prospects, and fellow business owners alike.  You will notice there are several sections of this publication.  Topics range from Digital Marketing and Managed Services to Custom Application Development and Information Security.  Hopefully there’s valuable information you can use immediately to better your business.  If not, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll be happy to address your questions and issues.

Simple Philosophy

When it really comes down to it Jennings Technologies and True Colors are designed to do 3 things.  Help you use technology to Make Money, Save Money, and Reduce Risk.  That’s it!  You will notice the three different colored logos throughout the site.  The Green logo is dedicated to helping you make money.  The Orange logo is dedicated to helping you save money.  The Blue logo is dedicated to helping you reduce business risk.  This is why we call the publication True Colors. 

What You Can Expect

Each week we’ll cover topics that are important to your business and to discuss ways you can reach your business goals by using technology.  A different topic will be discussed for each of the three core areas (make money, save money, reduce risk). Feel free to use your favorite RSS reader to obtain instant updates! 

Plea for Help

So this is the time where I beg for your help.  As this is a new publication we really need your help to let us know if we are on the right track.  Please leave honest comments to let us know your thoughts on the topics discussed and your impression of the site.  We are here to serve you and your feedback is invaluable to us! 

About Stephen Jennings

Stephen Jennings is the President and CEO of Jennings Technologies located in Medford, NJ.  Jennings Technologies was founded in the summer of 2004 when Stephen left his full time position as the Director of Information Security with Applied Card Systems and started providing independent consulting services to mid market and Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States.  Read More…

Posted under First Post