Ever shopped at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods?

Back in March TJX Stores disclosed that 45.7 Million Credit card numbers and customer personal information was stolen. In addition 455,000 drivers license number were stolen. Today they released a statement not admitting fault but accepting all of the network and policy changes recommended by the federal agents investigation. (how's that for a fine line?)

T.J. Maxx; Marshalls; Home Goods; AJ Wright and Bob's Stores in the US plus additional brand in the UK, Canada and Ireland are all effected.

Criminals hacked the network from a wireless connection at 2 Miami based stores. Because that wireless connection was not properly secured, 45.7 million people are likely to have their credit cards stolen. So if you shopped at any of those stores, watch your credit cards carefully because your number is now for sale on the Internet.

I had my credit card numbers stolen once. It's a hassle and they don't go after the people that use these number illegally. I was mad enough to go to court then I found that I didn't have standing. Even though I had to pay $50 to Visa; to our legal system Visa is the injured party not me.

My loss was $50 and bunch of time. Fortunately they didn't have enough information about me to steal my identity. If they did, they would have opened additional credit cards in my name and ruined my personal credit while making my life a living **ll. This is where businesses have to be very cautious. While I can't sue the person who used my card, I can sue the company that gave out my personal information. TJX companies is facing down a class action lawsuit right now and actually moving forward with that will probably save them a lot of money. But small companies like our don't have pockets that deep.

It really only takes a very small number of lawsuits to bring down a small business like the ones we run. We all have customer data. Even if we don't have credit card numbers, we have other personal information and it's probably enough to let the bad guys open a credit card with. Don't think that you don't have valuable information. You do and hackers are no longer out to just delete stuff off your network, they are out for cash. So any names, phone numbers, addresses are a valuable commodity, not to mentioned passwords, usernames, drivers license numbers, credit cards, and the king of them all Social Security numbers. Even if you don't hold this information for your clients you probably do for your employees.

There are two things to do:

1. Don't ask for information you don't need.
2. Destroy your old data on a regular schedule.

Breaking it down.

If you don't absolutely have to have that information, then don't ask for it. Every piece of data you have, is a potential liability waiting to happen.

When you are done with it destroy it. TJX wouldn't be in this spot if they didn't keep data so long. Theirs went back to 2002. They haven't publicly said what the new policy is going to be but expect it to be only a few months. Then automatic destruction.

Here's what you should do today: Set a Data Destruction Policy. Use the highest security available for your wireless connections. Yes, it can be annoying, but it's your company we're talking about here. Being secure is worth the price. Because finding out after the fact can be deadly.

Office 2007 Ultimate Deal for Students

Microsoft is offering the Office 2007 Ultimate edition for a fraction of the regular price to college students from now until April 2008. In the US the Office 2007 Ultimate edition is officially priced at $679 but college students can get it for only $59.95.

HOW IT WORKS
Download the trial version of Office 2007 and install it. The trial version will work fully for 25 application launches only. Trial DVD's can also be ordered. You would then purchase the 'perpetual licence' from the promotion website - you'll be sent an Office 2007 product key to your ' .edu ' email address. Use that key to 'unlock' your trial version for regular use.


WHO CAN GET IT?

You have to be a student at an educational institution. You must have an 'educational' email address, in the US that means one with an '.edu' suffix. The offer is limited to one purchase per email address and billing address (the latter might be a problem if you're sharing accommodation). Microsoft or a 'vendor' may contact you to confirm that you're a legitimate student.

The US offer web site is at http://www.theultimatesteal.com/

Backup Revolution in Progress

A Backup Revolution? Yes. Tapes are dead.

When it's time to replace your tape drive you won't. By then operating systems won't support them any longer. The revolution is happening now but will hit full force in February when Windows 2008 releases. Replacing tape is a challenge. But the new products being released are very exciting. We won't be talking about simply backing up data anymore but rather about business continuity. The new solution will offer all sorts of benefits that weren't even thinkable last year.

• Near Continuous Backup - every 15 minutes data is backed up
• Infinite Restoration periods - Need a file that was deleted 6 months ago?
• Dramatically Reduced Recovery Time - Currently it's 24-48 hours to restore a full server providing there are no hardware problems. Now, it's going to be 1-2 hours.
• Dramatically decreased backup support costs - Fees are fixed. If the repairs can be made remotely (which anything but a hardware replace can) then there is no additional charge.
• Temporary Server included - data can't be restored? Server is waiting for hardware replacement? No problem, the backup device acts as a temporary server and you continue to work as normal.

It's a backup revolution. We're calling it Business Continuity and Backup Solution.

Are Small Businesses Frugal?

It is said that small businesses are more frugal than larger ones. In a quick 1 question survey Warillow Group determined that it's true. They asked small business owners, like you and me..."I like to keep my car for at least 5 years before buying a new one" On a scale of 1-5 how strongly to you agree with this statement? The graph below shows the result broken out by the size of company that person owns.
So what does it all mean? If you have 5 or fewer employees you need to start spending on yourself? Or that the smaller the company you run the more frugal you have to be?

Let's see. At Harbor Computer Services, we have 5 employees. My little Insight is 5 years old (and still the hottest thing on the road) and I don't plan on trading it in anytime soon. Hmmm.


Amy Babinchak

Microsoft Professional Accountant Network Conference

For our Accountant customers that are part of the MPAN program. Now in addition to thousands of dollars of office and server software you have an opportunity to earn CPE credits, attend a conference in the place known as the "mothership" and coolest of all tour the Microsoft House with its Microsoft Research technology. Microsoft is hosting their first MPAN conference and it's Free, once you get yourself there.

Speaking as one that has attended a few Microsoft conferences I can say with confidence that it will be worth your time. Microsoft always sends out the top brass to these events to collect direct feedback from you on what works and what doesn't about their program and products. So at this conference you're guaranteed to meet the person that "owns" the MPAN program and the person that "owns" any particular feature you can name in Office Accounting and they'll be seriously ready to listen to you and if you engage them enough you'll see your input directly reflected in the next release. You can bet that since this conference is free, Microsoft employees will be there in full force seeking your input to make the program better.

Here are the details.

Microsoft is hosting the first Professional Accountants Network conference. CPE credits are provided for many of the sessions.

MPAN Membership Conference sessions

Thursday, September 27

8:30-9:00 Welcome

9:00-10:50 Office Accounting: Accountant features & MPAN update

Part One will be an interactive session to learn what’s new with the MPAN program, including the new certification training initiative and proactive leads distribution. We encourage your feedback and ideas, as this is your program!

Part Two will cover the product from the professional accountant’s point of view, including some of the most popular features. We’ll also discuss best practices in leveraging Office Accounting Express to gain new clients and provide additional services.

10:50-11:00 Break

11:00-12:00 Office Accounting: Client features, training resources and more

Session will cover advanced feature topics including forms and invoice customization, creating and customizing reports for use in Access and Excel and available product training.

12:00 -1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:50 Office Accounting: Client features, training resources and more –session continues

2:00-2:50 Payroll Center for Accountants

Discuss best practices using the Payroll Center for Accountants to easily help you provide more service for your clients and add revenue to your firm. New pricing structure makes it a great time to discover how the Payroll Center adds value to your offerings.

3:00-4:00 Tour of Microsoft Home / Group One (20 people)

Microsoft Home is the premier venue for communicating Microsoft's vision for technology in the home. Get a complimentary tour of this unique facility. Tours limited to first 40 conference registrants.

Add-on Solutions to Office Accounting / Group Two

Add-On Software Partner – BQE Software Inc.
Learn about add-on solutions that make Office Accounting even more powerful and customized to your industry. BillQuick delivers time tracking, project management and billing to professional services and supports virtually every billing arrangement.

Add-On Software Partner – dpdynamics
Learn about this product which enables users to easily and accurately import and integrate their existing data into the Office Accounting database.

4:00-4:50 Office Accounting Integration with Office Outlook with Business Contact Manager

Clearly a differentiator from other accounting software packages, this integration enables users to share and update a single database of customers across an organization, book and bill their time, launch marketing campaigns, and much more.

5:00-6:00 Tour of Microsoft Home / Group Two (20 people)

Add-on Solutions to Office Accounting / Group One
BQE Software Inc. and dpdynamics

6:00-7:00 Cocktails


Friday, September 28

8:30-9:20 Keynote: Vision for Small Business - Rajat Taneja, GM Small Business Software & Online Services

9:30-10:20 Office Accounting 2008 Product Demo

Get a sneak peak of some of the exciting new features planned for the latest version of Office Accounting.

10:20-10:30 Break

10:30-11:20 Product Roadmap Discussion

Here’s your opportunity to provide Microsoft Product Managers with feedback and ideas. Discuss and brainstorm innovative features not yet available in the marketplace, and Microsoft’s role in developing for the future.

11:30-12:00 Add-On Solutions – Better Idea Group

Microsoft Office Accounting integration with Quick-Payment 2007 makes it easy for users to conduct daily accounting activity and process credit card transactions directly through one simple and secure application. Plus, with Quick-Payment 2007,users have access to the leading credit card processors and most competitive rates.

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:50 Microsoft Dynamics Point of Sale Integration: A True Solution Suite

Point of Sale now includes Office Accounting Professional, offering a true solution suite for managing retail and accounting information and tasks. Learn more about this powerful integration.

1:50-2:00 Break


2:00-2:25 Office Accounting Integration with eBay

Session will include a demonstration of this popular add-on feature which enables users to list their inventory on eBay, download and process orders all within Office Accounting.

2:30-2:55 Add-On Solutions – more to come

3:00-3:50 Small Business Server & Office Accounting Integration

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS) is the award-winning server solution designed to meet the networking needs of smaller companies. Discover how Office Accounting and Outlook with Business Contact Manager integrated with Small Business Server can improve security, scalability, back up procedures, remote access, team collaboration and much more.


Saturday, September 29

Special Offer for MPAN Members: $99 Registration for Day 1 of SMB Nation 2007
SMB Nation 2007 is the fifth annual edition of the world’s original and largest SMB channel partner-focused conference. This gathering is essential to all IT consultants that serve small- and medium-business (SMB) customers. This is THE annual convention for Small Business Specialists, registered partners, TS2 attendees, resellers, SMB consultants, VARs and VAPs. It’s also THE event for those who want to become Small Business Specialists.
There will be a special MPAN track on the first day of the SMB Nation conference. This MPAN track will bring together MPAN Members and other Microsoft Partners to share best practices on using Office Accounting with Small Business Server and the resulting client consultation opportunities.
Visit www.smbnation.com for more information on the SMB Conference and to register for this track.
Accommodations

Please call hotels directly for reservations. Here are a few hotels that are close to the Microsoft campus.

Courtyard by Marriott
11010 NE 8th Street
Bellevue WA 98004
425-454-5888

Hyatt Regency Westin Bellevue
900 Bellevue Way NE 600 Bellevue Way
Bellevue WA 98004 Bellevue WA 98004
425-462-1234 425-638-1000


Register today for this FREE conference-- space is limited! Get your tour of Microsoft Home!**

For questions on this conference, and to register, please contact Tracey Cummings , phone 425-704-7300 or Bob Lewis, phone 425-706-8149.

See you in Redmond!

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* Free conference only. Microsoft does not provide personal travel, entertainment or other expenses.
** Microsoft Home tour limited to the first 40 registrants