Mobile Security Apps
Using mobile devices for business is actually taking over from the use of PCs. The reason is that people are more on the go than ever before. We can now work from all sorts of locations and fix things right on the spot due to the advent of powerful mobile devices. However, there are some tips and apps that you should consider deploying to avoid serious problems with your business mobile phone.
Set a Pin or Password
Do set up a pin or password so that no one can break into your device without it. That way if you lose it, it’s locked and no one can access the information. Make sure that it’s set up and works so that you can prevent this type of content theft if your phone is lost or stolen.
Install Only Trusted Apps
When you’re offered apps, ensure that they’re trustworthy apps. Install security software to help you avoid downloading any questionable apps. Read the reviews of all apps; ask your friends and colleagues about the apps they use to ensure that you only download what you need and what is trusted.
Enable Remote Location and Wiping
Most phones have the ability to enable remote location as well as wiping. For Android you can do it via Google by linking your phone to Google (see link below), and similar facilities are available for Apple (see link below). This way if your phone is lost you might either find it by making it ring or you can use GPS to locate it, or if you can’t you can at least wipe the information off it.
Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi
LastPass
This password saver and protector works on all devices and syncs with all devices if you upgrade to the premium version, which currently is about 12 dollars per year. It generates passwords, saves and fills them in, and offers two-factor authentication.
Skycure
If you deal with super-private information, you need Skycure to help you. Over 50 percent of business mobile devices will be cracked just in the next 16 weeks, not to mention that many are running outdated operating systems which can only help scammers and thieves break into your system more easily.
NowSecure Mobile
Their NowSecure Protect plan can help people with mobile devices that must connect with internal networks so they can avoid passing on malware and viruses. You can give people access to or block them from various types of data. It helps teams work together better.
Finally, remember that before you donate or give away (or sell) your mobile business phone, you need to wipe it clean and destroy all the information on it so that someone that uses it can’t access your personal information.
Top Resources for Your Entrepreneurial Needs
Starting a small business, or running a small business, can be confusing and exciting at the same time. Fortunately you don’t have to reinvent the wheel in order to have a business. Instead, you can use these resources to learn from experts so that you avoid making the same mistakes as others have in the past.
Small Business Administration
The SBA works with local partners to help you understand more about running a business in a profitable way. You can apply for loans via the SBA. You can also find out about exporting, importing, veterans benefits and more to help you start your own business.
SCORE
Most areas in the USA have a SCORE office, including the USA territories. Via SCORE you can find a mentor, take workshops, attend webinars and more – all focused on helping you build your business smarter and better. You can also find the SCORE website via the small business administration site.
SBA Women Owned Business
You can get information about starting a business as a woman from this section from the SBA website. But, due to the fire hydrant quantity of information, it’s important to point this out in case you need this info. You can learn about creating a business plan and more.
Small Business Majority
This is a lobbying organization that seeks to provide representation for truly small businesses in the USA. Mom-and-pops and home businesses are often under-represented and they seek to change that. They’ve been around for ten years and are a good resource.
Women’s Business Centers
If you have one of these in your local area then you’re in luck. They offer classes (you could even teach a class) on things like building a website, choosing the type of business you want, and help with business plans.
Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center
This is an IRS website for Americans wishing to start a business in the USA. They have a lot of important information in an organized format so that you can ensure that you’re following the right path.
Canada Business Network
This is a government-run website that helps business owners in Canada navigate through the rules, laws and regulations that they’ll need to comply with to be a small business owner in Canada.
Canada Revenue Agency
This is a government website that gives loads of information about starting a small business in Canada. They even have a great checklist for new small businesses that you should definitely check out if you’re interested in starting a business in Canada.
Starting a small business can be very profitable, but it’s important to get started on the right foot. These top resources for your entrepreneurial needs will help you do just that. You can learn how to make a business plan, attend inexpensive and even free webinars and more to help you run things right, and have a very profitable small business that you enjoy running.
Social Media Monitoring Tools
What makes a good monitoring tool depends on your goals. Do you want more traffic, to get people to sign up for something, have your customers call you, or do you want them to directly buy something? Your goals, how large your business is and other factors will inform which social media monitoring tools you want to use.
These three are meant for small- to medium-sized businesses and offer those with smaller budgets great features.
1) Sprout Social Premium
* Assign tasks to team members
* Access great learning center
* View analytic data
* Track internal metrics
* Monitor a single stream
* Integrate Google Analytics
* Have third party integration
These features are very beneficial for any social media marketer and you can get many of these features for as little as $99 per month per user. The best thing to do in this case is try the free trial to see if it will do what you need it to do.
2) Hootsuite Pro
You can really take full control of your social media marketing with Hootsuite Pro. It integrates with many different platforms. What’s to really love about Hootsuite is the dashboard which makes monitoring your accounts a pleasure and less confusing. It works best with small- to medium-sized businesses.
With Hootsuite you can:
* Assign tasks to team members
* Easy to learn and use
* Get useful analytic data
* Track internal metrics
* Get great technical support
* Integrate Google Analytics
* Integrate with multiple third parties
These features are awesome for any small- to medium-sized business owner who needs help with social media monitoring. It also is wonderful to have these things if you want to turn it all over to a social media manager, because it’s all going to be more organized. The lowest price for this is just under $150 a month, and there’s a free trial available.
3) Mention
This one is a little more expensive than the other offerings but the clean interface makes up for anything lacking. The company plan is expensive but it works very well for what you need to use it for – and with over 500,000 people using it, they can’t all be wrong. Again, a free trial is available.
Features include:
* Assign tasks to team members
* Simple to learn
* Provide analytic data
* Track metrics
* Single stream monitoring
* Third party integrations
The way the information is presented you can avoid missing an important conversation that mentions your business. With real- time opportunities and the ability to respond using Mention, you will get a good reputation for your responsiveness.
These three social media monitoring tools are all awesome choices to use for any small- to medium-sized business. It’s important to monitor the buzz so that you can control it and make it work for you.