(The Hosting News) – Technological advancements over the last decade or so have made significant progress in making the business world a greener place. Products and solutions whose roots lie deeply embedded both inside and outside the realm of green inspiration have changed the landscape dramatically. A new electronic business card application from Yprintit.com shows how we can implement an effective paperless electronic business card solution and replace printed paper business cards entirely.

New developments in green technology have brought about a number of positive changes in the way business is done in many offices globally – office tools are now generally more efficient, with energy-saving components and electronic interfaces – Almost everything has been finely tuned to reduce impact on the environment and increase output and productivity with the least amount of resources consumed. One commonly used tool however that has yet to undergo a “green revolution” is the printed business card.

Many aspects of paper use within the workplace are being addressed by current green technology, including the increasing use of virtual documents and electronic databases for information storage and presentation and the use of business intelligence software systems for evaluations and report generation – reducing the need to actually print on paper, and saving the environment a great deal of waste.

With all of these developments in view, one can objectively say that a great deal is being done to reduce the use of paper within the workplace. It’s all around us. One time “de facto” paper based business solutions have become almost eliminated completely. Think of what email has done to letterhead; online billing to invoices; laptops, tablets and PDA’s to notepads; electronic document and data storage to filing; and what about what online catalogs have done to printed catalogs. The list can go on and on. One of the last unscathed survivors however, has been the ubiquitous printed business card. The paper business card represents a significantly high volume of paper used in offices worldwide annually, which translates to heavy paper sourcing from trees, leading to ecological and environmental problems if left unmanaged, which are already well documented.

What is being done about the paper business card specifically? Well, if recent green technology initiatives take hold, it seems even this last remnant of a less environmentally friendly legacy may soon join the ranks of the obsolete. Top on the list of current successes in the search for paperless business cards are the virtual business cards generally used on mobile platforms – cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, etc., and transmitted via SMS, email or other connectivity options like Bluetooth, Infrared and so on. These virtual cards or vCards make it possible to exchange contact information between compatible devices. It seems however, that even with all these efficient technological options, there is something that keeps people tied to their printed business card, not the least of which is that people like business cards because they are visual, and they are typically handed out when you are face to face. Well, if that is what has been missing so far, then the smartphone surely may be the answer.

With the proliferation of smartphones, we have approached a point where most business practice has been seamlessly integrated with mobile technology, eliminating redundancy and improving performance through the efficient use of technology for multiple business functions. In short, it is clear that any lasting solution to the problem of finding a green paperless contact management solution to replace the paper business card will have to be based on mobile technology.

“Let’s be honest, smartphones have changed everything. People are already talking about how they hardly need their PC any longer. Many of the functions we once depended on our PC’s for are now easily addressed with a smartphone.” says a spokesperson for Yprintit.com, a green technology firm. Their latest development is an application designed to replace the printed business card with a digital version of a business card that is also visual and handed out face to face, maintaining the established social and business culture associated with business cards, yet eliminating the negatives.

“At a business meeting, if you ask me for my card, I take out my phone and pass my business card to your phone. You now have my business card on the screen of your phone, literally. All the cards you receive are stored in your virtual rolodex and you can flip through them like you would with a stack of paper cards. The difference here is that if I change my phone number or any other information that would be printed on my card, I update my card using the application. Now everyone that has received my card in the past has my new information automatically. I never even have to tell them, and I don’t need to print new cards”, states the Yprintit spokesperson.

This new green paperless electronic business card solution utilizes QR code technology, the popular bar code technology, to pass a card from one phone to another. The business cards themselves are exact business card sized, high resolution digital images that appear on the screen of your phone. Tap on the digital business card on your screen and a menu appears allowing you to call a number or send an email with one touch. The app is also free, with both an iPhone app as well as an Android app version.

Green technology and solutions that have helped foster more sustainable business practices have surely come a long way, driven by a host of factors, many of which are rooted in a passion for the cause. As far as progress goes, we can only hope that its casualties are those things that we really did not need anyway, and even more so, if we are so lucky as to have such clarity, those things which we clearly accept as being destructive or “negative” to begin with. Alas, I can not quite say where I believe the fate of the mighty printed business card does or should lie. I will say this however; green technology and a clever little app rooted in that cause just might have something to say about it.

About Yprintit.com

YPrintit is a green technology firm. Their latest development is a new free mobile application and social networking platform designed to eliminate the negatives associated with printed paper business cards while maintaining the positive visual impact and established face to face practice of exchanging cards. Currently available for iPhone and Android, its version for Blackberry is scheduled for release in early 2011. The company’s roots lie in a goal to promote green technology. As an application and networking platform, YPrintit allows you to create unlimited numbers of virtual business cards and share them with others from phone to phone through the use of QR Codes. Changes you make to your card are reflected in what your contacts see instantly.

Official video demonstrations of the application can be seen on the Yprintit website:http://www.yprintit.com/index/browse/to/Videos

Source: Green Mobile App May End the Need for Printed Business Cards

(The Hosting News) – While most small businesses recognize the importance of offsite data backups – engaging a commercial service provider to copy critical business information to a remote storage device – these so-called remote backup “solutions” provide only partial protection.

Except for accidental erasures, data loss scenarios generally involve the loss of office equipment (as might be occasioned by a fire), or equipment failure (as, for example, a hard disk crash). In either case, the restoration of offsite data will await the restoration of the equipment on which the data normally resides.

PBG Networks, a premier provider of data storage systems and data recovery services, is uniquely positioned to provide clients with the help they need to restore their infrastructure (their equipment) and their data. This dual capability has led many clients to entrust their data backup and recovery functions to PBG Networks.

One such client is Applebaum Professional Services, a leading public accounting firm. Applebaum implemented PBG Networks’ Data Preservation and Restoration service, automatically copying critical financial files – in encrypted form – to secure, redundant, and highly-reliable enterprise-class storage systems located at PBG Network’s state-of-the-art data center.

According to [President] Steve Applebaum, without proper backup, lost financial data is “tremendously difficult to restore.” PBG Networks provides a “comfort level. We know Scott [Brousseau, vice president and CTO of PBG Networks]. We can ask him questions. We can count on Scott to keep our systems in running order. Most importantly, we can trust Scott with our clients’ data.”

Recently, Steve’s faith in PBG Networks was tested when a local hardware failure resulted in the loss of critical data. Working with Steve, PBG Networks was able to repair the hardware and recover the missing data, without impacting Applebaum clients.

About PBG Networks

Founded in 1996, PBG Networks is a systems integration firm specializing in virtualization, storage technologies, and remote access solutions. For more information on PBG Network’s Data Preservation and Restoration service, please call 1.877.724.4620 or e-mail us at info@pbgnetworks.com

Source: A Remote Backup “Solution” is Only Part of Data Preservation

By WHIR Happenings

We thought we owed it to the title sponsors and give you all a better idea of who is buying your drinks at 2011 at WHIR Networking Events – which, by the way, you can RSVP to now in advance here.

Afilias

(The Hosting News) – Serotek Corporation, the leading provider of accessible multi platform and cloud-based solutions accessible from anywhere, is proud to announce the release of DocuScan Plus™. This innovative software requires no drivers and allows anyone to scan and read documents in an accessible format from any computer. Serotek will be demonstrating DocuScan Plus at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6 – 9.

DocuScan Plus offers high-quality optical character recognition (OCR), to convert the printed page to text. This self-voicing application can read both printed pages from a Twain-compliant scanner, as well as many types of PDF files, including those containing text or those containing only images. It also supports scanners with duplex and automatic document feeder (ADF) capabilities.

The software converts scanned documents to MP3 audio files for playback on many portable devices, and can even convert scanned materials into the popular DAISY format.

For low vision users, DocuScan Plus allows full screen magnification for the reading of scanned text. This magnification option, when combined with the self-voicing features of DocuScan Plus, allows documents to be comfortably read from the screen as well as via text-to-speech. Materials can also be saved in large print format so documents can be scanned, printed, and shared with friends or viewed offline under a Video magnifier.

“With this software, Serotek has created an affordable application that takes into account the way people access the printed word in the 21st century,” said Mike Calvo, CEO, Serotek Corporation, “People don’t spend all their time on one computer, or even one device anymore, so why use software based on that model? DocuScan Plus has a feature set that is useful to everyone, including people who are dyslexic, blind, have low vision or limited mobility, and is just as easy to use from the classroom computer as it is from home; that opens a lot of doors that have been closed until now.”

The DocuScan Plus software can be used as an installed program from your personal computer, or it can be accessed from any computer by visiting http://www.DocuScanPlus.com. The program may be purchased for less than one third the cost of previous scanning solutions.

Other features included are:

• Save to Kindle™: Wirelessly Transfer scanned documents to the Amazon Kindle for reading on the go using the Kindle’s built in text-to-speech function.
• Braille Conversion: DocuScan Plus contains Braille translation options, allowing you to convert your scanned pages and PDF files into a variety of different Braille formats based on the translation table of your choice.
• Export Scanned Text: Save documents and materials to a computer or portable DAISY player for offline reading.
• Encrypted Online Storage: Save documents securely to the cloud and retrieve them from anywhere.
• Additional Synthesizer Support: Choose from a variety of synthesizers for use with this self-voicing application.
• Additional Support for Mobile Platforms: DocuScan Plus will support some external camera and mobile phone platforms. This functionality comes free with DocuScan Plus and it is currently scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2011.

DocuScan Plus may be used independently of any other Serotek software. The application can allow persons to read the printed page with any Windows-based computer, regardless of whether any access technology has been installed or is currently running.

For more information, visit booth number 35955 on the second floor of the south hall at CES 2011, or contact Serotek Corporation at (612) 246-4818, sales(at)serotek(dot)com or visit http://www.docuscanplus.com.

Serotek Corporation

Serotek Corporation is a leading technology company that develops software and manufactures accessibility solutions under the System Access brand. Committed to the mission of providing accessibility anywhere, Serotek began with the launch of the first online community specifically designed to meet the needs of people with visual impairment. Since then, Serotek has introduced several powerful, affordable solutions that require minimal training and investment. For more information, visit http://www.serotek.com.

Source: Serotek Releases DocuScan Plus Software

(The Hosting News) – Cloud computing services are finally coming down to earth for small businesses thanks to Microsoft and IT support partners like eMazzanti Technologies in the New York City area. A new video featuring, Microsoft’s Stijn Hendrikse, Director SMB, emphasizes the concierges-level service eMazzanti delivers to a wide variety customers locally and globally.

“Cloud computing delivers the promise of enterprise-level features at a small-business price point,” said Hendrikse. “And we rely on partners like eMazzanti to make cloud computing capabilities a reality for small companies. We simply can’t do it without them.”

How Cloud Computing Can Reduce Costs
Most small and medium size businesses are very interested in reducing costs where ever possible. Public or private cloud computing solutions are worth investigating. Broadly speaking, Cloud Computing can benefit your company in the following ways:

• Lower up-front investment
• Dynamic scalability
• Enrich experiences across PCs, phones and browser
• Rapid deployment
• Distributed disaster recovery scenarios
• Reputation-based technologies (technologies that come from major providers)

More specifically, public or private-based Cloud Computing can, for example, help reduce IT costs. Below are five additional ways of doing so. The public cloud model often has the potential to deliver the most dramatic cost savings:

• Pay as you go. This is perhaps the most compelling of any cloud value message. By moving applications and workloads to a public cloud platform, internal IT staff can instantly adjust resources up or down, depending on the immediate needs of any particular workload.
• Control server proliferation. Placing workloads in the cloud means those workloads no longer require dedicated server capital investments. While the cloud isn’t free, running applications cloud-based servers allows the possibility of reducing or eliminating that cost.
• Data center cost reductions. Fewer servers mean a smaller data center footprint. That translates to direct savings on real estate, power, and cooling. It also translates to indirect savings on business continuity and facilities maintenance. Even though these savings extend to the private cloud model, the public cloud model offers small and medium-size businesses the possibility of eliminating the need for a data center.

But as the new shift in cloud computing expands, businesses will likely see a combination of private and public cloud models become the most popular implementation. This combination provides the most flexible IT infrastructure and has compelling costs savings of its own:

• Virtualization Decreases IT Costs. Scaling infrastructure to meet new workload demands, maintaining physical security, and software deployment and patching are just a few examples of costly IT management tasks that are decreased significantly by running a virtualized infrastructure.
• IT as a Service Decreases IT Costs. Private or hosted private clouds allow users to provision many IT services on their own through self-service portals. Significant savings can result on common help desk calls and other IT management tasks like procurement and server configuration.

Getting Started

Accurately forecasting potential savings from cloud computing means a careful accounting of current and future IT expenditures then working with experienced IT support and cloud computing providers to determine the optimum solution for a particular business.

“Most companies are naturally uncomfortable with new technology,” said Hendrikse. “But Microsoft Gold Partners like eMazzanti invest a tremendous amount of effort to make sure their customers are trained to rapidly see significant productivity gains-especially with cloud-based services.”

A new publication from eMazzanti entitled: How Does Cloud Computing Work? is a snapshot of what cloud computing is and how it can make a difference for small or medium sized businesses. A free copy can be downloaded at: http://www.emazzanti.net/how-does-cloud-computing-work.

About eMazzanti Technologies

With a company name that sounds more like a purebred, high-performance sports car than a IT support and consulting firm, eMazzanti Technologies is all about delivering powerful solutions such as computer network management, network troubleshooting, business continuity and disaster recovery, green computing, mobile workforce technology, cloud computing, cloud computing services, and business information optimization in the most efficient manner possible. The Hoboken, N.J., firm is located in one of the most densely populated – and competitive – regions in the U.S. It provides business technology consulting services for companies ranging from home offices to multinational corporations throughout the New York metropolitan area and in three countries. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net

Source: Microsoft Praises eMazzanti for Small Business Cloud Computing

(The Hosting News) – Under this promotion a web master can transfer any number of .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .EU, and .US domains by paying a mere sum of $0.99. Under this promotion, Gossimer will be adding one year to the domain registration of every domain transferred in from other domain registrar. The promotion will start on 00:01 hrs. (EST), December 31, 2010 and run till the midnight 00:00 hrs. (EST), January 01, 2011. The special pricing will be applicable to the first 10,000 transferred-in domains only, once the 10,000 mark is reached the promotion will end even if it is within the first few hours of the promotion.

“We are quite happy with the way Gossimer has evolved in 2010. Throughout the year we helped our customers save hundreds of dollars through numerous domain name and web hosting promotions. We decided to close this year with a bang,” said Marvin Dreyer, CEO of Gossimer, “The $0.99 domain transfer in promotion will help web masters pocket hundreds of dollars, which they can use to grow their businesses online. This promotion could be seen as an indication to the hottest domain name and web hosting promotion Gossimer has to offer in 2011.”

To be eligible for the special pricing a web master need not complete the transfer on December 31, 2010. All he has to do is to order the transfer and pay the invoice during the promotion period stated above. Orders with unpaid invoices will not be eligible for the promotion.

2010 has been a particularly happening year for Gossimer. In the very beginning, the company has moved its base from New Jersey to Melbourne, Florida. Working on 3S principle (Secure, Stable, and Swift) of web hosting, of late, the company has installed a seven-layer security system on its servers to protect all the web hosting accounts and domain names from malicious attacks. Gossimer has fortified its datacenter, network, host, software, application, personal, and audit processes. While devising the security system, the company has also factored in human errors.

2010 was quite an exciting year for the web hosting and domain name registration industry. Seeing the developing train, it does not take a genius to understand where it will head in 2011. Gossimer seems quite geared up for the challenge. Its good bye for 2010 and welcome to the bright and sunny 2011. Gossimer wishes a Happy New Year to you all!

About Gossimer, LLC

Gossimer is a full-feature, fastest growing domain name registration and webhosting company. Since 2001, Gossimer is providing web hosting, email hosting, and domain registration services from New Jersey. The company is well known for its exceptionally responsive customer support, knowledgeable technical support, server uptime, and attractive web hosting packages.

For more information, please visit: http://www.gossimer.com/domain.php?action=domain_transfer

Source: Gossimer Welcomes 2011 With Domain Transfer-In Promotion

(The Hosting News) – On December 17th, Mozilla received an email from a third party notifying the company of a file that contained user records that was posted to a public web server. The information in this file listed users email, addressses, first and last names, and MD5 password hashes.

On December 17th, Mozilla received an email from a third party notifying the company of a file that contained user records that was posted to a public web server. The information in this file listed users email, addressses, first and last names, and MD5 password hashes.

The Company relied through an email stating “We immediately took the file off the server and investigated all downloads. We have identified all the downloads and with the exception of the thrid party who reported the issue, the file has been downloaded only by Mozilla staff.”

Since the the company has removed the passwords from their site and are asking users to reset their passwords for all content used through Mozilla. “We have identidied the process which allowed this file to be posted publicly and have taken steps to prevent this in the future. We are also evaluation pther processes to ensure your information is safe and secure” the email also declared.
Chris Lyon, directore of infrastructure security at Mozilla, said on Decemeber 27th through a blog post, that the file included 44,000 inactive accounts using older, MD5 pasword hashes. The company erased the MD5 passwords, leaving the accounts inactive. Lyon also stressed that current users employ a more secure SHA-512 password hash with per-user salts and therefore are “not at risk.”

Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor at Sophos Canada, addresses the problems with MD5 passwprd hashes” “MD5 has cryptographic weaknesses that permit creation of the same hash from multiple strings. This permit securty experts to compute all the possible hashes and determine either your password or another string that will work even if it is not your password.” Chester commened Mozilla’s response to the incident but questions how the company accidentall published this information to begin with and why MD5 password hashes were still in the system.

“If you are a web site administrator or developer, are you still storing passwords using methods like Gawkwer(DES) or Mozilla(MD5)? We know they are broken, and it is important to migrate away from these algorithms in case you have a database accidentally make its way outside of your orginization,” Wisniewski summarized.

Source: Mozilla Addresses The Leak Of User Information

(The Hosting News) – Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen refile a patent infringement lawsuit against several companies on Tuesday. This was just shy of the December 28th deadline for refiling the case given by the court. The original case had been thrown out of court in early december after U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman declared that the complaint was too vague after stating “the allegations in the complaint are spartan.” The amended suit includes details that were not included into the original filing, and also hosts 40 displays showing the alleged patent infringement in action according to the Seattle Times. The companies named in the lawsuit among Apple are Google, Facebook, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo, Youtube, Netflix, and eBay.

Source: Microsoft Co-founder Continues Lawsuit Against Top Tech Companies

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