SBA Goes Green With Loans for Small Businesses

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Small business owners thinking of incorporating green technologies at their facilities are now eligible to borrow more money to make it happen. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now offering special financing to small business entrepreneurs who go green through their SBA 504 Loan Program.

(Vocus/PRWEB ) February 5, 2009 — The SBA 504 Loan Program has been assisting small business entrepreneurs for over 25 years by providing fixed rate, long-term financing for the purchase, construction and renovation of commercial real estate. SBA 504 loans provide a source of long term capital with typically only a 10% down payment from the small business borrower. The rest of the financing is arranged by a Certified Development Company (CDC) securing an SBA 504 loan for up to 40% of the project costs and a lender providing the remaining 50% of the project funding.

The maximum amount of an SBA 504 loan is normally $1.5 million unless a project meets a specific public policy goal such as assisting a business in a rural area or a minority, veteran or woman-owned business. If a project meets a public policy goal, then the SBA 504 loan can go higher. The good news is that as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Congress added three new public policy goals to the SBA 504 Loan Program to assist businesses willing to invest in going green.

For existing small businesses wishing to purchase or construct facilities incorporating energy saving technologies or retrofit existing facilities resulting in a 10% decrease in energy consumption, they are now eligible to obtain SBA financing of up to $4 million for the project. The total cost of a “green project” can go as high as $9 million using the new public policy goal since the $4 million cap on the SBA 504 loan represents only 40% of the project cost. Some of the most common ways to achieve a 10% decrease in energy consumption now include improved insulation and lighting, improved HVAC, energy efficient windows and a number of other design features. New energy conservation technologies continue to be developed to make buildings and businesses more energy efficient so even more options will no doubt become available in the future.

In addition, small businesses generating renewable energy such as solar, biomass, hydropower, ocean thermal, geothermal and wind are also eligible to finance their real estate purchase or construction project with up to $4 million from the SBA 504 loan program. Generating renewable energy does not need to be the company’s primary business activity, just a method of meeting its own energy needs. Projects in any industry could, for example, purchase solar panels for their own use and qualify for an SBA 504 loan of up to $4 million.

The last type of small business projects that qualify under these new green business incentives are those small businesses that incorporate sustainable design into their facilities as defined by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and the Green Building Certificate Institute. Working with qualified architects and engineers to create a "green building" will make a small business eligible for an SBA loan for up to $2 million in SBA 504 financing.

This is great news for small business entrepreneurs who have been considering the purchase or construction of a facility with an eye toward energy conservation. Incorporating energy efficient technologies today qualifies these businesses for special financing now as well as saving money in the long term.

About the National Association of Development Companies (NADCO)

Created in 1981, the National Association of Development Companies is the trade association for America’s Certified Development Companies (CDCs). Certified by the U. S. Small Business Administration, CDCs are community-based economic development organizations that serve their local communities and states, and are dedicated to the promotion of small business expansion and job creation through SBA’s 504 Loan Program. In addition to the 504 program, many CDCs also provide small businesses with access to other Federal, state and local economic development loan programs.

Based in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., NADCO provides legislative and regulatory support for the 504 Loan Program on behalf of CDCs, the program’s lending partners (including first mortgage lenders, attorneys and others allied to the industry), and 504 small business borrowers. For more information, please call (703) 748-2575 or visit http://www.nadco.org.

Stealth Computer Announces Company Rebranding and Domain Name Change

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Stealth Computer Corporation is pleased to announce that they are adopting Stealth.Com Inc. as their new corporate name. The Stealth.Com name change better reflects the company's brand and establishes prominent brand identity as a leading manufacturer of Industrial Rugged and specialized computer products.

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) February 5, 2009 — Stealth Computer Corporation is pleased to announce that they are adopting Stealth.Com Inc. as their new corporate name. The Stealth.Com name change better reflects the company's brand and establishes prominent brand identity as a leading manufacturer of Industrial Rugged and specialized computer products.

 

Stealth.com Logo
Stealth.com Logo

Commenting on the name change, the Company's President and CEO Ed Boutilier remarked, "Implementing the Stealth.Com name change better positions our brand identity and provides for a short and easy to remember moniker." The company's web site, stealth.com is an essential integrated business tool, not only does it facilitate business activity but also serves as an important source of information for prospective buyers.

Building on nearly two decades of serving the industrial and commercial markets Stealth.Com was founded on the principles of innovation, quality and service, prides itself on quick follow-up, short lead times, and an easy ordering process. The company's state of the art manufacturing facility allows for rapid turnaround, while its engineering, technical support, and sales teams bring years of experience to the unique issues involved in harsh-environment, high-availability and mission critical applications.

Stealth's products are typically sold based on form factor/size, degree of ruggedness, environmental protection, product quality, long term support and performance. Stealth has a wide range of rugged industrial specialized products that fill a niche market that is not served by traditional computer manufacturers or suppliers. Stealth's products are targeted at vertical markets that require specialized hardware solutions. Unlike white box commodity hardware products, many of Stealth's products are built to order to fill the exact needs of a specific application. The products are broken down into categories as each has their own defining characteristics, benefits and features.

About Stealth
Founded in 1990 Stealth.Com, is a leading manufacturer of specialized Computers and Peripherals. The company is ISO 9001 registered and continually develops innovative products designed to meet the exact needs of their clients. For almost two decades Stealth has provided thousands of proven reliable product solutions that have assisted clients with a myriad of applications. Our impressive customer base includes a wide range of customers from single man operations to Fortune 500 companies, Military installations and Governments worldwide. www.stealth.com

Company Releases “Do This Now” Survival Checklist for Business Owners and Executives

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When the storm is worsening, business owners cannot just freeze. Owners have to act, and to get their marketing team and other key managers to take precisely the right actions. As the global economic storm worsens, a new 24-page survival checklist helps business owners and executives keep their companies safe.

Westport, CT (PRWEB) February 5, 2009 — Economic turmoil not only kills firms, it also creates opportunities. The difference between the two fates, says author and strategist, Bruce Kasanoff, is often the degree to which a business owner and his or her marketing team know how to react to the turmoil, and are willing to take decisive action.

"Do This Now: A Survival Checklist for Business Owners and Executives" offers time-tested marketing and entrepreneurial tactics business owners can use to protect – and even grow – their businesses in the face of fierce obstacles. Do This Now is available free online.

Bruce Kasanoff, Managing Director of Now Possible, is an expert in repositioning firms so that they can remain competitive despite adverse market conditions. He has worked with over 250 owners of entrepreneurial firms.

Kasanoff explains that, "Do It Now is not a report to read and consider. It's an action-oriented marketing and entrepreneurial checklist, with just enough detail so that employees can do what they're asked."

The purpose of "Do This Now" is to give business owners a collection of instruction sheets they can tear out and give to their marketing teams, and say: do this now. The guide is extremely specific. It includes a formula for analyzing and postponing some of the risk of investment decisions, specific ways to generate business by word-of-mouth (cheaper than advertising), over two dozen ways to get referrals, detailed tactics for identifying and protecting your most profitable customers, and even a five-step formula for "getting anybody to do anything you want."

"There's just no margin for error in this economy, so we collected the marketing and entrepreneurial tactics that work – even in tough times – and put them in one place," explains Kasanoff.

The guide is organized around four proven survival strategies:

1.) Keep your options open. Don't bet it all on any one scenario. "Do This Now" explains how a "real options" strategy can enable managers to balance risk and opportunities in volatile times like these.

2.) Stay closer to your profitable customers than ever, and jettison any customer you can't serve profitably. The guide includes numerous instruction sheets for accomplishing this.

3.) Steal customer share from weaker – or slower to react – competitors, by using tactics that give your firm, in effect, an unfair advantage.

4.) Increase your flexibility, because, as Kasanoff writes in the introduction, "All bets are off. You'll need to be able to adapt to conditions you never imagined."

The last strategy is especially important for medium and small firms. Kasanoff says, "Being more flexible may be the only advantage smaller firms have as they struggle to survive against larger and better-funded competitors. Besides, the very definition of volatility is that change happens unpredictably, so to survive – and thrive – a business must be able to adapt quickly."

A free PDF version of "Do This Now: A Survival Checklist for Business Owners and Executives" can be downloaded via this link: http://www.nowpossible.com/do_this_now.pdf.

"Do This Now" is a must-have survival guide for small business owners and executives, one that provides specific instructions a firm can use to minimize risk, hold on tight to its profitable customers, steal customer share from weaker competitors, and be flexible enough to adapt to volatile economic conditions.

About Now Possible:

Now Possible offers lightning-fast repositioning services for privately owned firms. Repositioning means placing a firm in a new position that enables it to survive adverse market conditions and also profit from emerging opportunities. When done correctly, repositioning changes the way customers, vendors, media, analysts and employees perceive a firm. More information is at http://www.nowpossible.com/about.htm.

Gates releases the bugs for real – philanthropy or crime?

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Bill Gates released a bunch of bugs to the public yesterday, literally. During a presentation at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference  in Long Beach, California February 5, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates opened a jar of mosquitos and let them loose on an unsuspecting audience of elitist rich and famous Hollywood types to demonstrate the need for a cure for malaria.

Apparently Bill and wife Melinda Gates pledged $168 million to the research and eradication of the illness, which is primarily spread through contact with mosquitoes in third world countries. He was giving a presentation at TED to raise awareness of the disease.  “not only poor people should experience this”, Gates said, just before opening the jar.

After sufficient reaction to the stunt Gates assured the audience that the mosquitos were not actually infected with malaria. However, while the audience understood the symbolism of the exercise, it wasn’t necessarily well received. eBay founder Pierre Olmydar tweeted out “That’s it, I’m not sitting up front anymore.”

Now, I’ll admit that the idea of gathering a bunch of rich elites in a room and making them sweat a little is probably on the minds of a lot of the rest of the country, but this just isn’t right. It’s a little weird, even for Gates. However, that isn’t what bothers me.

What bother me is that he could get away with such a stupid stunt, and it is stupid. Aside from the sensationalism it draws from the media and obvious jokes about Bill Gates and buggy products, there’s a real issue about a lack of accountability for the actions of someone who happens to be one of the most well-known and wealthiest individuals in the world.

Forget the claim for a moment that these mosquitos are malaria-free. Are they free of other communicable diseases as well? That little fact is yet to be corroborated. Even if they are, who wants to be bitten by a mosquito anyway?

The mere possibility of such an assault by blood-sucking flying insects in an enclosed room full of human beings initiated by a deliberate action on the part of another is, in my book, nothing short of a crime. Sure, the insects may not be infected and they may not even bite anyone, but there is always a risk someone will be bitten. They were deliberately released into a captive crowd with little or no notice. I consider that assault with a potentially deadly weapon, even if that weapon wasn’t loaded.

This is the equivalent of someone holding up a convenience store with a toy gun. It may not be a real weapon, but it doesn’t matter. It’s still robbery and it is still a crime. If a lunatic attacked someone with a needle and said they had AIDS, they’d be charged with attempted murder, even if they were bluffing. It’s not the act that is the crime in these cases, it’s the intent.

If someone off the street pulled the stunt Gates apparently got away with, they would surely be arrested and charged with such a crime. Why not Gates? Is it because he gives away money and is called a philanthropist? Hey, I used to give to the United Way. Why should I get a parking ticket?

There is a lot of talk about this mosquito stunt on the net. There are jokes and snide remarks and even a few who are “enlightened” by the symbolism of the act. Not from me. I am angry because someone did something that was clearly  out of line and he got away with it when others would be punished. Why? Because he is Bill Gates.

Standards only apply to those who follow them. – Rick

Netbooks are destroying Microsoft? I don’t think so

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Last week I read a post by Computerworld blogger Preston Gralla that made me stop and go “huh”?  Gralla says Linux on Netbooks are killing Microsoft. According to Preston, Netbook sales are driving Microsoft to layoff employees because Microsoft is losing margin.

While there may be some truth to the fact that Linux is gaining an edge in the Netbook market, it is hardly killing Microsoft, whose revenue is not driven by the operating system alone. In additon, while Microsoft is losing margin, it can hardly claim that the company is tanking because of the netbook market alone.

Where did Gralla get the data to base these assumptions on? From hard numbers? from industry analysts? No. He based a lot of it on conjecture, mostly from those who commented on a previous blog post on a related topic and he admitted as much in his post. He reasoned it out himself, saying such things as  “Microsoft most likely gets less for each copy of Windows sold on a netbook than it does on a desktop machine”, “Microsoft probably gets less for XP than it does for Vista” and “Microsoft will likely continue to be paid less for Windows 7 on a netbook than on a more powerful PC”.

Most likely? Probably? Will Likely? Seriously, Preston, did you research any of this before you posted?

First, let’s look at the facts.

“Microsoft most likely gets less for each copy of Windows sold on a netbook than it does on a desktop machine.”

That is purely a guess on your part, and while there is some truth to the conjecture, it doesn’t mean Microsoft is losing money. Here’s why:

1. Fact – Although Microsoft lists pricing of OEM licenses for system builders, Redmond does not advertise or discuss pricing for Tier 1 royalty OEMs. It is generally private between Microsoft and that royalty OEM account. Netbook manufacturers are royalty OEMs, not lower tier system builders, so they do get a big break on the price while the system builder pays whatever price is set for those licenses through the channel.

However, although the royalty licensing is considerably less, its still not free, so those OEMs do indeed pay for those licenses and Microsoft does indeed make their money.

2. Fact – Microsoft is a business, not a charity. They give breaks to their Tier 1 OEMs, but they do not operate at a loss. They still build their margin into it. They are still making money.

Bottom line: Yes, this is a true statement. However it insinuates that Microsoft is LOSING money selling Windows on netbooks and making it on desktops, which is totally untrue. The Netbooks licenses still sold at nice markup and a fair profit. They just make a much larger markup on the desktops and, as some system builders may confide, more than fair.

“Microsoft probably gets less for XP than it does for Vista”?

This one made me laugh.

3. Fact – Windows XP is currently being installed or rolled back onto PCs at an estimated rate of 3 to 1. Bad for Vista? Yes, it is. Bad for Microsoft? Yes and No. Yes in terms of Microsoft’s ROI in Vista, no in terms of Microsoft’s ROI in XP.

4. Fact – Windows Vista cost a lot more to develop than XP. Redmond spent over $1B developing and marketing Vista. It spent a lot less than that developing XP. Vista has been available for two years. XP has been around for about nine. In fact, it is still selling strong, in spite of the company’s attempts to take it off the market.

5. Fact – As mentioned earlier, an estimated two thirds of Vista users use their downgrade rights to migrate to XP. They are no longer running Vista, yet Microsoft still counts it as a Vista sale and not XP, since the Vista license was initially purchased.

6. Fact – Vista is priced higher than XP, which means that when a user downgrades from Vista to XP, they are actually paying MORE for XP than they would had they purchased a PC with XP instead of Vista.

Bottom line: Has Vista returned on its investment? No. Has XP? You bet, and more. Microsoft made that back years ago. given the facts, Microsoft lost money on its investment in Vista, but made its money back on XP years ago. This means that the actual cost of producing XP and bringing it to market is so minimal the margin on an XP sale is way beyond reasonable. So, while Vista could be considered a write-off in many respects, XP is like selling bottled tap water and is basically a cash cow for Microsoft.

“Microsoft will likely continue to be paid less for Windows 7 on a netbook than on a more powerful PC”?

7. Fact – A royalty OEM license, or any system builder license for a particular product or version on a netbook is the same license as the one on a laptop. Vista Whatever is Vista Whatever, Office Whatever is Office Whatever. It is the same license and basically costs the OEM the same whether it is attached to a netbook, laptop, desktop or tablet PC. It’s not the device itself that determines the price, but what the software the license is for.

Now, could Microsoft make an exception for a netbook? Of course. But in such a scenario Fact 1 applies.

8. We don’t know the pricing for Windows 7 yet, so we really can’t draw conclusions. However, Microsoft has said that Windows 7 would have at least as many versions as Windows Vista and would have similar price points.

Bottom line: With the facts given above, does it matter?

“There’s very little margin on a machine selling for $200 or $300, and so Microsoft simply can’t charge full freight for Windows on one.

Now, this one just floors me. Preston, the MSRP of a netbook has little to do with what Microsoft decides to charge for its software.

8. Fact – Microsoft doesn’t care what we sell the computer for, they aren’t selling the computer, they are selling the software that is bundled with it.

9. Fact – Microsoft may negotiate with the royalty OEMs, but at the end of the day they charge what they want and the OEM decides how low they can sell the netbook with the license installed and still make a dollar.

10. Fact – System builders generally pay in advance for licenses or blocks of them, whether they use them or not. If I buy 30 copies of Vista put ten licenses on ten PCs and installed Linux on the rest of them, Microsoft got their money. I’m just stuck with 20 licenses in inventory.

Bottom line: whether the manufacturer sells a netbook for $1 or $100, Microsoft still charges the system builder what they charge according to the OEM license agreement. Whether the vendor makes money on the resale is the vendor’s problem, not Microsoft’s.

Association for Downloadable Media Members Adopt Standards and Measurement Guidelines

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Ad Standards Define Industry Units and Organize Audience Reporting

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) February 2, 2009 — The Association for Downloadable Media (ADM), which facilitates the monetization of episodic consumer-downloaded content, today announced a list of members who are in voluntary support of the first standards and guidelines agreed upon by the organization. This further advances the organization's charter of creating a landscape favorable to the commercialization of web-delivered shows.

Both the ad standards and audience measurement guidelines were created by open committees, then offered for public comment, edited and ratified by the organization. Though many members have been following these formats as a standard practice of doing business, the member organizations are now organizing to publicly support these standards in an effort to create a scalable, organized market for advertisers to easily flight campaigns and become sponsors of episodic podcasts and vidcasts.

"Our members' voluntary support of the ADM standards and guidelines provides structural integrity across separately-held ad networks, inventory pools and publisher assets, to create the scale needed to operate in today's advertising marketplace," says Chris MacDonald, Chairman of the Association for Downloadable Media. (http://www.downloadablemedia.org.)

Ad units that have been standardized include pre, mid and post roll insertions, product placement within shows, and host-endorsements among the twenty-five creative options outlined in the standards document. The measurement guidelines give each member company one of two reporting options, based on how their shows are hosted, either Native Server Measurement (NSM) or Third Party Measurement (TPM).

Now marketers can create ad units they can run in multiple podcast networks as well as in the shows of independent content producers to weave together a demographic and/or contextually targeted campaign. Further, audience metrics can be compared more easily and with confidence.

"With the emergence of each new digital media it's vital to create standardized ad units and measurement. Now that downloadable media companies are adopting the ADM guidelines, ad agencies will include podcasts and vidcasts in their media recommendations as standardized units mean they can scale across multiple content producers to get the reach they need." Susan MacDermid, SVP, Real Branding."

List of the Member Companies Participating in the Standards:

The ADM is open to both corporate and individual producers of content as well as non-profits, advertising agencies and solutions providers in the portable media space. The following companies that have agreed to offer at least a portion of the ad units outlined in the standards document and to report their audience metrics through one of the two methods outlined in the guideline are listed below.

COMPANY / CONTACT
BackBeat Media / Dave Hamilton
Bare Feet Studios / Roxanne Darling
Burst Media / Rob Simon
Circle of Seven Productions Sheila English
Coverville / Brian Ibbott
Culinary Media Network Jennifer Iannolo
Culture Catch / Richard Burns
IndieFeed / Chris Macdonald
KCRW /   Jennifer Ferro
Kiptronic / Dave Rowley
Modified Media / Doug Taylor
NPR / Bryan Moffett
Personal Life Media / Susan Bratton
Podcast.com (Treedia Labs) / Glenn Gaudet
Podtrac / Mark McCrery
Portage Media Solutions / Jeremiah Staes
PRI   / Morgan Church
Quick and Dirty Tips / Richard Rhorer
Raw Voice / Angelo Mandato
Revision3 / Jim Louderback
Sciencepodcasters.org / Ginger Campbell
SkydiverGirls.tv / Karen KFC Blanchette
Volomedia / Jeff Karnes
Wizzard Media / Chris Macdonald
ZimmComm New Media / Chuck Zimmerman
    
About the ADM

The Association for Downloadable Media (http://www.downloadablemedia.org) is focused on providing standards for advertising and audience measurement for episodic and downloadable media. The organization's constituents include individual podcasters, media companies, publishers, syndication companies and distributors offering downloadable media, advertising agencies, marketers, technology suppliers, hardware and software manufacturers of portable media products and services, market research firms and audience and advertising effectiveness measurement companies. Through our volunteer membership, we provide leadership in and organization of advertising and audience measurement standards, research, education and advocacy to all those involved in portable media (Podcasts/ATOM/RSS media enclosures) across the Internet, iPods, MP3 players, mobile devices, P2P and other upcoming platforms.

For more information, contact:

Susan Bratton
Personal Life Media
650-948-0500
susan at personallifemedia dot com

Phil Wilson
Association for Downloadable Media
612-743-7860
pwilson at downloadablemedia dot org

Cyveillance: Test Reveals Majority of Malware Undetected by Leading A/V Vendors

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According to Company's Latest Cyber Intelligence Report: Detection Rates for Malware are Getting Worse and Anti-Phishing Filters Detect Less than Fifty Percent of Attacks. Cyveillance, the world leader in cyber intelligence, today announced that a recent test of best-of-breed anti-virus vendors and Web browser anti-phishing filters revealed that more than half of active malware and phishing threats on the Internet go undetected, with an average detection rate of 37 percent for malware and 42 percent for phishing. This data was captured as part of Cyveillance's "2H 2008 Cyber Intelligence Report," which was issued today.

Arlington, VA (PRWEB) February 2, 2009 — Cyveillance, the world leader in cyber intelligence, today announced that a recent test of best-of-breed anti-virus vendors and Web browser anti-phishing filters revealed that more than half of active malware and phishing threats on the Internet go undetected, with an average detection rate of 37 percent for malware and 42 percent for phishing. This data(1) was captured as part of Cyveillance's "2H 2008 Cyber Intelligence Report," which was issued today.

"Given the dynamic nature of today's online threats and the traditionally reactive approach taken by today's malware and phishing detection technology, conventional signature-based solutions are inherently at a disadvantage to keep up," said Panos Anastassiadis, CEO and Chairman of Cyveillance. "Because the majority of damage occurs during the first 24 hours of an attack, early detection of attacks is crucial. By combining today's defensive technologies with proactive intelligence gathered in real-time, organizations can significantly limit the harm inflicted by today's dynamically changing threats."

In addition to a detailed evaluation of the effectiveness of leading anti-virus malware detection and Web browser anti-phishing technologies, the report also tracks the online "fraud chain" comprised of malware components that store and serve malware executables, distribute malware to consumers, and receive and store the confidential information collected from infected computers.

Other key report findings include:
– Data tracked during second half of 2008 shows that the United States and China continue to be the top distributors of malware on the Internet.
– 159 unique new brands were phished in the second half of 2008, which represents a slight decrease compared to the number of new brands targeted during the same time a year ago.
– Phishers continue to expand attacks globally and across new industries. In the second half of 2008, Cyveillance saw an increase in the number of new phishing targets in countries that had yet to be phished as well as new targets in the media and social networking industries.

Anti-virus Malware and Web Browser Test Results
More information about Cyveillance's testing of anti-virus malware vendors and Web browser anti-phishing filters is included in the company's "2H 2008 Cyber Intelligence Report."

Malware
Cyveillance identifies a malware threat as a file or application downloaded from a Web site or server that exhibits properties that are both involuntary and malicious in nature. An active malware threat is one that has been located on a live Web site within the last 30 days.

Because anti-virus solutions primarily detect previously identified malware threats, perpetrators quickly replace recently discovered malware threats with modified versions and exploit this discovery lag-time to evade detection and infect unsuspecting machines. As such, the Cyveillance test which took place between November 30 and December 29, 2008, looked at twelve best-of-breed anti-virus vendor solution(2), deployed in their default settings with auto-update features enabled to ensure all malware signatures were within vendor parameters.

Phishing
Phishing threats are social engineering scams that rely on both technology and human interaction to carry out online fraud and identity theft. The schemes are varied but typically involve a spoofed (spam) email that mimics an email from a legitimate and respected organization in order to steal personal information (e.g., username and password, credit card number, Social Security number, etc.). The information collected is then used for identity theft purposes.

To better understand the daily risks consumers face from phishing attacks, Cyveillance test sampled unique and confirmed phishing attacks uncovered against a variety of organizations. To measure the effectiveness of some of today's leading consumer anti-phishing protections (3), Cyveillance fed these confirmed live attacks through four of the most widely used browsers with embedded anti-phishing technology. The data was fed in real-time to each browser and then again 24 hours later to determine detection rates over a minimal period of time.

All figures and statistics in the Cyveillance "2H 2008 Cyber Intelligence Report" are actual measurements rather than projections based upon sample datasets. The cyber intelligence included in this report includes data collected and analyzed between July 1 and December 31, 2008. It represents aggregate cyber intelligence findings that Cyveillance has delivered to its OEM data partners, except where otherwise noted. For more information about Cyveillance's research findings, please visit: http://www.cyveillance.com/web/forms/request.asp?getFile=113.

About Cyveillance:
Cyveillance, the world leader in cyber intelligence, provides an intelligence-led approach to security. Through continuous, comprehensive Internet monitoring and sophisticated intelligence analysis, Cyveillance proactively identifies and eliminates threats to information, infrastructure, individuals and their interactions, enabling its customers to preserve their reputation, revenues, and customer trust. Cyveillance serves the Global 2000 and OEM Data Partners – protecting the majority of the Fortune 50, regional financial institutions nationwide, and more than 30 million global consumers through its partnerships with security and service providers that include AOL and Microsoft. For more information, visit www.cyveillance.com.

(1) Cyveillance's comprehensive monitoring technology continuously sweeps the Internet – monitoring and collecting information from over 200 million unique domain name servers, 150 million unique Web sites, 80 million blogs, 90,000 message boards, thousands of IRC/Chat channels, billions of spam emails, auction sites, bot networks and more. This approach yields the discovery of more than 100,000 new sites each day.

(2) Vendors tested included F-Secure, Kaspersky, McAfee, Sunbelt, Sophos, Trend Micro, Dr. Web, AVG, Eset Nod32, F-Prot, Virus Buster and Norman. Symantec data was inconclusive at time of publication and was not included in the test results.

(3) Vendors tested included Firefox, Safari, Chrome and IE7.

Winner of Technibble Contest announced

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During the last six weeks had a contest on The Force Field podcast. The prize was a copy of The Computer Business Kit from Technibble , a collection of sample business forms and documents that are needed in the computer business. It contains maintenance contract samples, work order samples, engagement forms and more.

 The rules were simple.  All you had to do was send an e-mail with the number and the name of The Force Field episode which featured Bryce Whitty and Technibble on the show to  comments@theforcefield.net by January 30, 2009. All correct entries were entered in a drawing held today.

The answer was Episode 20 – Technibble .

The winner of the Technibble contest is Michael Murray of Bartow Onsite Computer Solutions . Congratulations, Michael!

For those who didn’t win, don’t despair.  I am planning more contests for the coming year with more chances to win great prizes. Listen to The Force Field podcast for  more information and your chance to win.

If you would like a copy of The Computer Business Kit, it can be purchased directly at www.technibble.com for $49.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

OnForce releases year-end 2008 Services Market Index Report

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2008 was year of break-fix work and new network installs as both companies and consumers did more with less, buying only what they need and not what they want – except in certain areas

BOSTON, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ — OnForce, the world's largest marketplace for IT and CE service professionals, today released its first annual OnForce Services Marketplace Index (OSMI) Year-End Report for 2008. Based on information provided by the OSMI and the company's strong relationship with its customers and service provider network, a picture is emerging of a year filled with challenges – but also opportunities. The company also released its Top Five Predictions for 2009 based on the OSMI and industry-wide data.

"Last year we saw a significant trend towards businesses and consumers fixing what they have and tightening their belts," said Peter Cannone, CEO of OnForce. "This trend will continue across 2009. Businesses are looking to outsource more of their services in order to increase profit margins and cut costs. This is evident by the growth of both buyers and service work orders placed through our marketplace in 2008."

"For 2009, diagnosis and repair services will become a major focus as businesses are likely to continue delaying new equipment purchases. We also anticipate businesses that do purchase new technology will move towards less expensive brands or unbranded alternatives," said Cannone.

"We also expect that end-users will pressure vendors to cut prices even further. Overall, the most significant trend in 2009 will be the continued use of outsourcing, as corporate IT departments are asked to do more with less. It isn't going to be easy, but there are opportunities for growth and success even in a down economy."

Compiled from more than 300,000 service orders completed across the OnForce Marketplace in 2008, the OSMI is a research tool that highlights market trends and growth opportunities for VARs and solution providers in the onsite services industry. Over the course of 2008, several trends were seen – for example, the move to repair rather than replace – which OnForce expects will continue into 2009.

The OSMI data from 2008 revealed a number of additional key findings:

 

  • 2008 saw a sharp increase in the "break-fix" – or repair – sector. Up to 65% of all work orders were break-fix across all service sectors, PC desktop, printer, network POS, server, TV/Video, PC Laptop, VoIP, wiring & cabling, home theater.

 

  • Desktop computers, TV/Video and Point-of-Sale (POS) systems were the highest volume onsite service categories in 2008, and accounted for over 50% of all work orders in 2008.

 

  • Consumer Electronics accounted for four of the top five most expensive onsite services in 2008 (with the average cost per service of ~$250).

 

  • Over the course of the Q4 holiday season, desktop computers ranked as the highest volume category for onsite service (over 22% of all Q4 work orders) with TV/Video coming in a close second (with over 21% of all Q4 work orders).

"There are really five key trends that we expect to see in 2009," said Cannone. "With the economic clouds still looming we see that most businesses and consumers remain in cost savings and belt tightening mode. They desire to fix rather than buy, they recognize that cheap can be chic, they will increasingly rely on outsourcing for corporate IT, and they will seek lower prices and have difficulty predicting demand. These are the challenges of the coming year and businesses need to recognize them in order to thrive in a challenging economy."

Cannone gave his Top 5 Predictions for the coming year based on what he saw as major industry-wide trends and within the OnForce marketplace:

Fix not Buy

"With the economic storm still gathering, one thing we've seen in the OSMI and heard from our customers and pros is fix it first and then buy only what you need," he explained, "Consumers and businesses will continue to delay purchases of new equipment and opt for break-fix services for the foreseeable future."

Cheap Become Chic

"Businesses and consumers are also seeking new ways to tighten their belts. We're seeing a shift to purchases of lower-cost equipment; PC vs. Apple, non-branded PC vs. branded; netbook vs. notebook, etc."

Outsourcing and Corporate IT

"Based on what we're seeing in the market, we predict an accelerating shift to outsourcing by many corporate IT functions," continued Cannone, "and service providers using the OnForce platform may see an increase in this type of work."

Customers Become the Price King

"Decreasing demand will put customers in the driver's seat when it comes to pricing for service and equipment. If the past is a guide, VARs that are looking to reduce costs throughout the installation and aftermarket service supply chain will result in greater opportunities for OnForce technicians."

The Future is a Foggy Place

"With everything that is happening – the continuing economic slowdown and general unpredictability of the market – it is difficult to gauge demand for in-house service techs. In 2009," concluded Cannone, "this uncertainty will lead to more service providers turning to OnForce to supplement their labor force."

The OSMI 2008 Year End Report and Q4 report is available for download at:

www.onforce.com/OSMI/2008

http://www.onforce.com/OSMI/Q408

About OnForce

OnForce is the leading marketplace for information technology (IT) and consumer electronics (CE) service professionals. The company enables VARs and solution providers to find skilled professionals in virtually every zip code in the US and Canada. Since its inception, the OnForce marketplace has been used to successfully complete nearly 1 million work orders. The OnForce community is made up of 5,000+ IT and CE service buyers and 13,000 service professionals who work in a number of technology categories, including computers, printers, networking, VoIP, point of sale and consumer electronics. For more information, visit www.onforce.com.