Summary from March 3rd #sbbuzz

We had a great chat this week.  As usual, we took questions from the crowd and discussed as a group for the first half of the evening.  And we were then joined by security guru Damon Cortesi (@dacort) for a group discussion on security for the second half.

To celebrate our 1 month anniversary (and 1000th follower) we also ran a survey of the crowd to learn more about what folks would like to see in future iterations of the #sbbuzz.  Please share your ideas for #sbbuzz at http://sites.google.com/site/sbbuzz/home/featuresurvey

Reminders:

• Next buzz-up is Tuesday, March 10th from 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Eastern Time
• Tell us what you’d like to see in the future of #sbbuzz by filling out our survey at http://sites.google.com/site/sbbuzz/home/featuresurvey
• Please help us spread the word! The more voices, the better the conversation.
• Instructions for participating are at http://sbbuzz.biz/instructions
• Below is a summary of the most recent discussion. To see the full conversation, go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23sbbuzz

Summary:

sbbuzz: Q1 from @RoyalSaltMedia What software and hardware are you using to go paperless? Anyone reading PDF’s via an ebook reader? #sbbuzz

• mriggen: @sbbuzz Paperless for invoicing = @freshbooks #sbbuzz
• Mr_Data_Guy: Q1 Multiple monitors, using back sides of paper for notes, PDFs on extra monitor and extra computer. #SBBUZZ
• splashet: Just started to experiment with OneNote- not certain that I love it yet. #sbbuzz
• scoblitz: @sbbuzz Q1@sbbuzz mostly just a conscious decision to not print, keep notes via pc, subscribe to online billing etc.. #sbbuzz
• benmadden: Our entire staff has two monitors and we try to be as paperless as possible by using IM for document transfer #sbbuzz
• CatMoore: Q1 Paperless with Librivox audiobooks, online banking and bill pay, Freshbooks, Evernote, iPhone for portable notes #sbbuzz

sbbuzz: Q2 (slight altered) from @scoblitz Folks using Virtual Assistants for support? Other virtual services? When do u hire vs outsource? #sbbuzz

• adarowski: @sbbuzz (Q2) I can’t think of anything I have a harder time doing than outsourcing. I just can’t make myself do it. #sbbuzz
• bradfordshimp: Hi all, sorry I’m late – outsourcing is definitely the future, I have used some phone outsourcing and plan to do more. #sbbuzz
• EZBizGrowth: Outsourcing lets me focus on what I’m good at. #sbbuzz
• CatMoore: Q2 Outsourcing does more than affect short-term bottom line. It means person with best skills does the task=better results long run #sbbuzz

sbbuzz: Q3 from @mriggen How do you ensure your business will scale? #sbbuzz

• Mr_Data_Guy: Q3: Maybe the first question should be do you want or should the Biz scale at all? #SBBUZZ
• bradfordshimp: @Mr_Data_Guy I think being able to scale is important, otherwise you just have a job that stops when you do. #sbbuzz
• splashet: I’ve met a number of entrepreneurs who can’t seem to let their business scale beyond what they can personally manage/control. #sbbuzz
• scoblitz: @sbbuzz Q3 Create efficient process from the beginning #sbbuzz
• mcolacurcio: We have a ton of customers who are VAs and they love it b/c it lets them focus on the high value work. #sbbuzz
• mattharrell: Q4: Provide value. Maybe give them access to coupons or discounts if they follow you through twitter? Random idea. #sbbuzz

sbbuzz: Q4 from @nrohrbach How can small businesses in small towns get the non-tech community involved in soc media? #sbbuzz

• bradfordshimp: Q4 – show the value – be specific about the goals – also show them that their customers are already there #sbbuzz
• mriggen: @sbbuzz Q4 @beckymccray has some great content on this topic on her site: http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/ #sbbuzz

sbbuzz: Q5 from @bradfordshimp How do you get your first customers? #sbbuzz

• splashet: Grovel and trade #sbbuzz
• mcolacurcio: Q5. You hustle, you give starter promotions, you work your contacts. #sbbuzz
• Mr_Data_Guy: Q5 I got luckly a Biz that I interned at so many years ago hired me as a consultant and the rest is history #SBBUZZ
• sanjeevaggarwal: Q5: Networking with the local community #sbbuzz
• nrohrbach: My first customers came from charity work. There’s no better word of mouth advertising than someone praising your work AND character #sbbuzz
• jonfollett: #sbbuzz Q5: I’ve also done a great deal of networking. Writing about topics on which you’re an expert, for trade mags and sites can help.

Conversation on Security

For the second portion of our session, we invited mad application developer and security consultant Damon Cortesi (@dacort) to lead the conversation on security.

@all & @dacort what type of research do you do on security policies? What makes you feel comfortable?

• dacort: @sbbuzz Didn’t tag that last tweet #sbbuzz – sensitive data should been encrypted, data should be backed up outside the cloud if critical.
• Mr_Data_Guy: /Cloud/Seems to me having critical data on the cloud is asking for trouble, IMO do not do it. #SBBUZZ
• sanjeevaggarwal: Use established and trusted backup/archival vendors like Iron Mountain, EMC that have a track record and will exist long term #sbbuzz
• bradfordshimp: I think for small businesses, there has to be a compromise between controlling your data and being able to use it. #sbbuzz
• dacort: @mriggen Sometimes a simple old-fashioned solution can help, i.e. data export from SaaS, store in safe/vault in case of emergency. #sbbuzz

sbbuzz: @dacort How do you know if cloud vendors are doing the right encryptions, back-ups, redundancies, etc? #sbbuzz

• dacort: @sbbuzz Tough to cut through the marketing speak and figure out _what_ they are actually doing. Perfect example ma.gnolia.com #sbbuzz
• mcolacurcio: On the application side, make sure they have a data access layer to ensure client data is secure and not easily accessible. #sbbuzz

sbbuzz: What about non-cloudness. Is managing local systems safer? More reliable? #sbbuzz

• sanjeevaggarwal: Large companies that do it internally have a dedicated IT staff for this and expensive software #sbbuzz
• dacort: @sbbuzz It can increase the management burden, but you then own your data. Nevertheless, data protection is still necessary. #sbbuzz
• AndrewNim: #sbbuzz the biggest issue is where to store it, it useally stays in the office next to the computer.
• mcolacurcio: We use Amazon S3 for all of our document / file attachments. They have an SLA and it’s super inexpensive. #sbbuzz http://bit.ly/8lnG (expand)

sbbuzz: What are the 3 most common mistakes made by small businesses w/regards to data safety? #sbbuzz

• AndrewNim: #sbbuzz no back up regime.
• sanjeevaggarwal: Not having defined security policies with regular audit #sbbuzz
• bradfordshimp: Also, if your data is unorganized and all over the place, it is harder to maintain a back up, and a bu may be a mute point. #sbbuzz
• adarowski: @sbbuzz A Twitter CS employee using “happiness” as password got hit with dictionary attack. #sbbuzz