Guest Columns

SOUTHFIELD - Regulators are requiring all financial institutions to implement a multi-factor authentication system by December 31. With 52 million Internet banking records reported lost in 2005 alone, the move to make layered security changes is necessary and commendable, albeit challenging. ?MFA mandates will require on-line bank customers to submit another form of identification, in

GRAND RAPIDS - Your Marketing and Sales Plan needs to focus on the key characteristics of your target customers, their demographics and buying behavior, and their attitudes about your product. Why will a customer buy from you and not a competitor? Set realistic sales goals that recognize the size of your industry, the size of

ANN ARBOR ? What exactly is a green computer? How green is it really? Is lead-free, some minor power savings, and a take-back program as good as it gets, as required by European RoHS regulations and the voluntary EPEAT standard in the U.S.? Is that good enough? What more can be done already? ?Even so-called

FARMINGTON HILLS - Improperly designed WLANs leave organizations exposed to the risk of unauthorized access, and protecting WLANs is key to the successful deployment of wireless infrastructure. Organizations should identify and address key security issues so they can safely support the inevitable movement to wireless computing while protecting the data that flows through WLANs. Passwords

SAN FRANCISCO - There's that old expression that waving money around only tempts thieves. Now, the multimillion-dollar RFID smart-card industry has made waving around your credit (and your credit history) that much easier for thieves to steal. New contactless credit cards, which use RFID technology, broadcast your credit information to credit card readers, so thieves,

GRAND RAPIDS - Who is your competition? Competitors include other suppliers who provide similar products (direct competitors) as well as those who provide a product in the same general category (indirect competitors). For example, a retail video rental store competes with other video rental companies, and also with other forms of entertainment such as movie

AUBURN HILLS - Delphi and XM Satellite Radio will roll out just in time for the Christmas shopping season a new satellite radio receiver that can store and manage up to 10 hours of XM programming, as well as an unlimited number of MP3, WMA and WAV files through removable SD cards. A quick-connection capability

ANN ARBOR - The new rules of Federal Civil Procedure (FRCP) become effective December 1. Is your company ready? Are you aware how your company has been storing your electronic information? Are your network architecture maps current? Unfortunately, litigation is part of corporate life (and the annual budget). The new FRCP rules are cause for

DETROIT - Internet Explorer version 7.0 was released on Oct. 18. Don't update and block your automatic updates to make sure you don't get it without your permission. The InfraGard site is not compatible. The news was contained in a Tech Notice sent to all InfraGard members by related to adoption of the new IE7

WASHINGTON DC - President Bush last Friday signed into law a bill slapping more restrictions on online gambling. The odd thing, though, is that at his press conference, Bush mentioned neither gambling nor the Internet. That's because the restrictions were buried in Section 801 of a massive port security bill, which had nothing to do