WDTalk

Is your in-house IT department prepared – for brown outs, black outs, personnel shortages, ISP issues, internal and external sabotage, equipment failures, new regulations (email retention) and a whole host of other issues?

Recently, an Internet forum with – thousands of members was hacked, and in the process the criminals deleted their backups, stole email and credit card information, then disseminated it across the Internet. Could this happen to your in-house network? Hackers are constantly on the prowl looking for openings to exploit internal networks as well. Is yours protected?

How would you as an owner know if your IT department was prepared? Do you have disaster recovery and business continuity plans in place? Are they routinely reviewed and updated? Do you strategize with your IT personnel, or do they basically run the show? If they said you needed to be PCI DSS compliant, would you know what they were talking about?

Managing IT for multiple departments requires some give and take - Is your IT department empowered to make smart decisions? Not all IT geeks are business savvy, so my question to you would be, “Do your departments talk to each other?” HR certainly has unique requirements, as do Sales, Customer Support and Admin. Do they operate in a vacuum or together as a cohesive unit? An appropriate amount of give and take between departments increases awareness of your business’s core focus and mission.

Run anti-spyware and anti-malware programs, and keep them up-to-date. I’ve installed Microsoft Security Essentials on all of my systems and it works great. Don’t mix anti-virus software on your system. This is a recipe for disaster. I had Malwarebytes and MSE on my Vista desktop and it constantly locked up. Once I removed MSE, no more lock ups.

Disable file indexing. Indexing extracts data from every file on your hard drive to create a searchable keyword index. The idea is sound – it allows you to search for words or phrases inside of documents, but it’s also VERY resource intensive.

Add additional memory. Memory executes in nanoseconds, while hard drives run in milliseconds, even at 15,000 rpm. Obviously, the more fast memory you have, the less often your system will have to access your slow hard drive. The same applies to CPU cache. A larger CPU cache adds another layer of speed to your system.

Not all systems use the same configuration of RAM modules. Check your motherboard manual or specs – find out the maximum RAM you can install and in what configuration.

Run a monthly disk cleanup. Temporary files can take up Gigabytes of space if allowed to accumulate over time – so schedule a monthly disk cleanup to delete these files. And even though a debate rages over rather to defragment large hard drives, in testing this has demonstrated performance boosts.

Streamline start up programs. Eliminate any programs you don’t really need from your start up routine.

Downsize programs via the Control Panel. Use the ADD/REMOVE Programs from within the control panel to delete programs you no longer need or use. Many of them run background processes that drain your systems resources. For example, if you’re using Windows Media 10 or 11, do you really need RealPlayer?

Perform Windows Updates regularly. Pay particular attention to critical and security updates.

Miscellaneous Stuff. Do you really need drivers for printers that are no longer attached to your desktop or on your network? Erase them. And do you really need 3000 fonts? Unless you’re a graphic artist, trim down the one’s you’ll never use.

Virtual private servers (VPS) – have historically offered some middle ground between shared web hosting services and dedicated hosting services, both in control and cost, but recently the gap in cost between virtual and dedicated servers has diminished … making upgrades from shared to dedicated web hosting very attractive.

A virtual private server separates you from – other customers on a physical web server, running on a copy of its own operating system, but it shares CPU and RAM resources of the physical web server with other VPSs running on that server.

A dedicated server, on the other hand, is – a physical web server leased and controlled by the end client, without sharing physical CPU and RAM resources with other sites. Its very much like owning your own server, without the huge capital asset investment.

Most hosts offer a mix of unmanaged versus managed services for dedicated servers. Unmanaged plans typically offer the basics – the hardware, operating system, control panel and Internet connection.

In a VPS, a single physical server is partitioned – so that it appears as multiple servers. The physical server boots normally, then runs a program to boot each VPS within a virtualization environment.

There are two kinds of virtualizations – software and hardware based. Software based environments share the same kernel and require the main node’s resources. In a web hosting environment, quota incrementing and decrementing in real time is possible without restarting the node. In a hardware based virtualization, real hardware resources are partitioned, eliminating burst or real time quota modification. This lends to a (potentially) more secure environment.

With a dedicated server, you have – more flexibility and control. Dedicated servers have historically been the server of choice for complex business or high end eCommerce sites, but have recently become very popular substitutes for VPS servers and less complex solutions.

Dedicated servers housed in data centers offer – redundant power sources, HVAC sytems, state of the art security and advanced performance services.

The bottom line: Moving websites from a shared environment to either a VPS or dedicated server is a significant event. Its a major upgrade in the IT infrastructure supporting your business. Whereas the move from shared to dedicated was historically cost-prohibitive, and VPS offered some middle ground, technology has rapidly evolved to narrow that gap.

Upgrading should be based on more than cost

Upgrading your IT technology, in this case to VPS or dedicated is now a business decision based on more than cost. It’s based on resources you control that will map your business success for years or decades.

With the price gap narrowing, dedicated services are rapidly becoming the plan of choice for business savvy entreprenuers.

Updated April 1 2011 – This is still HIGHLY relevant. See this story.

December 2009 – I just read an article this afternoon about the fastest growing security threat in the hosting industry. Apparently this threat has grown over a hundred fold in just the last year alone. What is it?

SQL Injection

Why have SQL injection attempts grown so dramatically? It was pointed out, and I agree, because the bad guys are using (very sophisticated) automated tools. More and more, we’re seeing attempts not only to be disruptive, rather to be focused on identity theft. Anyone remember Heartland Payment Systems and TJX?

Who is Susceptible?

Certainly, if you’re processing lots of credit cards, you need to guard against SQL injection, but even if you aren’t, this exploit needs to be addressed. I did a quick Google search for SQL injection prevention and stumbled upon an SQL Injection Cheat Sheet at http://www.owasp.org/index.php/SQL_Injection_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet. Since most SQL injection exploits are due to lax coding and poor application design practices, prevention measures like those outlined on this site can significantly minimize your risk of being compromised.

From Owasp.org

“SQL Injection flaws are introduced when software developers create dynamic database queries that include user supplied input. To avoid SQL injection flaws is simple. Developers need to either:
a) stop writing dynamic queries; and/or
b) prevent user supplied input which contains malicious SQL from affecting the logic of the executed query.”

Web design has become a hot topic recently (updated)

Everywhere you look, there’s advice on what works and what doesn’t work in web design (including coding for SEO). While the intent of websites is to convey information, the design of your site weighs heavily whether anyone will actually find and read your content. If you’re running ecommerce, design becomes critical.

Users spend most of their time on OTHER websites
Their experiences on other websites form their expectations for YOUR website. Take some time to research what others in your industry are posting. Your competitor may market inferior products and services, but still outsell you online. Why? The perceived value of their products and services may be enhanced because of the way they’re presented online.

What turns users OFF?

• Excessive use of flash
• Poor navigation
• Excessive use of animated GIFs
• Obtrusive background images
• Unreadable font and background color combinations
• Clutter
• Blinking or scrolling text
• Blatant keyword stuffing
• Irrelevant content based on their search query
• Broken links
• Splash pages with no important information
• Internal links that pop up in new windows
• Itty bitty type points
• No way back to the previous page
• No way back to the home page
• More than 2 or 3 consecutive words in ALL CAPS
• For ecommerce – NO PRICING
• Poor grammar
• Audio with no OFF option or auto loading
• Loooooooooooong paragraphs
• Embarrassing misspellings
• Slooooooooooooow page loading times

What turns users ON?
This ties directly to what users become accustomed to on other sites. You don’t have to spend thousands on design work – just enough to give you an edge or a niche. Of course, these help:

• Effective use of flash
• Fast page load times
• Appropriate amount of white space
• Relevant content based on search query
• For ecommerce – PRICING
• Inuitive navigation
• Unique theme with READABLE font and background color combinations
• Professionally written content
• Easy to get from Point “Search Query” to Point “Buy”

Recommendations

• If your plan is to make money from advertising, then go for a ratio of not less than 70-80% editorial to 20-30% advertising.
• Avoid pop up windows unless it’s for a feature like LiveChat.
• Compress your images to increase your load times.
• Don’t make any line of text longer than 500 pixels. Longer lines of text make it difficult for the viewer to scan back to the next line.
• Increase your leading (the space between lines) to at least 1.5. This will help readibility.
• Don’t underline words if they’re not hyperlinks, and do use color/descriptive words to highlight links.
• Test your links frequently to assure they’re functioning correctly.
• Don’t hotlink to other sites (other than your own).

Successful websites, in other words – sites that receive lots of relevant traffic, incorporate measured amounts of white space to:

• Ensure legibility & readability
• Enhance attractiveness & professional image, and
• Solidify brand awareness 

Cross Industry Tips
White space is any space that isn’t occupied by other visible elements. This can be the space between characters, words, lines, paragraphs, images and sections of your website. Whereas the direct mail industry leans to big, bold and in-your-face (minimal white space) because that’s what works for them, this strategy doesn’t transcend well to websites.

The newspaper industry has a term called “above the fold.” I used to be newspaper reporter (long ago), for a small weekly published in Pensacola, FL. In terms of value, everything on the front page was gold. Who wants their story buried 6 pages back? Websites share that dilemma as well. Everything displayed without scrolling attributes to first impressions.

Whitespace Balance
While a large part of the battle is just getting prospects to your site, the next battle is keeping them there. If you use too little white space, your site may appear cluttered, and too much white space, seem empty. White space is an important facet of a website’s design, as it compliments your site’s content, helping to emphasize your products or services.

White space helps navigation
Active white space, or white space that’s intentionally added, can help visitors to your site navigate easier, by providing structure for your navigation bar, content, header and footer. Content that is structured and follows a predictable pattern throughout your site helps visitors find the information that brought them to your site from search queries or other marketing strategies.

Passive white space, on the other hand is not so clearly defined. Some say it’s the product of poor layout design. Others contend it’s more about modifying space to improve the readability of your content – type family, letter spacing, line length and leading (space between the lines). These tie directly to readability and legibility.

Readability and Legibility
You can have the best, well thought out and researched content, but if it’s not easily readable, your visitors will move on to other sites. If your selection of color schemes – font versus background colors clash, your visitors will move on to other sites. If you write in long unbroken blocks of text, your visitors will …. you get the point!

An example – which is easier to read?

Hard copy newspapers are expected to have dense content, but they still need to be readable. Websites, on the other hand, need an industry specific blend or balance of white space. Generally, the more upscale your product is, the more white space is used to portray its value. Overlaying images of  products on your website with cluttered or in-your-face bold text diminishes the perception of its value.

How does white space brand your product or service?

My recommendation
First, research what your competitors are presenting online. Why? Because your visitors either just came from their site, or will visit their site after leaving yours. Comparison shopping on the Internet has never been easier. What will set your site apart, aside from your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Optimizing your site for the right balance of white space may not seem important, but image or the perception of value is so much more important than it used to be. Selling on price alone rarely works long term. Branding your business image helps you own your niche in the industry.

I bought a memory enhancement program in the mid 90′s to correct for what I thought was memory leakage. I noticed my computer running slower and slower, even after defragging my huge (60MB+) hard drive. That technology has improved over the years, but memory leakage issues still persist.

Memory leakage can cause serious problems
While most memory leakage is quite small and doesn’t present any serious problem in and of itself, the accumulated effect of running programs for hours on end can compound problems, sometimes leading to disastrous results.

So what is memory leakage, exactly, and how can we resolve it?
My original understanding was that certain programs, when closed, did not release their allotted space in memory – thus reducing the amount of memory available to other problems. Memory leakage is so much more complex than that. A slight bug in one program might interact with some other program causing increased allocations of memory until some program crashes (not necessarily the program with the leak). As a consumer, how would you know where to begin to isolate the cause? I’m not a developer, as I suspect most of us aren’t. Debugging code is best suited for the programmer geeks. I started my quest for answers with searches on Google, Bing, Yahoo and Wikipedia.

From Wikipedia
In computer science, a memory leak is a particular type of unintentional memory consumption by a computer program where the program fails to release memory when no longer needed.

• From Google – over 3.4 million results
• From Bing – over 8.1 million results
• From Yahoo – over 10.6 million results

I don’t really have time to search through 22 million results, so I’ll highlight a few results here.

Some contributing causes of serious memory leaks

• Leaks inside the operating system itself
• Leaks in system critical drivers
• Leaks in embedded devices
• Leaks in programming languages
• Leaks where programs are able to request memory that hasn’t been released, even when the program terminates

Memory Managers
Most memory managers can recover memory that has become unreachable (if it’s unreachable it retains no value), but they normally cannot free memory that remains reachable. And it’s worth noting that there are levels of reach ability – with strong or weak references. Add to that, every system has a finite amount of memory anyway, so if a memory leak is not contained (possibly by a reboot), it will eventually cause problems.

A simple Google search for Memory Management Programs returned over 68 million results. Yipes! A word of caution – many of these programs are outdated and in fact, produce some overhead of their own.

If you have a recommended program, please share its strengths and weaknesses with us here.