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Over $8 billion dollars was stolen from small businesses through identity theft in 2008 according to Javelin Strategy & Research of Pleasanton, California. Small business identity theft continues to outpace individual identity theft by a rate of 4.1 percent in 2010, compared to 3.5 percent for consumers..

Small businesses are suffering because thieves know they don’t have resources including time and money to put up a strong defense to protect their information against a data breach. Thieves have developed sophisticated techniques to steal private information from the smallest businesses to largest corporations.

Michael Barnett of the Identity Theft Protection Association states small business identity theft is a growing problem. “Thieves have discovered that businesses have fewer legal protections.” Cybercrime and identity theft is a far more likely loss for businesses than fires or floods.

Most of the time businesses will never retrieve their losses because businesses have less fraud protection and a shorter reporting time, a business is not a “person” or “victim” so state and federal laws treat a business differently, business transactions on personal cards are excluded from “zero liability,” and personal identity theft services and insurance are excluded from businesses.

For most owners their personal and business information are closely tied together, so, a data breach can severely impact both the owner and his business. Just one serious incident could take a small business out. It is important for every business to maintain a vigilant effort to protect their personal and business information.

There are many things a small business should do to protect it’s information including monitoring banking account and credit card balances on a daily basis, check billing statements when they come in, conduct a regular credit check with the credit agencies and Dun and Bradstreet and regularly change passwords used to log into areas where private information is stored. Employees should be trained on what can and cannot be shared with individuals outside of the organization and strict rules must be in place to limit the chances of a theft happening.

There’s one more small business identity theft protection step most businesses miss and it could cost the business dearly

One of the schemes thieves use is information from business registrations with state governments. Most states are “Good Faith Filing” states, which means the information filed about a business with the Secretary of State is simply accepted and recorded at face value. For $10 to $15 in most states, thieves can easily file a change of business address, change of officers, directors or registered agent, or even reinstate a previously dissolved company. They may also register a company as a foreign company operating in a different state as their target company.

By manipulating state business records in this manner, thieves can obtain the standing and verifiable business records needed to deceive creditors and finance institutions, or conduct any number of fraudulent transactions in the business name.

One step many businesses may be missing to prevent small business identity theft is to monitor their state business registration information. There are three things every business owner can do, that won’t take a lot of time, to prevent or limit the impact of fraudulent state business registrations and identity theft:

1. Enroll in Email Alerts – Check to see whether your Secretary of State or Corporations Division business registration website offers free email alert services that can notify the owner of the business when his business registration information has been changed or updated. This information includes: name, address, registered agent, and business owner information. Enrolling in such a service can provide early warning of potential small business identity theft.

2. Regularly review your business registration information online – If your Secretary of State or Corporation Division doesn’t offer email alerts, you can go to their website and use the public “Business Entity Search” to enter your business and review the information on file for your business. You should also periodically check any past businesses that you have closed, to ensure that they have not be reinstated.

3. Be certain to file your annual reports and renewals in a timely manner.

Small business identity theft is the new target for identity thieves. Identity thieves feel pretty secure since only one in 700 ever get caught. So, when you compare the risk against the reward most of us can see why criminals have turned to small business identity theft.

The challenge for every business, small or large, is to implement safeguards to protect against breach before it happens.

Warren Franklin is a Certified Invisus Information Security Advisor (CIISA). He has worked in the security industry for seven years helping thousands of customers secure their businesses against identity theft and fraud. You can learn more about small business identity theft by visiting http://www.smallbusinessidtheftprotection.com or call 503-315-9847 for more information.

Author: Warren Franklin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It’s safe to say that we live in a world where it’s assumed that pretty much anything can be found online. Whether it’s to figure out where you’ve seen a familiar looking actor in a movie, check out the menu of a new restaurant you’re going to or just to find out general information about a company, most of us turn to the web. Let’s face it, many people don’t even a copy of the Yellow Pages anymore and the ones that do aren’t running to find it when they need to find out about a business. These days when someone is looking for something or more like looking for you and your business, they go online.

So does this mean all businesses should absolutely have a website? Yes, whether you own a business, work for yourself in any capacity or provide paid services to the public in some shape or form, you need to have a website.

Common misconceptions determining if a business needs a website

First off, the size of your company doesn’t matter. Regardless if you’re a one-man show or a have hundreds of employees, size truly has no bearing when it comes to the benefits of getting your business online. Many small business owners often think that since majority of their business comes from local clientele, having a website isn’t really necessary. Some of these small, local businesses have been in business for a very long time and have been doing extremely well without a website. In many cases that’s absolutely true and I can’t fault them for thinking that way, but I can only imagine how much even better they could be doing if they actually did have a website.

Another prevailing thought is that it doesn’t make much sense to have a website if your business isn’t actually selling something online. Whether you have an actual tangible product that you plan on selling online or not is irrelevant. These are all huge misconceptions because the bottom line is that it comes down to exposure. Developing a website for your business is the easiest, most efficient and affordable way to get your name out there. Let’s take a look at how having a website for even the smallest business can be beneficial.

Benefits of having a website for your business

For any business, staying relevant among today’s tech-savvy consumers is paramount. Not only does a website help promote your business but it serves as a means for you to be found by customers. Once you have a website you immediately stop being invisible to all the potential customers trying to find you online. And whether you know it or not, being invisible as a business in this on-demand, information age is costing you money.

Here are some key benefits to having a website for your small business:

You create another marketing tool.

Do you have a business card for your company? Obviously that’s a no brainer, of course you do. Just like how you would make sure you get business cards made for your company, creating a website should also be an obvious must-have. A website will be one of your most powerful sales and communication tools for your company, allowing potential clients to quickly and easily find out more about the products and services you have to offer. Think of a website as a brochure for your company that is constantly kept up to date and always available to anyone and everyone.

You create a place for information and communication.

Besides being a sales vehicle, a website is your company’s home turf so to speak for everything having to do with your business. It’s the primary place where people will go for trusted information about your business, to voice concerns and have their questions answered. Whether it’s your current customers, the ones you hope to attract, potential employees or even business partners, a website is your business’s greatest communication tool. Even if it’s two o’clock in the morning, if someone wants to know something about your business, they will look for answers, and your website will be the place they go. Also, any information about your business read directly from your own website is valued more as opposed to information ascertained about it from somewhere else like another website.

You add legitimacy to your business.

Having a website automatically creates legitimacy and validates your business in the mind of clients. To the public this creates confidence that you’re a real, functioning company that is currently doing business. Conversely, if someone looks for your business online and sees you don’t have a website their confidence in your business will wane to say the least. This might imply to the average web user, that you’re not a serious business, can’t afford a website or that your company is old-fashioned.

Allows you to keep up and stay ahead with your competition.

If you’re a small business and you’re competing with other small businesses in your local area, many of them might be in the same boat as you and don’t have a website. That’s all the more reason for you to get one and stay a step ahead. But if any of your competitors do have a website and you don’t, you’re losing business to them plain and simple.

Having a website though can help level the playing field between your business and with the bigger companies that you normally wouldn’t be able to compete with. One of the nice things about the internet is that a potential customer can just as easily find your small business’s website as it can with a website belonging to a huge national chain. Imagine you’re a local hardware business that is a few miles away from a Home Depot. Now, if a local customer searches online where in the area they could purchase a certain home improvement product, wouldn’t you like your chances that they might stumble on your business if you had a website?

Best bang for your buck advertising tool.

A website provides more exposure for your money than any other form of advertising. For the average small business owner, the cost of a local radio or television commercial is just not affordable unless it is aired when vast majority of the targeted audience is sleeping. Local newspaper ads can be reasonably priced, but doesn’t have the reach or impact they once did. Print news is an industry that’s been on the decline since most people are getting their news for free online. With a website, there are no space constraints in detailing and marketing your products, and you are able to interact and truly engage with your customers something that really can’t be done with these other forms of advertising. Also in terms of cost, after the initial investment to design and build the site, the annual expense for hosting and maintenance is a fraction of the outlay many small businesses throw at local advertising throughout the year.

Conclusion

So after all that, does it still mean every website should have a website? And the answer is still yes! But it doesn’t mean that it has to be an expensive undertaking. A website doesn’t need to be big, highly technical, or break the bank in order for it to benefit your company. Even the simplest website that is professionally designed and contains well thought out content can easily benefit any business. But before you can even think about designing your site, you have to take the first step, which is realizing that your business does in fact need one.

Queens Web Design invites you to learn how a small business website can benefit your company. For more information on our affordable website solutions along with our great range of web design services, please visit our website www.queenwebdesignandgraphics.com to setup a free consultation.

Author: Anthony V Lombardo
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are several factors to consider before choosing a business bank account. Company size, location, and business plan are all important elements that affect the type of business account an owner should choose; these factors should be taken under serious advisement while making such an important business decision. There are several things that a business account should entail and the best business bank accounts encompass all of the following attributes.

Define and Explore Your Needs

Before choosing a financial institution, consider the reasons you need a business bank account in the first place. If you are interested in specialized services, research banks in your region that offers these services. Be prepared to perform online and in-person investigations; often times, online information only covers surface information and cannot answer pertinent questions you may have. Never assume something that isn’t clearly stated; don’t be afraid to ask for concrete answers to your business banking questions. Credible financial institutions won’t have any problems calming your nerves and satisfying your financial inquiries.

If you hadn’t considered this before, search for a bank with a financial adviser. Many financial institutions offer these services as an added perk; benefits can include aide and guidance in future investments and professional help to manage cash flow.

Compare Features to Find the Best Small Business Bank Account

Once you have firmly established what you are searching for in a bank, comparing and contrasting the financial institutions in your area is a relatively simple task. Don’t forget that once you’ve narrowed down your options, you can always call to request more specific information or to schedule a meeting to review information and address particular concerns you may still have.

Keep in mind the importance of availability and account services. A bank that offers great incentives but lacks a local branch doesn’t do much good if you prefer a face-to-face interaction. On the other hand, nationwide banks that offer online banking but lack your required account services will likewise do you no good. Determine the type of banking system you will prefer and find one that suits your small business account needs.

As you draw closer to choosing a financial institution, remember to focus on fees and service charges. In most banks, fees for business accounts are significantly higher than those for private accounts, even going so far as to charge businesses for online banking services but not charging individuals. Beware that universal truths pertaining to personal bank accounts do not hold true in the business account realm.

Bank Size Does Matter

At some point in the life of a small business, it is highly probable that the company will need to borrow money. Since the decline in the market, many banks are making it more and more difficult to get credit. Surprisingly, many small business owners have turned to community and small banks to get the loans they require. Small banks are more likely than world institutions to issue loans to indigenous businesses because it strengthens the local economy and supports the community. These minor institutions tend to meet a small business’s financial needs on a more personal field and provide a level of support that “outside” banks cannot.

Once you have evaluated each of these steps and determined what services and values best fit your financial needs, it is as simple as a visit or the click of a mouse to get the best small business bank account for your company.

Discover on how to get a small business bank account.

Author: Michelle G Woods
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Small business hosting can assist you in growing your business online. If you are hosting a business site online then you need to ensure that you obtain everything you need to run your site as smoothly and efficiently as possible. A hosting company can provide you with all of the necessary features and support to do so.

When you begin using small business hosting you will usually purchase a smaller amount of web space and a limited amount of bandwidth. It is up to you to choose how much you need but it is always best to limit yourself to how much you need or you might end up spending money on bandwidth that you won’t be using.

Hosting packages will usually allow you to access certain web site building tools so that you can get your site up and running. Once you have built your site you can then make use of the control panel that is offered to you in order to manage and maintain your site.

Business owners usually do not want to waste their time trying to figure out how to maintain their site when they could be out looking for more customers. Smaller hosting packages makes this easier by providing a website owner with everything that he or she will need to set up and maintain the site within minutes.

Business owners usually need to include certain features in their site in order to have it run as smoothly as possible. Features such as shopping carts and payment links can be added to the site by small business hosting so that the owner can deal with the customers that visit the site and build his or her business.

Small businesses often don’t need all the extra features and hassle of managing their own server for their hosting needs. This is why small business hosting is a sensible option, where people who run small businesses can gain support from professionals who are used to regularly dealing with small business needs.

Choosing the right hosting company is an important aspect of a successful online business. Not only should the company make it easy for you to set up the site but the company should also ensure that you have everything you need to have the site run as efficiently and as smoothly as possible. Don’t feel you have to purchase without talking to someone, if required, do call the hosting company to address any concerns you have before making a purchase.

Tom is a website hosting expert who enjoys writing and discussing the topics he enjoys.

Tom works for krystal.co.uk who offer a special Small Business Web Hosting service to help get businesses online and staying online. The website hosting provided perfectly suits the title Small Business Hosting because Krystal are a reliable SME based in the UK.

Author: Thomas John Mason
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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