Servers can be dedicated to just one function, such as storing and managing shared files, managing print jobs for one or more printers on the network, housing a database, or running specific computer programs. A server can also be used for more than one of these or other functions.

The most common use for a server in the small business environment is as a dedicated file server. Unlike a desktop computer, a dedicated server is built to withstand the additional performance demands of managing, storing and sending data 24-hours-per day. A small business server must be incredibly reliable under these circumstances, and it will typically have specialized hardware and software that you won’t find in a conventional desktop computer.

Once a small business grows to five or six employees, it is time to at least consider getting a server and implementing a “client-server” network. Many small businesses operate using a “peer-to-peer” network, where multiple desktop workstations might connect directly to one-another. This arrangement becomes less efficient and secure once the number of workstations grows to five or six in number.

Acquiring a server and building a client-server network will increase the efficiency of resource sharing across the network, make it easier to manage malware and security, and increase reliability of the network. For instance, the server can provide all users on the network with a centralized storage point, centralized backup, and one point of antivirus protection – something that gets pretty hairy if you’re trying to ensure five, six or more desktops each individually have up-to-date protection. Servers are usually equipped with backup-power, so reliability and freedom from data loss become less of a concern than if you are relying on the health of all those desktop workstations.

Many small business owners dismiss the idea of adding a server due to the perceived cost or lack of an in-house IT department. But a server does not need to be extraordinarily expensive or require an on-site maintenance team. In fact, given the gains in productivity and security, a server could end up being a great investment in the business.

And outsourced IT service companies, like Invision, can provide the only IT maintenance you’re likely to need, which isn’t as often as you might think!

If you purchase a server, you’ll want to use the services of a qualified technician to set it up, install the necessary software and configure it properly. In fact, when you are ready to start server shopping, get that professional help involved early in the process. They can help make sure you are purchasing the right combination of operating system, applications, storage and other factors that add up to the best solution for your small business’ unique needs.

Don’t fall for a current Facebook trend that promises to give you a custom pink or red facebook profile page. It’s a scam!

However, if you see your friends’ profile pictures have acquired a pink tinge, and they’re inviting you to do it, too, that’s not a scam. It’s a legitimate Breast Cancer awareness app.

Always get your security advice from a legitimate IT company – don’t believe everything you see on Facebook or other social media!

The three-part Cisco Connected World Technology Report uncovered some possibly worrisome attitudes toward IT policies among 2,800 college students and young professionals in 14 countries.

Overall, this up-and-coming generation of workers possesses a more negative view of IT policies, coupled with higher expectations for generous access to devices, remote connectivity and social media, than previous generations of workers.

The report also finds lower expectations for online privacy among the group. Perhaps this leads to lax security practices, as nearly 25 percent of them have already experienced some form of identity theft.

Part three of the Cisco report, along with parts one and two, can be accessed here. All are accompanied by very informative infographics, like the one below, that provide a quick, executive overview of the report’s findings.

In honor of another Kansas City winter, let’s go ahead and think about telecommuting in a little more depth.

Telecommuting requires remote access to your company’s technology resources. (See Introduction to Small Business Networking for more information) And while security and cost concerns, as well as work policy issues, have kept some businesses from making the leap to remote access, there are many business benefits, too.

Let’s start with a look at some of these benefits to your business:

Increased productivity

Maybe it’s employees who travel, those who have to stay home with a sick child, or mildly ill employees working from home to avoid spreading colds and flu, remote access makes it possible for people who are out of the office for a variety of reasons to continue getting their work done. Studies also show better employee satisfaction among employees with telecommuting options, which in turn leads to less turnover and absenteeism. Studies also show that telecommuters work an average of one hour longer, on average, per day.

Decreased downtime

The snowstorm or icy highways scenario is one we know well in Kansas City, but a variety of other man-made and natural disasters can keep you and employees from getting to the office. Remote access cushions the blow of what would otherwise be downtime.

Familiar tools

Remote access lets your employees work with the same software and files that reside on their office computers, including emails, contacts and key project files.

Human resource flexibility

Add human resources without adding physical office space, parking space and other resources it takes to support workers who are physically headquartered in your offices. Remote access also keeps geographic proximity from limiting the pool of talent you can access.

How do I set up remote access for my employees?

Your remote access solution needs to transmit data over the public internet securely without risk of corruption or hijacking. Ideally, your solution will provide this service to both home users and mobile users.

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is one of the most common models for securing remote access. A properly set up VPN should authenticate the user and transmit data securely.

Once the VPN is set up and the connection is secure, there are other settings to tweak, but basically you can choose to give employees access to either a virtual desktop or their actual work computer. It’s easier and less expensive to give them access to their own machine. If they share a machine or you need to control what they have access to, you can set up virtual desktops for them to access when they are outside the office. This will require a separate server or a more robust configuration if you are looking at providing access to more than a handful of employees.

Don’t forget to evaluate your bandwidth before setting up remote access. Internal connection speeds haven’t been much of a factor in system performance in almost a decade, but the same cannot be said for external access. Your remote workers will be hitting the upload side of your office connection to the internet, and upload speeds are usually not as fast as the download speeds, even significantly less.

That said, the good news is that once your remote access system is set up and in place, there is very little that needs to be done to maintain it.

Importance of remote access policy for your business

So how do you equitably make the decision about which employees get the telecommuting option? How do you ensure work is being done, and avoid the perception among in-office colleagues that telecommuters are just sitting at home doing nothing? How do you make sure work related files and data remain secure?

The answer is to write and enforce a remote access and telecommuting policy.

When deciding which employees get remote access, remember to frame the option as a privilege, not a right. Some employees just don’t have the discipline to work productively outside the office. Next, the privilege can only be extended to employees performing the sort of work that doesn’t require their physical presence in the office. And if workers must access particularly sensitive data, such as medical or student records and other information governed by compliance rules, it is probably best to limit that access only a secure location, usually your office.

There are many other ways to monitor productivity besides face time. Work product delivery and other metrics can tell the productivity tale. And workers themselves must make sure they are accessible to colleagues and clients during working hours in order to build trust in the remote access and telecommuting option as a viable one.

Your policy must also set out acceptable use of the remote access connection, state that any company equipment used for remote access does remain company property, and set out security procedures and policies relevant to your business.

But it’s still to easy to consider such threats few and far between. That is, until you read the results of various searches in the Chronology of Data Breaches database, maintained by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nationally recognized consumer education and advocacy nonprofit dedicated to protecting the privacy of American consumers.

The searchable database is designed to assist researchers, the media and everyday consumers to better understand trends within this type of data.

Currently, every breach incident is categorized according to the following criteria:

• Type of breach. This describes what occurred that resulted in the disclosure. For example, was there a hacking incident?
• Type of organization. This describes the type of companies or organizations involved in or responsible for the breach. For example, educational institutions are one type of organization while healthcare facilities are another.
• Year. This is the year that the breach was made public. Please note that this is not necessarily the year the breach occurred, only the year it was revealed.

Here’s just a sampling of some of the incidents in the record:

May 11, 2011     Michaels Stores Inc.
A number of PIN pads in Chicago-area Michaels stores were found to have been tampered with. Michaels checked 7,200 PIN pads in 964USstores.  Fewer than 90 pads were found to have been compromised, but the affected pads were in 20 states. Michaels expects the process of replacing the pads to last about 15 days. The number of affected customers is in the tens of thousands.

February 24, 2010     7-Eleven, Sandy, Utah
A skimming device monitored transactions at a gas station pump inSandy,Utah. The device could have been active for 60 days before being discovered and was used to steal over $11,000.

January 22, 2010     Brio Tuscan Grille in Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri
A man used a skimming device to obtain the credit card information of customers while working as a waiter at Brio Tuscan Grille of Kansas City, Missouri.

April 7, 2008     Redbox, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois
Redbox rents DVD movies via vending machine in drugstores and supermarkets throughout the country. They announced that they’d found credit card skimmers attached to three of their kiosks.