Donating / Recycling old computers...

Often I am asked what people do with their old, unwanted computers and computer equipment. Unfortunately most people just chuck them in the trash can. Computers are filled with lead-based solder that can be harmful to ground water, as well as numerous plastic and silicon parts that aren't biodegradable. According to the EPA, consumer electronics may be at fault for 40 percent of the lead found in landfills. The fact is that computers, despite their much smaller size, are actually much more toxic to the environment than an old car, which tends to be mostly scrap metal.

When considering what to do with old machines that have been laying around, first consider the information contained in that system. You probably want to have a professional securely wipe the information.

Your first option is to donate your PCs to a local school, or non-profit organization. Several are set up across the country to rescue old computer equipment and give them new life in classrooms in need of computers. Recycles.org and DigitalAid are two organizations that accept computer equipment and distribute them to schools and non-profit groups. For something local in Hampton Roads I suggest The Arc of the Virginia Peninsula located in Hampton. For a small fee they can dispose of and wipe the data from your machines. Machines worthy of being re-purposed will be. It ends up being about $10 for your average desktop computer.

Most of the larger computer manufacturers are offering businesses a way to discard their computers without harming the environment. Most notably at Hewlett-Packard and Dell, programs have been set up to recover key components for recycling and prepare the equipment for proper disposal. HP and Dell go through computers' for chips and other parts that can be re-used, melted down to make new parts, or otherwise recycled.

In this day and age with everyone concerned about being green, donating or recycling your computer is a great option!

Getting serious about privacy...

The Internet began revealing its dangerous side more than a decade ago. As one veteran business analyst remarked, "Personal information on the Internet started turning into asbestos, becoming highly toxic. People started discovering a lot of it around."

Identity theft emerged, of course, and began ruining lives. Now, the analyst notes, "There are more obligations than ever to report an 'asbestos spill' and more consequences if you don't."

So today, we know better than to put our customers, employees, and others at risk because of sloppy practices with personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data.

Or do we? 

A sizable number of U.S. small businesses still do not have privacy policies, or have ones too vague to be of any value. Meanwhile, companies of all sizes continue to scrimp on data security, or allow poorly trained employees easy access to sensitive information. Data breaches such as these compiled by the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse  are now legendary.

'Do unto others how you'd want them to do unto you'

If you run a small business, you likely handle some PII, even if it is simply the e-mail addresses you collect for newsletter distribution.

You owe it to your customers and employees to protect them from ID theft, scams, spam, fraud, and other toxic by-products of the Internet. And you owe it to your company and business partners to follow best practices, and the law, when it comes to collecting and storing sensitive business information. 

"It doesn't have to be that complicated. If you think about the data that businesses collect about you, and you do unto others how you would want them to do unto you, you will have [privacy] top of mind," says Carolyn Hodge, vice president of communications for online privacy specialist TRUSTe.

Here are six tips to help you be smart and responsible when it comes to privacy.

1.  Take inventory of the personal information you collect and store. Privacy analysts recommend  compiling a written inventory of the PII you collect. PII generally includes names and contact information, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and the like. For example, does your Web site use cookies to capture info about who visits your site?

Know that any contracts and agreements you have with other businesses, and any trade secrets of other businesses that you may possess, also constitute sensitive information. Failure to protect such information could violate insider trading laws, among other statutes.

For more help, see this guide and tutorial from the Federal Trade Commission.

2.  Analyze how safely you use and store this data. Believe it or not, many small businesses are known to store private information on their customer-facing Web sites, which could easily be hacked. Many others allow employees unfettered access to such data. Still others are nonchalant about sending spreadsheets containing PII unencrypted over the Internet via e-mail.

Store private information on password-protected internal sites, and limit employee access to only those with a legitimate need to know, experts recommend. If you must send PII or other sensitive information via the Internet, encrypt it through password-protected ZIP files, encrypted e-mail, or S/MIME, PGP, and similar applications. Don't make it easy for hackers by scrimping on data security.

3.  Make sure you're complying with industry or federal laws. Strong privacy policies and practices may be mandatory if your business is governed by certain government or industry regulations. Here is a look at some of the statutes governing the privacy of information:

• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996  regulates businesses in the U.S. health-care industry.
• The Graham-Leach-Bliley Act, passed in 1999, governs the U.S. financial services industry.
• CPNI (Customer Proprietary Network Information)  governs customer information gathered by companies in the telecommunications industry.
• With its Security Standards Council, the Payment Card Industry  self-regulates retailers and other businesses that collect credit card numbers and related personal financial information.
• The European Union Directive on Data Protection  regulates U.S. companies serving European consumers and businesses.
• The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998  oversees the collection of personal information from children under 13.  

If necessary, companies such as WeComply, a Mt. Kisco, N.Y., concern, develop training programs for businesses on how to comply with federal laws regulating privacy.

4.  Post a privacy policy that is clear and comprehensive. A handful of states have their own privacy laws that are stronger than the federal laws, including California. Its Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003  requires all online businesses that collect personal information from California residents to post a privacy policy on their Web site(s) and to comply with their policies.

Yes, you need a policy, even if it is not required by law. Today's more discerning Internet consumer demands it, experts agree. "Simply having a privacy policy link on your site builds trust and confidence," writes Jeff Finkelstein of Boulder, Colo., in his Customer Paradigm  newsletter. Conversely, consumers may be suspicious of businesses that don’t clearly display their policy.

What should you include in your policy? Essentially, what PII you collect, use, and share in your business. Here are some key elements to disclose:

• Whether you buy or sell e-mail lists or mailing lists
• Any sharing of PII in co-marketing agreements with partners
• Use of cookies
• Information for customers to contact your business to be removed from a list
• If you sell online, how you comply with the Payment Card Industry's Security Standards

Your policy need not be lengthy — large conglomerates may have privacy policies of 10 pages or longer, but a small business doesn't need that. Conversely, some small businesses offer vague statements amounting to a single paragraph or two, says TRUSTe's Hodge.  Shoot for a page or less of clearly written text, and make the link visible on your site. (For more tips on how to write a privacy policy, download this PDF from TRUSTe.)

5.  Have your policy reviewed by an attorney or by a privacy seal program. It's wise to get an outside opinion on your privacy policy, either from an attorney or privacy expert. Another option is using an online privacy service such as TRUSTe  or BBBOnline.

The advantage of using a service such as TRUSTe or BBBOnline is that if you meet their privacy policy requirements, you are awarded a seal to display on your site — which may boost the confidence and trust of your customers.

"The Web privacy seal is one of [TRUSTe's] most popular products," says Hodge. A privacy seal may be most beneficial to small e-tailers with little or no name recognition outside their hometown or region.

TRUSTe has partnered with buySAFE  to bond purchase transactions and to supply privacy policies to small online retailers with monthly sales of $1 million or less. The buySAFE program runs $240 a year.

6.  If you have employees, make sure their personal information is protected too. It's easy to overlook employee data, as most privacy policies deal strictly with the interests of customers and clients.  But with today's increasing use of laptops, mobile devices, and social-networking applications as marketing tools, employee privacy is also in danger.

The nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse offers this guide to preventing ID theft  through responsible information-handling practices in the workplace.

One disturbing trend: An increasing number of ID theft cases have been traced back to dishonest employees obtaining sensitive information about fellow employees and customers and providing it to identity thieves.  Take note of two best practices in the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse guide: (1) Do background checks on anyone you hire and (2) restrict data access to employees with a legitimate need to know.

(from Monte Enbysk: http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/ResourceCenter/expertadvice/startingabusiness/Get_serious_about_privacy)

Get Microsoft Office Professional on the cheap.

If you are a student, or are the parent of a student and need Microsoft Office, you are able to get it at a 91% discount through a Microsoft program called "The Ultimate Steal". You basically provide some information about your educational institution and Microsoft gives you Word, Excel, Groove, Publisher, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook, InfoPath, OneNote and Microsoft Accounting Express for just under $60.00. I'd say that's quite a deal, if you are eligible, its well worth it.

More information here: http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx

Windows 7 - A light at the end of the tunnel?

For many people, the transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista was a rough one. Others refused to make the move altogether either because of the negative publicity it received  or a software / hardware incompatibility of some kind.

Originally, it was planned that Windows codename "Blackcomb" (a.k.a Windows 7) was to be the successor to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, but there were some development delays and Microsoft decided on an interim release of Windows. They named this interim release codename "Longhorn" - or as we know it, Windows Vista. Due at least in-part to the many changes to the nomenclature, the interface and the addition of a security feature coined "User Account Control" (UAC for short), Windows Vista flopped hard, leaving many users very unhappy.

Windows Codename "Blackcomb" was renamed to "Vienna" in early 2006 and then again to "Windows 7" in 2007. In 2008, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would be the official name of the new version of the Windows operating system. The Windows 7 beta is now available for public download. From the reviews I have been reading, performance - which was a big issue for adopters of Windows Vista - has greatly improved, already surpassing Windows XP and Windows Vista in the Beta phase.

A comprehensive list of new "features" available in Windows 7 can be reviewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_7

Microsoft has also created a blog for those following the development of Windows 7, entitled "Engineering Windows 7". There is a lot of good information here for those who are interested.

As far as a release date, Microsoft has not said anything official - but people are speculating that this release is due for RTM (Release to Manufacturing) before the close of 2009. For the uninitiated, the release cycle works like this:

Pre-Beta – This release at the PDC introduced the developer community to Windows 7 and represents the platform complete release and disclosure of the features.

Beta – This release provided a couple of million folks the opportunity to use feature complete Windows 7 while also providing the telemetry and feedback necessary for us to validate the quality, reliability, compatibility, and experience of Windows 7. As we said, we are working with our partners across the ecosystem to make sure that testing and validation and development of Windows 7-based products begins to enter final phases as we move through the Beta.

Release Candidate (RC) – This release will be Windows 7 as we intend to ship it. We will continue to listen to feedback and telemetry with the focus on addressing only the most critical issues that arise. We will be very clear in communicating any changes that have a visible impact on the product. This release allows the whole ecosystem to reach a known state together and make sure that we are all ready together for the Release to Manufacturing. Once we get to RC, the whole ecosystem is in “dress rehearsal” mode for the next steps.

Release to Manufacturing (RTM) – This release is the final Windows 7 as we intend to make available to PC makers and for retail and volume license products.

General Availability (GA) – This is a business milestone and represents when you can buy Windows 7 pre-installed on PCs or as full packaged product.

 

(from: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/01/30/our-next-engineering-milestone.aspx)

In conclusion, I am looking forward to many of the much needed improvements offered by Windows 7, but I am also aware that the cutting edge can often times be the bleeding edge - as such, I will be patient with any "production" deployments of the new Operating System and remain leery of any hype surrounding its release.