It is inevitable to have to upgrade any kind of software sooner or later. This is now true for Windows XP, as Microsoft has announced a discontinuation of support for the operating system in 2014. Microsoft recommends upgrading to the newer Windows 7 OS, which is something worth considering as early as now.

Part of using any sort of software is the inevitable need to upgrade. Most if not all software needs to either be replaced and upgraded as the demands of the market entail more efficient processing of the various data and information a business handles.

Such is the case with Windows XP. While many continue to use this proven straightforward operating system, Microsoft has decided to stop support by the year 2014. Microsoft further recommends upgrading to its latest OS, Windows 7, in order for users to continue to receive OS support.

While there are some lines of business applications that have not been upgraded to work with Windows 7, most have — and there are alternative approaches. Also, your business needs the security and protection that only a current, up-to-date operating system can provide.

We understand that changing your OS will entail some expense, including new licenses, hardware, and some training. Fortunately, these things are designed to help you operate more efficiently and increase your productivity in the long run. But such change will take time, and if you are interested in starting to plan for an upgrade now, we’ll be happy to sit down with you and develop an upgrade process that meets your specific needs.

In the past, analyses of the benefits of EMR implementation focused primarily on increased efficiency, improved patient care, and lower costs—but EMRs offer much more than that, according to a recent study by a health care IT leader.

Now there’s one more reason to implement an electronic medical record (EMR) system: They have compelling environmental effects, including the reduction of greenhouse gases.

According to a study by Kaiser Permanente published in the May issue of Health Affairs, EMRs could lower U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by as much as 1.7 million tons.

The study began with a Kaiser Permanente analysis of how that health system, which serves more than 8.7 million members, helped the environment by operating the world’s largest private EMR, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect. According to the analysis, Kaiser Permanente’s use of an EMR reduced paper use by 1,044 tons per year, and digitizing and archiving x-ray images and other scans reduced the use of toxic chemicals (including silver nitrate and hydroquinone) by 33.3 tons per year. Other compelling statistics: Filling prescriptions online reduced CO2 emissions by 7,000 tons, and reducing travel with virtual visits reduced CO2 emissions by 92,000 tons. The environmental savings were compelling even when energy use from the increase in personal computers was factored in.

From that analysis, Kaiser Permanente developed a model to evaluate the environmental impact of EMRs in general. That model looks at six categories of environmental impact within health care to examine those most directly related to EMRs. “As the country increases its meaningful use of HIT, we should consider other macro impacts as well,” said one Kaiser Permanente official.

Many SMBs are unaware that hackers are finding online banking transactions to be profitable and easy targets for cyber-attacks because of several weaknesses in the security systems not only of both organizations, but also in the authentication protocols between them.

In a recent attack, cyber-thieves managed to get away with $63,000 after they exploited vulnerabilities in the online payroll system of a small business with its bank.

First, the crooks managed to infiltrate the company’s system through a piece of malware called the Zeus Trojan. This gave them access to the company’s data, including the password and username used in transacting with the company’s bank. The thieves then created several new ghost employees and created payroll accounts for them, which they sent to the bank and authenticated using the company controller’s username and password. And to cover their tracks, the hackers erased the confirmation emails regarding the transaction.

This incident highlights the need for better security systems in both the business and their bank – as security experts cite online banking transactions as one of the favorite targets of cyber-criminals. Cyber-attacks such as this one exploit weaknesses in many existing systems that rely on very simple and automated authentication procedures to confirm transactions.

A direct threat to your business finances is not something to be taken lightly. You not only need to review your current online banking system, but also the current security protocols you have installed, since hackers and cyber-criminals are constantly updating Trojans and other malware to adapt to changing IT protection systems.

We encourage you to have us take a look at the systems you have in place to determine if you are at risk for attacks like these. Please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to draw up custom security solutions that address your specific needs.

References:
Sold a Lemon in Internet Banking
Cybercrooks Drive Away With $63,000 from Car Dealership

Internet security is an issue not to be taken lightly. As an increasing number of businesses use the web for more efficient operations, there is also more risk of being affected by malware and viruses. But thanks to initiatives such as WebBlaze and BitBlaze from Professor Dawn Song, developers are better equipped to make more effective IT security systems.

If you think hackers are the only ones doing their research to release newer and scarier viruses and malware on the web, think again. It is comforting to know that there are also very capable people doing what they can to make the internet a safer place – like Professor Dawn Song, associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley and MacArthur Foundation fellow.

In a nutshell, Professor Song has been looking at different ways to make the internet experience more secure. Her two initiatives – WebBlaze and BitBlaze – are aimed toward developers who want to create better and much more secure programs and applications.

WebBlaze is a compilation of different strategies from Song and other like minds who tackle different problems and solutions in all sorts of platforms, and BitBlaze is an analysis tool for malicious software. While we won’t go into too much detail (it involves very complicated math), the gist is that Song and her colleagues are drawing up some very solid solutions to constantly evolving security issues on the web.

It’s exciting to see developments like these in the security industry. As threats continue to evolve, so does the means through which they are fought. The more we use the internet and the more the online experience becomes integral to the day-to-day operations of businesses big and small, the more important securing your data and information becomes. And because of efforts such as Professor Song’s, we can expect security programs to be much more effective and efficient as time passes.

Know more about BitBlaze and WebBlaze

Learn more about Dawn Song here

If you are looking to assess and beef up your security systems, we’d be happy to sit down with you and take a look at improvements that can make your business and your data much more secure.

More and more office-based physicians plan to implement EMRs and qualify for federal incentive payments, according to recent survey data released by the ONC. Moreover, 41 percent of doctors surveyed are planning to achieve meaningful use and take advantage of the incentive payments.

There has been a reversal in the low interest in electronic medical record (EMR) adoption seen in previous years.

This information comes from surveys commissioned by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and carried out in the course of regular annual surveillance by the American Hospital Association and the National Center for Health Statistics.

The survey data shows that significantly increasing numbers of primary care physicians have already adopted a basic EMR, rising from 19.8 percent in 2008 to 29.6 percent in 2010.

Although basic EMRs are a good starting point, physicians would need to further upgrade their systems to qualify for meaningful use incentive payments. But there’s good news there, too: According to the surveys, 41 percent of office-based physicians are planning to achieve meaningful use of certified EMR technology and take advantage of the incentive payments. The majority of those physicians responded that they would enroll during Stage 1 of the programs.

David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology, says leadership from the medical community and the federal government is responsible for the increase in EMR adoption rates.

EMRs provide measurable benefits for providers of all sizes, including small practices, according to a recent survey. Plus, the return on investment is high: According to researcher, it costs just $7,857 and takes just 130 hours to implement an EMR at a five-member practice.

In contrast to prior suggestions that electronic medical records (EMRs) may not benefit small health care providers, a new survey says there are measurable benefits for providers of all sizes.

To conduct the survey, current and past Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) staff members looked 154 peer-reviewed articles written from 2007 to 2010.

In their paper “The Benefits of Health Information Technology: A Review of the Recent Literature Shows Predominantly Positive Results,” they report that 92 percent reached the conclusion that the use of health IT has an overall positive effect.

The survey also found evidence of emerging measurable benefits for small health care practices in addition to the large ones.

That may be because the return on investment is high. Case in point: Dr. Neil Fleming, vice president for health care research at Baylor Health Center System, says EHR implementation cost $7,857 per physician and takes 130 hours at a five-member practice.

The reason for the discrepancy with prior studies, says David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health care IT, is that prior studies focused on the early years of EHR development when functionality was not as mature.

“Two salient aspects of this more recent synthesis are that it brings the literature up to date and extends it beyond the few large systems that were the source of most information on the record for health information technology, and looks at it in a much more representative set of provider settings,” Blumenthal said.

Related articles: New survey shows EHRs benefit even small providers

Republican bill that imperils funding for meaningful use incentives has a long way to go before it becomes law—if it ever does.

President Obama may have celebrated an emerging health care IT system in his State of the Union address, but at the same time, Republican lawmakers were producing a bill that imperils funding for meaningful use incentives. Should you be concerned?

The Spending Reduction Act of 2011 (H.R. 408), which Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio introduced on January 24, seeks to reduce federal spending by $2.5 trillion over the coming decade. To do so, it plans to eliminate many federal programs—specifically, subtitles B and C of title II and titles III through VII of division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Since the federal EMR incentive program set up under the ARRA/HITECH Act of 2009 falls under division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, it seems that the new bill would cut disbursements to health care providers for EMR adoption.

Providers who want to purchase an EMR are wondering if they really want to start down that path, which is understandable, but there’s no reason to panic. The bill’s passage is not assured. Republicans control the House, but the Democrats control the Senate—and it seems almost assured that any bill like this one would surely be vetoed by President Obama, who’s been a strong supporter of EMR implementation.

Meanwhile, EMR implementation is increasing: Fourteen thousand providers had registered for meaningful use incentives as of early February, up from the 13,000 announced in January, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

Our take: Don’t let the political noise prevent you from implementing an EMR. “We’re trying to tell people that this process is going on,” says Dave Roberts, vice president of government relations for HIMSS. “This is only one body [of Congress]. Don’t let this be a concern.”

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey shows that EMR adoption crept up from 48.3 percent in 2009. More than half of physicians were using at least partial electronic medical records (EMRs) in their offices by the end of 2010, according to a survey by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

The study, called the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, showed that EHR adoption crept up from 48.3 percent in 2009 to 50.7 percent in 2010.

In 2009, 21.8 percent of physicians who had EMRs said they used a basic systems, which support features such medication lists and the ability to view imaging, which 6.9 percent used fully functional system, which can also support medical history, drug interaction warnings, electronic prescribing and computerized orders for lab tests.

In 2010, 24.9 percent of physicians used basic systems, while 10.1 percent used fully functional systems.

EMR adoption, according to the survey, was greater in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Utah and Hawaii.

The change came as the Department of Health and Human Services dangled billions of dollars in incentive payments in front of health care providers.

The lesson learned: Physicians are getting onboard with EHRs. If you haven’t implemented yours today, contact us for more information.

One thing is clear, quality is still more important than quantity. Especially with the current economic downturn, people are downsize everything – including online social circles.

November 17, 2010 was declared by Jimmy Kimmel during his television show as “National Unfriend Day”, the opportunity for all Facebook users to declutter their Facebook pages by “unfriending” people in their friends’ lists. He claims that Facebook has been “cheapening” the idea of friendship. To many the idea was hilarious, but others are seriously considering the wisdom of unfriending.

Is Kimmel on to something here? Can unfriending benefit your online business?

Research shows that as social media gets bigger, we’re getting smaller. Brian Wong, a network marketer says it simply: “With the growth of social networking, I am finding it increasingly difficult to separate business connections and personal connections.” He says that having almost 1,000 friends on Facebook has made it difficult for him to see the feeds and updates of his “real” friends and important business partners.

Lately there is a growing trend of de-scaling on the internet. People have started “pruning” their social lives online. For example, the popular Farmville app lost 30 million players this year, and people are beginning to realize that conversations and comments are more important than a huge number of blog hits.

So how can de-scaling and unfriending help your business? The drive to be more intimate can benefit your business by allowing you to form a tighter circle of customers, more successfully establishing you as a preferred channel for consumption.

Luckily, there are tools that can help you descale your social networks:

1. Path – Offers small-scale communities where people feel more comfortable sharing personal information. It controls who can view your information and does not include features that make your content viral.
2. Letter.ly – A subscription-based newsletter for bloggers who feel that public posts decrease the quality of conversations. This newsletter opens discussion only to people who pay, or who are privately invited to read a blog post.
3. GroupMe – A texting app which limits your group text participants to only 14, to ensure that meaningful dialogues take place.

What about the flip side of unfriending and descaling? While you’re considering who to eliminate from your social circles, your contacts are likely doing the same. Here are some tips to help you make their cuts:

1.       Be selective in your communications.
Of course, your product is important – to you. But not every little detail is as important to your audience. Be sure to focus on key features and benefits from your audience’s perspective.

2.       Stay on topic.
Always give relevant communications to your customers, and never rant or badmouth competitors. This is a sure way to lose customers.

3.       Provide value.
In addition to talking about your product or service, find ways to provide value to your circle of friends. Understand topics and pain points important to them, and provide valuable information and advice to help them succeed. You’ll soon come to be considered as a valuable resource to your contacts – one that they want to keep in their online social groups.

One thing is clear: quality is still more important than quantity, especially in the current economic downturn when people are downsizing everything. Start “pruning” your social network – and take steps to avoid being pruned – and you’ll reap the benefits of having a tight circle of loyal friends and customers.

These days, more and more people are on the go, and many of them bring their work with them. While connecting to public and open-access Wi-Fi hotspots is indeed convenient, using open networks also pose risks that endanger your security.

While connecting to public and open-access Wi-Fi hotspots is indeed convenient, using open networks also poses risks that endanger your security. The open nature that allows anyone to use the connection also enables unscrupulous people to gain access to your private information. The whole act of stealing information from people who are using public Wi-Fi networks is called ‘sidejacking’.

There are applications such as Firesheep, for example, that provide an easy-to-use platform that others can exploit to spy and harvest personal, sensitive information from you. And since Firesheep is a Mozilla Firefox plug in, virtually anyone can download and use it to sidejack people on the same network.

You can’t be too cautious with your personal and business data these days, so you always need to have the proper laptop configuration and security infrastructure to protect your system, especially when you frequently avail of open and public networks. To know more about this, please feel free to give us a call and we’ll be happy to draw up some security options that meet your specific needs.