Speaking Engagement: Manufacturing & Technology Conference–May 10th

Almost half of all cyberattacks are aimed at small and midsized businesses (SMBs) because many do not have sufficient defenses in place.  While SMBs may have firewalls and antivirus solutions, these technologies aren’t designed to protect against today’s sophisticated cyberattacks like phishing, exploit kits and malvertising, which make up 90% of how attacks start.

Join Mike Brooks, IT Manager of SEEPEX and Todd O’Boyle, CTO of Strongarm as they discuss a three-step plan that manufacturers can use to facilitate cybersecurity awareness across their organization, including how to analyze their current security posture, how to better plan and prepare for cyberattacks and how to execute an incident response plan once an attack takes place. Participants can download a copy of an incident response plan that helps them plan for responding to a cyberattack.

Join Us: Thursday, May 10th, 2018 @ 11am in Room 302C

Raleigh NC Convention Center

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Web Analytics 2.0

It has been web marketing book week so far here at Priceless Geek. First we took a look at Inbound Marketing by the founders of HubSpot. Then we took a look at Marketing 2.0 by Bernie Borges.  Today we are looking at Web Analytics 2.0 by Avinash Kaushik of Sybex. The tagline on this book is, “The art of online accountability and science of customer centricity.”

Kaushik has authored an excellent intro into web analytics.  As you can see, when I talked about the rabbit hole of online marketing topics, I wasn’t kidding.  Here we are digging into making sense of all the analytics your website can provide your business. It is easy to get lost in the endless fields of available data. This book gives you a foundation on where to start along with a path to follow for success.

The book is precisely organized as your would expect from someone with an analytical mind. Each major topic is broken out into small sections.  This style makes this thick book seem like a quick read. Kaushik covers the foundational web metrics like visits, bounce, and conversion.  Then he expands into SEO, traffic analysis, and KPI’s.  Additionally, he also covers great topics like vetting your metric software tools and vendors, figuring out which metrics are best for your purpose, and how to ensure upper management is involved.

Web Analytics 2.0 is a the book you need to read once you have your website running and some inbound marketing in place. It will help you transform your site from a cost center to a profit center. 

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Diffusions of Innovations

Everett M. Roger’s Diffusions of Innovation is a hefty analysis of the diffusion approach. This is a framework in which to evaluate the impact of developmental programs.  Roger’s takes a look at this approach in combination with the convergence of information exchange.  Ultimately, this book was written as a challenge to diffusion scholars to expand beyond their traditional methods.

Sounds like an extremely dry topic doesn’t it? I’d love to claim otherwise.  This book is a tough read.  It is packed with scholarly information. It reads like a textbook. Regardless, it is fascinating as it examines how innovations are communicated over time through social channels. For me, it is a form of change management. This book shows how and why innovation (or change) flows through an organization.

Understanding the stages of innovation diffusion is much like learning the stages of team development.  Once you know them, you can never unlearn them. If you are involved with change or developing solutions, you will see the phases, the communication networks, the types of human behavior described in this book in every facet of your work interactions. If you can master the information in this book you can practically predict the people and processes that will make your efforts succeed. You will also have the wisdom to avoid the people and pitfalls that can hurt your efforts.  You’ll also learn about how to effectively market your change efforts through the most effective communication channels.

I should warn you, this book is not new.  The most recent edition was released in 2003. The first edition was in 1962. Maybe that is why it is so powerful.  The knowledge has evolved over decades.  I challenge you to chip away at the knowledge in this book.  You will not regret it.

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Thriving on Chaos with A Passion for Excellence

In 1790, Edmund Burke wrote the phrase, “People will not look forward to prosperity who never look backward to their ancestors.” This phrase gave birth to a more familiar saying from George Santayana in the early 1900’s.  You’ve probably heard a version of it, but the actual quote is, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 

Today we travel back in time to 1987 to relive the business management sensation Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters.  The first time I read this wonderful book was not in the 80’s.  It was long enough ago that this book molded some of my earliest management philosophies. It was long enough ago that, previous to this re-read, I had forgotten I could attribute Tom Peters for those ideas.  Honestly, I had forgotten I read the book.  Even so, while I was browsing my local used bookstore, I found a double book version of Thriving on Chaos and A Passion for Excellence. 

Just perusing the contents section create a flood of memories and a since of awe. It was a combination of déjà vu, relevancy, and a history lesson.  I realized I’ve been re-reading this book in updated form for over twenty years. Granted the company names have changed, the technology has changed, but the underlying wisdom has not. The book kicks off with the famous words, “There are no excellent companies.” Then goes on to discuss how the company image may be flawless, but it doesn’t take much digging to find the cracks behind the sheen. It instantly made me think of Google and Facebook.

We find buzzwords that are still relevant but have undergone transformation. Internationalism is now globalization. In 1987, we had Computer Integrated Manufacturing, now we have Manufacturing Execution Systems and the Internet of things. Peters talks about failing fast, focusing on quality,  and squishy human factors (we would come to call Emotional Intelligence in 1990).

What I found with both these Peters book is that they are basically a collection of fundamental business management concepts bundled into one focused, step by step book. You see ideas from Mckinsey, Deming, Shewhart and others. However, this is all before Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Agile, and even total quality management.

Re-reading this left me feeling inspired about improving my own work. The same as it did for people 31 years ago.

I could go on.  However, you can pick this book up for just a couple dollars on Amazon.  I highly recommend that you do. Consuming this piece of business management history could save you from repeating mistakes in your present.

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Book Review: Fatal System Error

Author Joseph Menn has masterfully created an intense page turner about cybercrime.  If you are at all interested in crime novels, cybercrime, cybersecurity, or Russian organized crime, this is a must read. 
This book is written mostly from the white hat and law enforcement perspective. It is a refreshing viewpoint.  It is a frustrating view point. You get to cheer for the good guys in this book. It reads like a novel and it reads fast.  I would have read it all in one day if I had the time. I had to spread it across two days.  I could only think about getting back to the book while I was elsewhere.
I don’t want to spoil the plotline for you, so I will not delve deeper than a topical recap.  What I took away from this non-fiction novel was that cybercrime much larger, deeper, and wide-spread than I ever knew.  Furthermore, online poker is a front for Russian and Italian organized crime, among other criminal enterprises. There is huge money in online gambling and spam. Furthermore, Russia is basically a state run criminal enterprise. These are scary and eye-opening topics.
Mr. Menn’s book may read like a cyber-thriller, but it is a well documented and fascinating piece of journalism. I love the extensive notes in the back. While this book is from 2010, it is as relevant today as it was then. This book further solidifies the fact there is a cyber war going on between countries, between business, and even between individuals.  The average user is minimally impacted for now. However, the big money cyber crime generates will elicit larger and evermore expansive enterprises.  The cyber world will only get more dangerous and so will the real world impact.

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