In the 1980′s, outsourcing, “right sizing,” and off-shoring was all the rage, but if you’re currently thinking about locating your Help Desk to India, rethink it. You missed the outsourcing window by at least a decade, and probably closer to two.

Sometimes, it seems like the whole world is on Facebook, and it’s certainly true that if it were its own country, it would be far and away the largest, most populous nation on the planet. Because of that, we sometimes forget that Facebook is essentially a giant fishbowl.

How Big Is It? Here is gaming by the numbers:

Worldwide, there are 1.2 billion gamers. Yes, that’s billion with a “B.” If gamers were their own country, they would be the third largest nation on the planet, behind only India and China. They’ll likely catch India sometime in 2015, and China not long after.

It seems like bugs are a common occurrence in cyberspace recently and the latest affects the world’s most popular web browser, Internet Explorer.

Software giant Microsoft recently confirmed that a previously unknown, unpatched flaw exists in their flagship web browser.

It has been claimed that over 30,000 websites are hacked every day, and there’s little reason to believe that it will stop increasing any time soon.

Fortunately, network security has been both maturing and improving since the commercialization of the internet really took hold, so there are many things you can do to keep your systems safe.

Americans used to admire technology and had great respect for the companies responsible for bringing that technology to the consumers. Over the years, this respect has faltered and in many cases, turned into complete distrust. What made Americans change their minds?

While it is difficult to pinpoint that exact moment when tech companies went from trusted and admired to distrusted and, in many cases, despised, there have been several instances over the years that has eroded the trust of Americans.

If you own your own business, you know that overhead costs have a way of creeping up on you. A little bit here, a little bit there, and before you know it, your profits are down, your expenses are up, and you can’t quite put your finger on why.

Big businesses have the same problem, but of course, you notice them more acutely in a smaller firm.

If you’ve been brainstorming some ways to make potential customers stand up and take

notice, then instead of trying to peer forward into the future to see how you can use bleeding edge technology to give you an advantage, why not go old school?

Everybody is looking for their edge in the realm of technology, so why follow the herd? Break away and do something original.

It’s probable that you’ve been delaying the inevitable. That dreaded day when you’d have to sit down and come to grips with what all the buzz about cloud computing actually means for your company. I’ve got good news. Mostly, it means profits.

As a business owner, you’ve invested a lot in the technology driving your business. From the computers you use to run your back office to the automated manufacturing machines making your products, you rely on technology every day. What happens when the technology fails? Have you thought about what happens when the unthinkable happens? Do you have plans to recover from a fire? From a natural disaster, such as a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake? From your machines breaking down from wear and tear? What will you do when it happens to you?

Making Your Plan

As a responsible business owner, you think about the what-ifs, and you make a backup plan.