Warning: Copiers Contain Data

Think twice before you turn in your copier for a new one.  Did you know that many copiers, especially the ones that can connect to your network, contain hard drives and copies of the documents are stored on that hard disk?  When you turn in your copier, it generally get's refurbished and sold to another user or even another country.  Frequently, the data on the disk is not removed creating a security breach for those in your organization and your contact sphere.  Watch this video and see if you don't consider a new policy for discarding your old copier.

Uncommon Application of Common Knowledge

This week at a regional BNI networking event held in Natick, MA, I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Ivan Misner, CEO and Founder of BNI, the world’s largest networking organization (http://www.bni.com/). As many of you know, I am the President of one of the 5,600 worldwide BNI Chapters, BNI Nashoba (http://www.bninashoba.com/). Dr. Misner spoke about many things including the weekend he spent on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the Caribbean and the “butterfly networking principle” which was the circle of events that caused him to be there. Very interesting the cards life deals out when you are open to receiving them. One thing that really rang a chord was his statement that success is the uncommon application of common knowledge. He wrote about it in his book The 29% Solution. Just think about these simple words and what they mean in your business. You need to think long and hard to see if there is some way to apply this principle when you can’t see the forest for the trees. Our businesses are built on some pretty basic concepts but it’s very difficult to think outside the box and come up with a new angle, a new approach. Take a half-hour and consider what you do and how you do it -- as if you were your customer. Become an empath. What can you come up with. I'd be interested to hear.

Mapping Time

Maps are fun, informative and sometimes great for making a point.  Add data to maps and you have information squared.  Here is a map of Eastern Massachusetts and surrounding areas broken out into 3-digit zip code areas.   

The map details where we have spent our time over the last 10 years.  Other areas of the country have been omitted, but this gives you an idea of where our clients are based. The very bright red areas represent more than 20,000 man-hours, the bright pink is 1,000+ man-hours and the light pink less than 1,000.

It's interesting to see a long history of data painted onto a map and even more interesting if you look at the maps from year to year. 

Think about your data and how you might evaluate your business on a map of the State, region or Country. 

Creating this map took less than 10 minutes.  Creating the data for this map took more than 10 years. Maps can be helpful looking at a decade, year, month or even a day worth of data.
A word about zip codes, zip codes make mapping easy.  If you are not capturing zip codes in your business, think again. 

TRI Contact Information

Please note that along with our new offices we also have a new phone system.

Our main number is still functional, however, we all have direct voice and fax lines as well.

 

Here is our new contact information.

We hope you find these changes helpful.

Transportation Resources, Inc.

50 Leominster Road, Suite #3

Post Office Box 452

Sterling, Massachusetts 01564

Office: 800-414-3515 or 978 422-7770

Robert McKay Jones Sr.

978 422-7770 x1004

Direct Line: 978-422-4324

Private Fax: 978-422-4325

Mobile: 978-870-2706

Robert Jones Jr.

978 422-7770 x1005

Direct: 978-401-4484

Fax: 978-401-4810

Mobile: 978-660-1529

Joseph Brochu

978 422-7770 x1006

Direct Line: 978-401-4488

Direct Fax: 978-401-4490

Cell: 508-769-3945

Increasing International Business

Do you conduct business with consumers or companies beyond our borders?  Are you interested in reaching out to foreign lands. You might consider attending Leveraging Your Website To Increase International Sales, More than a half-dozen speakers will team up to present this 2-day seminar on today's business environment.  Scheduled for June 9 and 10 at the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge.

Bill of Lading

A few weeks back when I was in an office of a client, I found an IBM Selectric  typewriter on someone's desk.  When I inquired what they used that for, I was told they used it for Bill of Ladings .  I was aghast.  People actually use these things to produce documents? Apparently they do.  So I headed back to the office and dug out my Bill of Lading PDF and posted  it on my web site.  There it shall remain for all to use.  Please, I beg you, let's ban the typewriter from day-to-day production use.  They are for young children to play with and eventually break.

Trojan Warning

Please be aware of a Trojan that is spreading itself by an email being sent from resume-thanks@google.com with a subject Thank you from Google! There is an attachment to this email that should not be opened under any circumstance.  The attached file contains a Trojan that will infect your computer.

On-Line Collaboration

Have you been looking for a way to collaborate with many people in your group, organization or family?  I stumbled on a very simple to use on-line service that allows you to do just that.  It is intuitive and versatile.  It provides a shared workspace for files and discussions, tasks, calendar, database, reports or a blog.  More utility than Google Docs and Google Groups combined.  Check it out and sign up for a free trial.    http://signup.centraldesktop.com/tresource

Compliance with Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00

The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, pursuant to the authority granted to it by G.L. c. 93H, in November 2009 promulgated 201 CMR 17:00, a regulation setting standards for the protection of personal information of Massachusetts residents. The Division of Insurance reminds all of its licensees about their obligations under this regulation and the March 1, 2010 deadline for full compliance.

Any person that receives, stores, maintains, processes or otherwise has access to personal information acquired in connection with employment or with the provision of goods or services to a Massachusetts resident has a duty to protect that information. A “person,” for purposes of the regulation, may be an individual, corporation, association, partnership or other legal entity. Personal information includes a surname, together with a first name or initial, in combination with one or more of the following three data elements pertaining to that person: Social Security Number; driver’s license or state-issued identification card number; or financial account or credit or debit card number, with or without any other data element, such as a code, password, or PIN, that would permit access to the person’s financial account.
The duty includes the requirement that the person develops and maintain a comprehensive written information security program (“WISP”) to safeguard such information. If the person electronically stores or transmits personal information, the WISP must include a security system covering the person’s computers and any portable and/or wireless devices. Safeguards should be appropriate to the size, scope and type of the person’s business, to the person’s available resources, to the amount of stored data and to the need for security and confidentiality of consumer and employee information. They must be consistent with safeguards for the protection of personal information, and information of a similar character, that are set out in any state or federal regulations that apply to the person.
A WISP must provide administrative, technical and physical safeguards for personal information under 201 CMR 17.00. It must address a wide range of matters that include, but are not limited to:

• Designation of the individuals who will oversee and maintain the WISP;
• Analysis of the reasonably foreseeable risks to the security, confidentiality and integrity of records, in any form, that contain personal information, of the effectiveness of any current safeguards for limiting those risks, and of the need to develop improved safeguards;
• Policies and procedures relating to employee training on the importance of the WISP, its specific requirements, the consequences of failure to comply with those requirements, and prevention of access by former employees
• For paper records, provisions for secure storage of materials containing personal information, including restrictions on physical access to such records and, for electronic records, control measures that restrict access and include secure user authentication protocols;
• Encryption of personal information that is stored on computers, laptops or other portable devices or is transmitted across public networks or transmitted wirelessly;
• Provisions to ensure that any electronic records system that is connected to the internet includes firewall protection and operating system security patches, that security software includes malware protections and virus definitions, and that all these programs are reasonably current as of March 1, 2010 and will be updated on a regular basis thereafter;
• Oversight of third-party service providers who have access to personal information, including a process to select and retain service providers that are able to maintain appropriate security measures consistent with 201 CMR 17.00;
• Regular monitoring to ensure that the WISP operates effectively to protect both paper and electronic records, to detect any unauthorized use of or access to personal information, and to identify any areas where upgraded safeguards are needed;
• Review of the WISP’s scope at least annually, and whenever there is a material change in business practices that may reasonably implicate the protection of personal information; and
• Documentation of responses to any breach of security and of any actions taken thereafter to change practices relating to the protection of personal information.

More information came be found in these PDF's:

http://www.mass.gov/Eoca/docs/idtheft/201CMR1700reg.pdf

http://www.mass.gov/Eoca/docs/idtheft/201CMR17faqs.pdf

Are you a WINNER or a LOSER?

A list of 31 characteristics are listed for winners and losers. Below are the top 12. The gift here is that you can move things from one side to another.

For the complete list, click here: http://www.healthmoneysuccess.com/1795/33-differences-between-winners-and-losers/