Cable companies that have affiliated themselves with large apartment complexes have definitely reaped rewards over the years. For years apartment complexes have signed on with a single provider which was quite lucrative for the cable company, but rather limiting for the residents of the apartments. The apartments were supposed to negotiate bulk rates with the provider, but this was not always the case. Now, the FCC might do away with cable monopolies, at least in regard to apartment complexes.

The Value of Competition
There is no doubt that a freely competing market offers a great deal of savings to consumers. When all residents of a particular apartment complex are forced to purchase services from a single provider, the value of a free market is completely missing. The FCC views this as a monopoly and has held hearings to nullify any contracts between apartment complexes and cable companies.

This is a blow to the cable company in question, but is a boon to the many other companies offering services who have previously been excluded. (more…)

You work hard to create it, and you work hard to make it a success. But are you working hard enough to protect your business from the bad guys out there online? The answer might be that yes, you are doing everything you can. But then you must wonder about your employees. Are they doing everything they can to protect your business?

A recent discussion with a leading industry analyst along with a survey administered by Microsoft made it obvious that many of the security features you have in place on your site are simply forcing your employees to find other ways to share the very same information you are trying to protect.

Your employees aren’t a bad bunch, and they aren’t breaking any laws. But if your firewall is so strong it makes it hard to work with a colleague on a project, most employees simply find another way than the standard route to share knowledge. While you might appreciate the ingenuity of your employees, sharing data in unconventional ways does open the door rather widely to security breaks and high levels of risk.

Your Business at Risk
Web-based emails and chat platforms have become main stains for companies. But despite their heavy use, most feel the online platforms aren’t secure. This doesn’t prevent their continued use, however. The safety issue is simply something that must be dealt with, at least until a better solution can be found.

More then three fourths of major decision-makers use at least one public web tool to communicate with partners. These individuals include IT managers, chief intelligence officers and supply chain managers - the very people who are often responsible for setting up communications and security measures throughout the company. (more…)