* IIA presents 'Winning International Business on the Web' *

An IIA event sponsored by Enterprise Ireland aims to help attendees maximise the potential of their websites when targeting international business. The morning session on 18 November will explain how to develop effective international sales strategies, with tips from experienced business leaders. The event takes place at the Radisson Hotel, Dublin 8. For more details visit IIA.ie.

Cross-border shopping hampered by retailers

Some 60 percent of EU cross-border internet shopping orders are refused, according to a new study. "Already 150 million EU citizens... shop over the internet. But today, despite the opportunity granted by technology to trade across borders, online markets remain largely fragmented along national lines," said EU consumer commissioner Meglena Kuneva. "Only 7 percent of people shop online cross-border and, although 50 percent of European retailers are online, only 21 percent sell in other member states." The study found that the main reasons cross-border transactions fail is that the trader does not ship the product to other countries or does not offer adequate means for cross-border payment. Kuneva said that sales of computing and electronic equipment are prevented in eight out of ten attempts. For more on this story visit V3.co.uk.

Social networks facilitate identity theft

People who post apparently innocuous information on social networking sites could leave themselves open to identity theft, according to a computer security expert. Speaking at a conference in London, People Security's chief security strategist Hugh Thompson said that while posting on social networks has grown, "there hasn't been a commensurate education about what information we should be sharing". He said this information seems harmless but can help an attacker build up a detailed picture about a potential target, whether an individual or a company. At the same event, software firm CA presented a survey of European organisations which showed widespread bad practice in managing the access of privileged users to IT systems. A privileged user is someone who has high levels of access rights to critical systems. Read more on this story on IrishTimes.com.

Email most common method of data breach

Email is the most common method used by staff to steal information from corporations, according to Irish IT security firm Espion. Research by the company found that hard copy printouts are the second most popular method used. Mobile devices, such as USB memory sticks and data CDs, are not as commonly used, accounting for less than 10 percent of the cases where data has been stolen from an organisation. "As companies take steps to safeguard systems and data from external attacks, they need to turn their attention to the threat that exists from within the company," said Colm Murphy, technical director with Espion. "Insider data theft often goes unnoticed as the perpetrator has all of the required permissions for accessing data. No alarms are triggered and the crime can be committed virtually undetected." For more, visit Espion.ie.

Communication tools to become more integrated

Unified communication and collaboration tools will merge in the future, according to research house Gartner. Business users will communicate with a unified toolset that integrates instant messaging, social networking, conferencing and email within the next four years, the company predicts. This integration will allow organisations to simplify an increasingly broad range of communications and collaboration options, and improve customer interaction. "Business end users typically treat the unified communication and collaboration components - voice, messaging, conferencing, IM, presence, applications, clients, social networks and collaboration tools - in silos," said Jeff Mann, Gartner research vice president. "The artificial separation they are used to will become a thing of the past." For more on this story see V3.co.uk. (For more on unified communications see Issue 246.)

Here are some of the issues our forum members have been discussing in the last fortnight:

• Royalty-free pictures view thread
• Managing a Twitter account view thread
• Advertising software view thread

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Business communication tools: Smartphones

Online marketing case study: Tekpak Automation

Malvertisements

'Malvertisement' is short for 'malicious advertisement' - an online ad that attempts to dupe unsuspecting web surfers into downloading malware. Malvertisements often take the form of pop-up windows that display fake messages claiming the user's PC has been infected by a virus, and invite the user to purchase antivirus software, with the intention of gleaning personal details. Malvertisements have recently begun appearing on mainstream, legitimate websites, including the New York Times. In recent weeks Microsoft filed five lawsuits against alleged purveyors of malvertisements in the US.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin 2, November 4-6
This conference, organised by business software maker Vordel, focuses on cloud computing and SOA governance. The line-up of speakers includes senior executives from Amazon, Three, BT, Burton Group, Oracle, CA, US Dept of Justice, Bank of America and Pfizer. Their presentations will combine how-to case studies with strategic advice sessions.

WordPress is a free, open source blogging tool that is hugely popular among web owners, but a recent increase in hacking attacks means security is now paramount for any business using this software. The WordPress Exploit Scanner is a handy plug-in that searches all the files on your WordPress website, as well as posts and comments, for any suspicious code. It also examines the list of active plug-ins and alerts you to any unusual filenames. You can then go about removing the malicious code from your site.