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IT Business Risk Management
Don't stop fortifying against risk.  Four ways to mitigate risk in a tough economy
reprinted with permission from HP

Every business deals with risk. But medium-sized businesses, with smaller IT staff and tighter operating budgets are often more exposed to risk than larger companies. This reality is never more evident than in a down economy: When the repercussions of a business disruption are as grave as they are, how do you insulate your business from risk?

"For mid-sized businesses, the financial impact of business disruptions is tremendous," said Anil Miglani, senior vice president, AMI-Partners. "We estimate that through security breaches and data loss alone, medium-sized businesses worldwide lost approximately US$4.7 billion in 2008."

According to strategy consulting firm AMI-Partners, in 2008 medium-sized businesses worldwide lost approximately US$4.7 billion due to security breaches and loss of data.

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Your Business Really Blew It: What Now?
by Jeff Wuorio
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

We all make mistakes. It's the damage that really counts.

Not long ago, Twin Partners, a Rochester, N.Y., advertising agency, signed on a media behemoth as a client. During the agency's first media buy for the project, it switched to a less-expensive freelancer. And the results showed.

"She didn't use the proper software. When we showed our work, we were told that it was not representative of what we said we would do," recalls agency owner John Galbraith.

The giant fled, taking nearly a quarter million dollars in revenue. But Twin Partners has rebounded from the experience, in large part from lessons learned from the gaffe that cost it the job.

I was just sickened, but we learned from then on to take the high road," Galbraith says. "We've done well because we learned not to cut corners."

Businesses of all sizes and types are subject to devastating missteps. So what do you do about it?

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Avoid Virtualization Pitfalls
Five best practices for getting started with virtualization
reprinted with permission from HP

To save money on equipment and time on system maintenance, more and more businesses are deploying virtual servers. Reduced overhead and simplified management can free up resources that can be applied toward innovation and other valuable projects that sharpen the business' competitive edge.

But virtualization does have its pitfalls. Creating new virtual servers haphazardly can easily lead to out-of-control server sprawl. Stacking too many applications on one host can leave them competing for resources. And managing your virtual resources among your physical machines can get complicated, especially for IT staff accustomed to managing only one application per physical server.

Realizing the benefits of virtualization hinges on good planning, properly balancing your resources and employing the right skills and experience. Here are a few tips to help you avoid some of the more common challenges of virtualization.

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