Why Cyber Security Might be the Right Career for You Cyber security plays a role in almost everything you perform online right from shopping and sending emails to banking. Cyber threats cover a wide range of malicious activities that can occur through cyber space. Such threats include website defacement, espionage, theft of intellectual property, denial of service attacks and destructive malware. Cyber Crime related advisory services It has become a major concern over the past few years as hackers have infiltrated the IT infrastructure and governments and enterprises with increasing frequency and cleverness. The growth of mobile and loT devices will increase exposure of a cyber security hack and enterprises and governments are preparing themselves. Become a Cyber Security Specialist, Learn How to Stop Hackers, Prevent Hacking, Learn IT Security & INFOSEC The costs associated with these data breaches continue to rise and the companies and countries are forced to invest more in cyber security to ward off increasing threats. Have you thought of becoming a cyber security professional to get a strong foot hold in this fast growing industry? With openings for analysts, developers, programmers and more, there are innumerable opportunities. Check out the following attributes generally related with these careers to find out if you are cut for a job in cyber security. You are a gadget addict You like to solve problems like Sudoku You are not overwhelmed by complex situations You enjoy saving the day You have a wild imagination You are a good listener Multi-tasking is your natural ability You are a team player Staying ahead of the learning curve is where you want to be You pay attention to even minute details If any of the traits sound more like you, cyber security could be the specialty you’re seeking. The skills are indeed crucial, but who you are as a person, what you enjoy doing and how you handle certain situations contribute to building a successful career. The company SolarWinds compiled this list of tips together to make it much harder for companies to be compromised.   Cyber Security Skills Gap Increase in demand: The demand for cyber security professionals has grown more than 3.5 times faster than the demand for other I.T jobs over the past five years. The filed of cyber security has increased more than 12 times faster than the demand for all other NON I.T jobs. There was an estimated need for over 3,30,000 new I.T security professionals worldwide over the past year. There was 73%  increase in information security job postings in the past five years in the U.S compared to the average of 6% increase for all jobs. 88% of organizations say qualified security staff is important. 56% feel they have too few information security workers to manage threats right now. Let alone an increase of threats in future. 35% say they would hire additional security professionals but find it hard to get qualified people Only 15% of I.T and business leaders are very confident that they have the security related skill sets needed to combat evolving threats. Over 60% believe the growing scope and complexity of I.T security can make comprehensive security very difficult in the near future....

International Business Travel Tips “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard Whether this is your first time to travel or you’ve traveled for more times than you can count, relax. Business trips can be fun. Of course, you have meetings to attend, business to take care of and employees to follow up with. Work does not mean you cannot see new places and meet new people. If you’re visiting a new city, you should take time to walk around and have fun. Here are the things you need to do to make your trip relaxing. International travel for business can be a very exciting opportunity. You not only get to see new and interesting parts of the world, but you even get paid while doing it. In order to have the best experience possible, there are things you can do in advance to prepare. Here are some invaluable tips to help execute the perfect international business trip. Explore Airbnb  One experience that might be frustrating to many foreign travellers is a procedure called Immigration Check. It is always better to be at the airport atleast three hours ahead of time to complete this gruelling procedure so that you can relax in the lounge. Otherwise you will be made to stand in the long queues testing your patience. Create an Organized itinerary: Plan Your Trip Make sure that your days are packed with opportunities to help your company. Scheduling time for appointments, meetings, and personal time is very important to executing a beneficial international business trip. An itinerary should be a good guide for your trip’s goals and achievements. Because you do not want to waste any time on this trip, it’s better to plan in advance to take full advantage of the opportunity. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” –Martin Buber The words sound like a no brainer but seriously plan your trip. If you want to have fun, check events, restaurants, and places you are interested to see online and how close they are to where you intend to stay. You don’t want to spend your trip worrying about missing a meeting and definitely not exploring the city’s transportation system. Take some time before you actually travel and plan exactly where you want go. For directions, you can download Tripomatic: Trip Planner. This application comes with maps needed, so download it to your phone and you’re good to good to go. Tripomatic works offline. Learn about the Culture and Customs: Before landing in said country, it’s important to understand the environment, culture and practices of this region. Knowing up-to-date news and information about your international travel destinations will help you avoid inappropriate comments or disrespectful behavior. Not only is it important to understand the culture, but it is also beneficial to know protocols, customs and etiquette as well. This includes things like: common greetings, religious practices, business manners, dietary practices, and acceptable humor. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener Learn the Native Tongue: While not every business trip requires learning a whole new language, it’s always advisable to seek out some basic vocabulary for the region you are visiting. The use of a translator might be beneficial as well. Communication is a huge part of business and breaking down those barriers will only help you with your business endeavors. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have...

What is Brand Identity? Definitions Business Dictionary: The visible elements of a brand (such as colors, design, logotype, name, symbol) that together identify and distinguish the brand in the consumers’ mind. Investopedia: How a business wants a brand’s name, communication style, logo and other visual elements to be perceived by consumers. Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism Model: The brand identity prism by Kapferer describes the brand through six different facets. The identity of a brand describes what makes it stand out and special, as well as the attractiveness of the brand. By the brand’s physique the physical appearance is meant. This includes a prototype of the brand: the product that represents the brand’s qualities.The brand personality connects the brand with human characteristics to differentiate. It is the way a brand speaks to its customers.Every brand tries to build a relationship with its customers. This relationship is more obvious for service brands, but product brands like Porsche and Morgan build relationships with their clients The question here is what role does the brand occupy in the relationship. It could be being a friend or being dominant.The culture of the company is reflected by the values the brand is communicating. Values can be linked for example to the origin of the company and their heritage.The reflection of a brand can be seen as the typical user of the product it is the outward mirror of the brand. It therefore often gets confused with the target market.The self-image is the way customers see themselves when using the brand and how this makes them feel. (Kapferer, 2012) Pic Courtesy: Marketing91 What are the top 3 things that make customers loyal to a brand? Quality – Quality in business, engineering and manufacturing has a pragmatic interpretation as the non-inferiority or superiority of something; it is also defined as fitness for purpose.  Quality is a perceptual, conditional, and somewhat subjective attribute and may be understood differently by different people. Customer Service – The process of ensuring customer satisfaction with a product or service. Often, customer service takes place while performing a transaction for the customer, such as making a sale or returning an item. Customer service can take the form of an in-person interaction, a phone call, self-service systems, or by other means. Price – For many consumers, price is a very important attribute. The attribute price can indeed be more important on decision making than that of quality, brand name and others. We can conclude that consumer consideration to decide product brand is mainly based on price. The main question is how consumer brand decision is effected by price fluctuations. Does consumer move to another brand as price rises? Branding Gone Bad : Pizza Hut Tries to Lose the Pizza For some bizarre reason, Pizza Hut made an attempt to rebrand in 2009 by calling themselves “The Hut.” As a result, the fast food chain received a significant amount of ridicule from the public, and had to revert back to the original name. Although the company may deny rumors regarding the name change, photographic evidence of the redesigned logo are still circulating online. When British Airways Removed the Union Jack In 1997, British Airways executive Bob Ayling stated, “Perhaps we need to lose some of our old-fashioned Britishness and take on board some of the new British traits.” The company then embarked on a project that saw the Union Jack tail fin flag being replaced with other designs. After receiving numerous complaints from customers, this decision was reversed in 2001 when Ayling was replaced by Rod Eddington, and the Union Jack was once again painted on the fleet’s tail fins. Source: Six Examples of Branding Gone Wrong How Important is Brand...

Sole Proprietorship – Features and Advantages Sole Proprietorship is a business owned and controlled by only one person. The proprietor who sows, reaps and harvests the output of his labor owns all the assets in his firm. This form of business organization is one of the most popular forms in India and the reason being the advantages it offers. Here, business can be started simply after obtaining necessary manufacturing license and permit. Setting up Process: Setting up a sole proprietorship entity is trouble-free as compared to other form of companies. Unlike Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) or any other private or public companies; in sole proprietorship you do not need to file an application to ROC- Registrar of Companies. You need to choose a name for your business, open a bank account and take license for varied services including Service Tax, VAT, IEC, Shops & Establishment license, PAN, Importer Exporter Code, ESI, Professional Tax, Central Excise Duty, CST Registration, Employee Provident Fund Registration etc. After acquiring the respective licenses one can commence with his her sole proprietorship firm in India. Some important licenses you may need for starting a sole proprietorship firm in India: PAN CARD Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number, issued in the form of a laminated card, by the Income Tax Department. It is mandatory to quote PAN on return of income, all correspondence with any income tax authority. A typical PAN is AABPS1205E. A complete overview of pancard  can be seen at – http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/pan/overview.asp New PAN CARD application – https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/pan/ TAN CARD Tax Deduction Account Number (TAN) is an alphanumeric number issued to individuals who are required to deduct tax on payments made by them under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961. The Tax Deducted at Source on payments made by assessees has to be deposited under the following number to enable the assessees who have received the payments to claim the tax deducted in their income tax return. So TAN is the abbreviation for Tax deduction and collection Account Number. Application for tan card – https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/tan/ SERVICE TAX REGISTRATION Service tax has to be paid to the Government of India by the service provider who collects the same form his customers. As on 1st May, 2006,   95 services are identified as taxable services in India.  Section 64 of the Finance Act, 1994, extends the levy of service tax to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The current rate is 12.36 % on the gross value of the service. Service tax can be paid online – https://www.aces.gov.in/ VAT AND CST VAT (Value Added Tax) is a form of indirect tax imposed only on goods sold within a particular state, which essentially means that the buyer and the seller exist in the same state. Only when tangible goods and products are sold, VAT can be imposed. VAT (Value Added Tax) is governed by respective state Acts. Every state has a separate and distinct VAT act reserved for their state. CST (Central Sales Tax) is a form of indirect tax imposed only on goods sold from one state to another state, which particularly takes into account that the buyer and the seller exist in two different states. CST (Central Sales Tax) is governed by Central Sales Tax Act, 1956. This tax is governed by a single central act, though the chargeability is state specific. Registration for VAT AND CST IN Tamil Nadu – http://www.tnvat.gov.in/English/NewDealerRegist.aspx THE BUSINESS VIABILITY CHECKLIST FOR ENTREPRENEURS IMPORT EXPORT CODE: DGFT – Directorate General of Foreign Trade runs various schemes for trade promotion and facilitation. Using this facility you may file, prepare and track online application in...

Some business firms with a modest and humble beginning make it to the top in a very short span of time. How do you think this is possible? They have a clear strategic vision that guarantees success. Success does not come that easy. You have to have real focus backed up by solid strategies for such resounding success. A strategy is a comprehensive plan of action that sets critical direction and guides the allocation of resources to achieve long-term organizational objectives. Some people formulate strategies and follow suit, some flow along with the stream of situations and react accordingly, rather than merely plotting strategies. Mere strategizing is not enough, you have to look into the actual situation and how it would affect your operations. Learn Sales Hacking Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything! Let us have a clear understanding on the reasons for formulating a strategy Business has gone global for many reasons, including reactive ones like, international competition, customer demands and trade barriers, and proactive ones like seeking economies of scale, new international markets, resource access and cost savings. After the liberalization, globalization and privatization processes activated in full swing, many firms have come to the limelight in the international market scenario, which has provided them with a solid head start. Companies have to respond to both changes in the external environment and emerging opportunities. An opportunity not well utilized is an opportunity lost. Rational planning is called for to meet international expansion through workable strategies. International corporate strategy is purely based on the intentions of your firm, the objectives that stem out from your vision and can be materialized by scanning the environment for threats and opportunities, assessing the internal strengths and weaknesses of the firm, considering alternative international entry strategies and firming up on the workable ones. List down the answers to the following questions and you may arrive at a reasonable conclusion on your company’s market standing.  Strengths  What are your advantages?What is the activity that you specialize in?What is your uniqueness that differentiates you from your competitors? Your own viewpoint and that of the people you deal with is necessary. It is important to be honest and realistic. This exercise helps you and your team to understand the mission and purpose.  Weaknesses  What is done badly?What could be done better?What should be avoided?What causes problems or complaints? To identify the unpleasant truths as quick as possible is the notion of this exercise. Ascertain Your Priorities After ascertaining the priorities, the strategic management process is carried out with well laid plans, executed by professional strategists followed by implementation of control and evaluation procedures. Any corporate firms go for strategic alliances, that may include, acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, cartel agreements and so on to survive in the international market as well as to exploit the opportunities available in the global market with the available potential resources put to optimal...