PSPINC Official Company Blog

The Benefits of Authenticator Apps

Nov

29

For many online accounts, users can add an extra layer of security with two-factor authentication via authenticator apps. To do this, authenticator apps generate a six to eight-digit code every 30 seconds, which users will enter whenever they log into their accounts. According to Embroker, the pandemic has only accelerated cybercrime, as it’s increased by 600%. And it hasn’t only affected individuals, but small businesses as well. Therefore, multiple-factor authentication (MFA) methods have become more popular over the past few years. And some may argue they may become a norm in the next few years.

To use an authenticator app:

Sign up and install an authenticator app on your mobile device.

Go to any of your online accounts that support two-factor authentication (2FA).

Choose the option to use an authenticator app.

Tap on Add Account in your authenticator app.

Tap on Scan QR Code in your authenticator app and scan the code the website shows you.

Your authenticator app will add your account, giving your account a name and icon.

The next time you sign into your account, you will need to open your authenticator app to enter an access code, which will only last for about 60 seconds before a new code generates.

How Authenticator Apps Work

Authenticator apps use a time-based one-time password (TOTP), a standardized method that generates a routinely changing code based on a shared secret. When setting up 2FA with an authentication app, the server of whatever online account you’re using creates a secret key made up of random numbers and letters. Then, users can save this key by either scanning a QR code or manually entering the longer code into their authenticator app. Doing this then shares the secret key between the server and the user’s phone.

When logging into their account next time, the server asks for proof of this key by prompting users with an access code. Users will then have to open their authenticator app (be it Google, Microsoft, etc.) and enter a six to eight-digit access code to log in. This code, however, isn’t the secret key. Instead, the authenticator app uses a secure-hash function to mix the secret key with the current time to produce a temporary access code. To make it even more secure, the access code is only valid for about 60 seconds, making the code that much more unique.

Why Authenticator Apps Are More Secure Than Text-Based Verification

Another way to protect your online accounts can be through a text message or SMS verification. But SMS verification ties directly to a user’s phone number and SIM card. Ultimately, this means that anyone with access to a user’s phone and/or SIM card can log in with SMS verification. A cybercriminal can attain a user’s SIM card by convincing a mobile provider to send them a SIM card with your number. Or they can intercept your text messages, also known as a “man-in-the-middle” attack.

An authenticator app makes it harder for cybercrime to occur by constantly changing access codes after about 60 seconds. So, if thieves do manage to intercept both the access code and a user’s password, they have a very limited time to use it. And while there are still ways for criminals to hack your account, having 2FA in place for online accounts is still better than not having one at all. And it’s why our password manager, Pass Wizard, gives users the option to add 2FA to their account, either through SMS or one-time password (OTP) via an authenticator app.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

The term "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

#app #authenticatorapps #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #cybersecurity #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #mobile #security #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 143 “Press Releases”

Nov

24

In business, we still consider press releases as a fundamental part of the communication cycle when marketing new product launches and events. It is, after all, a direct link to local media publications. But it’s hard to know how much it helps and if it’s worth the effort. After all, people’s attention spans have gotten smaller and press releases generally aren’t very short. Additionally, there’s so much media for people to consume, it’s hard to get through all the noise. From a journalist’s point of view, it’s a necessity. For a company, it can feel more like a throwaway tactic if it doesn’t result in increased sales, user engagement, or even web traffic.

But it’s a business standard for a reason. At the very least, it helps to establish credibility and gives companies the chance to control the narrative. For a smaller company, credibility is vital to success. If customers decide they don’t want to purchase from a larger company, they need to know they won’t regret buying from a smaller company. Seeing educational content on the company blog is a great start, but seeing press releases about the company from other sources is better. Companies are still able to control the messaging, but the fact that it comes from a different source adds to its overall credibility. So, while press releases are no longer useful in the same way they used to be, there is still a benefit to using them.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #journalism #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #presserelease #pressreleases #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness

How Personalized Marketing Can Benefit Your Business

Nov

22

With so many small businesses out there, it’s hard to convince customers to choose yours. Not only that, but you want those customers to stay with you long term. Customers want to feel special rather than just another customer. One way to do that is to personalize marketing messages to customers. Personalized marketing is when a business tailors marketing efforts based on collected customer data such as purchase history, interests, and demographic data.

According to Slideshare, 90% of customers find personalization very or somewhat appealing. And 80% of customers are more inclined to buy from companies that offer personalized experiences. Personalized marketing is, however, more than simply addressing customers by name in marketing emails. It can also include product recommendations based on purchase history, cart abandonment emails, birthday emails, and even personalized web pages or pop-ups for first-time or returning customers.

Benefits of Personalized Marketing

With so much content and advertisements out there, businesses won’t attract customers with irrelevant marketing messages. Personalized messages, however, will help retain customers and bring them back repeatedly. With personalized marketing messages, potential customers are more likely to convert into actual customers and purchase from you. It results in a better customer experience, one that may even be good enough to share online or with close friends. In turn, it simplifies the lead nurturing process, as personalizing improves the overall experience, increasing the likelihood that users will convert. And it’ll result in more customer engagement and feedback in the end.

As a business, you can also get valuable insight into your customers. By personalizing marketing efforts, you can see how customers shop, what they like, and what they don’t like. You can then use all this additional knowledge to see how effective your efforts are. More importantly, you can also improve in areas that could use an upgrade. With all this combined, it will ultimately lead to increased revenue.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #customerfeedback #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #sales #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #web #webdesign #websites

Get 50% Off Your First Year of Pass Wizard Pro!

Nov

21

The holidays are here early this year because we’re now offering 50% off your first year of Pass Wizard Pro, our secure password manager. Just use the code, PRO50, at checkout and you’ll see the price drop! When upgrading to Pass Wizard Pro, you can:

Securely store and manage as many passwords as you’d like, as opposed to just 30 with the free plan.

Generate strong passwords.

Add multi-factor authentication via SMS or an authenticator app.

Share passwords securely within a group, whether it’s family members, friends, or employees.

If you don’t already have a Pass Wizard account, sign up for free and upgrade to Pro by clicking on the banner at the top. Use the promo code, PRO50, at checkout to get 50% off your first year.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstools #cybersecurity #passwizard #passwordmanagement #passwordmanager #promo #promocode #pspinc #sale #sales #security #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #webdevelopment #website #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 142 “Social Issues”

Nov

17

Over the last decade, some companies have announced their support for or opposition to a social issue. And it’s happened much more in the past few years as there’s been more evidence of customers purchasing based on where brands stand on certain issues. But as a small business, it can be a risky move to do so. Even though there are many successful examples of brands achieving this, there are also many who have failed. If you decide to take a stance as a small business, extensive research and testing are necessary before you announce it publicly. But it’s also important to point out that even after all of that, it can still fail.

That’s why many companies, especially small businesses, opt to completely stay out of it. Sometimes, companies don’t realize just how smart customers are. If it seems like your company is just supporting or opposing something just to say something, your customers will pick up on it. And they won’t be happy about it. For any company, regardless of size, having something like this backfire on you can be catastrophic. So, sometimes it’s better to just stay out of social issues.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #brand #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #politicalissues #politics #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness #socialissues

Why Your Company Website Might Need a Redesign

Nov

15

The end goal of every company website is to drive conversions, increase website traffic, and grow sales. So, it’s important for every company, regardless of industry or niche, to update its website regularly. But your business website could also use a complete redesign every two or three years to stay up to date with everyone else. If you don’t, you risk keeping website elements that not only fail to convert users but also cause your visitors to leave before exploring the rest of what your site has to offer.

Before you go about the redesign process, consider what goals you want to achieve. Some examples include:

Being more visually aligned with your brand

Improving navigation on your site

Keeping users from bouncing off your pages so quickly

What Goes Into a Company Website Redesign?

Blue Pen Beside Black Smartphone on White Paper

When looking at your current site, what works, and what doesn’t? To better determine this, take a closer look at your target audience and your competitor sites. The content on your site should cater to your target audience and highlight what you offer. And the design should revolve around that, making sure it’s easy for your users to navigate. Looking at competitor sites will give you a better idea of industry standards. Plus, they’ll likely have a similar target audience, so their designs influencing some of your design decisions isn’t such a bad idea.

After that, it’s much easier to create a list of requirements. Some will involve the basic elements of a website like a simple navigation bar. But others will include industry-specific or even niche-specific features or add-ons. The clearer you are on your overall vision for your business site, the easier it will be to redesign. Once you have all those, you can implement those changes. But it also comes with a certain amount of risk. To help reduce the risk, try testing those new features to see what helps your site’s website traffic and what hinders it.

Outsource Your Website Redesign

Woman Wearing Red Top Holding Silver Macbook

Unless you’re like us, website development and design are probably not in your wheelhouse. Luckily, there are professionals who can easily take on the task of redesigning. People like us here at PSPINC. We specialize in helping small businesses grow online as a software design and development company. And redesigning your entire business site is a big overhaul. Outsourcing to a company like ours gives you more time to focus on other efforts in growing your business.

If you're looking to update or redesign your website, let us know! We're experts at helping small businesses grow online. And that starts with having a great website for your business.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #design #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #pspinc #redesign #smallbusiness #tech #technology #update #webdesign #webdesigner #webdevelopment #website #websitebuilder #websitedesign #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 141 “Product Development”

Nov

10

When developing products for your business, it’s important to remember your audience. Regardless of what industry you’re in, customers regard you as experts. And you wouldn’t be running a small business if you didn’t have at least some kind of expertise. The product or service you create shouldn’t just serve you, but also your industry and your audience. Customers are smart, but don’t assume they know the same things you do. Because they don’t. So, don’t design your product in a way that requires them to know more than they do.

To make sure this doesn’t happen, it’s always a good idea to test your new product with someone who isn’t well-versed in your industry. As a tech company, we get our sales and marketing team to try out our new products. And it’s not only because they’re the ones who are trying to sell it. It’s also to see if there are areas where we could improve because if they don’t know how to use it, how can we expect our customers to know?

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #customerservice #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #officetips #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #sales #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #webdevelopment

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 140 “Transparency in Business”

Nov

3

For small businesses, transparency towards your customers is important. Especially if it affects a potential customer’s overall experience with the brand. For example, if one of your products is low in stock or your office reduces hours because of a holiday, it’s important to let customers know. Especially since this information could affect their overall experience with the brand. In line with that logic, being transparent with your customers also includes sharing positive news, like new product additions or sale promotions.

Being honest with your customers will help you maintain relationships between your business and your customers. And for small businesses, those relationships are crucial in establishing a great reputation for your business as well as creating loyal customers. With a solid base of loyal customers and an exceptional reputation, your business could create brand evangelists, where customers will market for you by telling people how great your company is. And if you continue to nurture those relationships, you’ll always have a constant flow of business.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #customersupport #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #officetips #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #technology

What is 3D Printing?

Nov

1

3D printing began in the early 1980s when Hideo Kodama developed a rapid prototyping system in Japan. In the simplest terms, 3D printing is the process of creating three-dimensional objects from a digital file. 3D printing starts with 3D software, which will create a printable file. Then, to prepare it for the printer, it’ll slice that file into hundreds or thousands of layers. After that, you can feed it to the printer via USB, SD, or Wi-Fi, which will print layer by layer until you get a 3D object.

In the medical field, 3D printing makes it possible to create prosthetics, devices like hearing aids, and even implants. Car manufacturers have embraced 3D printing for spare parts, jigs and fixtures, and end-use parts. And even consumer product manufacturers utilize 3D printing today. For example, 3D-printed shoes make up Adidas’s 4DFWD line. Other examples include 3D-printed jewelry, eyeglasses, instruments, and many more.

The Popularity of 3D Printing

Man Sitting on a Bench While Using a Laptop

Many have adopted 3D printing because of the advantages it gives to many industries. In most cases, it significantly reduces the overall costs, waste, and production times. While it varies, 3D printers can create something that would traditionally take a few weeks to make in a few days. It also allows people to customize objects when needed. For example, 3D printing allows patients to get prosthetics and hearing aids with tailored sizing rather than having to settle with traditional sizes. And it’ll produce less waste overall as well. For example, manufacturers create traditional glass lenses by cutting from a large block of material called a blank. Through that process, about 80% goes to waste. 3D printing significantly reduces waste as well as inventory costs.

Today, many various industries use 3D printing, as it’s no longer only used to create prototypes quickly but expanded to rapid manufacturing as well. And it continues to grow in popularity as Acumen Research and Consulting projects the global 3D printing market to reach $41 billion by 2026. As the trend continues, it will change the way production and manufacturing work. It will require fewer personnel, drive product customization, and produce less waste. 3D printing adoption on an even wider scale could even have the potential to shift mass production closer to home instead of relying on imports. But we'll have to wait to see how 3D printing will further affect mass production.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#3dprinting #adidas #benefits #blog #business #eyeglasses #hearingaid #manufacturing #marketing #massproduction #popularity #production #prosthetics #prototyping #shoes #smallbusiness #sustainability #tech #technology #trend #waste

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 139 “Putting Customers First”

Oct

27

If you’re struggling to sell products or services for your business, think about your customers. After all, they’re the ones who will be purchasing and using them. How can customers use your product or service, and what benefit are they gaining from it? While you may have some initial ideas, look into other possible uses. There are plenty of products that were originally created with a specific purpose, but customers found a completely different use than it was intended for.

But it’s important to keep your customers at the top of your mind. For them, it’s about if it’s worth the money they’re going to spend on it. Determine what value your product has and how you can better serve your customers. Get feedback from them to see what they like and what they don’t like about your products. And look into improving them to better serve them.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #customerservice #customersupport #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #tech #technology

PSPINC Official Company Blog

freespace

The Benefits of Authenticator Apps

How Authenticator Apps Work

Why Authenticator Apps Are More Secure Than Text-Based Verification

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 143 “Press Releases”

How Personalized Marketing Can Benefit Your Business

Benefits of Personalized Marketing

Get 50% Off Your First Year of Pass Wizard Pro!

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 142 “Social Issues”

Why Your Company Website Might Need a Redesign

What Goes Into a Company Website Redesign?

Outsource Your Website Redesign

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 141 “Product Development”

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 140 “Transparency in Business”

What is 3D Printing?

The Popularity of 3D Printing

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 139 “Putting Customers First”

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