There’s Never Too Much
Dear subscriber,
You can never know too much about security. In this issue, we offer information and advice on managing and budgeting for your security needs.
As our lead story points out, you need to focus on protecting what’s most critical to your company’s revenue, reputation, or regulatory compliance concerns. Invest wisely, based on the potential loss or damage that could be incurred.
We also take a look at the capabilities of Forefront Client Security, as well as what you can expect next from Microsoft in terms of integrated security capabilities. Plus, we take you inside Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007, a new solution to increasing automation and reducing IT complexity.
Sincerely,
Lane Sorgen
Vice President, Central Region
Small and Mid-Market Solutions
Microsoft
|  | | Featured articles |  | |  | | Are you spending too much? | | It’s easy to get confused looking at the myriad of security solutions on the market. Don’t worry about thwarting every possible risk, experts say. Instead, focus on the information you most need to protect. |
| | | How to budget for security | | Estimating your security costs can seem like budgeting for your kids’ college tuition: No matter what you set aside, it’s never enough. Here’s how to plan more precisely. |
| | | A simpler security architecture | | Most companies add security systems piecemeal whenever new threats arise. The result is a complicated security architecture that’s difficult to manage and potentially leaky. |
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| | Technology at work | | |  | | The next step in client security | | Forefront Client Security, the latest addition to the Microsoft Forefront family, delivers unified protection from viruses, spyware, and other threats. |
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| | | |  | | When should you hire your first CIO? | | An IT manager can only take a midsize business so far. Though there are no set rules for determining when the time has come for your first full-fledged CIO, here are some classic indicators. |
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| | | Spotlight |  | | Don’t call it a bean bag 
By Sandra Gittlen
Entrepreneur Shawn Nelson got his start figuring out how to make watching TV more comfortable. So it’s only fitting that his LoveSac oversized foam-filled chairs are now featured in popular TV programs. This year, the LoveSac, a darling of the celebrity and college sets alike, will serve as a backdrop on the next installment of MTV’s uber-popular “Real World” series.
In 1995, the then 18-year-old wanted a comfortable alternative to his family sofa. So he stitched together more than a dozen yards of vinyl and began stuffing it with everything he could find. Three weeks later, he had created what he dubbed the “LoveSac.”
Nelson received so many compliments on his 7-foot, “don’t call it a beanbag” chair, which he even toted to the drive-in, that he started taking orders. Within a short time, Limited Too Inc., rang and ordered 12,000 foam-filled LoveSacs. “We didn’t even have a manufacturing plant yet,” says Jim Struttman, supply chain director at LoveSac, which uses Microsoft Dynamics to link operations for LoveSac’s 18 stores, e-commerce site, and wholesaling business. (See “Stormy economic forecasts test retailers” in this issue to learn how LoveSac uses Microsoft RMS to balance its inventory.)
To attract his target audience, Nelson makes sure that not only his furniture but also he himself are seen as trendsetters. He takes advantage of the Web 2.0 generation’s communication mode of choice, blogging, loves extreme sports like wakeboarding, and makes sure to get out in front of his audience in a major way.
For instance, in 2005, Nelson competed in Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson’s reality TV show “Rebel Billionaire” and won the grand prize of leading the Virgin Worldwide empire for three months. In early September, fans in New York City will get a taste of the LoveSac allure when the company sends an RV around town featuring rap stars
Editor’s Note: Do you have an interesting idea or anecdote for our Watercooler and/or our Spotlight piece? We’re soliciting ideas for stories that are interesting, unusual, or humorous. If you have a story you think should be told or want to see your company’s name in print, send us a note at mailto:mo-info@microsoft.com.
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