The worst of the recession looks to be over and companies are starting to hire again.  Great news.  So if you are in the market to find a new job or career – then where do you look?  The same is true if you are just coming out of college and are looking for employment that might not be in your main field of study.   Since I have spent the last 20 years in tech, I may be biased, however I recommend technology.

The demand for tech is continuing to grow with many tech jobs remaining in demand during even the bottom of the recession.    AND…technology jobs are going to be one of the first to return…I have already seen this to be true with IT job demand since the January 1!

So if you aren’t a techie, but want to be…or at least think about it…what positions are the most in demand?

Well, the folks at Network world did some research and came up with the following listing…I am only going to directly discuss the first two and add one that is not on the list.  The entire list can be found at www.networkworld.com.

First on the list is Security specialist/ethical hacker.   Most websites are Swiss cheese and hackers are having a fun time hacking in to everything they can.  There are even websites that list sites that are vulnerable and how to break in.   Want to be surprised…go to YouTube.com and search on “hacking how to” videos…there are plenty of them.  This is going to be a major field, so get in now, with the Wash/Balt region becoming the epicenter for IT security for the world – you can’t go wrong.

Next on the list is Virtual Systems Manager.  If you aren’t familiar with the concepts of Software as a Service (Saas) and Cloud technologies, take a few minutes and read up on these topics.  Predictions are that more than 50% of all software will be purchased using a Saas model – meaning that you will pay as you go.    Cloud technology and virtualization allow for companies to significantly reduce their risk and costs by using technology computing resources that are “in the cloud”..you no longer need to know where your servers are…let someone else worry about it and cut your costs by 50%.  Amazing.

Other positions on the list include Capacity Manager, Network Engineer, Open Source Specialist, Service Assurance Manager, Electronic Health Records Manager, Sourcing Specialist, Service Catalog Manager and Business Process Engineer.  All good jobs and worthy of some research should you be interested in choosing a new career.

Also give some thought to a Social Media Analyst.  These folks are very much in demand as everyone works to grapple with the best way to utilize Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare to create and maintain communities of friends, clients, customers, prospects, vendors…Being able to do a little HTML will dramatically raise your price tag for this position.

So the good news is that companies are starting to hire and tech positions are one of the first to gain momentum.    Do some research and jump in…a bright future awaits.  If you want more information on what the Baltimore business community is looking for in IT positions, feel free to visit www.g1440.com and check our list of positions that businesses are looking for.

Starting this week, speed cameras will be in effect in Baltimore City and Montgomery County. These locations are joining a growing list of jurisdictions across the country that are using speed and red light cameras to control what happens on the roadway when police officers cannot be around. The State Highway Administration is reported to be putting cameras in to operation as well.

Drivers are looking for control too…they want to know where these cameras are before they head out to a meeting or get together with friends…luckily, there are websites that will help you stay out of trouble.

There is a debate going on about these cameras that is hotly contested…on one side, you have the folks that say that the government is overstepping its bounds and on the other side, you have the folks that say…”if you aren’t speeding, then you have nothing to worry about”. I tend to be a pragmatist and the bottom line is that the cameras are coming for many, many reasons, so we all should just deal with it. Baltimore City has $7,100,000 reasons why…as that is the amount of revenue they expect to collect in the first year…that works out to roughly, $140,000 per each of the 51 cameras and that is just in the first year.

Tickets will be $40 and will not include points as the cameras cannot tell who is driving. Many of the cameras will be set up around school zones, where speeding is definitely not a good idea. And the cameras are reported to be effective at getting people to slow down. A 2007 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the number of vehicles going 10 mph or more over the speed limit in active camera zones decreased by 70 percent. Interestingly enough, just the signs (without the cameras) reduce speeding by 40%.

So where can you go to find out where the cameras are? There are quite a few sites out there – here are just a few:

http://www.photoenforced.com/

http://speedcamerapoi.com/

http://www.redlightcameradetectors.com/Patriot-Camera-Database_ep_66.html

These sites provide easy look up for where cameras are and find them based on type (speeding, red light), state, city and/or street name.  They also sell downloads for GPS units and maps of where the cameras are.

I know that no one reading this article would ever actually speed, so check these sites out just for fun.

Each time we sit down at our computers, many of us are working with a Microsoft program called the Windows operating system.  It is no secret that Google and Microsoft aren’t exactly good friends as companies go.  Well, last week, Google has announced that they are developing their own operating system and that it will be free.  This move hits Microsoft in the gut and hard. Ouch.

Microsoft is reported to hold 90% of the market and sells about 400 million copies of its operating system each year for around $45 a pop.  Did I mention that Google will give theirs away?  When we buy a new computer that is made by Dell or HP or many others, it comes with the Windows operating system.  Now, Google is meeting with computer manufacturers regarding offering their operating system in addition to or instead.

Google is targeting a release of their system in the second half of 2010 and will initially focus on an offering for Netbooks.  A Netbook is a small computer that is built to work with the internet specifically and these little pint sized computers don’t have many of the additional offerings (e.g., DVD player) you would find in a typical laptop.  Netbooks are very popular these days and carry a very small price tag.

Why is Google taking on Microsoft again? Well, Google thinks that they can build a better mousetrap.  They believe that their new operating system will be faster, easier to use and have fewer lines of code.  Google’s goal is to offer a simple operating system that is not weighed down with all the issues that continue to plaque Microsoft regarding performance and security.  Google is starting with a blank sheet of paper and Microsoft has to deal with legacy code that was written in the past.

Converting most people away from Microsoft will be a daunting challenge as people tend to resist change, and especially so when it involves something that they don’t truly understand like the inner workings of their computer.  Most people just want it to work, so Google will face the challenge of getting people to care enough to want to change.  Some folks will switch immediately, however getting the majority of the market to move will be difficult.

In case you have missed it, Google and Microsoft have been battling for years.  Prior to this latest salvo from Google, Microsoft released a new search engine called Bing in an effort to take market share from Google.  Google, which by the way is the most visited website in the world, released Chrome last year as a replacement for Internet Explorer.

For those Mac-o-philes that are reading this, I am sure you are wondering what happens to Apple in all of this?   Well, analysts see Apple getting hurt by Google as well.  A Google Netbook could be sold for as little as $300 and this will hurt Apple’s entry level machine that is priced around $999.

Regardless of what happens, this should be good for the consumer as all three companies… Google,  Microsoft and Apple are going to need to up their game a little as consumers get more choices on what to buy.

When it comes to staffing, G.1440’s leading the way in Baltimore!

The Baltimore Business Journal just published their list of the Largest Professional Search Firms in the Baltimore Area, and guess who made the cut?  That’s right!  G.1440 was the top firm focused exclusively on IT Staffing!  Overall, G.1440 came in at 17 this year – and when you rank them by average salary, G.1440 jumps to number 5.

The Baltimore Sun’s Tech blog was just a twitter with the buzz of G.1440’s growth in Tech Staffing & Recruiting.

From our perspective, more and more companies are realizing that they can’t afford to waste time and money on a lengthy hiring process, and they certainly can’t afford the costs of hiring someone to find out that they’re not as good as they seemed.  G.1440’s staffing services go the extra mile to help companies cut through the clutter and get to work.

It’s nice to be recognized for excelling.  It’s nicer to be recognized when we help our clients excel.

Surfing the internet is a part of our everyday life…..we turn to the “net” to get everything from information on our competitors to making dinner reservations……however, surfing has a new threat that you need to be aware of…..hackers are always looking for ways to wreak havoc on your computer and now they’ve found another strategy…..it’s called scareware and the things it could do to your computer should scare you.

Hackers are creating booby traps on the internet to infect your computer and then sell you bogus software to supposedly fix the infection. You will be stuck in a never ending series of pop-ups until you eventually click and buy the software they want you to buy. The software they sell you will not fix the problem, so you end up spending $40 to $80 dollars and end up with an infected pc. In many cases, clicking and buying just makes the pop-ups increase.

By late last year, more than 9,200 different types of scareware programs were circulating on the Internet, up from 2,800 at midyear, according to The Anti-Phishing Working Group.

You can pick up some scareware in many locations……on YouTube the bad guys are signing up and posting comments on videos with enticing links. You watch a video you like, click on the link to another video and bam….you have a bad case of scareware.

In a variation, the bad guys create Twitter accounts and begin broadcasting tweets with enticing links and when you click on the link, you get the same result.

To set a trap in search engines, the hackers post web pages that are optimized with popular key words. This is caused by websites that don’t do a good job of keeping their www sites safe. 91% of websites have vulnerabilities that can be exploited and only 1% have a prevention plan.

Last but not least, hackers buy ad space on popular websites. Generally, they will use an intermediary such as an agency. They mix booby trapped ads with clean ads.

Many of these schemes are originating overseas, however some start right here in the US. In 2008, Microsoft and Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna filed civil lawsuits against Branch Software and Alpha Red, both US companies, charging that they were marketing scareware.
The top-level suppliers, however, continue to operate with impunity, mainly based in Russia. And new affiliates crop up every day, full of fresh ideas to spread increasingly invasive promotions…

So what can you do? AVG’s free LinkScanner tool will help to prevent you from clicking on malicious Web links. AVG has a quality product and it is free.

What should businesses do? They need their www sites to be scanned to find the traps that have been set. Visit G.1440 to learn more about how to protect your business.

For a short while, we’ve been featuring guest bloggers on the Tech Blender.  Some local people plugged into technology in one way or another who were willing to share their insights and thoughts with the rest of us.

The response has been great, and we couldn’t be more pleased with contributions from programmers like Tim Kulp, and eBusiness pro’s like Steve Kruskamp and Laleh Malek.

Since the beginning we’ve said that “The G.1440 Tech Blender is your source for sage advice, brilliant insights and delight — delivered by the Baltimore/Washington region’s leading professionals”… and we mean it!  We’re proud to be a source where leaders come to share thoughts and trade comments.

In fact, we’d like to see more of it! So – what do you know?  What insights can you share?  Let us know and maybe you’ll be featured on the Tech Blender next!

Do you Twitter or Tweet? This sounds funny or strange to say, but in fact, it is the latest communications craze. You can keep up with your friends, your favorite actor, your local police and even what is happening in Baltimore with just a few keystrokes.

Twitter is a micro blog….it is a simple way to communicate with as many friends as you want to stay in touch with. Signing up takes about a minute…..all you need is your name, an email address and pick a password and you are off and running…..in the 21^st century. Twitter is free….so why not try it out?

Each message has a limit of 140 characters to keep the messaging short and sweet. In fact, this is one of the reasons that Twitter is so popular….quick messages that keep you in the loop. When posting a Tweet, you are responding to the one question that Twitter asks…..”What are you doing?”

Once you start Tweeting, (I still can’t get used to saying that), then people will start to follow you……and you can sign up to follow them. By following someone, you are saying that you want to receive whatever info they post on Twitter. When someone follows you…they are signing up to receive your posts.

Something I like about Twitter is that no reply is required. You are just staying in touch and don’t need to reply to a posting. Another feature is the ability to schedule Twitter to turn off or on at a certain time.

From basketball teams to movie stars, everyone seems to be getting in groove with Twitter. For example, Demi Moore has over 380,000 people that she tweets with on a daily basis. How crazy is that?

Businesses are jumping on the bandwagon too. G.1440 uses Twitter to keep our followers up to date on technology news that we post. We make several posts per day on average…..after you sign up…check us out to get an idea of what you can do. Another great Twitter posting is the Md Daily Record. Check it out…I think you will be glad you did.

Have a great time with Twitter this week!!!

For those of you that don’t know, Mr. Kassouf (G1440’s Marketing Manager) and I not only share a passion for all things internet related, but we also share the same Alma Mater…Go Tigers! Recently, we bumped into one another at a Towson College of Business and Economics event and started discussing, Twitter. After some back and forth banter and POV’s on Twitter, Tim asked if I would guest blog on the topic. According to him, I’m “twitterific.” I’m not quite sure how to take that…

I could discuss best practices or opportunities that exist for you or your business, but as Tim put it, “there’s about a million of those out there,” and who wants to read another one of those. However, Tim posed another question, “how Twitter fits into the culture here in Baltimore?” Now there is a better question! I love Baltimore, and I love Twitter! From my perspective, Twitter has had an interesting and noticeable impact on the local culture.

First example, “Let’s Have a Tweet-Up!” I can’t tell you how many of those I have been to or invited to lately. Using services like twtvite.com local restaurants/bars, bed and breakfasts, and even firms have been sponsoring these twitter-based meet-ups. The interesting part is that these are open events that anyone can attend. The result is an eclectic mix of Baltimorean’s getting together to build meaningful relationships both personal and professional.

Second example, “I’m Gonna TwitPic That!” This example is more specific to me in anecdote but I know others have shared this experience. Using the service TwitPic.com, people have been posting interesting pictures of locations and events that I didn’t know existed. There are so many amazing places here in Baltimore, with wonderful architecture and history that are unfortunately, not well known. Recently, these locations have seen a revival of visitors because of twitpic’s and tweets.

You’re probably thinking, “those are two good examples but what else is there?” Well, in true social fashion, I am going to use my 2,000^th twitter post to ask the local twitter community to share their stories and perspectives in the comments section of this post.

Next week, we’ll revisit this post and discuss some of the most interesting comments.

The Examiner newspaper said goodbye to Baltimore this weekend with its final edition. Ad revenue wasn’t enough to keep the free paper in circulation. At the Baltimore sun, circulation is down and more than 200 jobs have been cut in the last 18 months. Reports indicate that on a national basis, overall newspaper based readership is down about 3% from last year.

The interesting side to all of this and the story you aren’t hearing much about is that online news sites are dramatically growing in readership. According to a recent Nielsen online survey, online readership on the top 10 news www sites is up an average of 16% with 40 million unique visitors in December 2008. This is up from 34 million in December of 2007. Total viewers peaked at 252 million in the same period, compared to 199 million in December 2007.

Our desire to be informed appears to be growing. From being connected via PDA, cell, internet to print – we want to be up to date. What is changing is how we get our news. Personally, I get a ton of news on my phone and via email alerts. The convenience of online is hard to beat. Online news is real time and can be targeted to a specific person via personalized alerts. Another major factor is that internet news is free.

What does this mean to newspapers? The dominant trend is get news online, so newspapers need to follow that trend and continue to shift more resources to their online presence. How to shift the business model is going to be a challenge. It is difficult to name more than a few online news outlets that have “figured it out”. Most appear to have a loyal following for specific content either at the national (Wall Street Journal) or the local news level.

There has been some discussion regarding the charging for access to news content or charging micropayments. Micropayments would involve charging by the story in a manner similar to the iTunes method of charging by the song. Either business model will be difficult to make profitable as most news stories are carried by multiple outlets and if one continues to offer free news, it will impossible for the other news agencies to charge for the same story.

The green movement is also making the use of paper frowned upon when another means of delivery is possible.

All of these signals are pointing to the need for news organizations to move to online delivery and to determine a valuable niche that can generate profits. The most successful organizations are going to figure it out soon and capture this trend to their advantage.

Number 5 to be exact, and the only IT Development and Staffing firm mentioned.  Sweet!

Don’t get me wrong – ever since my first interview it was obvious that something was up at G.1440, but it’s nice to be acknowledged!  Now, thanks to Baltimore Magazine, everyone knows what we’ve known all along… G.1440 rocks!

The article highlighted our unique office and relaxing culture, two of the best things about G.1440.  But if you really want to get down to it, it’s the people that make G.1440 special.  It’s a CEO who laughs with you and can’t wait to say, “Great job!”  It’s an HR department that you walk by just to say, “Hi!”  And when it really comes down to it, it’s a team of people completely dedicated to winning.  Man, that fires me up!

Today’s a great example.  Almost every school district in MD is closed for snow/ice today, but a good chunk of G.1440’s team braved the weather to come in, and the rest planned ahead to work remotely and aren’t missing a beat.  And for those of us that did put our lives in the hands of a Toyota and an iron will, there were donuts and hot coffee waiting for us – just because one of our employees decided it would be nice.  How awesome is that?!

That’s what cements the deal for me: G.1440.  Officially one of the best!