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That seemingly safe PDF you receive may not be as innocuous as it looks, warns Washington Post security guru Brian Krebs. Writing in today’s online edition, Krebs reports that PDF-format owner Adobe is warning of security vulnerabilities.  According to Krebs, the company plans to release a fix Tuesday so that its software updates at the same time that Microsoft sends its weekly operating system update. Put a note in your calendar now to have your company’s computers updated Tuesday.  Meanwhile, be on the lookout for a blizzard of PDFs even from addresses that you know.   A good rule of thumb:  if you’re not expecting a file from someone and the tone of the email doesn’t sound like your acquaintance, send a short note and ask them to confirm they sent you a file.

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We were working with a client recently and the easy project management tools were proving to be too limited.  Although both can take a long period to learn how to effectively use, we already knew how to use Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Project.   Most of our small business clients don’t need that layer of complexity, but this client’s needs are global and involve multiple vendor-partner-collaborators.

Did you know that Microsoft allows free 60 day trials of its software? Why?  The same reason everyone who trials a product does.  In that 60 day period, you might find you really need or want the product.  So far, Microsoft is 1-1 with me.  I did purchase one piece of software and am now trialing the latest versions of the others.

Here’s the smart business practice:  even if I don’t buy, I’ve had a hands-on demo for two months at almost zero variable cost to the company. You can access Microsoft software trials (no, not an affiliate link) here.

Executive Summary:   If you don’t have a substantial cost of goods or time investment, let prospects try your product.  Stop clinging to a direct response model that requires a sale, especially with a software or service product.  Two things: don’t cripple the functionality because your goal is a purchase and make sure that the prospect would have an ongoing need for this offering.