Okay, so we have a company Visa card and as with all credit cards these days, online security is handled through a 3D Secure or Verified by Visa system - the online equivilent of 'Chip and Pin'.

Today, upon making a purchase we had to choose a password for Verified by Visa and we could not believe the trouble we had - it seems the people responsible for building the interface have no idea about security or a basic understanding of probability.

Firstly we tried a password containing just letters... 

...computer says "No, you must include numbers".

Okay we'll let that one pass, it seems like a fair request that will indeed force us not to enter a dictionary word. 

Next we tried a password that had two consectutive letters/numbers...

...computer says "No, you cannot use consecutive letters or numbers".

Now this one seems a little crazy, if someone is trying to guess or brute force my password, then the chances of the next letter being the same as the previous one are the same as the chance of it being any other letter or number, in fact this request is actually reducing the number of possibilities. 

Finally we tried a dozen or so passwords that we would be able to remember...

...computer says "No, I'm not telling you why (though I'll use my previous excuse - consecutive passwords)".

At this point, we were trying all kinds of combination of letters and numbers and it always found fault.  What is the point in forcing someone to choose a bizarre password that they have to write down to remember? It's about as secure as a chocolate piggy bank in the hands of my 4 year old.

It really does nullify the whole Verified by Visa concept!?

A great article appeared in this months' PC Pro magazine by independent journalist Paul Ockenden.   I broadly agree with 95% of it, and feel it might be of use to some of our clients, and potential clients, so I've uploaded a PDF copy here.

A few areas need a little clarification:

• The article discusses the two choices of "Big Agencies" and "Inexpensive Individuals" to develop sites.  As a small team, mtstudios falls between the two, and has more in common with the latter, especially in terms of pricing structure.  However we have separate staff covering the two disciplines of design and development - the importance of which is covered by the article.
  
• The article states that eCommerce solution can cost "tens of thousands of pounds".  Whilst true, it should be noted that mtstudios sell a system suitable for most eCommerce starting a £2,000 - so don't be put off!

Overall, have a read, but please don't think it replaces the value to be had in speaking to someone in person.  We'd be happy to have a chat with you, and never try a "hard sell", we genuinely enjoy assisting businesses in making the right decisons for their online presence.

HowToCreateAWebPresenceForSmallBusiness.pdf (52.67 kb)

It won't be the first time you've heard the question, "is the web killing the high street"? It's one of the questions everyone is asking in this time of financial difficulty and it's true that the web is not doing the high street any favours, but in my opinion the high street is as much to blame. More...