Business and Marketing

Twitter expands mobile ad reach without adding users.

Twitter set mobile advertisers aflutter today. The social network announced that marketers will now be able to simultaneously place campaigns on mobile apps via Twitter and MoPub, the mobile ad exchange that Twitter acquired last year.

A new promotions suite will enable marketers to address campaigns to MoPub's billion-plus mobile device universe plus Twitter's 41 million users through a single interface at ads.twitter.com. Advertisers currently have to set up separate portals to achieve this.

In a blog published today, Twitter reported promising results with the new system from beta testers including Spotify, HotelTonight, Kabam, and Deezer. “Twitter has jumped to be our number one acquisition channel. We couldn't be happier with the results of the Beta,” said Rich Pleeth, VP of global marketing at GetTaxi, another beta partner.

From a business perspective, the integration of MoPub allows Twitter to expand reach for advertisers without having to grow its own user base.

Business Breaking News: 5 Dangerous File Sharing Habits You Need to Break Right Now

Sharing files with colleagues and clients should be easy and convenient. What it shouldn't be is a security risk — but it frequently is. Because many small businesses don't have the right file-sharing systems and policies, many turn to unsafe practices that often put both their business's and clients' privacy in jeopardy.

An annual study by the Ponemon Institute revealed that although 37 percent of data breaches are due to malicious attacks — cybercriminals and inside jobs — 35 percent are actually caused by the "human factor" attributed to employee or contractor negligence. Another 29 percent are due to system glitches. One significant contributing factor is Shadow IT, the practice of employees using IT solutions that are not officially implemented and approved by an organization or its IT department. This includes using personal email accounts, free cloud storage services and other consumer services systems to share business documents, all of which pose significant security risks.

"It should be no surprise that Shadow IT, combined with the carelessness of corporate employees, can put company data at risk and lead to dangerous consequences," said Alex Gorbansky, CEO and co-founder of document management company Docurated. [3 Ways to Share Supersized Files]

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