USB flash drives have become indispensable to almost everyone who uses a computer. It’s a quick and easy way to immediately transfer and share information and other data, especially files that are too large to send through email. Unfortunately, some malware take advantage of this convenience by attaching themselves to files on the drive to infect any other system it comes into contact with.

Two such malware have recently been discovered. Chymine is a Trojan application with keylogging capabilities, designed to copy passwords and other sensitive data, and Dulkis-A is a Visual Basic worm designed to copy and allow malware to infiltrate the system. Both exploit a vulnerability in Windows Shell.

Microsoft has yet to directly address the issue and provide a patch that fixes the problem. In the meantime, they have issued directions for a workaround that prevents both malware from manipulating the Windows Shell susceptibility. The workaround is effective for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server R2, but it comes with a cost – you lose all your icon graphics.

Success in removing the virus has been marginal at best, with current fixes including a warning that removing these malware might result in unwanted changes to your system because of the way the virus embeds itself.

The best way to avoid being infected, be careful not to run any suspicious programs and files, especially when taken from USB drives and any other removable storage, even from a Blackberry or an iPhone. It’s also best to avoid automatically enabling USB devices to autorun once they’re plugged into your computer.

If you have any concerns or want to make sure your systems are protected, give us a call and we’ll work with you to ensure the security of your systems and data.

“Cloud computing,” largely synonymous with Internet-based computing, has become a hot topic of discussion among many in the business community, with its promise of radically simplifying the access to, and use of, computing resources on demand. It’s no wonder then that it’s been small businesses, often without full-time IT resources of their own, that have been the first to adopt the concept. As a business owner, however, before you start moving critical data to the “cloud,” you’ll do well to bear in mind the risks that come with the computing model.

First is security and privacy—ask how the service provider ensures the confidentiality and integrity of your data while in their care. Do they provide backups? Can you back up your data yourself? Are their security processes and procedures reviewed and vetted by a third party?

Next is availability. Do they guarantee the uptime of their services—7 days a week, 24 hours a day? Do they provide a service level guarantee? Do they have processes in place to handle exceptional circumstances that can disrupt services, such as a natural disaster? Is support readily available to help in case you encounter any issues?

Finally, there’s cost. While pay-as-you go can be attractive, the total cost over time can add up. It’s worth thinking two to three years out and considering the total cost versus alternatives.

Asking these basic questions can go a long way in giving you peace of mind before you entrust your valuable data and core business systems to the care of others. If you’d like some help sorting all this out and making the best decision for your unique needs, give us a call.

Global smartphone shipments continue to rise, driven by operator subsidies, lower barriers to adoption with the introduction of lower-cost models, and greater choices afforded by vigorous competition from companies such as Apple, RIM, Microsoft, and Google. Not far behind is the rising interest and adoption of other mobile devices, such as tablets with the success of Apple’s iPad.

Despite this trend, a new study by eROI, an online marketing agency, finds that many businesses are not taking full advantage of the opportunities it creates—especially in sales and marketing. The company surveyed 500 businesses, and the majority cited lack of resources and little understanding of what needs to be done as the major barriers to capitalizing on the trend. This, despite findings which show 91 percent of the population use mobile devices, with 23 percent using smartphones that make extensive use of online services.

Companies would benefit from looking at how these trends can be leveraged for building a strategy toward reaching new customers, engaging current customers, and creating rich experiences for both. Some examples from early pioneers in this area: building versions of their website that can be viewed comfortably on mobile devices, using services that make extensive use of social networks and location-based services such as Facebook and FourSquare that work well with mobile devices, and even building custom applications to provide a new channel for reaching and serving customers.

Companies can start small with pilot projects then work from there to see which work best for their businesses.

A new report released by security firm M86 Security reveals a trend toward more sophisticated forms of malware in taking advantage of vulnerabilities in common software applications and developing techniques to avoid detection.

In M86’s report, among the applications commonly exploited are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Adobe Reader. Another vector for malware that hackers have been using recently is Java and Adobe’s Flash—which are installed on many PCs, often as plug-ins to most browsers.

Although the vulnerabilities in these applications have been identified and patched for over a year, failure to keep up with the latest updates have made many systems still vulnerable to attack. Our customers taking advantage of our Managed Security need not worry, since we make sure our customers’ systems are patched as soon as updates become available. Find out more about our Security Offerings today.

The Mozilla foundation, the organization behind the Firefox browser, announced recently that it has released a patch to fix many major security holes found in its software, as well as the pull out of malicious add-ons in its extensions gallery.

A new update brings Firefox’s latest version to 3.6.7, and includes fixes for nine critical issues that could potentially be exploited by hackers to launch attacks on vulnerable systems. This comes after recently pulling out a password stealing add-on called the “Mozilla Sniffer” in the Firefox extensions gallery. As a preventive measure, the Mozilla foundation has announced a US $3,000 security bounty program that for anyone who finds an eligible security bug. It has also announced that it will implement a source code review of add-ons to catch potential malware that could be injected into otherwise patched Firefox browsers.

As always, users are advised to be constantly on guard and to make sure they are using the latest updated versions of their software. Customers under our Managed Security program benefit by letting us do the worrying and updating for them, so they can focus on their business instead of their security. Not on our Managed Security program? Contact us today.

In this day and age, it’s a necessity to always be in touch, and many mobile phones are now equipped with features to help us do just that, such as internet connectivity, SMS, push email, and more.

With this increase in the use of smart phones such as Blackberries and iPhones for work, it follows that maintenance costs of mobiles can get to be pretty steep if not managed correctly. Bills for one mobile phone can reach more than $2,000 a year – just imagine the maintenance costs for several units.

In addition, the need for more rigid and concrete policies for mobile devices is also increasing. Experts recommend that since many of the functions of mobile devices mimic those of a desktop workstation, companies should apply the same policies they have for their IT systems to their mobile devices.

Such a policy not only reduces costs, but will also keep your entire system safe. Since sensitive information is now stored on mobiles, there’s the risk of infiltration and information theft – and for many companies with little or no protection for the mobile arm of their system, it’s only a matter of time before they find themselves in trouble.

Here are some tips from the experts:

• Use an integrated management system for both your office IT infrastructure and your company’s mobile devices. There are plenty of reputable providers for this kind of software, with big names such as Nokia and Microsoft offering programs that cater to multiple phone manufacturers.

• Minimize the frequency and access of personal mobile devices to your IT system at the office. More often than not, personal mobile devices do not have the same safeguards as that of office equipment, and allowing them to connect to your system poses a number of risks.

• Authorize your IT group to remotely access company mobile devices. In case a unit is lost or stolen, any or all information on it can be wiped clean.

For more details, read the complete story at:

http://technology.inc.com/telecom/articles/200810/mobiledevice.html?partner=newsletter_Technology

If you want to evaluate your IT policies and strategies to include your mobile devices, simply contact us and we’ll be glad to draw up a customized work plan that meets your specific needs and requirements.

On June 10, a Google engineer disclosed a security flaw in Windows XP’s Help Center, which can potentially allow hackers to search and retrieve sensitive information from vulnerable PCs, and even turn them into “zombies:”machines that follow the commands of a remote master to perhaps download more malware or send out spam.

Recently, reports have come out that the first real exploit has emerged, with Microsoft reporting that over 10,000 Windows XP systems have already been subjected to attack. The systems attacked are based not only in the US, but also in Russia, Portugal, Germany, and Brazil.

A patch from Microsoft was released on July 13, and workarounds also exist to contain the threat, such as disabling the HCP protocol. Customers of our Managed Security services running Windows XP are assured of immediate support once the patch is rolled out, but in the meantime can take advantage of our assistance to secure systems through other means.

If you’re on one of our Managed Services plans don’t worry – you’re protected. If you’re not sure contact us to find out how we can protect your systems and network from this and other dangerous attacks.

The recent fever over the FIFA World Cup made unsuspecting victims an easy target for malware makers, spammes, and scammers using the sport as a means to spread nefarious software or lure users into money-making scams.

It seems the entire world was in the grip of the 2010 FIFA World Cup fever as several countries vied for football supremacy in South Africa. Unfortunately, malware makers, spammers, and scammers capitalized on the fever as well, using references to the event as a means to spread nefarious software or lure unsuspecting users into money-making scams.

Some of the threats included 419-style scams, lures selling fake tickets, even fake products and business opportunities related to the World Cup. One particular ploy involved a couple of websites selling a bogus filter to cancel out the sound of noisy “Vuvuzela” trumpets in TV broadcasts. Scammers had even used legitimate websites to sell them—such as eBay and other auction sites.

Several spammers used sophisticated techniques to confuse SPAM filters by using tools to automatically scrape the text from hundreds of websites (including news sites) and using them to spray random bits of this text into their messages. Another new development that was seen were targeted attacks on top executives of international manufacturing companies and government agencies.

With the 2010 World Cup behind us, what does this mean to us now? Everyone should always be on guard against websites, links, or messages that seem too good to be true (because most likely they are), but understanding that scammers and spammers especially thrive during popular events helps everyone to be on extra high alert.

According to DriveSavers data recovery service, 43 percent of companies that lose data in a disaster never reopen, and 90 percent are out of business within two years. How can you prevent data loss—without the hassle and expense of staying on top of the latest technology and continually monitoring backups? Consider a client-server network combined with Managed Services.

With client-server networks, computers and other devices called clients are connected to a centralized computer called a server. The server stores information in a central location, and shares it with the clients on the network.

Why is this a better setup for data loss prevention than the traditional peer-to-peer network, in which computers are connected directly to other computers?

First, because peer-to-peer networks have no centralized security safeguards, anyone connected to the network can gain access to all of the devices on the network, making it easy to lose data through malicious acts by hackers and viruses.

Second, because peer-to-peer networks don’t share information in a centralized loca­tion, if one device on the network fails, all the data stored on that device is lost. This makes it easy to lose data through hardware and software failures.

With a client-server network, you address both of these potential problems. Security software can be installed centrally, ensuring that everyone on the network has the most up-to-date protection. At the same time, access to data that might be lost through malicious acts can be controlled, with different access levels given to different users. It’s also easy to back up (and retrieve, if necessary) data because it’s stored in a centralized location.

The only remaining problem is that maintaining a client-server network requires you to stay on top of the latest technology, monitor backups, and troubleshoot problems—and that can take the resources of a dedicated IT staff.

If you don’t have such an IT staff, or if you’d prefer your IT staff to work on revenue-producing projects, you may want to consider Managed Services. With Managed Services, an IT company monitors your network to ensure security is high and data is backed up regularly. If a problem occurs, it’s addressed quickly, with data retored almost before you know it’s missing.

The best news: Your support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying to address problems as they arise—but your network’s safety will be significantly higher.

Lately there has been a trend among companies, no matter what size and maturity, toward the use of so-called “virtual” teams. Driven perhaps by rising office and energy costs, maturity of computing and network technologies, talent scarcity, or simply the opportunity to realize increased efficiency,  this has resulted in the adoption of flexible work arrangements for some employees including flexible time and working from home – or even from remote locations in different time zones.

Along with this trend has come the need to support this new way of working. A wealth of options exists—from virtual team spaces and online collaborative tools to more advanced communication devices such as smartphones and tablets. Here are a few examples.

For teams working at the same time but from different locations:

• Conferencing applications—via telephone or video
• Shared workspaces and whiteboards
• Instant messaging
• Wireless communication devices

For teams working at different times but in the same place:

• Team rooms
• Intranets

For teams working at different times and from different places:

• Extranets
• Virtual Private Networks
• E-mail/Groupware
• Message boards
• Blogs and knowledgebase tools

With the right tools, work can happen any time and from any place. Interested? Get in touch with us and find out more.

You’re probably aware of the benefits of a client-server network—but are you prepared to handle the maintenance? If not, you may want to consider Managed Services.

According to a Forbes study, client-server networks help small businesses extend their geographic reach, find new customers, and increase revenues while maintaining or decreasing costs—and as a result, employees at small businesses using client-server networks perform 20 percent more revenue-producing tasks.

However, installing and maintaining such a network isn’t easy. It requires you to stay on top of the latest technology, monitor backups, and troubleshoot problems.

The traditional method of installing and maintaining a client-server network is to hire a staff of IT professionals to do the work, but this may not be realistic for small or even mid-sized businesses not be able to afford a dedicated IT staff.

Outsourcing may be a cost-effective way to solve this problem. If you want to outsource, you could hire an IT company to set up your client-server network, then wait for the network to break down before calling the IT company to perform the repair.

Or, you could consider Managed Services. With Managed Services, an IT company monitors your network to ensure performance and troubleshoot problems before they get out of hand. And in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, you’ll have qualified professionals on call to come to the rescue. Moreover, your support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying for reactive support—but your network’s performance and reliability will be significantly higher.

So why spend time and money running a network when both can be better spent running your business? Consider Managed Services for you client-server network maintenance.

However, few people understand the risks of using wireless hotspots. When you go online in open networks that don’t use a password or encryption, potentially everything you send out from your computer can be seen by anyone with adequate technical knowledge. Therefore, whenever possible it’s best to connect in places where some encryption—either WEP or WPA—is employed. If that’s not available, using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can help, which allows you to establish a secure channel of communication to your office network over the public Internet. How you use certain software is also something you should be aware of—some browsers, instant messengers, and email clients are more secure than others.

Wireless hotspots can be great when travelling on business or working on the road. Being proactive about security issues will go a long way in ensuring your safety and privacy, and we’re here to help. We can set up your machines for secure access by implementing a network VPN, consulting on software security, and much more. Contact us today to learn more.

A few days after the advisory, security firm Sophos warned users of a website using the vulnerability to install malicious software on victims’ machines, and of possibly more exploits coming out soon. Users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are advised to disable features within Help Center that allow administrators to remotely log onto their machines. For individual users, Microsoft has released a patch for the flaw.

Don’t know how to install the patch? Need help? Let us know! Of course our customers with Managed Services are automatically advised of these vulnerabilities, and patches are applied as soon as they are available. Contact us today to find our more.

RBLs tag machines or networks of machines as being sources of SPAM, causing their emails to be filtered out by many mail servers. This can result in legitimate emails not reaching their intended destination, and can victims’ reputations. In addition, having an infected machine or network of machines can waste bandwidth and slow down outbound connections.

The cause of outbound spam varies, but can including everything from compromised email accounts to “zombie” machines – machines infected with malware sending out spam unbeknownst to the user.

There are multiple ways of protecting computers and networks against the risk of outbound spam, and our Managed Services clients benefit from our proactive protection and filtering. Contact us to find out more.

Some of these risks include the introduction of malware such as viruses, worms, and trojans to the computer or even your network. By default, many Windows machines are configured to automatically run or execute software on USB devices. Malware can also reside in data stored on USB drives that can be triggered when the files are opened. For many companies, unmonitored USB devices also expose the company to the risk of unauthorized theft or exposure of sensitive, confidential data.

You can limit the risks posed by using USB devices a variety of ways. One is to make sure your threat management systems, such as antivirus software, are updated and are set to monitor USB drives connected to your laptop or PC. To protect data on your computers and network, you can use data encryption tools or monitoring systems that log access to sensitive information. A clear policy on the acceptable and proper use of the company’s computing and network resources can help as well. Of course, the safest policy of all is to disable USB devices on company PCs and laptops altogether.

Need more information on how to manage the use of USB portable storage devices in your company? Contact us to find out how we can help.

And why not? File sharing and P2P is easy to use, simple, and inexpensive. And never mind if some employees download some personal files on the side – a song or a movie here and there never hurt anyone. Right?

Wrong.

The big catch when using P2P programs and common file sharing platforms is that it compromises your company’s security. Exposing your computers and your system to such a mode is filled with all sorts of risks.

First, people can accidentally share files that aren’t supposed to be for public consumption. They may also inadvertently download viruses and Trojans that infiltrate your system, steal sensitive information, and cause untold damage. If you are on a network, even if just one computer becomes infected, it can spread to all other workstations on the network. Some unscrupulous P2P abusers even use other people’s computers to remotely store illegal data, such as child pornography.

It’s very important that you have a secure system in place to handle large file transfers that cannot be shared through email. Guarding your network from outside infiltration is a must, but you don’t have to sacrifice efficiency and ease of use. So if you’d like to explore your options for secure file sharing, we’d be happy to lay out a plan that will fit your specific needs.

Are you a candidate for Managed Services?
Take our quiz below.

Managed Services checklist

o   We’re having difficulty staffing qualified IT professionals.

o   We’re concerned about the security of our data.

o   We’re concerned about the security of our transactions.

o   We’re concerned about the security of our communications.

o   We aren’t always able to respond quickly to market demands.

o   We need to reduce overhead costs

o   Staying up to date with evolving technologies is difficult for us.

o   Maintaining current hardware and software is time consuming.

o   We need to operate in real time to meet 24-hour demand.

o   We need to deliver services to remote offices or workers.

o   Our growth depends on our implementation of new technology.

o   We need to upgrade our infrastructure.

o   We need to relocate our infrastructure.

o   We’re undergoing a merger or acquisition.

o   The scale of our operations is going to change.

o   We want to expand into new markets.

o   We’d like to focus our efforts on our core competencies.

o   We need to focus only on mission-critical activities.

o   We need to implement a global IT network, but we lack the resources.

o   We’re concerned about our ability to keep up with the latest security threats.

o   We’re affected by privacy or security regulations.

o   We’re experiencing dynamic business growth but have a hiring freeze.

o   We need to maintain our current IT capabilities but are downsizing.

If any of the items apply to you, you may want to consider Managed Services. Bring your completed list to us today, and we’ll let you know how can help.

When it comes to technology, though, reality favors the opposite. You might have hardware right now that’s a bit old by industry standards but is still working, so there seems to be no need to upgrade or replace it. Sooner or later though, it’s going to cause you a lot more trouble than it’s worth.

For instance, what if you are in a middle of a major project your hardware breaks down? Hardware manufacturers constantly upgrade their technology, leaving past models behind. This means that the older your hardware is, the harder it will be for you to find support or spare parts when things go wrong. Unless you have a backup plan, this scenario can turn into a big nightmare. And IF (that’s a big “if”) you can find the replacement parts you need, you’ll probably wait for weeks for them to arrive and for the repairs to get done, making you lose precious time and profit.

The advantage of upgrading your equipment is that the more advanced it is, the higher the quality of your output. Your workflow can be made much easier and more efficient with better performing hardware specs and added features that come in newer models. And with the right support from manufacturers, any glitch or problem can be fixed within a reasonable period of time since parts and other replacement components are in stock and readily available.

Of course, you don’t need to upgrade each time a new model is released. The key is to know when give your hardware a boost. If your upgrades are properly planned, you can change systems and replace equipment without compromising your productivity or output.

So if you want to assess your current hardware, we’d be happy to sit down with you to create a roadmap for your future upgrades.

First, let’s review business continuity planning, which is simply the creation and validation of a plan for how your business will recover critical activities after an extended disruption, such as a disaster.

Business impact analysis is one of the first steps in creating a business continuity plan in that it simply seeks to identify your business’s exposure to a sudden disruption of critical activities.

How do you conduct a business impact analysis? Many resources, including templates, are available. Let’s review the basic steps.

First, when looking at your firm’s activities and the cost of their loss during a business disruption, you’ll want to be sure you consider both financial costs and non-financial costs (such as customer service, supplier confidence, and market perception). Be sure to consider a number of possible scenarios. For example, what if your building is completely destroyed? What if some key personnel are not available? What if the disruption occurs during a peak period for your business?

Second, you’ll decide what’s critical and what’s not. An activity is probably critical if (a) its functionality is required by law, or (b) you consider its disruption unacceptable.

Third, for each critical activity, you’ll then assign two values: a recovery point objective, which is the acceptable amount of data that will be recovered, and a recovery time objective, which is the acceptable amount of time to restore the activity.

You may want to perform a business impact analysis before you create a business continuity plan—and your IT infrastructure will play a big role in both. Is your data backed up? How often? Give us a call and let us help guide you through answering these questions and developing a plan for your critical business needs.

Charlie’s interview is particularly relevant with the recent headline mentions of Adobe Flash with Apple’s refusal to make Flash work with their popular iPod, iPhone, and now iPad products, citing its instability and poor security. Microsoft, in its most recent Security Intelligence Report, pointed to Flash was as the most commonly exploited browser vulnerability in the first half of last year.

Charlie seems to share the same view, citing security issues as evidenced by the long list of security patches alone this past few months. His tip? Use Microsoft IE 8 on Windows 7 without Flash to be as secure as possible. If you can’t avoid using Flash, make sure you are using the most up-to-date version with all security fixes and patches applied.

Too busy to do it yourself? Get in touch with us and we can do it for you as one of the many tasks we take care of with Managed Services.

If you travel for business, chances are you need to connect to the Internet while on the road. Here are some tips to help:

Set up wireless access. If you travel frequently, sign up for a wireless data plan from your service provider. Depending on the features of your mobile phone, you can use it as a substitute for your laptop for accessing your emails or browsing the web. Some devices support tethering—where you use your device as a wireless modem for network access. Newer generation netbooks and laptops natively support 3G, which allows these devices to browse the Internet in places where WiFi is not available.

WiFi is your friend. If you haven’t signed up for a wireless data plan, your mobile phone is limited in its features, or you prefer to use a laptop that only has support for WiFi, do your homework and research whether your destination or nearby areas provide WiFi access.  Websites such as WiFi Hot Spot List, JiWire, and gWiFi.net provide a database of places offering free WiFi. HotelChatter.com provides an annual list of Best WiFi Hotels as well.

Dial-up as a last resort. You can always resort to dial-up if your location only provides fixed-line telephone access. Some ISPs still provide dial-up as an option and it’s a good idea to keep their access numbers just in case.

Feel secure with VPN. If you are accessing sensitive data while travelling, certain programs will ensure secure access via public Internet connections.  One example is the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) software which can create a private network between two or more computers. If your company provides this service, use it. If not, contact us and we can set one up for you. Note that while you have access to office resources such as company file servers, printers and email as if you were there, you could possibly be restricted to the same security policies as well.

Interested in finding out more? Contact us to find out how we can help you stay connected on the road.

Do not use real words. Words such as “password”, “god”, “love” or some other common phrase can easily be guessed at by hackers. In addition, hackers use tools that automate guessing – randomly trying words from a dictionary one at a time until it gets it right.

No personal information, please. It’s tempting to use personal information since it’s easy to remember. However, passwords based on your name, your child’s name, your birthday, anniversary and the like can also easily be guessed at or researched online.

Not too short. Again, automated tools can make quick work of short passwords. The longer it is the harder it is for these tools to crack. A good rule of thumb is at least six characters, with eight to twelve being ideal.

Mix it up. Use numbers and special characters in your passwords. One technique is to substitute special characters for letters. For example, a becomes @, e becomes 3, i becomes !, l becomes 1, o becomes 0, s becomes $, and so on. Another tip is to also append or prefix with a special character so that your password looks something like this:  “_!p@$$w0rd!_.”

Use a password management tool. There are several tools that can help you manage and safely store your passwords. Some require you to download software which stores your different passwords encrypted on your hard drive, and you only need to provide one ”master” password to access the rest. Others have you store that information online. Particularly handy, especially for managing online passwords, are those that plug into your browser and can autogenerate a password on the fly based on the website you are using.

Creating secure passwords is a must, but managing them can difficult. Using these tips can make the process not only easier but also more effective and safe.

The demands of your industry can be taxing, but one way to make sure that you’re one of those at the top is to always keep your software up to date. Updating software will allow you to deliver your services in a more efficiently and effectively. Updates give you access to improved features that help you work faster and improve your overall output. Updates also fix bugs that cause problems you might not be affected by it now, but sooner or later will come back to bite you – so it’s best to avoid them altogether.

Another important reason to update involves security. New viruses and malware are constantly developed, and criminal identity theft rings are on the rise throughout the world. You need to guard against the damage that can be caused by malicious software. Your company’s continued operation, as well as the privacy of your data (and that of your clients), depends on up to date software – especially anti-virus programs.

Updating software is a key part of keeping your business on top of its game. Staying current may sound easy – but it can be difficult to make sure things stay secure and are compatible with your current hardware and applications. Don’t hesitate to give us call and find out how our Managed Services takes the headache out of staying up to date.

Keep it light. Bring the absolute minimum you need. Stuff can easily get lost, shuffled around, or become quite heavy in a run from one gate to the next. If you’re a frequent traveler opt for a netbook or an ultralight laptop. And if a PDA or smartphone will serve your needs, use that instead.

Carry it on. Don’t put your gear in your check-in luggage – you’d be appalled at how your luggage is handled at some airports. It’s routinely stacked, thrown around, and dropped. Always bring your expensive electronic equipment on board with you.

Be prepared to unpack it. In many airports, you’ll be asked to unpack your laptop for x-ray. Normally you’ll be asked to put it in a bin on the conveyor belt for x-ray. Make sure to use a carrying bag that’s easy to open and repack.

Be alert. It’s very common for technology items to be stolen in airports and even on the plane. Never let your items out of your sight. Don’t leave them behind where they can get lost, and always be on guard.

Keep it accessible. Airport regulations require you to shut off your device during the takeoff and landing. Keep your devices easily accessible, preferably near your body or tucked into the pocket seat in front of you. If you have information stored in your phone or mobile device such as your itinerary, the person who is picking you up at the airport, rental car information, etc., you’ll thank yourself later for keeping it within easy reach.

Traveling can be exciting, but without the proper preparation can also be a pain. Hopefully these tips will help make your next air travel adventure more pleasant.

“Small and mid-sized businesses…will be increasingly interested in the productivity gains made possible by advanced technology,” said Raymond Boggs, vice president of SMB research at IDC. “New mobile communications solutions, videoconferencing, and online resources will be especially attractive, as will alternative approaches to technology acquisition and deployment.”

The reason, says IDC, is that these advanced technologies can help reduce costs and provide growing businesses with an important competitive edge.

One way to gain access to these advanced IT technologies is through Managed Services, which offers smaller companies access to and quick deployment of affordable best-of-breed technologies. Managed Services is cost-effective because it offers companies a way to make use of precious capital by fulfilling their IT needs on a pay-per-use basis.

Who can benefit from Managed Services?

• Smaller companies that don’t employ dedicated IT staff but want to take advantage of the latest developments in security, backups, messaging, and business communications.

• Mid-size companies with some in-house IT staff that want to see productivity gains among by eliminating problems and downtime.

Contact us for more information about how our Managed Services can increase your productivity while saving your money.

Is yours good enough?

According to Jon William Toigo, the author of Disaster Recovery Planning, 15 or 20 years ago a disaster recovery plan might consist of powering down a mainframe and other computers, disassembling components, and drying circuit boards in the parking lot with a hair dryer. That’s because a disaster, in those days, was usually a fire that set off a company’s sprinklers.

Today, there are many more threats, including sabotage. Moreover, most companies’ IT systems are too large to be recovered using such a simple hands-on approach. Even if you could recover from a disaster in the manner Toigo recalls, you probably wouldn’t want to due to the downtime it would require—downtime that could have a significant financial impact.

Consider the case of Hurricane Katrina. When it slammed the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, it wiped out the communications infrastructure of a whole region, uprooting 1,000 wireless towers and knocking down 11,000 utility poles. Many businesses were forced to shut down entirely—even critical ones, including 25 hospitals and 100 broadcast stations. But clients of such company did stay in business—by relocating to off-site facilities equipped with the computing power and backed-up data to keep systems and services online. Some even utilized 18-wheelers with servers and other office equipment inside.

Disaster recovery in the modern age is a detailed, step-by-step course of action for quickly getting back on your feet after a natural or manmade disaster. The details may vary depending on your business needs, and can be developed in-house or purchased as a service.

How prepared are you for disaster? Call us today for a review of your plan.

Having a paperless office essentially means drastically decreasing the use and consumption of paper in the office. Of course there will always be a need to use paper for some things, but reducing the paper you consume can save you a lot of money and at the same time help the environment.

There are many ways to go about doing this. One is to invest in equipment and technologies to make paper use more efficient for when you do need to use it – for example, printers that allow you to print on both sides or scale down images.

Here are some other actions you can take:

• Digitize your hardcopy files so that you have soft copies as well as reliable backups.
• Assess which paper records you can recycle (or shred then recycle) – this also reduces your document storage space.
• Release online memos instructing people to avoid or eliminate unnecessary printouts (such as printer test pages).
• Send web links through email or IM instead of printing a webpage to share.
• Distribute presentations on flash drives instead of printing them for your audience, or use websites such as SlideShare.com that allow you to share online.

When you use less paper, you save on paper and printer ink costs. Minimizing the paper you store also saves you valuable office space. In fact, one company saved $30 million in lease costs when they went paperless.

Of course, we can’t really completely eliminate our use of paper. But even small changes can go a long way toward a paperless office and healthier environment – and lower operating costs.

Resources:

http://156.98.19.245/workplace/index.html

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/communications/6-tips-for-a-paperless-office.aspx#tipsforapaperlessoffice

http://www.ismckenzie.com/eight-ways-to-eliminate-paper-and-clutter-in-your-office/

These pages often feature trending or hot topics to show up favorably in search results, and may contain content that has been copied from other websites. Some even employ sophisticated technology techniques to customize the page based on each individual visitor’s location, browser, and operating system – and may include a referring page to entice users further into the scam.

Internet users should be aware of these techniques, and think twice before following search results links. Fortunately there are equally sophisticated tools and techniques designed to block malicious search results. Contact us to find out how you can combat this particularly devious threat.

Related articles:

• Cyber-criminals pounce on McAfee crash story (v3.co.uk)
• The Importance Of Using Proper SEO Techniques (ronmedlin.com)

What’s driving this trend? Many have been calling it the “consumerization” of IT with the wide availability of cheap and powerful mobile devices and online services.

Although there have been some case studies of companies successfully enjoying  benefits from letting employees bring their own personal technology to the work place, there are very real dangers that you should be aware before adopting or allowing this practice in your business:

• Exposing your network to malware or security vulnerabilities and breaches because of unprotected devices
• Leakage of confidential or proprietary information
• Lower economies of scale in procurement
• Higher maintenance and support costs because of non-standardized configurations

Worried about this trend? Need to define a policy for your staff when it comes to bringing their personal equipment to the office? Contact us and see how we can help.

Related links:

• The rise of affordable consumer technology causes problems for businesses (sc magazine)
• Gartner releases business predictions for 2010 (global services media)
• Citrix tells their employees to bring their own laptops to work (usa today)

However, viruses account for only a fraction of the problems your computer system can suffer. With many businesses such as yours relying greatly on the capabilities of their IT systems, it stands to reason that all steps must be taken to ensure that it is properly maintained and functions as effectively as possible.

One very efficient way to do this that’s getting much attention these days is Managed Services. This is an affordable and cost-effective means of making sure that your IT continues to function at optimum levels at all times.

Here’s how it works: Companies routinely experience IT-related problems that they have difficulty solving. Managed Services provides 24 x 7 proactive monitoring of your systems and ensures all systems are up to date, preventing problems from happening in the first place.

Updating, patching, and constant maintenance to your system is important to protecting your system from a slew of potentially damaging problems. Improvements and upgrades help your system function better, which enhances your company’s capabilities and helps you achieve a higher level of productivity. Managed Services Providers help you stay on top of the game with little worries and predictable costs – especially in the long run.

Thinking about checking out Managed Services? We’re here for you. We respond to all our clients’ concerns and deliver service specific to their particular needs. We keep ourselves up to date with the latest fixes, patches, and upgrades so you always have the best and the latest means to help increase your productivity and help you deliver your services better. We know the best ways to prevent viruses and other preventive maintenance methods that maximize your IT systems capabilities.

We don’t just manage your IT – we make it better.

But cost is an issue. The expense required to design, deploy, and maintain such an environment is often too great for small and medium-sized organizations.

Today, however, you don’t have to choose between the best IT and the most cost-effective option—because with Managed Services, they’re often the same.

Managed Services is an IT model that provides IT management and security remotely. Using the latest technology, we proactively monitor and manage your network, identity potential problems, and fix them before they put your business in a standstill.

The benefits are twofold:

• Better IT: With Managed Services, you can gain the functionality and security that was previously only available to large organizations.

• Lower cost: And, you can do it cost effectively. Due to economies of scale, Managed Services allows you to build an infrastructure that provides critical IT services to employees and customers without creating or supporting these services internally.

Talk to us today to find out how our Managed Services can help improve your IT and save you money.

That’s according to a study by the Department for Trade and Industry, which found that 70 percent of small businesses suffering a major data loss are out of business within 18 months.

What this means is most small businesses have failed to protect themselves from a plethora of problems. According to Ontrack, data loss is the result of human error 44% of the time, hardware or system malfunction 32% of the time, software malfunction 14% of the time, computer virus 7% of the time, and site disaster 3% of the time.

And data loss is bad, because your data is your business. To illustrate, consider the impact if you lost access to your IT systems, including:

• Customer databases
• Supplier details
• Financial documents, from invoices to tax records
• Product catalogues
• Marketing materials
• Letters and emails
• Document templates
• Staff records

You already have insurance to protect your business assets, and the same principle applies to your data. Regardless of where your data is, it needs to be protected—and protected continuously—from every possible threat.

The good news: a solid disaster recovery plan, including a good backup solution, will allow you to get back to business within minutes or hours in most cases.

So protect your data, and secure your business. Ask us how.

However, when it comes to IT services, chances are a bit more investment may actually save money in the long run, since many technologies make operations more efficient and increase of productivity.

An article from Inc. Technology shares 10 very helpful tips on how investing in certain technologies can help your business better weather the recession. The article lists specific technology investments worth forking out money for, including Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), Web conferencing, and Virtualization Software among others. There are also many practical tips on making IT work more cost effectively.

To find out more, read the article here:

http://technology.inc.com/managing/articles/200803/moneysaving.html

The idea behind Tablet PCs is not new. The concept of carrying keyboard-less and mouse-free PCs using a stylus or touchscreen has been around since the early 90s. What the iPad has done, however, is bring back interest in the device – so much so that other manufacturers such as HP, Dell and Asus are introducing their own versions. More importantly, the iPad has increased interest in using tablets for business. Here are some reasons why:

1. Versatility and ease of use. The nice thing about tablets is their size, which is smaller than laptops, but supposedly more intuitive and easier to use than netbooks. They can be used for data entry, as a communication device, remote data access device, or presentation tool – as well as an ebook reader or a device to access documents from cloud services such as Google Apps.
2. Power and portability. Devices on the market today or coming soon also feature longer battery life, and are designed for mobility. For people in the field such as sales or support personnel, the device makes a viable alternative for all-day computing on the go.
3. Apps designed for mobility. While it’s too early to tell, the iPad could usher in new types of applications specifically designed for the tablet’s form and mobility. As an example, Apple promised to release a new set of apps specifically designed for the iPad, such as Keynote and Numbers. Even IBM is getting into the game with an announcement that it will develop apps for the platform soon. Microsoft of course has its Windows for TabletPCs.

Are you interested in tablet devices? Will you use it for your business? Want advice? Contact us – we can provide insight and advice.

Data from the survey revealed that:

• Nearly half of those who have accessed spam (46%) have done so intentionally – to unsubscribe, out of curiosity, or out of interest in the products or services being offered.
• Four in ten (43%) say that they have opened an email that they suspected was spam.
• Among those who have opened a suspicious email, over half (57%) say  they have done so because they weren’t sure it was spam and one third (33%) say they have done so by accident.
• 84% were aware of the concept of bots. Yet, most think that they are immune from these viruses, with only a third saying they consider it likely that they could get a bot on their computer.

Spammers have mechanisms which allow them to track whether their emails are accessed or not. Opening or even unsubscribing from spam messages further invites them to send even more spam. Furthermore, Spam messages these days are not only vehicles to solicit or sell goods and services of dubious source and value, but are increasingly being used as vectors to spread malicious software or malware. Clicking on a link, opening an attachment, or just viewing it can potentially open users’ computers to vulnerabilities in the operating system or installed applications. This in turn can turn compromised systems into “bots”, or unwitting accomplices in spreading more spam or malware.

It pays to be aware of this next time you receive suspicious email – and make sure that your employees understand the risks as well. Sometimes even your antivirus software isn’t enough to protect you – so please ask us about our Managed Security Services and how we can help you not only fight spam but prevent it from reaching your Inbox in the first place.

Related articles:

• Survey: Millions of users open spam emails, click on links (zdnet.com)
• Twitter spam drops to under 1 percent (networkworld.com)

‎Brazil-originated spam levels topping 13% says Panda Security (infosecurity.com)

In its advisory, the US-CERT warned that the installer for the Energizer DUO software places files in your system that allow an attacker to potentially remotely control your system, including the ability to list directories, send and receive files, and execute programs. The backdoor operates with your logged-on privileges and starts every time you start your computer. Furthermore, the Trojan operates whether the charging device it works with is connected or not.

Energizer has acknowledged the issue in a statement released at its website. The company said it has discontinued sale of this product and has removed the site to download the software. In addition, Energizer is directing consumers to uninstall or otherwise remove the software from your computers.

This incident illustrates the fact that these days threats to your computer and/or network can come from anywhere–including something as seemingly innocuous as your USB battery charger. As always, we advise our clients to be constantly vigilant against such threats. If you don’t have the time or resources to do this yourself (and most don’t!), perhaps it’s time to consider our Managed Security services. Give us a call – we’ll be glad to help.

Related articles:

• Energizer Announces Duo Charger and USB Charger Software Problem (marketwatch.com)
• Sony Music CDs surreptitiously install DRM Trojan horses on PCs (zdnet.com)
• Malware hitches a ride on digital devices (securityfocus.com)

In a June report titled “Assessing the Security Risks of Cloud Computing“, analyst firm Gartner recommends that businesses work closely with their IT department or trusted IT services provider and consultant to understand the risks of storing data in the cloud.

Not stopping there, Microsoft has called for even greater government oversight. Recently, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith travelled to Washington to urge the US Congress to enact legislation that would protect information that’s stored in the cloud.

Microsoft is proposing legislation that would call for:

• Reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act
• Modernizing the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
• Helping consumers and businesses manage how their information is collected and shared
• Addressing data access issues globally

The move coincides with Microsoft’s recent efforts to offer cloud-based services not only for its consumer and corporate customers, but the government as well.

Is your business ready for the cloud? What security and privacy policies do you have in place regarding your employees’ use of cloud-based services? Not sure? Contact us today to find out how we can help.

Related links:

• Microsoft’s thoughts on cloud computing (microsoftontheissues.com)
• Challenges of cloud computing (techsling.com)
• Gartner: Seven cloud-computing security risks (infoworld.com)

This is the latest in a wave of malware and phishing scams specifically targetting uses of social networking websites. As the popularity of these websites grow, so do their attractiveness to online crooks. It is estimated that Facebook alone has over 350 million users, and just recently has surpassed Google as the most popular destination on the Internet. Even if just a small percentage of users fall for the scam, this would still make a sizable number of compromised profiles and accounts.

As always, be extra careful when opening any sort of attachment in email messages. Also make sure to double check the sender of the message, the context and its content. For example, Facebook rarely asks users to update their account information via email. In addition, the message in the bogus email mentioned here is supposedly full of awkward sentences and wrong spellings, which should clue users in on its authenticity. Of course customers enrolled in our managed security services won’t have to worry, as we block these types of messages before they reach their Inbox. Worried about threats coming in through your email? Contact us and see how we can help.

Related links:

• Beware the new Facebook password reset scam (cnet.com)
• Social-networking sites short on security (securityfocus.com)
• EU may regulate social networking sites over security issues (arstechnica.com)

A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced the release of Windows Mobile 7, officially named Windows Phone. The announcement, made at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, came soon after the debut of Apple’s iPad. Early hardware partners were announced, including Dell, Garmin-Asus, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and HP. While hesitant to give any specific dates, Microsoft says to expect Windows Phone handsets to hit the shelves “in time for the Holiday season of 2010.″

Business users will find the ”Office” particularly interesting: a center where users can access Office, Outlook, OneNote, and SharePoint Workspace on their mobile device. A feature called the “Marketplace” will also be useful, allowing you to easily find and download certified applications and games.

Meanwhile, news has been circulating recently on websites such as The Wall Street Journal, Mashable and VentureBeat about Google’s plans to sell third-party software for its Android mobile platform. While an app store for their smartphone OS has existed for some time, many have criticized it for not being business ready, with its lack of a more stringent review and vetting process for apps. However, all that’s expected to change with the launch of a new app store completely filtered for business-ready apps.

You can be sure that Symbian, through its sponsor Nokia, is not taking all of this sitting down. Soon, you’ll be able to download the popular VoIP product, Skype, for free from Nokia’s Ovi Store. The app will work over a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection – GPRS, EDGE, and 3G – and you’ll be able to call, instant message, text message, share photos and videos, receive alerts when your contacts are online, and import a phone’s address book.

Not to be left behind, RIM also made a recent announcement of its plans to develop a new browser for its Blackberry products. Many have felt that the company’s products has been outperformed by the competition in terms of its web capabilities and UI. With this announcement, it’s believed that the Blackberry will finally have support for websites with AJAX, CSS, and HTML5, although no mention of flash was made.

It’s truly exciting times for mobile device users. If you spend your day connected to customers, partners, and employees, you can see the value in these capabilities, with even more useful useful devices that really help you stay in touch and work on the go.

The traditional backup process is done to tape – which has a number of limitations including high cost (particularly as capacity increases), difficult upgrades, degradation over time, and slow backup and restoration.
Over the past three to five years, there has been a transition to hard-disk-based backup solutions that generally offer the ability to easily increase capacity as well as backup and restore much faster.

Whichever solution you use, there are many risks to your data.

Traditional backup processes capture only one snapshot of your information per day. So if your backup is scheduled to take place at 12 a.m., you risk losing the entire following day’s work in the case of a disaster.

The backup process traditionally involves significant manual labor. Someone has to ensure that the correct media is in the drive. Someone has to look at the results of the backup to ensure that it is complete (and ideally perform periodic data restorations). Then, when the backup is complete, someone has to take it offsite for safekeeping.

While some businesses have the capabilities to perform all of these backup-related tasks, many others don’t—and therefore have no idea if their backups will be there when needed.

How can you make your backup system better?

• First, you should be absolutely sure that every bit of your data is backed up multiple times per day.

• Second, the human element should be completely eliminated from the equation.

• Third, restoration should be quick and flexible, so you can bring back any part of your data or all of it, depending on your needs.

• Finally, the impact on your business should be minimal. In fact, you should be unaware that a backup is even in progress.

We can help you set up and maintain a backup solution perfect for your needs. Contact us for more information.

With Managed Services, an IT consultant constantly manages your network, typically from afar. In other words, someone will prevent many IT problems—and fix those that do occur before they disrupt your operations.

Despite this benefit, many companies still consider Managed Services an unnecessary expense because it typically involves a monthly or yearly fee. But there are many ways that such a model can actually lower your IT costs.

• Lower overhead. It can be expensive to hire and train IT staff. In fact, staffing is often the largest portion of a company’s IT budget. You can eliminate much of that expense with Managed Services, which provide you with high-quality IT staff at a fraction of the cost.

• Increased cost predictability. The cost of responding to an IT problem is usually an unplanned expense—and often a significant one. With Managed Services, you prevent problems, so you can better predict (and therefore manage) IT costs.

• A better business model. Additionally, Managed Services provide an efficient business model. There’s less IT down time, which means employees are less frustrated and customers are always served. That increases employee retention and helps you create long-term business relationships—which in turn can increase your revenue.

Contact us today for more information about our Managed Services.

Every company can experience a business-altering event at any time:  floods, explosions, accidents, computer malfunctions—the list is endless.

If you have a disaster recovery plan, you’re prepared to prevent such events from disrupting your normal operations—or at least you were at the time you created the plan. But how long ago was that?

As your business has grown, it’s likely that your products and services, or at least the way you deliver them, has changed as well. For example, the increase in technology-based processes over the past few years has likely increased your reliance on the availability of systems and information for your business to function effectively.

These changes might necessitate a change in your disaster recovery plan. As a result, we recommend a regular review of your plan. If you make changes, these change should be tested and new processes documented so all employees can be trained accordingly.

Finally, keep in mind that reviewing your disaster recovery plan isn’t a one-time event. Because changes to your products and services, or the way you deliver them, are likely to continue, reviewing your disaster recovery plan should be a regular process.

If you’d like a professional review of your disaster recovery plan (or if you don’t have one in place at all), contact us today. We can help save your systems and data from the unthinkable.

1. SaaS allows the access and use of commercially available software through a remote, network, or internet connection. This means that the software is not installed in the subscriber’s computer, but rather on the SaaS provider’s server. This also makes the software accessible to the subscriber regardless of his or her location.
2. SaaS provides commercially available software, not custom made software, meaning that a particular software service is made available to multiple clients, so customization is limited to only what the software or SaaS provider allows.
3. The SaaS provider shoulders the responsibility of updating the software, and subscribers can request updates, upgrades, and additional features.

Regarding implementation, SaaS architecture is classified into four “maturity” levels based on factors such as configurability, multi-tenant efficiency, and scalability.

1. Level 1 is the “ad-hoc/custom” level, in which a modified version of a particular piece of software is offered to subscribers, which is then run on the provider’s host server. This level is requires the lowest maintenance.
2. The second level offers more customization and allows subscribers to configure the metadata of a program. This then allows a customized version of the same software, based on the needs of the subscriber.
3. Multi-tenant efficiency is added to the third maturity level, which means that the SaaS servers are made more conducive for subscribers to use separate instances of a single application.
4. The fourth and most “mature” SaaS architecture offers all four factors, with the service reaching optimum efficiency.

Considering SaaS for your business? Let us help you sort through the details.

Here’s a solution. FormSpring provides free and paid website data collection services that eliminate the need for additional programming or the purchase of additional software.

If your website includes contact or event registration forms, surveys, and the like, FormSpring provides services ranging from a basic free option to more feature-intensive offerings with custom made forms based on your unique requirements. There’s no long-term registration contract, and you may cancel at any time. FormSpring also offers a 30-day money back guarantee.

It’s worth noting that the data is stored on FormSpring’s servers, so if you have special compliance requirements for privacy or security you might want to check to ensure you remain compliant.

Overall, FormSpring is a very useful website for companies or groups that need a hassle-free way to collect data through their website. Check out their free version of the plan or use the 30-day money back guarantee to explore whether FormSpring meets your data collection needs.

SaaS stands for Software as a Service, which refers to any licensed software being “rented” to a company by another company on an as-needed basis.

To illustrate, let’s say Company A is in need of licensed software, but only for a specific period of time because of a one-time client or project. Company B, as the SaaS provider, rents out the use of the software  to Company A for the time Company A needs to use it – weekly, monthly, and so on. (Company B is specially licensed to do this, of course.)

The term became popular near the end of 2000, but the service started in 1998 with a website called siteeasy.com. The concept has become increasingly popular because the legal alternative to rent/outsource the use of the software spares the expense and hassle of procuring software licenses.

As with other outsourced services, the hardware used for SaaS are remotely located and hosted, and accessed through the internet by the subscriber. Virtually all kinds of software can be used through a SaaS service, and availability of the software depends on the subscriber.

There’s vast potential in the use of the internet and web-based services such as SaaS, but the nature of the remote hosting service is not for everyone. If you’d like to learn more about the pros and cons in relation to your business model, we’d be happy to discuss a possible SaaS road map with you.

One option is Managed Services, in which you outsource this role to an IT expert called a “managed services provider,” which will typically offer on-site or remote network and security monitoring, data backup and technical support.

Because the Managed Services model allow a business to focus on its core competencies, it is increasing in popularity—but sometimes it’s hard to separate the real benefit from the hype.

What’s the value to you?

• Peace of mind. Your managed services provider will monitor your IT infrastructure and prevent or resolve any problems—a sharp diversion from the traditional “fix it when it breaks” model of IT management.

• Simplicity. Your managed services provider will provide many of its services remotely, via the Internet, instead of through on-site visits. This reduces time and cost.

• Constant support. You don’t have to worry about support; your  managed services provider will offer the assistance you need, when you need it.

• Affordability. Managed services providers typically offer several price structures, including a per-month fee—which is much lower than the cost of building an in-house IT support department.

• Accountability. Have you ever tried to resolve an IT problem only to find that one vendor blames it on another who blames it on another? With managed services, you don’t have to go to multiple vendors to figure out why your network is down or you’ve experienced a security breach. You’ll have one point of contact: your managed services provider.

Want to learn more about how Managed Services can give you dependable IT with predictable costs? Give us a call.

Chief among your IT considerations should be a Business Continuity Plan, or BCP, which will allow your business to resume normal operations in the event of a significant data loss or network downtime. Unfortunately, recent studies have found that about half of small and midsize businesses have no BCP. That’s a huge risk; more than half of companies that experience catastrophic data losses go out of business within a couple of years.

And while it’s important to have a plan in the first place, it’s equally important that your BCP is flexible and scalable to adapt as your business undergoes changes.

Software installations, modifications, and updates as well as the addition of new hardware are an important part of business continuity planning. You must ensure your backup, storage, and recovery procedures and systems are kept current with these changes. Improper maintenance and outdated procedures can lead to backup errors that result in costly data losses. Unfortunately, some companies discover these errors too late – when they try to recover the data.

In addition to the IT considerations of a BCP, don’t ignore the human element. Someone, typically your IT staff, has to be in charge of overseeing BCP execution. But it doesn’t end there. Other employees have their roles, too, but do they know what those roles are? Have they been brought up to speed on the importance of backup and recovery, and what they need to do should you experience a catastrophic data loss? Has your business produced and printed a manual for employees to use as a reference?

Let us help you assess your business continuity strategy to make sure it takes all relevant aspects into account and is kept current with your evolving needs. Your business may depend on it.

What are tablets?
Tablets or tablet PCs are not new, and the concept itself has been around for 30 years. Although it’s had some success in industrial and commercial environments, it’s struggled to gain wide adoption among consumers in the past. Tablets, simply put, are slate-shaped, hand-held personal computers often with a touch screen or a stylus as input devices instead of a traditional keyboard. They are smaller and handier to carry around than Netbooks, but have larger, more capable screens than smartphones. With its launch, Apple has largely stolen the spotlight on tablet PCs – but is by no means the only vendor selling them. Other vendors include HP, Fujitsu, Samsung, Asus, and many more. Some use Windows, others Linux, while still others have their own proprietary operating systems.

A special category of tablet PCs is ebook readers such as Amazon‘s Kindle and Barnes and Nobles‘s Nook. These are specialized tablets, primarily designed for viewing digital content.

What are tablets good for?
For consumers, the tablet’s appeal is that its form makes it easier to carry around and surf the Internet. Its larger screen allows users to view and interact with applications and media more comfortably than with a smartphone.

What about business?
Tablets seem to have hit their stride in niche applications within industry and commerce. For people in the field, it can be more convenient to carry around and better suited to outdoor conditions than a laptop, yet can be as powerful and capable. With the entry of Apple into the market, more generalized business applications could find its way to the devices, including:

• on-the-go presentation delivery
• quick information access
• on-the-go content creation and editing, such as photos, audio and video recording, and documents
• easy information sharing and collaboration

Are Tablet PCs right for your business?
If you’re considering using Tablet PCs in your business, here are some things to consider:

1. Connectivity. How does the device connect to the Internet? Can it work within your existing office network? Can it securely access your data remotely (i.e., work with your existing VPN infrastructure)?
2. Security. Does the device support the encryption of data? Can it authenticate against your existing applications?
3. Portability. How much power does it consume? How long can it go between charges?
4. Interoperability. Can you access your existing applications such as email? Can you use your existing network services? Can it open existing data and file formats such as your office documents and spreadsheets? Does it require significant investment to outfit and manage on an ongoing basis?
5. Usability. Does it have enough power to run the applications you need? Is it easy to use or will it require extensive training?

Even if you decide not to adopt the Tablet into your business environment, you may need to consider the impact that your employees may have using these devices on their own to do their work, as many began doing when Netbooks and Smartphones came out.

If you would like to learn more about how Tablet PCs can affect your business and your IT services, contact us today. We will be glad to help.

1. 3G adoption – especially as more devices come out that support the wireless broadband standard at a lower price point than in previous years. Subscription costs for data access across the world have also been decreasing as service providers build out their infrastructure and achieve cost-efficiencies with scale.
2. Social networking – which is driving a “constantly online” behavior among users engaged in communication, information sharing, and relationship building.
3. Video – which has encouraged users to exchange rich, multimedia content online
4. VoIP – which is lowering the cost of communication while improving the user experience by not tying them to their desks.
5. Interesting new devices/initiatives – such as the launch of the iPhone, Palm Pre, and lately Google’s Android.

What does this mean for SMEs? Well, for one thing this will require more vigilant monitoring, control, and oversight. Mobile devices can pose a significant security risk, since it’s getting difficult to track the data going in and out of these devices. Also, audit and control tools and procedures are simply not as mature as those available for desktop computers. The risks associated with theft and loss also increase since mobile devices’ small sizes make them easy to conceal or misplace.

Is your organization ready for what’s coming? As mobile devices become the primary Internet access for consumers and workers, it’s time to for your organization to become aware of the issues surrounding their use.

This is where commoncraft.com comes in. Owned and maintained by husband and wife team Lee and Sachi LeFever from Seattle, Washington, the site’s goal is simple: to present complex concepts in a way that can be easily understood by anyone.

Presented in videos they call “__________ in Plain English”, the LeFevers illustrate seemingly intimidating subject matter with terms that are easy to grasp – layman’s language, if you will – “in plain English”. Their first video, “RSS in Plain English”, quickly became an internet hit. Now they offer several free videos that use simple analogies to aid in comprehension accompanied by equally simple visual aids and illustrations. Topics include concepts about the environment, finance, society, and technology.

The videos are completely free and do not require registration to view. Videos are kept short and sweet, cutting to the heart of the matter so that the broken down concepts are easily retained. You’ll hear no fancy words or technical jargon; everything is presented in an easy but no-nonsense manner.

Common Craft can make a custom learning video for you for a fee, which you can discuss with them. Try giving their free videos a whirl and you’ll soon find out that some subjects aren’t as complicated as you might think.

One example of this is the emergence of cloud computing services. In essence, this is the outsourcing of an organization’s IT services to a different company. Everything is managed through the Internet – through “the cloud”, hence the term.

There are three things that make cloud computing services different from usual hosting services:

• The company only pays for the resources they use.
• Subscribers can adjust the amount of service they get based on their need.
• The service is completely managed by the service provider.

Cloud computing services also include providing virtual data storage – meaning you store your data off site on the cloud service provider’s secure servers. You can, however, still access your data through the Internet.

There are both private and public cloud services. A public cloud service is available to everyone on the Internet, while private services are only available to specific clientèle. Some cloud services use public clouds to provide private service, making them a virtual private cloud computing service.

The increasing use of the web in our personal and social lives as well as in business gives the trend of cloud computing services vast potential. However, this service is not for everyone – for instance, if you have reservations about keeping sensitive information in a location outside your organization, you might want to pass.

Want to learn the pros and cons of cloud computing services for your business model? Give us a call – we’d be happy to discuss a possible cloud computing road map with you.

Reason #1:  You need to control costs. In today’s economic environment, IT budgets have been slashed – but a cut in IT spending doesn’t come with a cut in demand for IT services. As a result, you have to do the same amount of work with fewer resources. Although managed services might cost more in the short-term, they cost far less in the long term once you account for the domino effect of lost productivity and customer dissatisfaction.

Reason #2:  IT complexity is increasing. The breadth of information technology a company requires places small- to mid-sized businesses at a distinct disadvantage. Equipment is constantly upgraded in the market, and new IT-related specialties are emerging in a variety of areas, from telephony to networking. It’s difficult for small businesses to maintain the expertise necessary to properly manage these new technologies.

Reason #3:  You’re more dependent than ever on IT. At the same time, companies have become dramatically more dependent on IT in the past few years—and increased use of IT leads to increased outages and greater loss of productivity.

Reason #4:  Your existing solutions are inefficient. In today’s world, a one- or-two person in-house IT department or consultancy simply cannot handle the occasional IT breakdowns that are bound to occur. In many cases, employees have to wait in line to receive help. As a result, not only are your employees less productive, their morale is also decreased—and unhappy employees are less productive employees.

Reason #5:  You need to maintain compliance. More and more companies are finding themselves subject to regulatory compliance, from Sarbanes-Oxley to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—and most small businesses don’t have the resources to fully understand the requirements of these regulations, let alone comply with them.

Of course, the best reason to consider managed IT services may be that IT isn’t your specialty. If managing IT infrastructure has absolutely nothing to do with your core competency, why wouldn’t you outsource it to an expert? By implementing managed services, you can utilize your internal IT resources for other purposes, such as supporting your strategic business objectives.

As a small business owner, you should have three goals when it comes to disaster planning: ensuring that you never lose critical data, minimizing downtime, and recovering as quickly as possible in the event of a disaster.

Those actions fall into three different categories: backups, disaster recovery, and business continuity.

What’s the difference?

• Backing up is the process of safeguarding your data by copying it to a safe medium for recovery in the event of loss.

• Disaster recovery is the process of restoring operations that are critical to your business after a disaster occurs.

• Business continuity is the creation of a plan that details how your organization will recover and restore interrupted functions after a disaster.

Business continuity is the most comprehensive of these three functions, because it involves much more than just a discussion of IT issues – it’s a detailed action plan. Certainly, you need to consider how you protect your IT infrastructure and data, but you also need to consider what you and your employees should do if a disaster occurs. Do your employees know where to meet in the event of a building evacuation? Do you have a plan for reaching out to all employees and their emergency contacts to communicate critical information? Do you have a way to communicate to customers when and how you’ll resume providing products or services? What will you do if one of your major suppliers experiences a disaster?

It’s hard to underestimate the importance of these three plans, but many small and medium businesses do. That’s because when most people think of disaster, they think of floods, earthquakes, and fires. They may even consider equipment failures. But there are human-induced disasters as well—for example, disgruntled or incompetent employees who delete critical information, or hackers. It could easily happen to you.

Perhaps you have a backup system in place. Maybe you even have backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans. But because business goals and environments change, any plan needs to be re-evaluated from time to time to make sure it’s still meeting all of your needs. We can help you evaluate your current plans, or sort through the options if you don’t yet have plans. Contact us for today for details.

Bad weather or not, there has been an increased demand to maintain constant communication and continue productivity outside the office. With remote and mobile accessibility between all links in a company, efficiency can be maintained through working from remote locations. Your company’s employees – from the worker-bees out in field to supervisors, managers, and CXOs – no longer need to be limited by dependence on in-office resources.

Our services provide solutions that allow people to maintain communication regardless of the weather and other productivity-stalling circumstances. We realize the importance of being able to keep in touch, especially in critical situations such as the current weather conditions.

Please contact us to learn more about our communications solutions.

These are frustrations you surely have experienced, and chances are you will again. But you don’t have to. Or, at the very least, you can make them as rare as your refrigerator breaking down or your car battery dying.

To get there, you need to understand how well your IT environment is running. No, we’re not suggesting that you look under the hood to figure out what does what and how. Leave that to the IT people. What we’re proposing is a comprehensive endeavor to document all your IT processes and inventory your IT assets. Identify your best practices – those processes and functions that experience has proven to run efficiently and produce the most desirable results – and document them as part of your overall business practices.

During the process of documenting your IT processes and functions, you’re bound to discover your IT environment isn’t as efficient as it should be – hence, your computer-borne frustrations. You’ll also identify needs that you weren’t aware of. Left unaddressed, these needs cut into productivity (and therefore profits), and can sometimes lead to costly IT network emergencies that would have been a lot less expensive with the right technology and proper maintenance in place.

Let us help assess your needs through this documentation process, and identify solutions that will bring you peace of mind. Some common solutions include outsourcing some of your network functions such as security, backup and recovery, or email, so that they are maintained and updated to keep them running smoothly and prevent costly downtime.

You expect your computer to work when you turn it on – and that is what we want to make sure happens.

• Each phishing attack involves a very small percentage of customers (0.000564%), but due to the large number of phishing attacks, the aggregated number is significant
• 45% of bank customers redirected to a phishing site divulge their personal credentials
• 0.47% of bank customers fall victim to phishing attacks each year, translating to $2.4M-$9.4M in annual fraud losses per one million clients
• Each financial institution was targeted, on average, by 16 phishing websites per week, translating to 832 phishing attacks per year per bank brand

Despite efforts by browser developers and security vendors to protect users from phishing attacks, a small number apparently are still able to bypass anti-spam/phishing protection – and when they do, the results can be damaging.

Let us help you protect yourself from phishing attacks. To find out more contact us today.

Related articles:

• Garlik’s UK Cybercrime Report 2009 Released (pindebit.blogspot.com)
• Chat In the Middle Online Banking Threat (pindebit.blogspot.com)
• PC Users Targeted As Online Fraud Soars (news.sky.com)
• Less than 0.5% of online banking clients fall for phishing scams each year, report says (seattlepi.com)

Related articles:

• Counterfeit reports climb (robbiz1978.blogspot.com)
• Microsoft launches attack on pirates, counterfeiters (seattlepi.com)
• Microsoft Links Malware Rates To Pirated Windows (news.slashdot.org)

Are you using the web for your business? Concerned about the security of your data and information? Contact us and see how we can help.

Related articles:

• Web application security is growing problem for enterprises (infoworld.com)
• Firefox flaws make up 44% of all browser bugs? (theregister.co.uk)
• Vulnerabilities Whitehat Security (ecombizcenter.blogspot.com)

Also check out an online slideshow from bMighty.com which shows 10 Windows 7 Features SMBs Should Love which provides a more visual guide for businesses evaluating whether to upgrade to the new Windows Operating System.

Need help evaluating or migrating to Windows 7 for your business? Contact us today!

Related articles:

• Transfer files and settings from XP to Windows 7 (helpdeskgeek.com)
• Windows 7 may be secure, but are Windows users safe? (infoworld.com)
• How To Reduce Aero Peek’s Delay Time (techie-buzz.com)

As we pointed out in a previous post, social networks allow people to create communities on the Internet around shared relationships, interests, and activities. In business, social networks can be used as tool for marketing, public relations, sales, customer service, employee relations, and more. Many case studies show how companies are able to use social network services to generate new leads, strengthen relationships with customers and employees, and improve their business operations.

Here are some guidelines for avoiding pitfalls when implementing a social networking campaign:

1. Filter information. Actively filter personal or private or sensively information about yourself, your company, your employees and partners, and your customers from the information you or your employees post online. Make sure that none of the information you post is covered by any non-disclosure, patent applications, or contractual agreements, which could quickly get you into hot water.
2. Provide value. Post only information relevant to your audience online. Before any post, ask yourself: Is this information interesting and useful to my audience, or does it only serve us? Your audience will quickly tune you out if you continually post marketing fluff and self-serving promotional ads.
3. Be truthful. Be as forthright and honest as possible. Remember that these types of media are interactive and can quickly get around. You’ll find that unhappy customers and disgruntled employees are not shy in posting negative comments about you and your company for all to see – especially if they find you evasive or less than truthful.
4. Be vigilant. Social networking sites are a target for malware, hackers, and all sorts of online fraudsters. Before joining a social networking site, make sure to read their terms of use and privacy guidelines. How secure is their setup? Are they vetted by third-party security and privacy assurance services? Will they share your information with third parties?  Do mechanisms exist to allow you to control who can and cannot see what you share online? Find out and to protect yourself.
5. Provide clear guidelines. Take a cue from IBM and provide clear guidelines on what is and what is not acceptable, and who does and does not speak in behalf of your company. Make sure your employees know the guidelines and follow them. Let them know that whatever they post online can remain there for years to come and could come back to haunt them later on.

Despite the risks of using social networking services, there are risks of not using them as well. If you don’t shape your image on the Web, people will do it for you. Social networks make it quick and easy to set up a basic profile, and that’s the first step toward gaining control of your business’s reputation online.

We all remember Vista and the horror it continues to be for users. Expected to be a welcome upgrade from Windows XP, Vista was instead, from the very beginning, plagued with problems and all sorts of bugs, and was only slightly made more palatable when the Service Pack 1 was released. Many opted to stick with the more ancient yet much more reliable Windows XP and wait for better things to come.

And come it did. With Windows 7, Microsoft has produced the operating system that many thought Vista would be, leaving the predecessor a memory most would rather not revisit. Faster, lighter, simpler, and easier to use, reviewers have compared this recent instalment of Microsoft’s flagship operating system to a more efficient and generally accepted-to-be-better OS: Mac OS X. While Microsoft does have a stake in Apple, it doesn’t erase the fact that the two have for years been – and continue to be – the most bitter of rivals. With the release of Windows 7, the competition has become very stiff indeed.

Mossberg writes, “In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple’s Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That’s no longer true. Now, however, it’s much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows on the desktop and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.”

Key features of Windows 7 include UI and visual improvements to the taskbar, desktop, file, and networking systems. The overall speed of the OS has also been improved over Vista, which required a lot of hardware to run properly. Now, Windows 7 users are treated to much lighter spec requirements to make the OS run smoothly. Compatibility, especially with third party programs, has also been enhanced, with some touch screen features available for compatible hardware.

In a nutshell, Windows 7 is what Windows Vista was supposed to be in the first place. And because there’s no sense in crying over spilled milk, Microsoft has whipped up quite the replacement mix this time around. And we mean that in a good way.

To read Walt Mossberg’s full review, go to: http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/.

Here are a few things you’ll love about Windows 7:

1. Faster boot up times

Vista was plagued with slow boot times, owing to its demand for high-end hardware in order to function smoothly. Windows 7, on the other hand, does more with less.

2. Lighter spec requirements

Speaking of hardware requirements and more for less, Windows 7 needs less power from your rig to function properly. This means that even hardware systems with bareback specs can run Windows 7 decently.

3. A new taskbar

The new taskbar is a combination of the old taskbar and the quick-launch icons of previous instalments. Frequently used programs are pinned as icons onto the taskbar, and can be used as both a launcher and as a preview for any running windows under that program.

4. File organization

The file system in Windows 7 is more unified now, and enables you to group similar programs together regardless of which hard disk it lives on.

5. Less nagging

One of the most annoying features of Windows Vista was the perpetual reminders about this and that mundane task. Windows 7 lets you configure the warnings to pop up only for issues you feel are important. UAC (User Account Control) also adopts this principle, eliminating that annoying Vista permissions window that popped up even for the most ordinary procedure.

If you’re using an older computer running Windows XP, we suggest you first head over to Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. After downloading the free tool, run it to scan your PC for potential issues with your hardware, devices, and installed programs. The tool will recommend actions you should take before you upgrade.
If your PC is running Windows Vista without problems, chances are it’s ready to run Windows 7. If you bought your copy of Vista or a PC running Vista after June 26, 2009, you might be qualified for a special upgrade offer to Windows 7, so make Microsoft’s official Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration page your first stop to find out.
Once you’re ready to take the plunge, get ready to do some homework first. Just like Vista, Windows 7 comes in different editions. Weigh your options and find out which edition is right for you. Also, PC World has put together a nice article on the five things you should know before upgrading to Windows 7 from XP. For a more detailed guide, visit Engadget blog’s excellent post on how to install Windows 7 and live to tell about it.

If you find the process too complicated, don’t have the time, or if you’re thinking of upgrading many computers, why not contact us? We can help you sort out your options and ensure a smooth upgrade.

Related articles:

• Seven things to know about Windows 7 (cnn.com)
• 27 Takes on Windows 7 [Roundups] (gizmodo.com)
• Windows 7 Launch, what the Experts say + Microsoft store grand opening. (domkop.co.za)

BBC News has reported that these Hotmail account owners, mostly from Europe, were victimized by a phishing attack. Microsoft is currently investigating the incident, and hinted that there may be more users who have inadvertently compromised the privacy of their email accounts.

The total scale of the phishing attack has yet to be determined, since the 10,028 Hotmail usernames and passwords are only of users whose names begin with A or B. Microsoft has confirmed the accounts to be genuine.

Microsoft has also taken action to remove the passwords and usernames from the website. As of now, there is no news regarding what action the software giant will take against the instigators of the attack, nor what the impact will be to the owners of the compromised accounts. Microsoft has advised users to immediately change their passwords, and warned email account holders to be more careful in responding to emails.

Phishing is an online scam in which email accounts are sent fake emails disguised as legitimate correspondence from trusted websites. Once the recipient clicks on a link included in the email, his or her account is then compromised, allowing phishers to gain access to account information as well as other sensitive information, including bank passwords and credit card accounts.

The original BBC story can be found here.

Twitter allows company owners to share short “tweets” or posts a maximum of 140 characters each to give quick, live updates to “followers” on the Twitter service. A few days ago, the Wallstreet Journal published an interesting article on how Twitter has become a life saver for many business owners in a crisis. One company used the service to update customers when their website went down because of a hacker. Another study from Warrillow, a consulting firm, says that small businesses are also using the service to search for deals and promotions online. In fact, according to the company, they use the service a whopping 7 times more than other social networks.

It’s interesting to learn the many ways that businesses are using services such as Twitter to their advantage. How about your business? Are you using it as well? Let us know!

Related articles:

• One in Five Tweets Are Free Brand Advertising (mashable.com)
• Facebook Adds Twitterlike Tagging Feature (myventurepad.com)
• 7 Times As Many SMBs Use Twitter To Find Deals (smallbizresource.com)

• Wash your hands frequently, especially before handling food and after using the bathroom. It is recommended that you scrub your hands with soap and warm water for 10-15 seconds, then rinse well before drying with a disposable paper towel.
• Keep keyboards, phones, and copiers germ free by using disinfectant wipes to regularly clean items you share with others.
• Have your office dusted regularly. Dust and dirt can accumulate indoors, which pose risks especially to people with allergies and asthma.
• Make sure that your ventilation system is working properly.
• To prevent dust and dirt from settling on your keyboard you can buy a plastic cover fitted to your keyboard’s keys – they’re easier to clean, too.
• Make it a habit to keep a small bottle of disinfectant alcohol or hand sanitizer handy.
• If your office is carpeted, have it regularly vacuumed.
• Have the trash cans – preferably with lids – taken out and emptied every day.
• Simple illnesses such as common colds and the flu can spread very quickly in a workplace, so if you happen to get sick, do every one a favor by staying home – and come back only when you’re well. If you really must go to the office, avoid shaking hands with people and wear a mask or have a handkerchief or face towel handy for sneezing and coughing to help stop the virus from spreading.

No one likes to be sick, and following these simple measures will help make your workplace a much healthier and cleaner place to work.

What is Social Networking?
Online social networks are services meant to create communities of people on the Internet who share common relationships, interests, and activities. In a typical social networking site, users create profiles of themselves which they use to connect with other users and create a network of “friends.” These networks are typically organized around the user’s social relationships, life circumstances, lifestyles, organizational affiliations, ideological and political beliefs, commercial interests, and many other traits.

One benefit of creating these networks is that it allows users to keep track of each other within their network more easily. It also allows them to leverage the connections of others in their social circle – greatly expanding the network of people they would ordinarily have. Beyond creating their own social networks, things become interesting when users are able to share information and pursue activities online together, thereby allowing greater communication, collaboration, and co-creation of ideas, products at a scale and speed which simple was not have been possible before.

How Can I Use Social Networks for My Business?
If you are a small business owner, opportunities in social networking are readily available. The ability to create a network of employees, customers, prospects, and partners is one benefit, along with the ability to leverage their networks to expand your own. The potential capability to mine the amazing amount of user-generated demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data among a network’s members is also very valuable.

Here are some samples of ways you can put social networks to work for your business:
1) Use it for Marketing. Create a community of your current customers where they can more easily hear from you and you from them. Use their networks to attract new leads to your business. Follow their activities to gain insights into who they are, what they want, where they congregate, and how best to reach them. Let them use social networks as an avenue to let others know how good you are. Create exciting new opportunities for them to get to know your business, reach out to you, and create a relationship with you.

2) Use it for Customer Service. Gain valuable feedback into how they feel about your product or service in real time. Create an important new channel to reach out to customers and to get information out to them quickly and efficiently.

3) Use it for HR. Create a community of current and ex-employees. Use it as a cheap Intranet, like what this company is doing with Facebook. Gain insight into the social profiles and behavior of your employees. Use it as a tool to attract new recruits.

4) Create new opportunities for learning and innovation. Tap social networks to learn from like-minded people. Find and discover social networks in your business, industry, or your profession. Learn from fellow entrepreneurs, customers, or partners. You can even tap communities to help you innovate faster and more cheaply. With social networks and an active community of people behind them you can co-create new products or services, link up to gain greater bargaining power, or share information and intelligence more easily.

These are just some examples of how you can apply social networking to your business. For more information, contact us to learn how we can help you get started today!

Related articles:

• Marketer addresses social networking for businesses issues … (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• To friend, or not to friend: That is the workplace question (seattlepi.com)
• Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risks Webinar Presentation (slideshare.net)
• Social networking is about people, not technology (jonggunlee.tistory.com)

This list is divided into five categories:

1. Social-Media or Social-Bookmarking Sites, which allow users to share their favorite websites or track and vote upon various online articles and resources.
2. Professional networking sites, which allow networking among organizations and individuals for business purposes.
3. Niche sites, which target a specific community of users in a particular industry, profession, or with specific shared interests.
4. General social media sites, which have business applications such as the popular Twitter service.
5. Job sites, which are geared towards recruitment and talent management.

Head out to InsideCRM.com to find out more.

Related articles:

• Social Networking And Your Business (smtusa.com)
• Social Networking and Technical Communicators | On the Write Road (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• B2B Social Media: Got Your Toe Wet, Now It’s Time to Swim (socialmediatoday.com)

Not surprisingly, a substantial number (39 percent) of the companies surveyed cut their IT budgets in 2009, with an average cut of 22 percent from 2008 levels. Among the areas where companies are saving money is hardware, with the average planned lifespan for machines such as desktops, laptops, servers, and switches increasing by 26 percent.

Despite this, a significant number (31 percent) report that budgets remained flat, while as many as 30 percent reported an increase in budget in 2009 from the previous year. Among the areas where companies are investing money is in software, specifically security software. 46 percent of SMBs indicated that they plan to invest in antivirus and antispam software, while 38 percent plan to put their money in data backup and recovery software. A growing trend is virtualization, with 30 percent of participants planning to invest in virtualization solutions.

How does your company compare? Do you think your company is investing enough in IT security? Contact us now to see how we can help you invest your IT budget where it brings the most value.

This is a clear indicator that the Internet has become an important source for many businesses to generate and manage their business. Potential business can come anywhere – from their website, queries in search engines, online ads, and lately even social networking sites. According to the study, for businesses that track lead sources, the percentage that does so using the Internet has increased from 22 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in 2009.

Although the Internet can often be a scary for many SMB’s and their prospects place with threats such as spam, malware, phising, and more, this study reveals that it is still a source of tremendous value for those who know how to use it effectively.

Related Information:

• If you’re a Microsoft Partner you can access my 5W50 Webinar “Building Your Online Marketing Engine” If you’d like a copy of the presentation don’t hesitate to drop me an email and request it
• Online Media Ad/Promo Use Eclipses Traditional Among SMBs

Remote support tools allow IT providers to support an entire company’s computing infrastructure, wherever and whenever needed, from their own offices. This helps address the needs of a market that significantly benefits from doing more with less— small and medium businesses.

Some of the benefits of remote support include:

• No travel time. As long as the issue doesn’t require on-site support, you won’t pay for time spent traveling to your site.
• No waiting. Response time is faster because support staff can address your needs immediately with online access to your machines and servers.
• Less work interruption. Because support can be done remotely, much support work can be done after hours, or behind the scenes as you continue to work. No more downtime while support staff takes over your physical desk.
• Lower costs. IT support staff can work on all of your computers simultaneously from their own offices, saving time – and therefore money.
• Proactive monitoring prevents problems from ever happening. Instead of waiting to come out and fixing your infrastructure when it’s already broken, remote support provides ongoing network monitoring, management, and unlimited remote support that prevents problems from occurring in the first place – all for one fixed monthly fee.

Contact us today for details on how our remote IT support solutions can help your business stay on track.

According to research from the Yankee Group, 26% of medium businesses (100-499 employees) and 43% of enterprises (500+ employees) are using server virtualization today, and within 24 months, the percentage for medium-sized businesses is expected to increase to 69%. Among small businesses (20-99 employees), 23% are using server virtualization in production servers, and 8% of very small businesses (2-19 employees) are following suit.

Here are some examples of how you can take advantage of virtualization:

1. Reduce capex and opex. If you run a fair-sized organization with multiple servers, you can reduce your capital expenditures for new equipment or upgrades by purchasing a smaller number of machines and running your server workload off of them. Over time, this will reduce operating expenses because you’ll have fewer machines to maintain, less power and space consumed, and more machines more fully utilized.
2. A cost-effective way to keep IT running. Some virtualization solutions include features that allow virtual machines to quickly recover in case of disaster or application downtime. Virtual machine loads can be transferred in real-time from one physical machine to another. This means that your accounting application or warehouse management system will always run even if the original machine it’s installed on goes down – if it’s installed on a virtual machine that can intelligently transfer the application to a standby system.
3. Test multiple types of machines and run multiple applications on different operating systems. With machine virtualization, you can run multiple operating systems on a single PC. Thinking of running Windows 7 but are afraid some applications might not run properly on it? Use virtualization to run Windows XP within Windows 7. Want to use a Mac but your email is tied to Outlook? No problem! Buy a Mac, and use third party software to run Windows inside it.

Curious about virtualization and how it can help your business? Contact us today to explore ways that virtualization can increase your efficiency and lower your costs.

How to prevent eye strain:

• Never stare too long at your monitor. Blink occasionally and use eye drops to avoid dry eyes.
• Rest your eyes regularly for about 2-3 minutes. If you have time, take a power nap (5-15 minutes) – this not only gives your eyes a rest, but also gives your brain and body a well-deserved break.
• Use glare-resistant glasses or a glare reduction screen for your monitor.
• Avoid working in too-bright environments.
• Reduce the brightness of your computer screen.
• Place your monitor at least 20 inches from your eyes. If you can’t read the screen, increase the size of your windows. You may also want to visit an optometrist to see if you need glasses or a new prescription.

How to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome:

• Adjust the height of your chair so that your arms and wrists are level with the keyboard.
• Move and click on your mouse lightly.
• Perform this wrist exercise several times throughout the day:
  1. Stretch your arms out in front of you, palms facing out – as if you were doing push ups. Hold for 5 seconds.
  2. With arms still stretched, straighten your wrists and relax you hands.
  3. After a few seconds, make tight fists and point them downward with your wrists. Hold for 5 seconds.
  4. Repeat step 2.
  5. Let your arms hang at your sides and then give them a gentle shake

Try incorporating these easy, quick, and safe tips into your daily routine. If they become habits, they’ll help you avoid the inconvenience and pain of carpal tunnel syndrome and eyestrain.

The losses, which ranged from $150,000 to more than $400,000, were accomplished by the crooks in mere minutes. Luckily for these companies, the banks managed to reverse some of the transfers. If they hadn’t, the losses would have amounted to $700,000 up to a whopping $1.2 million.

The modus operandi of the hackers is simple. Making use of the ACH network, they send out “phishing” emails to account holders. When the recipient clicks on the link, malicious software – a Trojan horse or virus – automatically downloads itself to the recipient’s computer, allowing the hacker to infiltrate the system. Keylogging software (software that tracks keystrokes) is installed, which gives phishers access account numbers, names, and passwords. They then divert the company’s funds into their own accounts.

ACH fraudsters can also use the same method to not only siphon off money into their own pockets, but also to establish “ghost employees”, which they insert into the payroll and qualify to receive regular paychecks.

While banks are doing their best to strengthen the system, they can only do so much, and experts admit that the ACH network is a very old system compared to today’s standards. The volume of money that flows through the ACH is also so massive that it is difficult to keep track of specific amounts for specific accounts.

Despite its shortcomings, the ACH system still remains widely used, and the best defence is to guard your system well. For our clients, we have firewalls and anti-malware software in place, but you should also make sure your bookkeepers and staff are briefed on how to avoid being the victim of fake phishing emails.

If you have any questions or concerns please give us a call.

For more details about this story, visit http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136334/Cyber_attackers_empty_business_accounts_in_minutes?taxonomyId=17&pageNumber=1.

Entrepreneur magazine columnist Gail Goodman

Goodman points out several arguments in support of her case. Among them: email is still valuable for relationship-building and meaningful interaction and dialogue with customers. Also, social networking has its place as a complementary channel to the marketing mix, and research from MarketingSherpa seems to bear this out. Another is that young people continue to use email despite their fascination with social networking sites.

If you rely on Internet, email, or direct marketing in your business, then be sure to continue using email as well.

Related articles:

• Report: Social Networks Growing while Other Social Media Sites …
• Why Do People Use Online Social Networks : Internet Marketing …

Rogueware misleads users in that it tells them that it is protecting them from annoyances (such as online ads) or harm (such as from viruses or other malware) – even if it’s not. Often these programs themselves are not malicious beyond displaying false information. However, in some cases they can be the source of harm themselves, creating a backdoor for other Trojans or viruses to enter the system.

According to Panda’s research, as many as 35 million computers are newly infected with rogueware each month, many through social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg. Ads featuring free downloadable software are often featured, containing links or reminders to get the paid versions after first use—which earn the fraudsters as much as $34 million per month, Panda estimates.

To ensure you use only legitimate security software, make sure you only use systems from trusted software vendors that are vetted by your IT advisor. For advice and help, contact us today!

Related articles:

• Cyber-criminals targeting social networking sites
• Blog – Can Twitter and Facebook be Both Social and Secure?
• Forget about malware, rogueware is where its at!

Windows XP mode runs a virtualized instance of Windows XP in Windows 7, and requires a PC equipped with additional 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of available disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with AMD-V or Intel VT turned on in the BIOS. Because of these system requirements, older PCs are not able to run the software.

In the blog post by the Windows 7 Development team, they suggest that users first try the Native Windows 7 mode when running their applications before resorting to Windows XP mode. Windows XP Mode was developed to address some users’ concerns about compatibility, considering that Windows 7 uses the same kernel as Windows Vista. Some businesses had been holding back from upgrading their operating systems since some business applications built for XP proved incompatible with Vista.

Windows XP Release Candidate will work with both the RC and RTM (Release To Manufacturing) versions of Windows 7. If you need more information, please contact us today and we’ll assess whether you can safely upgrade to the new release of Windows 7, or you need Windows XP compatibility mode for your business applications.

Related articles:

• Windows XP Mode RC now available
• Microsoft Clarifies Windows XP Mode For Windows 7
• Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 Release Candidate available

Typical scenarios for upgrading include:

1. Users running Windows 7 Starter Edition on their netbooks, who wish to upgrade to Home Premium to take advantage of Aero Peek and other enhanced functionality from their OS such as Taskbar Previews. Desktop themes are also enabled, and so is Remote Media Streaming.
2. Users running Home Premium on their laptops who wish to connect to their office network’s domain or run their old custom business applications using Windows XP Mode can upgrade to Professional.
3. Users running Home Premium or Professional who want to encrypt and secure their USB devices.

With Microsoft’s early announcements of pricing and upgrade options for the upcoming Windows 7 release, you have the opportunity to plan now for the investment strategy you will use when the time comes to upgrade. If you need information or advice about your options, don’t hesitate to call us.

Related articles:

• Windows 7 RTM reviewed
• For Some, Move To Windows 7 Will Be Tough
• Windows 7 pricing announced: cheaper than Vista
• Microsoft announces pricing for Windows 7 family pack, upgrading

However, this article does explain what you can do, including any of the following:

1. Install a copy of Windows 7 on the same computer, in parallel with your existing XP install.
2. Install a copy of Windows 7 on the same computer and replace your existing XP install entirely.
3. Obtain an entirely new computer with 7 installed, and migrate your existing XP data and application settings to it.

To learn more, visit Information Week. If you need help with preparing your business for Windows 7, contact us – we are here to help.

Related articles:

• For Some, Move To Windows 7 Will Be Tough
• Windows 7 RTM reviewed
• Backwards compatibility can kill you

The good news though, is that there are simply ways to avoid getting infected by malware. Clearly having the right anti-virus and security installed and up to date is critical – that’s where we help. But it’s also important to know how you can make a difference.

Here are few simple tips to help you keep your system malware-free:

1. Never click indiscriminately
These days, there are ads and pop-ups, designed to induce a PC user to click on them. From sexy models to seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers and promotions, many web advertisers are counting on people’s curiosity and the impulse to click away. The thing is, many of these ads lead you to unsecure sites filled with malware.

2. Cancel Autorun.
When you plug in a portable hard disk or flash drive, you computer automatically opens a window with preset options to enable file viewing for that drive. Immediately opening a flash drive allows infections to access your system, so cancel the window and scan first before opening the drive or any file inside it.

3. Never open suspicious emails.
Unsolicited email is always best unopened and deleted immediately. If you don’t know who sent it, send it straight to the trash bin and delete it forever.

4. Only download if you must and only from trusted sites.
Installing peer to peer downloads may be a great source of free music, media and software. But it’s not only piracy and is probably prohibited by your company policy – it’s also a fertile breeding ground for files embedded with Trojans, worms, and other forms of malware. Download files only when necessary and only do so from legitimate and trusted sites.

You make the difference
Your behavior online plays a big factor in making your PC and your system malware free. Especially if you’re on a network, failing to exercise caution not only compromises your system, but everyone else who’s connected to the same network. A simple click on a wayward link or ad can cause your whole company to be bombarded by spam, so always be careful in what sites you go to and what files you open and download.

If you’d like us to come in and talk to your staff about this and other safe-computing habits just let us know.

With traditional network infrastructure, when employees are away from the office—because they’re traveling for business purposes are or are taking time off—collaboration is impossible and productivity is lost.

As a result, many companies are helping their employees to work remotely. A 2007 study by Nemertes Research revealed that 83 percent of organizations now consider themselves virtual, with workgroups spread across multiple locations and geographies. In addition, 91 percent of employees work outside of headquarters, and 96 percent use some form of real-time collaboration tools.

A mobile workforce may involve:

• Real-time access to desktops and documents;
• Internet and instant messaging access through mobile devices;
• Real-time collaboration tools (such as editing documents simultaneously); and
• Audio and video conferencing.

Companies that effectively enable a mobile workforce:

• Improve productivity through ongoing access to information;
• Drive business responsiveness through constant communication between employees and clients; and
• Support work-life balance and improve job satisfaction—which helps attract and retain talent.

However, there are challenges to enabling a mobile workforce:

• Deployment can be disruptive to your current IT infrastructure;
• Devices and applications may be incompatible with your current infrastructure;
• Employees may not know how to use new tools; and
• Mobile devices and data may not be protected.

We can help you avoid these problems when enabling a mobile workforce—and at the same time, minimize your investment in technology with products that scale to support your evolving needs. Contact us for more information.

1.  Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote 2010 now lets several people work on a document at the same time. Users of the desktop versions of the software will be able to send out a text link that will let anyone click on the link and use Windows Live to open the document and work on the live, with all parties seeing each others’ changes.
2. Outlook 2010 will have a new feature which will allow users to ignore email threads, deleting everything in that conversation, including existing messages and any new ones that come in.
3. PowerPoint 2010 will have a Broadcast feature will create a URL that users can share via e-mail or IM. Clicking on the link will let other users see a slideshow streaming directly from the author’s desktop.

To find out more about these new features, visit the Microsoft WWPC website.

Related articles:

• Microsoft Office 2010 in Videos [Video Demonstration]
• Office 2010 revealed in great detail via Microsoft videos
• Microsoft Offie 2010 to have free online version like google docs

The IT Effectiveness Index report, or ITEI, provides business owners and IT executives at small and midsized businesses with a free online benchmarking tool to help them compare the effectiveness of their IT systems with companies in the same industry and peer group. Executives who take the survey are given a grade from A through F, along with a brief description of what their grade means.

Nearly one in four SMBs received an “F” or failing grade in IT effectiveness, the study says. According to the report, this failure stems largely from a lack of security, a high level of downtime, and the absence of disaster recovery programs. The report revealed that about 37 percent of SMBs received a “C” grade, which indicates they are just barely getting by; only 30 percent have a fully implemented security program; and only 26 percent have fully implemented a disaster recovery/continuity plan.

Is your business struggling with security? Do you want to increase the effectiveness of your IT? Consider outsourcing it to us so you can focus on your business and leave the worrying to us.

While the benefits to personal communications are obvious, the larger value implications of this type of technology is evident in business, where travel costs are greatly reduced through the use of video conferencing technology. Imagine a group of people in the United States being able to see and communicate in real time with another group in Australia. This is possible with video conferencing, which allows the two parties simply agree on a time (with the time zone difference considered, of course) and then hold a meeting in the comfort of their own offices.

Video conferencing not only saves the fares and accommodation expenses, but also saves time spent travelling. It’s also valuable to employees in the field who need to report to a main office. A webcam, a mike, and a decent internet connection allows those in the field to report in real time to the main office at any time, eliminating the need to leave their post or assignment.

Programs you can use:

1. Citrix GoToMeeting – one of the most popular software for web conferencing, costing $49.00 per month or $468 for an annual plan that gives you unlimited conferences (including both video and voice) with up to 10 attendees. The interface is easy to use and meetings can be set up in a flash. The only downside is that Mac users can only participate in, and not set up, meetings.
2. Microsoft Live Meeting – another popular bundle of decently priced and stable conferencing software. However, the interface is much more complicated than Citrix GoToMeeting, and may confuse first-time users. Another possible concern is its “per use” charging system.
3. WebEx MeetMeNow – at $39 – $49 a month, this option offers the best value for the money, with its unlimited monthly use with up 10 participants and a very user-friendly installation and interface.
4. Acrobat Connect Professional – this option offers the most flexible payment plans, making it best suited for occasional users. It also boasts customization features allowing users to tailor the program based on their needs.

Video conferencing is a simple and practical way to communicate in real time with personal and business contacts, wherever they are in the world, at a fraction of the cost of more traditional methods. Need help choosing equipment and getting set up? We’ll be happy to lend a hand.

Malware, short for “malicious software,” is designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s consent. It includes viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, and even adware.

The total amount of malware removed from computers worldwide grew more than 43 percent during the first half of 2008, according to a security intelligence report by Microsoft.

According to the report, based on the type of malware most frequently found, financial gain appears to be attackers’ top motivation.

And it may only get worse, because now organized crime networks are distributing malware. Don’t think American mafia; this type of organized crime is more typically loosely organized criminals from underdeveloped parts of the world. Australia’s Verizon investigative response team, which handles data breaches on behalf of that country’s major corporations, has reported that 91 percent of the breaches it found in 2008 could be traced to organized crime activity rather than insider or other threats.

These organized crime networks plot to infiltrate computers—primarily American ones, which have information from which they can profit—and steal data. They may also seek out intellectual property for its potential value. “If a single piece of intellectual property is compromised, and it happens to be the secret formula to your company’s product, then that’s a business-changing event,” said the Verizon report.

Although most of the malware Verizon found could not be detected by current antivirus products, around 87 per cent of breaches could have been avoided by using simple controls, according to Verizon, whose report stated that “on the whole, criminals are still not required to work very hard to breach corporate information systems.”

Here’s what you can do to help protect your systems:

• Enable a firewall.
• Install and maintain up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that provide increased protection from malicious and potentially unwanted software. Almost 40 per cent of victims Verizon investigated in 2008 did not regularly update their security software.
• Check for and apply software updates on an ongoing basis, including updates provided for third-party applications.
• Open links and attachments in e-mail and instant messages with caution.

Need help implementing these safeguards? We’re here to assist!

According to the Windows team blog, estimated retail prices for the upgrade packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the US are:

• Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
• Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
• Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99

Estimated retail prices for full packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the US are:

• Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
• Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
• Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99

The Windows 7 Home Premium full retail product is $40.00 less than today’s Windows Vista Home Premium price.

Pre-orders will be limited, and Microsoft has not commented yet on what the supply limitations will be. Pre-orders will launch Friday, June 26 – July 11 in the US, Canada, and Japan, ending sooner if supplies are depleted. The UK, France, and Germany preorders launch July 15 – August 14, also ending sooner if supplies are depleted. Microsoft has launched a new website where users can find more information about upgrade offers.

Related articles:

• Buy a PC tomorrow and get Windows 7 or pre order
• Week in Microsoft: Windows 7 gets priced
• Microsoft taking half-price pre-orders for Windows 7

Outlook is surely one of Microsoft’s most popular products, widely recognized as a standard application alongside Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Bundled inside Microsoft Office, Outlook is the personal information manager component of the ubiquitous office suite, blending email, contact management, a calendar, and task management into one package.

Here are some tips to ensure you are making the most out of this popular application:

1. Use Outlook with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Sharepoint.
   Microsoft Outlook is a rich and powerful tool on its own, but when used with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Sharepoint, it provides enhanced functions for collaboration within organization, such as the ability to share mailboxes and calendars. With Exchange, you can create shared folders for important email communication and company-wide memos, as well as invite others to meetings and share your availability information. You can even create a company-wide address book of key contacts for shared use. With Microsoft Sharepoint, you can post all of this information in the company Intranet, and even expose some of this information to customers and partners in the company extranet or public website – allowing you to share information and collaborate more easily with people outside of the organization as well.
2. Use Outlook Web Access.
   If you don’t have access to your PC, such as when traveling, you can still use Outlook if you use it with Exchange. Just access Outlook Web Access (OWA) using your browser and any internet connection. OWA is the webmail service of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 and later, packaged as a part of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and previous versions of Exchange. Its interface resembles the interface in Microsoft Outlook.
3. Sync your data.
   Because of the popularity of Outlook, there is a host of third-party applications and plug-ins you can use to sync your data. Always on the go? Sync Outlook with your mobile phone, PDA, and even your iPOD or Blackberry. Want to have your data accessible on any PC or device? Sync your email and calendar data to hosted services such as Google Calendar or Google Apps. Need to call a contact from your desktop? No problem – Outlook can integrate with Skype to allow you to do one-click calling from Outlook. Want integration with your company applications and systems? A host of enterprise applications from billing and accounting, CRM, and even ERP systems can sync key data such customer contact information to Outlook.
4. Use add-ons.
   Many other third-party add-ons and plug-ins are available for Outlook to further expand its already considerable features. One favorite is a tool called Xobni (Inbox in reverse), which allows you to more easily search and organize your inbox. Google Desktop plugs in to Outlook so that you can search the web, your desktop files, and your email and file attachments from within Outlook in one place. There are many more available to check out.
5. Learn Outlook inside and out.
   Dozens of websites provide useful tips on how to complete tasks faster, make your experience with the application smoother, and simplify your workflow. A good place to start is Microsoft’s website, which regularly offers handy, free tips for using Outlook to its fullest.

Microsoft Outlook is widely used because it is a robust and versatile tool for information management, not only for individual users but for groups within an entire business as well. Time spent learning how to maximize its use is well worth it in terms of saved time and increased productivity. Call us now for ideas on how to get started!

Your business depends on your network

Your revenue is directly tied to the availability and performance of your network, because it’s the backbone of your business. Your network houses critical applications, allows your employees to communicate, and gives customers access your goods and services.

When your network fails, your business suffers. Employees cannot access the applications and information they need to keep your business up and running, and basic means of communication, such as printing, filing, and emailing, are unavailable. At the same time, customers cannot access the information they need to buy your products. You’re forced to spend time and money to get the system up and running, increasing your TCO. The end result: productivity declines and revenue decreases.

Managing your network can prevent revenue loss

It pays to minimize network performance degradation and downtime, and a network management system will help you do this. Large companies have long deployed such systems, but as networks become more critical to smaller businesses, they have become important for small- and mid-size enterprises as well.

A network management system will provide tools that improve network performance, help network administrators manage the network more efficiently, and include an early warning system for network outages. These benefits allow your business to operate more efficiently, thereby cutting costs and preventing revenue loss—and reducing the TCO of your network infrastructure.

Need Help?

Finding a good network management system and deploying it correctly is by no means a simple task, but there are plenty of solutions that provide the necessary functionality at a relatively low cost. We can help you deploy an easy-to-use network management system that helps you manage your network more efficiently and save money at the same time. Contact us today for more information.

Related articles:

Assessing the business impact of network management on small and mid-size enterprises

Data losses, which can result from theft or carelessness, are a downside of the information age. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), more than 35 million data records were breached in 2008 in the United States—47 percent more than in 2007.

How much do data losses cost? The Ponemon Institute, which studies business privacy practices, surveyed 43 U.S. companies across 17 industry sectors that lost data in 2008. According to the study, data losses ranged from 4,200 records to 113,000 records, and each data record lost cost $202—making the total cost between $848,400 and $22,826,000.

That number was up from $197 per data record lost in 2007, $182 in 2006, and $138 in 2005, the first year the study was conducted.

Why are data losses so costly? When you lose data, a number of costs are incurred, including detecting data losses, notifying victims, paying for victim reparations (such as free credit checks), and hiring experts to remedy the problem. You also must account for business lost as a result of customer mistrust. In fact, in the Ponemon study, $139 of the lost $202 per data record represented the cost of lost business.

Small companies may suffer the most from data losses. Another study conducted earlier this year by StollzNow Research asked IT managers from 945 companies about their experiences related to data management. They found that an alarming 49 percent of small companies fail to back up their data on a daily basis.

This is despite the fact that nearly half of all participants experienced data loss in their workplace in the past two years, and 36 percent felt that data loss could have a significant impact on their business.

Don’t put yourself at risk. We can help you prevent costly data loss by implementing a policy for the preservation of data, and by installing and testing backup systems on a regular basis.

Related articles:

Tech Managers Often Underestimate Impact of Data Loss

Study: Data Losses Proving More Costly for Businesses

Market research organization Techaisle recently released a study forecasting that SMBs worldwide will purchase 1.1 million Netbooks in 2009, jumping to 3.5 million units in 2010. Between 22 and 30 percent of SMBs said that they are considering Netbook purchases as they upgrading core desktops and notebooks. Designed primarily for wireless communication and access to the Internet, Netbooks are small portable laptop computers equipped with wireless connectivity, no optical disk drive, a small keyboard, and screens usually no larger than 10 inches. According to the survey, this interest in Netbooks is fueled by the global economic crisis forcing companies to rein in IT spending, as well as by increased interest in easy and low-cost access to mobile computing. The study suggests that while some are considering Netbooks as a possible replacement for desktops and notebooks, it is more likely that they will be used to augment those items. Contact us for ideas on how Netbooks might benefit your own business operations.

Related links:

• Global SMBs TO Buy 1.1 Million Netbooks in 2009
• ABI Thinks Netbooks Will Win
• How the Netbook is changing the industry
• Netbooks, Small, Efficient Web Tool

When most people want to purchase a new computer or upgrade their current one, they focus on finding a CPU with the quickest speed, the most computing cores, or the most RAM they can afford. However, they may be overlooking the most likely reason for computing slowdowns: fragmentation in the disks.

Disk drives claim the dubious distinction of being the slowest component on today’s computers, and the more fragmented they are, the more they drag down the performance of the entire system. Fragmentation is the scattering or fragmenting of files on a hard drive from continually writing, deleting, and resizing them. The more you use your computer, the more these bits of data get scattered about. As this happens, it takes longer for the computer to retrieve this data as it reads back from the disk. Defragmentation is the process in which a special software utility is run to arrange all of this data into contiguous spaces on the disk.

Today, frequent defragmentation is becoming more and more important as drive capacities become larger and we start to use our disks more heavily. We now regularly store and retrieve various forms of media such as photos, images, music and videos from our computer disks. Thousands of media files dramatically increase disk fragmentation. We also use our systems to run “virtualized” guest operating systems, which also dramatically increases file fragmentation as these operating systems perform simultaneous read/write operations on the disk. Resident antivirus programs will also slow down disk operation if it is made to continuously read fragmented files. In a business maintaining several computers, these operations will significantly shorten the life span of the drives, and will also contribute to work slowdowns and productivity loss.

So before spending money on a new CPU or RAM upgrade, try defragmenting first. Let us help you implement a schedule and procedures to better manage this important process.

The format was developed by Adobe and was originally available only to owners of the company’s Acrobat software. During the mid-90s, Adobe began distributing Acrobat Reader software, a free tool for viewing PDF files – making it a popular choice for authors, publishers, and designers who wanted to get around the formatting limitations of HTML. PDF is now accepted as an open standard, and is widely supported by other software vendors.

Several characteristics of PDF make it a great choice for sharing or publishing documents over the Internet.

1. Ability to retain formatting. PDF allows the original presentation and formatting of any document to remain exactly as its original author intended it to look, including images, fonts, and layout. This is a distinct advantage over other formats such as Microsoft Office documents or HTML, which can change the document’s appearance according to the software and fonts installed on the computer used to view the document.
2. Security. With PDF documents, you have full control over users’ ability to open, print, copy,modify, or share documents. You can selectively enable or disable these actions for each document according to your preferences.
3. Easy to create. Because PDF has become an open standard, many software vendors support the format.You don’t necessarily need Adobe’s Acrobat software to create PDF documents. Many plug-ins for Microsoft Office, print drivers, or online conversion services are available free or for a fee and make it easy and convenient to publish or export to the format.
4. Compressible. PDF file sizes can be shrunk to suit the needs of target users. PDF documents can be packaged and compressed while retaining the original quality, or can be down-sampled and compressed to dramatically reduce file size, making it quick to download over the web.
5. Powerful and flexible. You can add interactive elements including form fields, hyperlinks,electronic signatures, and multimedia such as sounds and videos to your PDF documents. Although these features are also available with other formats,they are not as easy to package and share as PDF.

So consider switching to PDF when you want to share or publish documents over the Internet. If you need assistance, let us know – we can help.

Related articles:

• Customize PDFs online with these tools
• PDF Converter Downloads
• 4 Very Light Alternatives to Adobe Reader

Disk drives claim the dubious distinction of being the slowest component on today’s computers, and the more fragmented they are, the more they drag down the performance of the entire system. Fragmentation is the scattering or fragmenting of files on a hard drive from continually writing, deleting, and resizing them. The more you use your computer, the more these bits of data get scattered about. As this happens, it takes longer for the computer to retrieve this data as it reads back from the disk. Defragmentation is the process in which a special software utility is run to arrange all of this data into contiguous spaces on the disk.

Today, frequent defragmentation is becoming more and more important as drive capacities become larger and we start to use our disks more heavily. We now regularly store and retrieve various forms of media such as photos, images, music and videos from our computer disks. Thousands of media files dramatically increase disk fragmentation. We also use our systems to run “virtualized” guest operating systems, which also dramatically increases file fragmentation as these operating systems perform simultaneous read/write operations on the disk. Resident antivirus programs will also slow down disk operation if it is made to continuously read fragmented files. In a business maintaining several computers, these operations will significantly shorten the life span of the drives, and will also contribute to work slowdowns and productivity loss.

So before spending money on a new CPU or RAM upgrade, try defragmenting first. Let us help you implement a schedule and procedures to better manage this important process.

What is CRM?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a broad term that covers the management of all aspects of a company’s interaction and relationship with customers. It involves strategies, programs, and tactics to put the customer at the center of your business, with the goals of differentiating the company’s competitive positioning, attracting leads, encouraging customer adoption, improving customer satisfaction, encouraging customer loyalty-and ultimately driving revenue growth and profitability.

Why is Automation in Implementing CRM Important?

Among many other outcomes, an effective CRM involves properly identifying exactly who your customers are by not only segmenting them into groups but actually identifying them one by one so you can tailor your interaction with them in a way that meets their individual needs, wants, and expectations. And not only that, you also need to capture, store, and analyze each interaction with them in order to maximize your efforts.

As a business owner, you have a lot to focus on, and to implement CRM effectively, automation is definitely key. Attempting to achieve the goals mentioned above manually with a paper system takes a huge amount of time and effort, with incomplete results that often don’t justify that cost. You need to implement efficient technologies that support coordinated interactions through all customer channels across all customer touch-points, whether they happen through e-mail, phone, fax, instant messaging, via the web, or in face-to-face meetings with your sales people. You can only do all these things efficiently and effectively with an automated CRM system.

What Do You Need to Consider when Evaluating CRM Systems?

These days there are so many CRM options available that choosing the one best for your needs can be confusing. In evaluating your options, it’s important that you weigh a system’s features against your particular circumstances and business goals. As you begin researching different services, keep in mind what your goals are, any constraints you have to work within (such as budget), and who are the expected users of the system.

One of the first things to consider is whether you need an “on-demand” or an “on-premise” solution. On-premise solutions involve purchasing CRM software that runs on your own hardware and server. On-demand solutions are externally hosted systems accessible via the Internet. These convenient internet-based systems have no hardware or software set up requirements – saving you time and money. With employment trends heading more and more toward virtual or mobile employees, on-demand solutions are the best way to go for a lot of small- and medium-sized businesses.

In some cases, however, there is good reason to run CRM software on your own server, inside your own office. For instance, if security is of paramount concern, especially if you’re handling sensitive customer data, then you might be uneasy letting someone else manage your system for you. Also, if an always-on Internet connection is not possible, or if you need to integrate your CRM system with other systems (such as your telephony or accounting package), then an on-premise solution is the way to go.

Another important consideration is deciding what type of CRM system you want. Some CRM systems are geared towards marketing, and provide excellent automated lead generation, lead tracking, and marketing communication packages. Others focus on managing the activities of sales people, providing prospect and account management as well as opportunity management. Still others automate all aspects of the customer service function, such as automated helpdesk systems and knowledgebase. Finally, some focus on customer analytics, converting raw customer data from various systems into information you can act on.

Whichever type of CRM you choose, make sure that you research all the options available to you carefully. Be sure to check with your IT services professional for help in not only finding the right fit for your business, but also in adopting a system that will integrate well with your current or planned IT structure.

Adware (advertising software) and malware (malicious software) are types of harmful software called “spyware” that are not usually covered by anti-virus scans. While viruses affect your system directly, spyware runs in the background and transmits information about you through the ’net, which can be used a number of ways ranging from annoying to downright illegal.

These dangers are often unnoticed by users since they don’t directly affect the computer’s operation the way viruses do. What’s more, many people confuse them with viruses, but they’re very different and should be handled differently. Lots of spyware can also slow down your computer, so it’s important to have anti-spyware programs installed on your computer to keep it free from these harmful invaders.

There are many free spyware scanners and removers on the internet – simply download and install one, and then run it on a regular basis. Scanning for adware, spyware, and malware takes approximately the same time as doing a virus scan. Also, remember to update your scanners so that you have current definitions and less chance of overlooking new threats. Finally, we recommend that you refrain from visiting and downloading from unfamiliar websites since they could serve as hosts for both spyware and viruses.

CutePDF – makes PDF a piece of cake

PDF files ave become a standard in document exchange between professionals around the world. The only problem with this is that you usually need expensive programs like Adobe InDesign or Photoshop to generate them, but thankfully CutePDF is here to save the day. CutePDF is an online tool that converts all compatible documents, such as MS Word or MS Excel files, into PDF format, which you can then send out. Simply download the easy-to-understand free version, and convert your documents to PDF in a jiffy. You can also purchase a pro version with more features if you need them.

Send large files through YouSendIt

If you exchange files on the web – especially audio or video files, or programs and installers – then you’ve probably been frustrated by most email servers’ inability to handle large files. Now you can use YouSendIt, a free online service that lets you send files up to 100MB easily and quickly. Just upload the files you want to send and enter the email address, and the recipient will get an email with instructions for downloading the files from the YouSendIt servers. If you register for a free account, you can opt to have your own email address appear as the sender. Again, there is also an optional paid version that increases the maximum size limit.

Convert your files using YouConvertIt

File conversion is yet another tricky and frustrating issue. Opening .docx (MS Office 2007) documents, for instance, in older versions, or using some video and audio files in foreign formats, requires the user of a special converter. The problem with converters is that you have to scour the internet looking for the specific converter you need for each situation, and often each operates differently. With YouConvertIt, you simply enter your email address, upload the file you want to convert, choose output file type, click convert, then follow the instructions given. It’s a simple as that.

The more professional and long-winded approaches to accomplishing these tasks do have their merits, but most of us don’t need or want the hassle. With these free, online solutions you can quickly accomplish what you need in just a few simple and easy steps.

Last April 14, Microsoft officially announced the end of mainstream support for Windows XP, seven years after XP originally shipped. Non-security patches, fixes, and updates are no longer available free from Microsoft, and phone support for security and non-security related issues and change requests are no longer provided. Any future bugs found in the platform will not be fixed without a fee.

This new development affects all versions of XP (except for Embedded): Home Edition, Media Center Edition 2002, Media Center Edition 2004, Media Center Edition 2005, Professional, Professional x64 Edition, Tablet PC Edition, and Tablet PC Edition 2005.

About 63 per cent of all internet connected computers still use Windows XP, according to March 2009 statistics from Hitslink, while Windows Vista makes up about 24 per cent. Businesses are in no hurry to move to the forthcoming Windows 7, either. A survey released by appliance vendor Kace revealed that 83% of businesses have no plans to upgrade their PCs to Windows 7 within the first 12 months of its availability. Microsoft is expected to release Windows 7 later this year or early next.

However, companies enrolled under Microsoft’s Premiere customer program have no worries, since Extended Support is available for them until April 8, 2014. Unfortunately this program is typically only available to large enterprise customers who enjoy volume licensing. Small businesses may be out of luck, unless they can work out a deal with a Microsoft channel partner for non-security related support.

Microsoft emphasized that security-related patches will still be issued for all legitimate XP users at no charge. This includes fixes for vulnerabilities inside Windows that worms such as Conficker exploit.

Those planning to upgrade, take note: while Windows 7 users will be able to downgrade to Windows XP, the reverse will not be true. Microsoft said in its Engineering Windows 7 blog that XP users will have to perform a full install to have a smooth experience with Windows 7.

Concerned?  We can help you sort out how these new policies affect you. Call us today.

A recent study conducted by the University’s Department of Management and Marketing has shown that moderate internet browsing for personal uses during working hours (and MODERATE is the operative term here) actually increases productivity among workers. This a big “Ha! I knew it.” moment for many, with most employers preferring that their employees not be posting new status messages on Facebook or checking out the latest sensation from Britain’s Got Talent from YouTube. Their reasoning being that it wastes company resources and makes employees lazy.

300 employees from different companies were made part of the study, where it was found out that workers who use the internet for personal reasons, called “Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing” or (WILB) in the study, for less than 20 percent of their working hours were 9 percent more effective, focused, and therefore productive in their respective jobs. WILB activities usually encompassed searching for and researching about products to buy online, reading blogs and news websites, social networking (like Facebook, MySpace or Friendster) activities, playing online games, and watching streaming videos from sites like YouTube and Veoh.

Professor Brent Coker, the man behind the research, explains that people need short breaks to reset their concentration. According to him, focusing on a certain task for too long degrades the level concentration, making “zoning out” from time to time essential in maintaining an optimal frame of mind to be able to accomplish a work task efficiently.

But before you lug your gaming CDs to the office or prepare for marathon runs of your favourite Facebook application, Dr. Coker is quick to remind everyone of the term MODERATE usage. Anything beyond that, he says, will then result in loss of productivity. So don’t feel too guilty when you watch Susan Boyle belt her heart out on YouTube for a couple of minutes or post a comment or two on Facebook. As long as you get right back to work afterward, no harm, no foul.

Benefits

1. Features. VoIP has the same features as conventional phone service: multiple lines, conference calling, and voice mail, to name just a few.
2. Cost. VoIP costs much less than conventional phone service, and most VoIP services charge a flat monthly fee, so bills are predictable.
3. Simplicity. Calls are routed through the same network you use for e-mail and Internet access, so one system serves all functions.
4. Mobility. You won’t need separate office and cell phone numbers: You can receive calls on your laptop or so-called “IP” phone while traveling, essentially taking your entire business phone system with you wherever you go.

Some things to consider

• Audio quality still isn’t perfect, but you can make VoIP calls with regular phones or IP phones with little difference in quality.
• Depending on the number of employees you have and how many are on the phone at once, you might need higher bandwidth (such as a T1 line) to handle VoIP.
• You may want to keep a conventional phone line—primarily as a backup, but also to ensure that you’re listed in the local phone book.

More information

VoIP is integrated with your existing IT system, so contact us today for details about how you can get started enjoying its benefits.

Increasing your employees’ online workspace by expanding it across two or more monitors can significantly improve productivity with minimal cost investment.

In the past, multiple monitors have been the domain of programmers. Visit Google headquarters, for example, and you’ll see awe-inspiring configurations of screens: two, four, even six monitors, stacked side-by-side or one on top of the other. However, multiple monitors can also benefit just about any type of office worker.

Increased Multitasking

According to a number of studies by specialists in human-computer interaction, the bigger your employees’ screen space, the more work they can see and therefore the more work they can do. For example, employees can keep their email and chat screens open on one monitor while working on a Word or Excel document on the other. They no longer have to spend time switching between one or the other, and can respond to each more quickly.

Higher Productivity

In a study commissioned by the electronics company NEC and conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, office workers were asked to perform several basic tasks using various monitor configurations. The workers using two 20-inch monitors were 44% more productive than the workers using a single 18-inch monitor.

Minimal Cost

Multiple monitors may not have been feasible in the past due to cost, but the price of LCD panels fell by almost a third in 2008, and the trend is likely to continue through much of 2009, according to market research firm iSuppli.

Ready to enable your employees to get more done in less time? To upgrade to two monitors, in addition to the extra monitor you’ll need two video cards or an upgraded card with two outputs. Read more here, then contact us to help make it happen.