January 18th, 2010
About three weeks ago I sat down in front of my laptop to do my homework and a screen that looks like the one below popped up telling me I had serious threats/viruses on my computer. Looks legitimate right?
WRONG!!!! This anti-virus “software” was the virus. However, I didn’t think anything of it until I was suddenly locked out of the sites I frequent, such as my school, my Gmail, my bank, etc. I may not be Miss Techie, but I do know enough to recognize that this wasn’t normal. So, in casual conversation with Zach, who is a Mr. Techie, regarding the strange behavior of my computer, before I was even half way done he said, “You have a virus”. Those dreaded words rang in my ears as I began to see the dollars falling from my wallet. Luckily, I work for the best IT company on earth and Zach was able to remove the virus within one day and install legitimate firewalls and virus protections.
Ironically, that same evening I was watching the nightly news where they were featuring a story on “New Organized Crime Rings”…HACKERS. Apparently, technology is not only transforming the way we do business, it has transformed theft as well. The newest trend amongst thieves is to send out these nasty little parasites, disguised as helpful software, that infect your computer allowing the hacker to track your key strokes, thus gaining access to all of your personal passwords and information. A local OC business man was recently taken for $1,000,000 due to this type of scam. OUCH!
Two days ago, I was out sick and received an email from Zach saying three clients in the past week had been hit with the same thing and decided that YOU need to be aware of what is out there!!!! He sent me this really informative article: Take a look, it could save you a lot of time, money & heart ache!
Beware fake anti-virus programs
Tags: anti virus software, ANTI-VIRUS, Business, Computer, Crime, crime rings, hacker, Help, helpful software, infect, informative article, Install, IT, Software, techie, Technology, thieves, virus, virus programs, virus protections
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January 7th, 2010
Let’s face it, 2009 was a difficult year for many businesses. While some did experience profit and growth, for most it has been a year of consolidation and survival. As we move into a New Year and new decade it lends hope that we are leaving the devastation of the recession behind, and according to Jan Hatzius, Chief U.S. Economist at Goldman Sachs, we just may be! He made the recent statement “The recession is most likely over as it appears the economy has stopped shrinking, posting modest growth over the last quarter.”
At the start of every period of growth, experts always identify a series of trends that businesses will move toward. After extensive research I have determined the top two trends that will immediately impact your businesses growth are green practices and digital technology.
Going Green:
Thanks to government incentives and changing public sentiment, clean energy’s popularity has risen to new heights.In 2009 the positive impacts of energy efficiency became a hot topic and awareness about the importance of Going Green spread globally. President Obama’s vision of energy efficiency creating jobs and healing our economy created a stimulus plan that poured billions into renewable energy. Energy efficiency was a central component of every one of the climate bills debated in Congress in 2009.
Not only is the Government allocating huge amounts to the movement, but according to Cleantech Group, an industry research firm, venture capital investment in clean technology–including solar, biofuels, batteries and the smart grid–overtook IT and biotech for the biggest piece of the VC pie. The sector swiped 27 percent of all investment dollars in the third quarter–that’s $1.6 billion!
Green issues will continue to dominate political and business agendas now and in the future; your business can largely benefit from this. I am not suggesting you change your existing infrastructure, or start selling Green products, but by being an environmentally-conscientious business, you will set yourself apart from your competition – people feel better when they can take the “green” option without sacrificing quality and service.
This is not a hard task to undertake. Look for green alternatives in every area of your business: For example, implementing Virtualization into your IT infrastructure will save space and energy. Avoid sending paper invoices through the mail and opt for paperless email, pay all of your bills online to avoid the use of paper, any paper you do use recycle. Businesses that make a genuine commitment to going green often find that the cost savings and personal reward of contributing to the health of our planet are as great as the positive PR their business will receive.
Check out these green trends and boost your bottom line.
*As a side note there are a lot of little things we can do as individuals to lighten our carbon footprint, MSNBC has a great article that provides easy tips to make a difference.
Digital Technology:
I write about the significance of technology in today’s world a lot and the amount of research I do on this subject always has a consistent tone: It is MOST CRUCIAL component of your business! It is important you identify the technology you need to strengthen and grow your business.
The internet is and will continue to provide the biggest opportunities for businesses. No other location or Marketing strategy has ever made it possible for a business to reach so many targeted customers.
If you are or were looking into entering into the Industry, apps are the way to go. More and more people are relying on their mobile devices and the as the web continues to move to wireless, this industry is there for the taking. Innovative ideas that bring technologies together will dominate in 2010. To help with this, Microsoft, Apple and Google have all launched third-party mobile app markets – so there really is money to be made here. You don’t need to be a computer developer to create an app. If you have an innovative idea there are plenty of freelance programmers out there who you can contract to do the work for you. Apps are only one thing to capitalize on out of the many upcoming digital trends.
Tags: Business, clean technology, Computer, digital technology, economy, energy efficiency, Green, investment dollars, it infrastructure, marketing, new decade, Recession, Recycle, Technology, Tips
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December 24th, 2009
As this year comes to a close and we get ready to close up the office and spend time with our loved ones it lends time to reflect. StoneHill has weathered the current economic storm and grown approximately 40% within this year. We are a company that prides ourselves on our First Class Customer Service and without all our wonderful clients we wouldn’t be where we are today. This combined with the strong team of people StoneHill has assembled; we have truly built a strong foundation for success and for this we are truly blessed.
We wanted to express our sincere gratitude for making this last year a success by saying Thank You to our clients, vendors, staff, and all our loyal readers.
Have a Happy Safe Holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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December 23rd, 2009
After living through the tragedy of my friend Kristen’s computer crashing last week, the internal conversations at StoneHill ignited a list of questions. My brain is dominated by the right side and does not operate even a little bit in a logical let alone technical sense. I have worked with computers my whole life, but in the last two months I have learned more than I ever imagined being around my brilliant co-workers.
Unfortunately, I not only had to report back to Kristen that due to her lack of knowledge about cleaning her computer had led to the death of her hard drive, but also had to tell her that because she failed to back-up her data there is a very good chance that all of her research, work, and personal items may be lost forever. It seems backing up data is not only one of the most important components of maintaining your computer’s health, but also the most neglected. In the midst of this conversation that not only intrigued, but inspired me to write this, another one of my co-workers Zach Hart made the statement “If there is not a backup system in place it can costs 10’s of thousands of dollars with no guarantee that all the data will be recovered.”
It’s amazing to me how much we think we know, but don’t. Therefore I wanted to share with you some tips and resources to prevent any suffering to you personally or professionally from data loss. This information caused me to inquire about how to effectively back-up data from the individual station to your businesses network.
- Purchase a Zip Drive and back-up daily. Although this is the cheapest method it can be very time consuming and has limited memory.
- Purchase and external hard drive that you can back up to regularly. Christos recommends: Western Digital.
- Back-up online. This has become a very popular option where you rent virtual space to upload your data on.
StoneHill offers an affordable service to our clients called BDR; this system is recommended for small to medium sized businesses. BDR is very affordable and has many great functions including, but not limited to the following:
- Very frequent backups
- Optional off-site data storage
- Multiple restore points
- Standby server capabilities
- Advanced restoration options
With StoneHill’s BDR backups are performed as frequently as every 15 minutes, providing clients with numerous restoration points compared to traditional tape backups.
Tags: affordable service, back-up, backing up data, backup, backup system, Backups, Computer, data, data loss, maintaining your computer, Stonehill, Tips
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December 16th, 2009
As a business owner your computer is your lifeline. In today’s society almost everything can and is done on the computer; shopping, marketing, school, we even date through our computers. Due to the fact I am a part of the Net Generation I have truly never known anything different, but I have experienced the devastation of having my computer crash. Unfortunately, my dear friend and neighbor just suffered a similar fate. She came over a few weeks ago in tears holding her computer tower. I calmly removed it from the clench of her hands and sat her down at my kitchen table. She looked at me with desperate eyes and said; “my computer is broken; please help.” This may seem a little dramatic, but Kristen is currently enrolled in a Doctorate program for Forensic Psychology; a large part of her grade and successful graduation from this program relies on her Dissertation. Kristen’s Dissertation is on Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome; a subject she has researched for the past year. Guess where all this research is? Yep, on the machine next to my sobbing friend across from me. Kristen, knows I work for StoneHill Technical Solutions so she was looking to me for answers. However, I am not a tech and to be honest I don’t understand anything about the computer other then how to operate it, but luckily I have access to some of the greatest technical minds in the country.
I brought Kristen’s computer in for one of my associates; Christos Kirst to inspect. Upon opening it he made the comment “doesn’t anyone know to clean their computer” and as a non-tech my response was “why?” He then went on to explain the importance of keeping your computer clean. Dust blocks the circulation of air, which is of crucial importance for keeping your machine cool and heat is the biggest component to computer failure. If dust or animal hair clogs your vents and the vital components inside your computer it will heat up putting your computer’s health in jeopardy. Routine cleaning could save you lots of money, maintenance fees, and heartache.
Christos provided me with a few helpful tips to clean a computer. However, I advise you seek professional should the task seem too complicated.
The easiest and most affordable method is to buy a can of air; these can be purchased at your local Costco or office supply store.
Turn off and unplug your computer.
For the first of your cleaning series you should open your computer (any performed after, your computer can remain closed.) If your case has screws, use a screwdriver to remove them and open the side of the case opposite the motherboard. For screw-less cases slide the side panel off. Give the inside of your computer a good blast of air to dislodge and remove any dust particles clogging your system.
For laptops; simply place the nozzle of the air can inside the vents located on the sides and bottom of your laptop.
For computers; you should clean them every 60 to 90 days (to ensure you don’t forget schedule it in your planner & outlook calendar.) For your laptop it is safe to repeat this process twice a year.
Tags: cleaning, Computer, computer health, dirt, dust, extend computer life, heat, laptop
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December 15th, 2009
In the last 15 years the wealth of Americans increased four-fold. The number of Millionaires are destined to double in the next 10 years. With Entrepreneurship on the rise the trends have shifted tremendously; the predicted growth is staggering beyond what anyone anticipated. There are currently two areas of exploding growth; technology and internet marketing. Internet marketing has caused a major shift in the Industry becoming a multi-billion dollar industry.
Studies show that a combination of technology and internet marketing translates into the ultimate opportunity and the fastest way to wealth.
By expanding into global markets the Entrepreneur will expedite their growth and secure a successful International business. As each country catches this wave of interest the evolving entrepreneur will use technology to insure that they capture the most influential leaders from each country to promote their business. By developing a network of this magnitude the entrepreneur gains the ability to form powerful strategic partnerships all over the planet. There business will grow exponentially; like positioning oneself at the top of the ladder, so to speak.
The Entrepreneur will use technology to generate interest with blogs, forums, web sites, article linking, page ranking, traffic generation, search engine optimization, etc. A technologically savvy entrepreneur will leverage the internet to achieve 100 to 1000 times the financial results of the “old school” way of prospecting.
The open minded, forward thinking entrepreneur will generate interest, find a couple of leaders in an expanding country and utilize those partnerships to pre-position themselves in numerous other countries. After two or three countries have been opened the evolving entrepreneur will make thousands or tens of thousands a month; whether he chooses to get out of bed in the morning or not. This will be a gold mine for those sharp entrepreneurs who have the foresight to see the opportunity 4-5 steps ahead and leverage their time with technology.
Tags: Business, entrepreneurialism, entrepreneurship, internet marketing, Technology, wealth
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December 10th, 2009
The Holidays are here; a joyful time filled with festive family fun, lights sparkling up and down the streets, beautiful décor displayed wherever you go, and sinfully delicious food.
AND THEN: Uncle Sam comes knocking down your door with a gift of his own; your tax bill.
Many Small Businesses have had to downsize and cut costs wherever possible to survive this economic storm. Therefore, Tax Season can be terrifying and most definitely stressful. However, there are some write offs Small Business owners may not be aware of that can lower their tax bill and hopefully their stress level as well.
Taxes Deduction
Yes, you read right; you can deduct taxes on your taxes. How? Any sales tax on business items, fuel taxes for business related travel, Real Estate taxes on any property used for the business. Although to clarify; unfortunately you cannot deduct federal income tax paid on business income.
Software and Subscriptions
Any software purchased in the year of 2009 can be 100% written off. Otherwise the deduction is generally written off over three years.
Legal and professional fee deductions
If you consulted an attorney about your small business, hired an accountant to keep up your books, or outsourced your computer services you can write off their fees.
Vehicle Deductions
You can deduct vehicle expenses by mile or for actual expenses such as maintenance and gas. The IRS is currently offering initiatives for environmentally friendly practices; if you purchased a Hybrid for your business in or after 2005 you could receive a credit of up to $3,150.
Telephone Charges
If you have a phone dedicated solely to your business you can write 100% of all charges.
Tags: deduction, small business, tax, tax bill, tax deduction, tax season, uncle sam
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December 4th, 2009
Click here to find the date and time that the Toy Express will be at your local station.
This weekend Santa’s sparkling train will spread holiday cheer throughout South Orange County. The 450-ton train is brilliantly decorated with 50,000 shimmering lights that illuminate the awe on children’s faces as it pulls into their local station. There is a live musical performance, an opportunity to meet Santa, and tons of family fun. This is the 13th annual tour; the train travels through six counties, stopping in 47 Southern California cities. Santa’s dazzling train travel’s from city to city, entertaining families and collecting toys for those in need this holiday season.
This is a free holiday event, but please bring a new unwrapped toy. All toys will be donated to the Southland Firefighters’ “Spark of Love” holiday toy drive, supported by Metrolink and KABC Channel 7. The toy drive collects approximately 100,000 toys during this tour; all toys are then distributed by firefighters to families in their local communities.
The magical train will travel down the San Clemente coastline on December 6, beginning at the North station at 5:45 and ending at the pier by 8:45. You will surely see my family and me there to support the Spark of Love toy drive and participate in all the holiday fun.
The Metrolink Holiday Toy Express departed from the North Pole, on Saturday November 21, from Rancho Cucamonga Station and will end in Via Princessa on December 20.
Tags: family, holiday, live music, metrolink, Orange County, San Clemente, Santa, spark of love, toy drive, toy express
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December 1st, 2009
As the nation fights to pull out of this economic crisis businesses must be prepared to take an objective look at their bottom line. By eliminating unnecessary overhead, companies can concentrate on building and expanding their foundation, placing the emphasis on their core product or service.
With the advancement of technology there are many cost effective strategies entrepreneurs and small business owners can implement to leverage their enterprise and increase efficiency.
Most small business owners wish they had more time to focus on growing their business, but are too often bogged down with tedious tasks that are so time consuming they prevent and/or slow down their growth. The solution is outsourcing; whatever your companies requirements, you can literally outsource almost anything.
Human Resources (HR) - Depending on the size of your business and how much control you want to maintain over HR functions, you can either outsource all your HR needs or contract for individual services.
The basic services offered by HR outsourcing firms:
- Overseeing organizational structure and staffing requirements
- Recruiting, training, and employee development
- Personnel File Maintenance
- Tracking Department objectives, goals, and strategies
- Benefits administration
- Employee orientation programs
- Ensure compliance with all State & Federal labor laws & informational posting requirements
Payroll- Many employers outsource some of their payroll and related tax duties to third-party payroll service providers. They can help ensure filing deadlines and deposit requirements are met. If your business does not keep accurate records you could be fined. California passed a law that imposes a $750 payroll fine on small businesses that aren’t able to quickly produce accurate payroll records upon an employee’s request; it is rumored that other states will follow with similar legislation. Outsourcing payroll will greatly streamline business operations.
The basic services offered by Payroll outsourcing firms:
- Processing payroll and record maintenance on behalf of the employer
- Reporting, collecting, and depositing employment taxes with State and Federal agencies.
- Timely filing of Quarterly State and Federal Employer Tax Returns
- Provide Calendar Year-end services such as issuing W2s, reconciling 941s & DE7
Information Technology (IT) Services – Remaining adaptable to the market is crucial to any small businesses success. In the majority of industry, 100% of business functions are run on computers. Your business relies strongly on your network which requires a strong IT infrastructure. StoneHill, an Industry leader, recognizes the importance a business’s health and offers a free Technology Review. By outsourcing these services you can convert fixed IT costs to variable, significantly decreasing overhead and creating an increase in service availability and overall efficiency.
The basic services offered by StoneHill and other IT firms:
- Maintenance Plan
- Managed Services
- 24/7 Emergency Support
- Online Disaster Recovery
- SPAM & Virus Filtering
- Special Projects
- Communication Network Set-up & Maintenance
Tags: Accounting, Business, economy, HR, Human Resources, information technology, IT, IT Service, Outsource, outsourcing, Payroll, small business
Posted in Business, Computer Support, Orange County | No Comments »
November 27th, 2009
How often do you research a new product or service online before making a purchase? When you are networking and someone hands you a business card with a gmail or other like account; how likely are you to pursue a business relationship?
The business world is always evolving and if your business isn’t transforming to keep up with Industry trends, chances are you will find yourself beat by your competition or worse; locked out of the market.
The amount of Internet users has grown 380.3 percent worldwide since 2000 and 134 percent in the United States. According the Consumer Behavior report published by PriceGrabber.com; 91 percent of consumers said researching products online made them feel more confident about their purchases.
In today’s market it is imperative to the growth and success of your business to have a professional web presence. Your website is part of your Identity; it makes a strong impact on your image. Therefore, whether you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur, an author, an artist, a band, or any other entity determined to succeed you need to take a look at the face you show the world; your website.
There are many things to consider when performing a website audit:
*Is the design consistent with your Identity; are you branding your company?
*Is your website user friendly; can existing and potential clients easily navigate your site?
*Do you provide convenient methods of contact you; both email and phone?
*Do you have a lead capture system in place?
*Do you have an online campaign in place so people find you when searching for your product or service?
Websites have no boundaries; once you are online you are International. By establishing a web presence you significantly expand your market presence and at a fraction of the cost. It is my belief that the Advertising industry is quickly transitioning its focus to the World Wide Web and as technology advances we will see a major increase in online businesses and virtual offices.
At StoneHill Tech www.stonehilltech.com we are very aware of how important it is to maintain and update our website. Our development team in made up of system architects, programmers, and developers who take the needs of our clients and translate them into elegant, automated and functional tools. We also host provide website hosting for the majority of our clients as well.
Heath Griffin hits on some very strong points to consider when considering building your own website in his blog posting: What Makes a Great Website
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