Archive for the ‘Computer Support’ Category

How Green is your I.T.?

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

 “Green” back offices and data centers are becoming quite a trend these days — not only because of their energy efficiencies, but also because of the costs they save. With the economic downturn, making IT operations more efficient not only makes practical sense, but is becoming necessary. As your business grows your IT infrastructure will become more complex, therefore the time is NOW to implement strategies that will save time, energy, money, and increase your company’s overall productivity.

StoneHill Tech’s Green IT Strategies:

Go Virtual

  • Virtualization dramatically improves the efficiency and availability of  applications in your organization, reduces energy cost and improves operations by managing information traffic and workflow.
  • By condensing all files and applications to one server, your business will best utilize your hardware and software resources.

Improve airflow: Improving airflow is easy and inexpensive. To immediately improve efficiency, ensure that:

  • Cables, etc., are positioned so they do not restrict airflowMissing ceiling tiles are replaced so no cold air is misdirected.
  • Hot air does not ecirculate, by flowing over the tops of racks or around the rows.
  • Migrating racks to hot aisles/cold aisles is a continual process.
  • CRAC units are positioned for maximum efficiency.
  • Servers are designed with front-to-rear airflow.
  • The return (hot) air plenum accommodates required airflow

Dispose of  eWaste

It is probably no surprise that in our current age of technology and computer dependency eWaste (electronics waste) is the fastest growing form of toxic waste in the world.  However, since society has begun to realize this there have been companies sprouting up all over that will actually come to your business and collect all your eWaste for free. We use an awesome local company; Go Green eWaste Recyclers.

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BEWARE OF THE ANTI-VIRUS

Monday, 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?

antivirus

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

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Cut Costs and Increase Efficiency!

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

cut-costAs 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
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Budgeting for IT: Budgeting to Win

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

tightening-budgetEvery successful company has a budget. What’s in your budget? More importantly are you budgeting to win? Winning means maintaining existing, and forging new, sustainable business relationships. And if you don’t yet have a budget, get one for free, courtesy of Intuit. If you are not budgeting for IT you are not budgeting to win. In the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, most businesses today are drastically cutting costs, according to a recent New York Times article. But at what cost have these cuts come? How is your business performing? According to the NY Times article, a beneficial cost cut is moving away from in-house operations and toward contracted relationships.    

Never before have companies depended so much on technology for their day-to-day operations. When this technology fails them what do they do? Who do they call? StoneHill Technical Solutions partners with small businesses to insure their IT environment is maintained at the most optimal performance level. And it is StoneHill’s winning combination of performance and customer service that makes them a coveted team member and outsourced computer services business partner.

By budgeting for IT you are investing in a critical component of your company’s operations. What does your workplace look and feel like in the event of a computer crash or a server crash? What happens when e-mail is down? StoneHill Technical Solutions is your winning relationship. You can’t afford a monthly expense for computer service? Can you afford to go without use of your computer or deal with a failed network for a day? What you probably cannot afford is long-term contracts and non-performing partners. StoneHill Technical Solutions is the partnership that will keep your business infrastructure running smoothly and efficiently, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Take advantage of StoneHill’s free network review today and let them share their findings with you and help you to win!

Author: David Meacham

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Malware designed to infect Macs too

Friday, July 31st, 2009

malwareQuite often Mac users operate under the assumption that they are immune to viruses and malware attacks.  The truth is, Mac users make up a smaller percentage of overall users, constituting a smaller target, and thus yielding a smaller reward to the attacker.  That is not the same as being bullet proof.  Additionally, Microsoft has continually drawn the fire of the hacking community much more often than other companies offering operating systems and applications.  This has fostered a false sense of security in the Mac user community.  Malware can be written to infect anything, including phones and other handheld devices. 

Our position is that users should be vigilant, regardless of their choice of computing platform.  Patch your systems often and beware of the sites you visit and the offers/warnings you click on.  Below is an example of a website designed to lure in visitors.  Once there, they are prompted to take an extra step in order to play a video.  This is a common action for many sites, but this particular one uses the user action to launch illicit code.  It isn’t only the promise of nudity that is used as a lure for users, so don’t get caught up in being judgmental of the intent of the user visiting this site. 

“Hackers have created webpages claiming to contain the notorious Erin Andrews peephole video in their attempt to infect Mac and Windows computers. It’s no surprise that when news broke that a voyeur had secretly filmed her through the peephole of her hotel room door that the internet would be abuzz…

… If you visit from an Apple Mac we identify the malware as the OSX/Jahlav-C Trojan horse. Windows users are also at risk (I almost didn’t need to say that, did I?). When we tested it on a Windows computer we saw it serving up Mal/EncPk-IF on occasions, and at other times rogue anti-virus product Mal/FakeAV-AY.”

Posted on July 19th, 2009 by Graham Cluley, Sophos
Erin Andrews peephole video spreads malware

Author: Jim Cowden (Control Point)

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The Benefits of Outsourced Computer Support in Today’s Economy

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

outsourcing-puzzleTime is money. In today’s economy there doesn’t seem to be enough of either. And quite frankly, none of these two resources can afford to be misused. So how does a small business or entrepreneur save both time and money? One way to make better use of these valuable resources is outsourced computer support. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this incredible service, outsourced computer support is simply the hiring of a professional outside IT firm to analyze and fix your computers, servers, network, and phones when problems arise on an as-needed or ongoing maintenance basis…. read more

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23 percent of small businesses received a D or F grade when it comes to their own IT effectiveness

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Failing gradeA study performed this month by The Yankee Group found that nearly half of small businesses have delayed or canceled IT projects because of economic uncertainty, according to a new study. But at the same time, 23 percent of small businesses received a D or F grade when it comes to their own IT effectiveness.

Small businesses are having a tough time trying to build, manage and maintain their own IT infrastructures, especially since 35 percent of respondents admitted to be short-staffed in IT, said Carl Meadows, senior manager for product management at The Planet.

The study also found that only 30 percent of SMBs have a fully implemented security program. Only 26 percent have a fully implemented disaster recovery/continuity plan. Only 42 percent said they’re fully compliant with governmental regulations and policies, such as HIPAA or PCI.

The results are especially disturbing, according to Meadows, since more than two-thirds of the small businesses responding to the survey indicated that IT and Web commerce are the foundations that enable their business success.

Failing gradeThese are ongoing issues that all small business face.  It is impossible for them to have all the expertise on hand which is needed to handle support, security, disaster recovery and the many other IT related issues that arise. That’s why outsourcing makes sense most small businesses.  Outsourced network support products like Managed Services, Onsite Maintenance & Technology Reviews are just a few of the ways outsourcing can resolve some of these current issues.

To read full Channel Web article click here

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Is your computer support provider holding you ransom?

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

computer support ransom

It happens weekly that I visit a company for the first time to review their network or help with an emergency and find that they have NO documentation.  This problem is often just the laziness of a previous computer support provider but I have also experienced clients who call to retrieve this information and begin getting interrogated about why they want the information.  It’s your network shouldn’t you hold the keys?

You may love your current computer support professional and think they will be with you for years but what if something happens to them and you never hear from them again?  What if you have a sudden falling out?  What if there is an emergency and you can’t reach them? You should not have to pay for another computer support company to have to reconfigure everything or spend hours guessing network information. 

Make sure that you are being provided up-to-date information regularly.  At minimum this documentation should include the user name and password for server(s), domain, firewall, hosting accounts, DNS host & antivirus system.  It is also going to save you time and money if the documentation includes critical vendor information, printer IP’s and server rolls. 

Keeping this kind of documentation is easy, takes very little time and will be worth its weight in gold if you are ever in a bind and need to bring another company in.  Don’t let your current computer support company hold you ransom.

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