Archive for June, 2009

Top 5 Tips to Safeguard Your Computer

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

1. Be very very afraid! – Don’t trust a link because you know the sender, read it. Does it make sense? If not, try and get to the linked article by manually browsing to the domain. If it was a phishing scam you’ll never find what the email promised.

2. Be very very prepared! – Install software or subscribe to a managed service that can handle virus and malware.

3. Be very very up to date! – Verify that you are patching Windows, and updating your virus and malware definitions.

4. Be very very thorough! – Scan, scan, scan, and then scan again. Make sure that you are aware of what’s been found on your computer then clean it off.

5. Be very very aware! – Don’t go to a site you’re unsure of. Don’t blindly enter your information online without being certain of their privacy policy. You should always be aware of how to remove your information before supplying it.

4 Random Tips

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

- You won’t get money from the Nigerian in the email.

- Always lock your workstation when you get up from your desk. (press Windows Key and L)

- Your password should never be findable in a dictionary.

- If you’ve got a spam problem, Spamsonite is THE solution for you

How risky are you?

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

shark_waveOne of the most common internet related questions we get at StoneHill, is “Which sites are dangerous?” or “How do I know if a site has spyware or viruses?” It’s a tough question and one that may never have a complete answer. That being said, we have found some the most dangerous search terms in the entire internet. By far the most dangerous search terms you could use would be “free music downloads.” Searching for that phrase seems to put around 20% of web surfers into the hands of websites that distribute malicious software, also known as “malware.” We all love free things but searching for the anything coupled with the word “free” is also one of the most dangerous searches in terms of malicious results.

The study that our researchers found examined 2,600 popular keywords on five major search engines — Google, Yahoo, Live, AOL and Ask — and analyzed 413,000 Web pages. The categories that had the highest risk of run-ins with malware: screen savers, free games, work from home, Olympics, videos, celebrities, music and news. The riskiest specific terms are: word unscrambler, lyrics, myspace, free music downloads, phelps, game cheats, printable fill-in puzzles, free ringtones and solitaire.

When we saw the results of the study, we all scratched our heads and noticed those terms and categories that were the riskiest were definitely not risque. This certainly points to the level of sophistication and social engineering that is going into luring users to these malicious sites. It may explain how your grandma got that virus; she searched for “word unscrambler.”

My First Hands-On Experience with the Palm Pre

Friday, June 26th, 2009

palm-preWith a compact body style the Pre fits well in your hand & would appear to travel well in your pocket or purse. The downside to the compact size at first glance is the screen size as it is smaller than most touch screen smart phones, but the display is very clear with great graphic quality.                   

As I attempted to configure the phone for initial use I noticed the lack of navigational windows or keys. Until I researched the many gesture features of the phone I had a hard time moving through, between or even closing applications. Once I had knowledge of the gestures on the phone using them was almost fun as opposed to being just functional. The full slide out keyboard may be to a lot of people a great selling point if they don’t prefer the touch screen keyboard’s of other phones, but just like the phone it is very compact & a bit hard to use at first. 

My first task was to setup an Exchange email account. After some searching for the correct menu, setup was fairly easy. You don’t need to be an IT professional to setup an exchange account, but do need a working knowledge of Exchange Email, Outlook Web Access, & your Company’s Network. Other account options that come standard are Gmail, Yahoo, & Facebook.

 After first use, overall the phone has a functional design, looks good, & is fun to use. But the Keyboard is a bit small, the response time for opening programs can be slower then desired, & has a high learning curve for first time use.

Zach Hart – IT Manager

Maintain a sufficient level of IT spending or risk falling behind competitors.

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

missing-the-boatCRN magazine released an article today detailing a new Microsoft study, conducted by Harris Interactive, in which they found that many small and enterprise business’ are cutting back drastically on their information technology and innovation budgets.  This trend is especially prevalent in the U.S.  “The line between improving business efficiency and cost cutting is a thin one, and American companies have a well established pattern of focusing on short term profit at the expense of long term health.”

“Companies that invest now are going to win down the road,” said Sobel. “Profit is important, of course, but I’d rather sacrifice one point of profit by investing in IT and make up ten times that number over the next decade.”

As a computer service company I have seen this trend first hand.  Many of the businesses that need to be spending money now to be ready for the future land grab are instead pulling back their information technology budget.  Money is cheap right now and many leasing companies are looking for willing businesses.  Look around and ask your IT manager if it is time to upgrade or how your infrastructure will perform when your business starts booming again.

Don’t get left behind on the economic upswing because of you neglected your phones, computers, servers or technology today.

Bing show significant increase in paid paid advertisers (PPC).

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

bing_vs_googleBing now has another feather in their cap.  According to Efficient Frontier’s latest report, Bing’s share of paid clicks increased to 13% from 8% prior to its launch two weeks ago. If this trend continues Google will have something to really worry about.

This is in addition to other positive indicators we’ve observed over the last few weeks such as Bing getting the number two spot in search market share for a day. The fact that Bing is showing some positive performance in the search industry is a good thing for all of us.  This industry has needed some competition for years to force research and development in all search engines.  The consumer will be the one to win in this competition.

This is all simply preliminary data which may turn out to be nothing at all.

What do you think of all this?

Can Bing help you?

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Clearly a large number of people are jumping from using Google and Yahoo to Bing.  Media hype is likely to blame for much the increase in Bing traffic over the last three weeks. But will the search engine ever overtake Google? Only time will tell.  Google isn’t sitting around and waiting to see though as the June 14th article titled FEAR GRIPS GOOGLE in the New York Post explains “Sergey Brin [Google's Co-Founder]  is so rattled by the launch of Microsoft’s rival search engine that he has assembled a team of top engineers to work on urgent upgrades to his Web service”.

So, can Bing help you?  Here is a video Microsoft released showing some of the new features of Bing.  Let us know your thought. 

Clearly a large number of people are jumping from using Google and Yahoo to Bing.  Media hype is likely to blame for much the increase in Bing traffic over the last three weeks. But will the search engine ever overtake Google? Only time will tell.  Google isn’t sitting around and waiting to see though as the June 14th article titled FEAR GRIPS GOOGLE in the New York Post explains “Sergey Brin [Google's Co-Founder]  is so rattled by the launch of Microsoft’s rival search engine that he has assembled a team of top engineers to work on urgent upgrades to his Web service”.

So, can Bing help you?  Here is a video Microsoft released showing some of the new features of Bing.  Let us know your thought.

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.

Verizon introduces global broadband data with USB1000 stick

Friday, June 19th, 2009

verizon-usb1000

Are you one of the many international travelers that has to carry multiple cell phones and broadband devices when you leave the states? Well the international cell phone has gotten much better in the last couple years but broadband is a major problem. That is until today with Verizon’s release of its Novatel-sourced USB1000 that features EV-DO Rev. A for domestic use plus triband HSPA when you’re roaming around the globe. The stick itself runs $149.99 on contract after a $50 rebate, while monthly global data plans run from $129.99 for 100MB of data in 31 countries to $219.99 for 200MB; both plans include 5GB for use in the US and Canada. It’s available today online.

IT Keyboard Shortcuts and Outsourcing Tips

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Keyboard Shortcuts – the not so obvious ones
Task Manager = Ctrl+Shift+Esc

Lock your computer = Windows+L

Close Current Program = Alt+F4

Shows the desktop = Windows+D

Copy image of current window to clipboard = Alt+PrtScn

Is IT in your budget?
So one of the first things you would learn in any beginning finance class is that you need to have a budget. Budgets are invaluable tools for helping you run your business smoothly and efficiently. Have you budgeted for IT?

Rarely has there been technology available like there is today that can help reduce your total cost of ownership of your technology infrastructure. Options like:

- Remote Support plans
- Managed Service plans
- Server virtualization
- SaaS software applications that never need to be “upgraded”
- IT Automation

Regardless of who is doing your IT right now, these are the things that deserve serious evaluation to ensure your being a good IT buyer. Also choosing an IT provider that is Microsoft Certified at minimum and hopefully is a Microsoft Gold Partner will ensure that their technicians are skilled and efficient which translates to you spending your money wisely.

So many facets of your technology infrastructure can now be supported up to a point with level costs. This makes setting your budgets easier. The age of your infrastructure should also be considered when setting a budget. Plan to spend more money to support older systems.

So take some time to budget for IT spending. Who knows maybe you don’t need to spend as much as you fear you do.

New Verizon Wireless Device
Verizon Wireless is about to release a fantastic device! The MiFi. From Novatel wireless, it’s a portable wireless router that will deliver a wifi hotspot to you via Verizon’s 3G wireless network. Much like the usb adapters from Verizon and other wireless providers the MiFi connects to the cell network for DSL like speeds. The difference is that the MiFi doesn’t need to plug into anything and it is a wireless router and WiFi hotspot. So just configure your laptop to connect to the Mifi’s wireless network and you are done. No extra software on your computer or dongles to attach. It’ll give up to 4 hours of connection time and sleeps if not used for 30 minutes. It will be available later this month.