Instead of letting your technology investments continue on underutilized, here are 4 tips for getting the most out of your technology dollars:

1. Put the client in the driver’s seat of communication.

You can improve the quality of customer service offered by your company through the use of simple technology. The more connected you are to your clients, the happier they are with your work. Use technology to give your clients a way to initiate discussion with you, either through blog interaction or a discussion forum. Set up instant messaging so clients can contact appropriate staff members as necessary. It’s simple technology, but will result in improved client retention, repeat customers and better communication.

2. Create a business culture of continuous improvement.

One of the most amazing aspects of technology is how quickly it is updated and improved. Just when you think you have the best of the best, new technologies and processes are created to improve productivity. Even in the sometimes mundane office environments, new ideas will enhance efficiency and productivity. Encourage staff and consultants to let the new ideas flow – continuous improvement is the key for making the most out of your technology.

3. Take advantage of training opportunities.

If the cost of sending staff to training courses is a bit much, and you’re unable to conduct monthly training seminars on your own – consider bringing in vendors and experts whenever a new version of software is released. You can also have managed service providers deliver training virtually as needed, in order to keep your staff up to date with the programs and tools used in the office.

4. Internal email newsletters with tips.

Most businesses recognize the value of sending newsletters to their clients to keep in touch and establish relationships, but what about internal newsletters among staff members? Send a weekly email to your staff with a single technology tip that explains how to do something that will improve their productivity or make their lives a little easier. Keep it fun and add a cartoon or a quick quiz to keep the staff looking forward to their weekly newsletter. Your ideas for topics can come from training and seminars you attend, or from questions staff ask the IT department. If one person doesn’t understand something, there are probably a few others who also don’t understand – but aren’t speaking up about it.

Content by Managed Services Provider University

If you still think natural disasters are the leading causes of data loss – and that the chances of it happening to you are pretty slim, take a look at the results from a study by Strategic Research Corporation of the leading causes of business continuity and disaster recovery incidents:

• Hardware Failures (servers, switches, disk drives, etc) – 44%.
• Human Error (mistakes in configurations, wrong commands issued, etc) 32%
• Software Errors (operating systems, driver incompatibility, etc)14%
• Viruses and Security Breach (unprotected systems are always at risk) 7%
• Natural Disasters 3%

Establishing a disaster recovery plan can be done in the following four steps:

1) Take a potential risk inventory. Make a list of every potential cause of data loss and the solutions to each. Your list should include losses that won’t affect the business very much, and those that would shut the business down temporarily or permanently. Information Technology experts can assist you with creating the potential risk inventory – as they will have the knowledge and experience to identify possibilities that you are not likely to think of but need to plan for all the same. These IT experts will also be able discuss preventative solutions to guard against each type of potential data loss.

2) Rate each of your potential data loss situations. How likely is it for each of the items on your risk inventory to occur? Rating them in order of importance and likeliness to occur will help you determine where to focus your disaster recovery plan efforts.

3) Develop your disaster recovery plan. Go through each of your potential risks and their solutions, and determine how long it would take you to recover from the loss of data for each risk. Could your business be offline for 24 hours? A week? Depending on the nature of your business, being offline for even just 24 hours could result in your losing customers to your competition. Look at ways to reduce the length of time it would take you to recover from each type of data loss risk.

4) Put your disaster recovery plan to the test. Once you’ve created your plan of action for recovering lost data, you should test your solutions. A disaster recovery plan is just a plan until it can be tested and proven.

Content by Managed Services Provider University

Another emerging concept that has the power to change how we perform tasks is taking place before us as well, and it is called ‘cloud computing.’ Simply put, it is the ability to use resources and tools via the Internet without actually owning or being near them. The only requirement is to be able to access them.

The term ‘cloud’ is used to indicate the whole of computing services accessible via the Internet. It is an all-encompassing description of the complex internet-connected networks that exist in datacenters all over the world that power services and applications behind the scenes.

The concept of utilizing resources in these networks is being adopted by businesses both large and small. These resources are categorized to describe their function, and include:

1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
4. Web 2.0

In the most general terms, Infrastructure as a Service means that companies may no longer need to own and house their own back-end servers and other network computing infrastructure besides an internet-connected PC or laptop in order to maintain business functionality. This capability can be purchased on a subscription basis from entities that market these services in a ‘virtual’ manner. This allows businesses to keep their costs low by not having to purchase, maintain and recycle their own equipment for this purpose, and also mitigates the possibility of business interruption due to the highly available nature of these solutions. This equates to increased uptime and profitability for Infrastructure as a Service customers.

Platform as a Service is also known as ‘cloudware’, and refers to the availability of development tools in creating web applications and services to the end user. Like IaaS, you never ’see’ the inner-workings of this environment unless you are a computer programmer or IT resource, but it exists nonetheless and again affords those who use these tools the ability to reduce costs while running their businesses.

Sofware as a Service is defined as software applications that are subscribed to and accessed only through the Internet, and not installed on local PCs or laptops. Applications built by and accessed via Google fall into this category, as well as the many photo sites to which you can upload your pictures and videos, edit and share them with others. These solutions are gaining tremendous popularity, because end users do not need to install, update and maintain software locally – only connect to it and use it when the need arises.

Web 2.0 describes the whole of the social networking movement on the Internet, and includes but is not limited to destinations such as Facebook, MySpace, eHarmony, LinkedIn and Twitter. These sites offer the ability for people all over the world to share common interests, stay connected and learn more about each other – and these sites aren’t just for the young. Statistics show that the over 50 generation is logging onto these sites in greater numbers than ever before. In fact, in one month alone, Facebook adds over 17,000 new members.

The next time you are on the Internet and upload a photograph and use the online tools to modify that picture, you are participating in ‘cloud computing.’ The picture is probably loaded to a site that uses IaaS for their servers, PaaS in order to provide the visual interface in which you modify the photograph, and SaaS applications you’ll use to access your email program and social networking sites in order to send it to or post it for those with whom you would like to share the picture.

Content by Managed Services Provider University

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/08/dell-lays-down-the-law-no-more-windows-xp-shipments-after-octob/

When in a low-lying, coastal area like most of Hampton Roads, our biggest concern comes from flooding. Be sure that if you are in an even remotely vulnerable flooding area, that your servers and computers are off the ground.

Some other questions we think are prudent-

Q: Should we unplug our computers?
A: Yes, we think this is a good idea, especially for critical systems. PCs will be virtually immune to power-related issues if they are not plugged in. If the computer is plugged into a line-conditioning battery backup, this is not as much of an issue.

Q: Should we turn off our computer?
A: Turning the system off does not technically protect it from a lightning surge; unplug it for the best protection.

Q: Should we turn off / unplug our servers?
A: If your server is protected by a properly configured, line-conditioning battery backup, this is not necessary or desirable in most cases.

You also want to be sure you have a fully verified and restorable backup stored offsite in case something happens to your on site backup.

For those clients who have a Netcare plan in place with Teklogic, we will be getting in touch with you over the course of today and tomorrow to go over last minute preparations specific to your environment. We will be proactively logging into servers and checking backups, power conditioning devices and server configurations.  If anyone has additional concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch with our office @ 757-644-4402.

Did you know that the peak of “Hurricane season” is considered from the beginning of August to the end of October?

If you are a business that is not on a technology management plan with Teklogic and you are interested in having us proactively maintain things for you, let us know! Teklogic specializes in offsite backups and disaster recovery planning for your business – give us a call today!

Free Windows utility, Identity Finder scans your hard drive looking for sensitive information, like credit card numbers and passwords. The utility will bring the information to your attention so that you can do something about it – perhaps moving it to a more appropriate location.  The “Pro” version of the application will allow you to encrypt and store this information safely. 

Knowing what information you have stored out there is the first step to securing it. Securing the information is especially important for laptop users who could be susceptible to loss or theft.

Hope this helps.

-Justin

Accessing this repository is easy and can be done from right within the Microsoft Office software suite. They have even produced a short series of videos to get you started – RIGHT HERE.

This is a great time saver – I know I’ve used this more than once when the need arose to draft a new type of document. You can browse all of the available templates right within Office or you can visit the Microsoft Office Templates Site.

Many wireless routers available at local big-box stores are unsecured right out of the box. The reasoning for this is that the less complicated the manufacturer can make the configuration of their product, the less potential frustration for the end user – but this is a double edged sword as ease of use and security tend to be mutually exclusive.

Some simple things you can do to secure a wireless router are as follows:

1.) Change the default configuration.

This should be the first thing you do with a new router. Every manufacturer ships their devices with a default username and password as well as a default SSID (which is the "name" of your wireless network). Change the password and wireless SSID (or name) in the router’s configuration. Many routers will include a CD that will help you to configure these parameters. If you have questions, consult the manufacturer for specific instructions.

Also, its never a good idea to name your wireless network based on your address, business name or last name. This just gives any potential attacker even more information. Its always best to use a non-identifiable name.

2.) Enable encryption -

All wireless routers will support some kind of encryption. The three most popular are WEP, WPA and WPA2. Of these three, WPA2 is the most secure. WEP and WPA have some inherent technical weaknesses that can allow, even a novice hacker to circumvent relatively easily (which, in this case is very relative). Encryption can be enabled either by accessing your router’s configuration interface via a Web Browser from your computer or by using the manufacturer’s supplied CDs. Enabling encryption will prevent the casual would-be thief from accessing your wireless network but as the old adage goes, where there is a will, there’s a way – which is a resonating undertone to all things computer security related. For businesses or individuals dealing in highly-sensitive information, basic encryption is not enough. Businesses should always consult an IT professional before setting up wireless access to their computer networks and/or information systems.

Doing these two things will go a long way to secure a person’s home network.

With all of the Advertisement Sharing Services that websites are using nowadays, it makes it harder for major websites to control content being displayed on their sites. What I’m getting at is that these exploits can sometimes come from big name, legitimate sites and not some shady back-alley website as you might expect – this is affectionately referred to as malvertizing. See: MSN Norway serving Flash exploits through malvertising and MySpace, Excite, and Blick Serve Up Malicious Banner Ads and Rogue ads pushing malware — how it works.

This specific vulnerability affects Mac, PC, Unix and Solaris Operating Systems. There is no known software patch for this issue – Adobe has announced that they are working on it. However, there is a workaround.

Mitigation techniques are discussed here on Adobe’s official Security Bulletin: http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa10-01.html

Clients of Teklogic that are on a Netcare plan have this workaround in place and are already protected. If you do not have a Netcare plan or are not a client of Teklogic’s please Contact Us and we will get you fixed up.

Thanks!

: — Justin Carter
: — Teklogic, Inc.
: www.Teklogic.net

This service does limit you to 2GB of attached data – but I suspect this will suffice for most people.

Next time you find yourself needing to send large files to someone, give this service a shot.

https://www.wetransfer.com/ 

Thanks,

-Justin