My Home, My Office (Part 2)

August 2, 2011

Some businesses don’t need the presence of a formal office building to be successful. Last month we looked at computers, printers, the Internet, email and file sharing in a home office. This month we take a look at another 5 technology considerations for your home-based business.

Your backup strategy:

Without your own I.T. department, you need to make sure that your important files are backed up and that they can be restored from those backups. A USB hard drive will provide a great second storage location in addition to your computer, which can be accessed fast to retrieve accidentally-deleted files. In case of fire, flood or theft at your place, duplicate your information at another location (e.g. the home or business of someone else you know well) or use an internet-based backup service. Invest in backup software that runs seamlessly and can be easily checked and tested.

Security:

If you are the only person who uses the computer in your home office, don’t think that it doesn’t need a password. Passwords are an important part of your defence against hacking attempts, as well as helping to secure your information if your computer is stolen. Also consider the physical security of your home office and perhaps use window locks, security screens and a burglar alarm. If your home office can be seen from the street, use window blinds or curtains, especially if working at night as your computers can easily be seen from the outside when your lights are on.

Ongoing maintenance:

Without an in-house expert to keep your computers running, their performance will slowly degrade and their security will be at risk if they are not maintained. It’s important to ensure that software updates are installing correctly when they are released and that tasks like temporary file removal, defragmentation and virus scans are all occurring regularly. Talk to your Computer Troubleshooter about how they can easily take care of this for you.

Comfort:

You may not have a big corporate budget for desks, but if you spend a long time at your computer it’s important that you reduce your risk of overuse injuries. Look at an ergonomic, adjustable chair, a foot rest and a comfortable mouse and have your desk, keyboard and monitor all at the correct height. Also consider the placement of your desk in your office, to reduce any screen glare from your windows.

The separation of home and business:

Most home offices are also the place where the household bills are paid and are sometimes where the kids play computer games or do their homework. If your work computer is also your home computer, separate user ‘profiles’ can be handy to restrict your children’s access to your business files (e.g. to prevent accidental deletion). You might also consider extra security software or internet filtering software to prevent your children from introducing nasty malware onto your computer. Use a separate paper filing tray for the ‘paperwork of life’ to keep it away from your business documents. And a second telephone line or a Voice over IP number is a great way to stop business calls from coming through on your home phone. Then you can also switch on the phone answering system after-hours to enjoy some undisturbed family time.

If you are thinking of starting a business from home, or moving back home, or if you’d just like some advice on your current home office setup, talk to us, your local Computer Troubleshooter.

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Does Your Business Need a Tablet?

July 24, 2011

Apple’s much hyped iPad gave a boost to a now thriving ‘tablet computing’ industry. And with the recent launch of the iPad2, many business owners are wondering if this technology should be invested in or not.

The latest iPad is thinner, lighter and faster than the original and now boasts a front camera in addition to the rear-facing camera. Other manufacturers can also be found in the small, touchscreen computer market, including Samsung, HP, Toshiba, Motorola, Dell, Lenovo and Sony. They predominately use either Google’s Android software or Microsoft’s Windows.

But is this technology just for nerds, high flying corporate executives and people addicted to the Angry Birds game? If you’re thinking about a tablet computer, learn about its limitations and focus on what benefit it could add to your business.

Benefits of a tablet

With a tablet, you can read information on a screen much larger than your phone, without having the weight and start-up time of your laptop. You can browse through documents, emails and websites, check your calendar or find telephone numbers or directions. They can also handle small amounts of data entry easily, replacing your paper & pen at the meeting table. You can even remote into your office PC to access all your applications, email, etc. However, they would never replace your ‘full-function’ computer completely as they are not suitable for long hours of data entry, printing can be problematic and not all of your preferred software titles will run on them.

So, let’s look at how tablets are being used in the small business market:

Real estate – A great website is a realtor’s dream, enabling them to showcase multiple images of many properties. Add a good search function and you can narrow down your portfolio as you discuss the needs of the prospective buyer that’s in front of you. The tablet now gives you that website on the road, ready to hand to the prospective buyer for them to thumb through property images as you sip coffee between open home sessions.

Anyone in sales – As many small business sales meetings are conducted at coffee shops or at the buyer’s premises, see ‘Real estate’ above, but add the ability to showcase product presentations and customer testimonials during your meeting.

Competitions – If you are running a promotion where people have to enter their details to win, the tablet is a great device to have at fairs and trade shows. Let people enter their own details and save you the data entry. This works even better if your entry form is already on your website anyway.

Subscriptions & registrations – See ‘Competitions’ above, but think of newsletters, sports teams etc. In fact, this can apply to nearly anywhere that you need to get capture people’s information. Just make sure they’re not going to run off with your tablet!

As with any technology purchasing decision, you want to know that your investment is going to enhance and improve how you do business. Talk to us, your local Computer Troubleshooter, about your technology needs and whether a tablet is right for your business, or whether it’s just another gadget.

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My Home, My Office (Part 1)

July 6, 2011

Some businesses don’t need the presence of a formal office building to be successful. If your services are primarily delivered at your client’s place (e.g. for trades like electricians, plumbers or even professional services like bookkeeping) or if you are a sole trader or small family partnership, there are benefits and disadvantages to running your business from home. This month we take a look at 5 technology considerations for home-based businesses.

The computer:

We’ll ignore comparing brands and the Apple versus PC debate, but let’s look at ‘workstation versus laptop’. If your computer really doesn’t need to move from your home office, you’ll get more computing power for your money with a workstation. Consider investing those savings in a dual-monitor setup if your work involves a lot of data entry, writing or graphic design. But remember, there’s nothing stopping you using a laptop if you want to sit outside in the sun occasionally!

The printer:

As with any office, the key consideration for a printer is how much do you print and how often, and is that printing primarily text or pictures? Home offices also may have to consider how much space they have, so a printer with a smaller ‘footprint’ would be better. It’s also handy to have the ability to send faxes, especially when dealing with signed documents, so either look at software for faxing and a document scanner, or consider a multi-function printer with a built in fax. If you occasionally need to print large volumes, it may be cheaper to use a printing service at a store for large volumes, instead of buying a fast, high-volume laser printer that hardly ever prints more than 5 pages at a time. Remember to also compare replacement ink costs before you commit to a printer purchase.

The Internet:

A home office can feel quite isolated, so your internet connection is an important gateway to the outside world. Out of all of your technology components, this one will drive you the craziest if it’s slow or if it drops out. Use a reputable internet provider and invest in the fastest internet speed you can afford with a monthly data limit that matches your needs.

Email:

Without a corporate email system, you still have a few choices for email services. Don’t think that you have to resort to using @hotmail.com or @gmail.com for your business email communication, when you can have @yourbusinessname.com without the expense of your own email server.

File sharing:

Do you need to share files with anyone outside of your home office? Instead of just emailing attachments, consider other file sharing methods if you collaborate with others on large documents or if you regularly need to send large picture files. Your options vary from USB storage with security mechanisms (e.g. encryption & passwords) to secure internet file sharing services or even direct file transfer between computers.

Next month, we’ll look at backups, security and other considerations for your home office. If you are thinking of starting a business from home, or moving back home, or if you’d just like some advice on your current home office setup, talk to your local Computer Troubleshooter.

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How bad is the Mac malware scare?

May 29, 2011

One fifth of Facebook users are exposed to malware contained in their news feeds, claim security researchers.

Security firm BitDefender said it had detected infections contained in the news feeds of around 20% of Facebook users.

By clicking on infected links in a news feed, users risk having viruses installed on their computer.

Facebook said it already had steps in place to identify and remove malware-containing links.

BitDefender arrived at its figures by analysing data from 14,000 Facebook users that had installed a security app, called safego, it makes for the social network site.

In the month since safego launched, it has analysed 17 million Facebook posts, said BitDefender.

The majority of infections were associated with apps written by independent developers, which promised enticements and rewards to trick users into installing the malware, BitDefender said.

Trusted community

These apps would then either install malware used for spying on users or to send messages containing adverts to the users’ contacts.

Facebook has a thriving community of independent developers who have built apps for the social network.

The vast majority enable users to tweak their Facebook pages, adding widgets, games or extra functions, such as delivering daily horoscope predictions.

Facebook said it had processes and checks in place to guard against the risk of malware.

“Once we detect a phony message, we delete all instances of that message across the site,” the site said in a statement.

Crooks have targeted social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter because of their vast number of users, said Rik Ferguson, a security researcher for anti-virus maker Trend Micro.

“Because social networks are based on a community of people you trust, they’re an attractive target for malware writers,” said Ferguson. “You’re more likely to click on a link from someone you trust.”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11827856…..

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5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs An I.T. Audit

March 11, 2011

The I.T. Audit and Why You Need It

Audit – it’s a very painful word that conjures up images of the taxation department. If done correctly though, an audit of the technology in your small business should be quick and painless and yield you with some valuable information. Here are our top 5 reasons why your business would benefit from a technology audit:

1. Find immediate areas for improvement

If you’re thinking of replacing your computer, an audit may reveal that upgrading the memory would give you a significant performance boost. It could also highlight incorrect system settings or poor security configurations that could easily be fixed. With a clear picture of what technology you have, it might be easy to find some quick, inexpensive areas for improvement.

2. Budget for longer-term areas of improvement

An audit may reveal out-dated hardware that should be replaced with newer, faster components. It could also highlight disks that are close to their capacity, but still have some spare space. You can then plan and budget to address these areas in the future, instead of having to react tomorrow to an unforeseen full disk.

3. Know what software is on your computers

If your employees are able to install software onto your computers, do you know what they have been installing? An audit will reveal if your computers have illegal file sharing software or other programs that may be relevant to their hobbies, not their work (e.g. share trading).

4. Know you have the correct software licenses

In some cases, it is a software manufacturer’s right to randomly audit your business and check that you have the correct license number and the right kind of license for their software. If you’ve taken on more staff since you started, or you’ve had employees installing software on your computers, an audit can reveal where your software licensing might need some attention.

5. Compile an asset register

Your business will have certain assets listed for accounting purposes. That audit may not include many of your IT devices that are under a certain monetary value. If a theft or natural disaster hit your business, wouldn’t it be great to have a full list of all of your technology components? Ask your I.T. guy to store a copy of your audit results, off site, in case you need to refer to that asset list to make an insurance claim.

Summary

The outcomes of your audit should be a comprehensive list of your I.T. assets and recommendations for improvement that fit in with your business plans (both short and long term). If your I.T. guy uses your audit as an opportunity to sell as much of his products and services as he can, call Computer Troubleshooters for an independent trusted second opinion.

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The I.T. Industry’s Picks for 2011

January 10, 2011

In January 2010, we revealed your list of technology needs for the upcoming year. You said you’d be focusing on protection, upgrades and replacements, problem-prevention, remote support, netbooks, mobile web access and home technology.

For most of our clients, the first four topics were indeed very important over the last 12 months, and they will continue to be critical pieces of a strong technology foundation. Netbooks were overshadowed by the release of the iPad and the competing ‘tablet computers’ from rival brands. Mobile web access is still in its infancy, though social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have ensured that mobile phone browsers deliver a cut-down view of their main features. In the home technology arena, photo sharing websites flourished and the hype of the 3D television has started to fade behind the shine of new internet-connected televisions.

So what are the I.T industry’s biggest players predicting for 2011? Here are some of the most popular trends currently being talked about:

3D Without The Glasses – At a recent conference, brands like NEC, Samsung and Toshiba have paraded 3D television images without the need for you to wear special glasses. Unfortunately due to current cost, the target market is commercial advertising and not your living room.

Social Media Money – Facebook game users will be familiar with earning or buying credits for virtual upgrades or additions to their games. It’s thought Facebook may extend this to allow more businesses to use Facebook as a commerce platform for selling their goods. Twitter also may also add a financial component, as businesses seek to capitalize on the fans (followers) that they’ve attracted.

Location Based Services – When Google adds nearby businesses to your search results (Google Places), you know that location-based content is going to be big. Instead of wading through information that spans your entire city, perhaps this year it will be the easiest to find the ‘nearest’ product, service or special deal. Watch to see if advertisers target this ‘close by and ready to buy’ market.

Tablets Move Into Business – The tablet computer has developed a reputation for addictive games, but its portability means it naturally crosses over to your work desk from your coffee table. This year you may see more business-focused applications, especially those designed to assist sales teams. One day you may even see every realtor carrying one.

Cloud Computing – This is the one that the I.T industry is placing all of its bets on. Though still fairly quiet in the small business sector, larger businesses have already been strategizing how using other people’s servers could reduce their infrastructure costs. This year, more small businesses will attempt to figure out if paying for technology on-demand will be significantly more affordable than purchasing their own I.T infrastructure.

Contact us, your local Computer Troubleshooters, to discuss how you can benefit from the advances in technology this year or for any of your computing needs.

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Is Microsoft Calling You?

November 8, 2010

Is Microsoft Calling You?

Don’t be scammed…

If you answered your phone and it was Microsoft, telling you that your computer had a problem and they could fix it, should you believe them? What if they said they were your internet provider? Unfortunately this telephone scam leads innocent computer users to hand over their credit card details and allows an unknown person full remote access to their computer.

The caller pretends to be from some reputable internet provider or Microsoft itself, telling the victim they are following up on a report of a computer problem or virus infection that has been detected on their computer. They then direct the victim to visit a website to install software that allows the scammers full remote control of the computer. Then, they spend some time opening log files and other system areas to show where the problems are and convince you to pay a subscription fee for them to fix everything.

They now have your credit card details and full access to your computer and all of your personal information.

Computer Troubleshooters franchisees worldwide have seen a recent increase in this alarming scam, especially in the USA, the UK and Australia. Law enforcement agencies, Microsoft and other major technology companies have issued press releases warning of these calls. Stuart Strathdee, Microsoft Australia’s chief security adviser says “Do not be fooled. Microsoft is not cold calling consumers in regards to malfunctioning PCs, viruses or any other matter.”

In reality, Microsoft, your internet provider and other third-party companies do not have access to see any errors on your computer. They also can’t match your computer to your home telephone number.

What to do…

If you or someone you know has fallen victim to this scam, call your local Computer Troubleshooter. We can thoroughly investigate your computer and remove all traces of their remote control software, to give you peace of mind that they can no longer access your system. You may also want to consider calling your credit card company to see if there has been any fradulent activity. They To combat these spammers, the best thing you can do is to spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues to never give an unknown person remote access to their computer. If you receive a call of this nature, simply hang up on them. Develop a trusted relationship with your local Computer Troubleshooter. They can use secure software tools to remotely monitor your computer for problems and give you the best advice on how to address them.

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Helping Solve Computer Issues One Client at a Time

October 27, 2010

Another Great Day at Computer Troubleshooters solving Computer Issues for Clients and Friends, Clients Like You:

Here is a sampling of Computer Issues we helped with today:

1) Acquired, configured and installed a new Windows 7 laptop for a retired couple whose ancient laptop died. They were ecstatic with the performance of the new machine and the personalized service provided;

2) Resolved a warranty issue on a 6-month old PC purchased from us – no charge!;

3) Installed a new network for a business with telephone issues, slow response times and sporadic outages. Now crystal clear phone calls instantly connect while transmitting scanner documents and conducting online business with nary a glitch. Cut-over was accomplished in less than 30 minutes!;

4) Began the process to port over a client’s telephone numbers from an inferior quality system to a new, state-of-the-art VoIP system AND save them money!;

5) Processed orders for several new computers, quoted a few others, made customer satisfaction calls and prepared for another productive day helping our clients take the SH out of IT. :-)

When our clients have Computer Issues, they are thankful to have Computer Troubleshooters available to address their concerns. You see, we don’t just fix computer problems, we make sure we exceed our client’s expectations and give them the service and peace of mind they deserve. Don’t take our word for it; just ask any of our hundreds of satisfied clients why they call us when they have technology issues. For excellent service and satisfaction, call us today!

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Reload Windows

October 9, 2010

Remember when your computer was shiny and new? Windows ran smoothly, applications opened fast and error messages were few. Over time you may have noticed some changes though. As applications were installed, patched, upgraded and uninstalled, as data files were created or downloaded, and perhaps as the occasional virus or malware jumped in (and hopefully was promptly squashed by your protection software), your shiny new PC began to slow down. Between leftover temporary files, changes to the configuration files, and other debris often left behind by normal applications, it’s no surprise that your computer is slower, less reliable, and more prone to errors than it was when you first unboxed it. The best way to give your computer a new lease of life is to wipe all of the information and start again with a new software load (commonly known as a ‘rebuild’ or a ‘wipe & reload’).

Computer experts regularly rebuild their own computers to restore their performance and sometimes it’s a better alternative than trying to remove a particularly nasty virus. However, before the rebuild proceeds, there are a number of things that you can do to make the process easier:

1. Know where you’ve been saving your files: If you create a new document or copy some photos from your digital camera, where do you save those files to? Whilst we can search for common file types, it’s a much quicker process when we know that you’ve been keeping everything under ‘My Documents’ (for example).

2. Know what software you use: Let us know if you use any specific software packages (such as accounting, sales or customer management software), so we can check other locations for hidden data. These types of software can store your information in locations which may not be obvious.

3. Know your account details: Your computer may be set to store and ‘remember’ your login details for certain websites. This information will be lost during a rebuild and will need to be re-entered, so make sure you have a list of any usernames and passwords. You may also have username, password and mail server details in your email client that will need to be re-entered.

4. Locate your software installation files: Get into the habit of storing all of your software CDs in one box, to make it easy to find the original files when you need them reinstalling. If your software was obtained via an internet download, store all of your downloads in one folder on your computer (e.g. name ‘Source’). You also may need to provide a serial number, license number or product key, which would have been supplied when you originally purchased the software. Keep these details filed in a box or in a folder on your computer to ensure they can be easily retrieved for the rebuild.

5. Your computer’s new look: If you’ve spent some time customizing your icons, menus, screen saver etc, much of this will be lost as your computer returns to the default software settings. Take a photo of your menu layout before the rebuild or take the opportunity to create a new look afterwards.

Talk to us about the benefits of rebuilding your computer and how you can help to make the process go much smoother by providing the above important information.

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Are you an accidental spammer?

September 9, 2010

If you were looking to employ someone, you’d carefully check their reputation and their references. Email providers are now becoming just as cautious about who they accept emails from, in an effort to prevent large volumes of unsolicited commercial email (spam) from moving through their servers. They’re turning to ‘blacklist’ services, to see if you’ve developed a reputation for being a known source of spam. This month we look at blacklisting and how it can put a halt to your legitimate business emails.

There are numerous blacklisting services on the internet, which use various methods to build up a list of known spam sources. One such method is a ‘honeypot’ – pretending to be an unsecure email system, which attracts spammers and spamming software. The blacklisting server then adds the internet IP address of where the spam came from, to the blacklist. Email providers check this blacklist before accepting email and if the sender’s server is on that list, their email may be rejected before the recipients even see it. This is different to spam filtering which actually checks the contents of the email itself.

Unfortunately, your own business can become blacklisted if one of your computers picks up a spamming software ‘bot’ or malware. Like a virus, this malicious software installs itself onto your machine and starts sending out spam emails through your internet connection, however it may not be detected by your anti-virus software. You can very quickly become identified as a spam source and blacklisted, which will prevent legitimate emails from being sent from your own local email server.

The first indications of blacklisting are usually email failure error messages when you try and send a message. They commonly refer to rejecting your email for ‘policy reasons’ and may or may not mention spam or blacklisting. Email addresses that you’ve previously communicated with successfully may now start to reject your messages.

To tackle this, the first step is to confirm which blacklisting services you appear in. Some services even provide a link in the email failure message with further information on why you were blacklisted, when it happened or the possible cause. The infected computer then needs to be identified, removed from your network and thoroughly cleaned. Your email server should also have its configuration checked to ensure it’s not an ‘open’ relay, allowing emails to pass through it which did not come from you and are not destined for you. Once you’re sure your network is completely clean, you can ask to be ‘delisted’ from the services you’ve been appearing in. Some services will action your delisting request as soon as they receive it, whereas some will take days or weeks and some services even request a payment to speed up the process for you. The key to successful delisting is to make sure your computers are completely clean first. If you make multiple requests to be delisted and you’re still generating spam, the services will start to ignore your requests and you’ll remain on the blacklists.

Of course, a better option is to prevent spamming malware from entering your network in the first place, so always be cautious about what you download from the internet, what email attachments you open and what website links you click. Give us a call and we will be happy to talk to you about how to protect your network or for help if you think you’ve been blacklisted.

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