BWS Technologies - We don't just talk IT

Embracing The Age Of Mobility & The BYOD Workplace

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 16:44:00 +0000

In today’s always-connected world, the time-honored separation of work and personal time is quickly disappearing.Mobile devices such as laptops, netbooks, tablets, and smartphones have fundamentally changed how all of us live and work.

In this post, we will examine the pros and cons of BYOD and outline five safe BYOD practices to ensure a safer and smoother transition into this age of mobility.

With work no longer confined to a physical office space, or limited to traditional business hours, we’ve created an increasingly mobile and dispersed workforce capable of working anywhere at anytime. 3 out of 5 workers today no longer believe an office presence is necessary for a productive day’s work. By 2015, the IDC estimates the U.S. will have over 200 million people working remotely.

By now, it’s obvious that BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) isn’t just another buzz-worthy acronym or a workplace trend that will eventually fade; it’s part of the complete restructuring of the conventional way we’ve worked up to this point.

There is simply no going back to the way we were. With or without company approval, employees prefer working from devices they own and are most comfortable with, meaning it’s out with yesterday’s loud, clunky and slow in-office desktop PCs and in with today’s feature-rich, on-the go, employee-owned mobile devices.

Although many small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) have fully embraced BYOD for its countless benefits, this proliferation of employee-owned devices accessing company databases, files, and email servers is unprecedented. It is also risky because it increases vulnerability to security breaches and data loss.

Which raises the question: are workplaces today responsibly ushering in BYOD with safety, security, and long-term adaptability in mind?

THE MAINSTREAMING OF BYOD

It’s hard to believe that just a decade ago work mobility was practically nonexistent. We worked from cubicle farms with workstations and desktop PCs straight out of the movie Office Space. The office was our only access to the company network. Select employees might be provided with company-issued laptops with pre-loaded software useful for work. Perhaps they’d be trusted with FTP (File Transfer Protocol) privileges to access and transfer files to the server. Cell phones were actually just phones.

Even when BlackBerrys were introduced to the business world, allowing people to use a mobile handheld device to access their work email and manage their schedule for the very first time, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server made it easy for IT departments to configure and manage the device.

BlackBerrys eventually gave way to iPhones and Androids.

Laptops eventually gave way to iPads and tablets that combined laptop usability with smartphone portability.

Meanwhile, the number of public WiFi hotspots grew, making employees eager to access their company network and work files from just about anywhere through their mobile device.

Today, BYOD has become the “new normal”. A recent poll of 1,021 small business owners in the United States found that 68% allowed employees to use personal devices for work. 79% of CIOs at businesses who aren’t encouraging BYOD believe employees access their network with unauthorized personal devices every day.

Initial resistance to the BYOD movement has proven to be futile. Gartner, a technology research firm, predicts that 90% of businesses and organizations will support the use of personal devices for work purposes by the end of 2014. And it certainly seems that more business owners today are seeing the upside of BYOD, which include…

Increased Production
On average, it has been approximated that businesses gain 9 additional hours of productivity per week when employees use personal devices.

Improved Service
The benefits of this increased production and greater flexibility naturally extend to clients and customers since mobility allows workers to resolve escalated issues or almost instantly reply to inquiries outside of normal work hours. It is common these days to receive an email response after 5pm with a “Sent from my iPhone” tagline at the bottom.

Reduced Costs
Transferring IT hardware and equipment expenses to employees can save SMBs significant money. A study conducted by Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions projected that U.S. companies utilizing BYOD can save up to $3,150 per employee each year.

Additionally, since consumers are drawn to the freshest technology, and the latest upgrade to their device of choice, businesses no longer have to budget to continually upgrade to keep up with technological advances.

In 2013, telecommunications and information technology service provider Cbeyond, Inc. conducted a blind survey of 711 C-level executives of firms with fewer than 250 employees. Their findings revealed that not only is BYOD more widely accepted today, but mobile devices have also become critical to day-to-day operations and essential to meeting business objectives. Many acknowledged that it would be a challenge to do business today otherwise. A fair share of executives felt their business couldn’t survive without mobile device usage.

One troubling aspect of the aforementioned report is 32% of the surveyed SMBs aren’t sure if their data is adequately protected. While they acknowledge that BYOD puts their organization at risk, just 22% of SMBs currently have a comprehensive BYOD policy in place to address mobile device usage and define data privileges extended to personal devices. Here are a few reasons this sets a dangerous precedent.

Data from Summer 2013 Cbeyond Business Leader Snapshot™ - Surveying 711 executives running businesses w/ less than 250 employees

Nearly a third of employees use more than one mobile device during a typical workday. It’s critical that organizations, especially small businesses, know what devices are accessing their network and whom they belong to.

With the existence of public Wi-Fi hotspots at coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, convention centers, trains, and airports, inadequately secured mobile devices are constantly exposed to hackers monitoring traffic on open networks. According to data compiled by the Ponemon Institute, 59% of organizations have experienced a rise in malware infections linked to insecure mobile devices.

BYOD makes SMBs increasingly susceptible to costly data breaches with 38% of these breaches occurring as the result of lost or stolen mobile devices. Verizon Business has estimated that 174 million records have been stolen in 855 data breaches linked to smartphones and tablets.

There are more than 500,000 apps in the Apple App Store. The Android Marketplace has over 200,000 apps. The security controls in place to evaluate the safety of these applications are suspect and some apps having phishing screens, hidden spyware, and malware. This means the apps or clients being used to access enterprise content could put your data at risk.

The adoption of BYOD can be beneficial to small businesses but it shouldn’t compromise company or customer data. Developing a comprehensive BYOD policy minimizes risk while still granting full (and secure) access to the files and applications your employees need, regardless of where they are.

FIVE TIPS TO SAFE BYOD

1. Create a Mobile Device Policy and Enforce It
Don’t be afraid to spell out what employees are expected to do - and not do - with their mobile devices. It’s important to remember you aren’t only managing devices but people as well. This is where you define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and make it clear that there will be no exceptions.

Clearly define what types of devices are allowed. While you want to support a mix of the devices employees are most likely to carry, a line has to be drawn somewhere to prevent things from becoming unmanageable. No company, especially a small one, needs to open up things to 30 mobile devices. Minimum standards for device age and capabilities should be set. Newer technology will obviously have better security features. For instance, anything before the iPhone 3G will not permit device-level encryption.

Every policy should address acceptable personal device use when it comes to web browsing, app downloads/usage, public Wi-Fi protocol, and data transmission/storage guidelines.

2. Keep Devices Lock & Password Protected

Your employees are using devices they take with them everywhere. You have no idea where they are at any given moment of the day. More importantly, you can only hope that their mobile device is either with them or stored away safely. Devices that aren’t password protected, which are left out in the open unattended, pose a huge risk.

Keep in mind that 46% of people who use their mobile device for work admit to letting others use it from time to time. Many devices have free built-in security controls such as locked screens, the ability to remotely wipe out the device after multiple successive failed authentication attempts, and even GPS track-ability.

Passwords should be strong and frequently updated. Employees should also be advised to not keep written passwords lying around.

3. Immediately Disconnect Terminated Employees or Voluntary Leaves

Be sure to remotely wipe company data from the personal device of any employee who is terminated or voluntarily leaves the company. Ideally, this data should be retrieved. This is one reason a SMBs mobile device policy must address where employees are to edit and save files. Many SMBs these days require all files to be shared, edited, and saved on Cloud-based software like Dropbox.

4. Use Available Encryption Technologies

Business critical files, folders, and hard drives should be encrypted for reliable protection against unauthorized access. Encryption prevents sensitive data from being read by potential hackers as content is transferred to and from mobile devices.

5. Use a Mobile Device Management (MDM) Solution
MDM solutions are a cost-effective means to ensure that any mobile device accessing their network is identified, controlled, and monitored. This method of centralized management makes it easy to configure devices for enterprise access, stipulates password policy and encryption settings, locates and remotely clears and locks any lost or stolen device, automates security updates, and proactively identifies and resolves device or app issues.

CONCLUSION

Any potential return from the increased productivity and reduced operating costs associated with BYOD is nullified if sloppy management of these devices leads to expensive security breaches and data loss. While SMBs undoubtedly want to accommodate employees wishing to use their own devices, they must also guide them to acceptable and safe usage. Employees are likely to resist being told what to do with devices they own, but a secure BYOD environment is only possible if a mobile device policy is written and enforced with no exceptions whatsoever.

SMBs are encouraged to ease into BYOD a little at a time. Start with just a few employee-owned devices to test security and scalability. Always remember to keep your mobile device policy constantly updated and stay in front of emerging trends and approaching market releases.

iPhone - Make a Mistake... Just shake it

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:49:00 +0000

New to iPhone, made a mistake typing, deleting, cutting, or pasting and wondering how to undo it? While you might have already figured this out through unbridled frustration. If you've been editing some text and you either typed the wrong thing, deleted more than you intended to, or cut, copy, or pasted yourself into error-land, here's what you do:

Hold you iPhone firmly in one hand

Shake it (Really)

Tap the Undo button to confim

You're done!

Apple has built "shake to undo" into the iPhone since iOS 3 and it works really well.

Staying safe and minimizing risk while using social media

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:06:00 +0000

Do your friends make questionable decisions on social media? Yes, because many of our friends actually help scammers share their message, many because they are not well-informed. But just in case you’re in any doubt about how important it is to proceed with caution on social media, consider these three factors:

The web is a dangerous place: The security company Sucuri scanned about 10 million websites and found 26% of them were compromised (hosting malicious injections or otherwise blacklisted).
People are sharing more personal data than ever: That’s not just a hunch, that was the finding of a seven-year study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University: Silent Listeners: The Evolution of Privacy and Disclosure on Facebook.
Consumers are not the only victims: Criminals conducting cyber attacks against companies are finding social media a great resource (there are several social media attack scenarios in the recently published Trustwave 2013 Global Security Report).

So here are some strategies for staying safe and minimizing risk while using social media (assuming you’ve decided you can’t live without social networks, which is understandable for many people and companies)?

The sanity check strategy

What do you do when you see a link in a friend’s tweet, Facebook or LinkedIn update, Instagram or Snapchat posting? Do you click on it right away or do you think before you click? Hopefully you follow a thought process before you click that includes these questions:

How sensible/relevant is this link? If your friends know you’re not interested in Justin Bieber, you should be suspicious of postings about them that seem to come from friends.
Do I trust the person who posted it? Some people expand their social networking connections by accepting every friend request they get. That is not a good idea. You should not accept requests to connect from people with whom you have no connection.
How likely is this post to be from that person? Hopefully you do know your friends on social media well enough to tell if an update is out of character for them. If you see such a post, question them. Their account might have been hacked.
Can I get to the linked content through a more trusted channel? If you see a news report on social media that a famous person has died please check the facts before spreading the story. Phony news stories often contain links that lead you to places you don’t want to go.

The out-of-band strategy

Out-of-band communication - using one channel of communication to verify what is said in a different channel.

Social media is not the only way to communicate. If you have any doubts about anything you see on social media why not verify it via a different communication channel, like the telephone, or SMS, or email, or even face-to-face.

If you are suspicious about a news story you see breaking on social media, go to a legitimate news website and see it you can confirm it.

The stay informed strategy

If you use social media a lot it makes sense to stay informed about new developments, particularly in the area of scams. Even if you are not keen on social media yourself but work in IT security–or maybe you are your family’s IT security person, riding herd on kids or elderly parents–it is a good idea to keep your finger on the pulse of social media developments.

Adapted from welivesecurity.com

Three suggestions for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:01:00 +0000

The new year has begun, and we have three suggestions for improving the quality of your computing life in 2013.

1. Backup often and in the cloud: Consider the consequences if all your data... Word files, Music or Photo library, Quicken/Quickbooks data, and everything else, were to just disappear. It's a scary thought, but it happens to the unprepared all too often. Make 2013 the year to get you backup in order and configure it to archive your most important files and folders automatically. A whole-system local backup is very important, too. But the cloud-based approach to backing up protects you from disasters like fire, flood, theft, and virus infestations. Don't wait another year to safeguard your data.

2. Look before you click: Watch out for fake download buttons,toolbars and other junk-ware. Users get into trouble with these things all the time because they click without thinking. Before clicking anything that's unfamiliar, take a second or even ten, and look more closely at the link. A little bit of precaution can save you from hassles, and even disasters.

3. Keep it clean: Dust can kill a computer, clogging it and causing everything to overheat, with potentially disastrous results. When you have pets their hair can exacerbate the situation even further. So, schedule regular cleaning sessions where you use a can of compressed air to blow dust and pet hair off your cooling-fan blades and out of your case.

Remember BWS Technologies is always available to assist you.

Call us at 334-358-6305 or email us support@bwsit.com

Adapted from article from CIO

Turn off Java for security reasons

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:07:00 +0000

Is Java turned on in your web browser? If your answer is "Yes" or "I'm not sure" then it's time to take action. Right now, cyber-criminals are aware and exploiting serious security flaws in Java that could lead to your computer becoming infected by malware.
The best advice we can give you is to disable Java.

Here are some simple instructions for users of the most popular browsers, explaining how Java can be disabled:

http://www.java.com/en/download/help/disable_browser.xml

So, what are you waiting for?, stop reading this article now and check if you have disabled Java or not. Chances are that if you don't think that you need Java, you don't need it.

What you need to do now is reduce the opportunities for attack. For most people that means disabling Java - and doing it now.

If you insist or must have Java. Download the most recent version here:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

Technology Fuels Cyberbullying

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:53:00 +0000

Gone are the days when a child’s home is a refuge from playground or neighborhood bullies. The Internet is the new playground, and there are no off-hours. Tech-savvy students are turning to cyberspace to harass their peers using a new method of bullying—cyberbullying.

The popularity of instant messaging, e-mail, web pages, text messaging, and blogging means that kids and teens are targets—all day, every day. Victimization on the Internet through cyberbullying is increasing in frequency and scope. These electronic bullies can remain “virtually” anonymous. Temporary e-mail accounts and pseudonyms in chat rooms, instant messaging programs, and other Internet venues can make it very difficult for kids and teens to determine the identity of aggressors. They now have the ability to hide behind some measure of anonymity when using their personal computer or cellular phone to bully another individual.

Click to Enlarge

A McAfee study shows an alarming 70% of teens have hidden their online behavior from their parents, up from 45% in 2010.
Almost 25% of teens claimed to be targets of cyber bullying and 2/3 of all teens have witnessed cruel behavior online
Only 10% of parents are aware of their teens are targets of cyber bullying
Facebook has become the new school yard for bullies with 92.6% of teens saying that cruel behavior takes place on Facebook, and 23.8% on Twitter, 17.7% on MySpace and 15.2% via Instant Messenger
When witnessing others being attacked, 40% of teens have told the person to stop, 21% have told an adult and 6% joined in
When being attacked themselves, 66% of teens responded to the attacker (with 35% responding in person), 15.4% avoided school, and an alarming 4.5% have been in a physical fight with their attacker

Cyberbullying tactics:

Gossip: Posting or sending cruel gossip to damage a person’s reputation and relationships with friends, family, and acquaintances
Exclusion: Deliberately excluding someone from an online group
Impersonation: Breaking into someone’s e-mail or other online account and sending messages that will cause embarrassment or damage to the person’s reputation and affect his or her relationship with others
Harassment: Repeatedly posting or sending offensive, rude, and insulting messages
Cyberstalking: Posting or sending unwanted or intimidating messages, which may include threats
Flaming: Online fights where scornful and offensive messages are posted on websites, forums, or blogs
Outing and Trickery: Tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information, which is then shared online
Cyberthreats: Remarks on the Internet threatening or implying violent behavior, displaying suicidal tendencies

Great Resources at CommonSenseMedia.com

Adapted via McAfee, Internet Safety 101,

Don't Get Caught with Data Loss

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:30:00 +0000

As Isaac threatens landfall, there’s no doubt that many of the areas business owners are concerned. They’re worried about safety of their family and that of their employees, first and foremost. And they’re worried about damage to their buildings and vehicles. But many should also be concerned about their data... customer information, sales records, payroll and budget information, and everything else they keep on their computers.

Even if you live far from the coast, there’s good reason to make sure your data is backed up in the cloud. According to the HP report, only 40 percent of data loss is caused by the destruction of hardware. Nineteen percent is the fault of software problems or viruses, and a full 38 percent is caused by human error or theft.

The start of hurricane season should serve as a powerful reminder of why more companies should shift to remote backup. Safety and property damage will always be an issue when major storms roll in. But in 2012, there’s no reason why the threat of data loss should cause anyone additional headaches. Data loss can be even more devastating than a wrecked office. Seventy percent of small firms that have a major data loss go out of business within a year, according to a report by HP and the small-business advisory organization SCORE.

Yet many companies aren’t taking advantage of what’s available. Earlier this year, a study released found that less than 40 percent of small to mid-sized businesses use any kind of remote offsite data storage.

A proper plan, a managed backup, and offsite cloud storage system can protect you against all those issues. It can also offer other advantages, like access to all your information when you’re away from the office. That means that, whether lightning strikes, a tornado blows your server away or an ice storm keeps your employees stuck at home, work can continue without missing a beat.

Remote backup solutions and cloud storage are available to businesses of every size. For questions or to find out more about how to protect your business contact BWS Technologies at 334-358-6305

Adapted from Technorati

Stay Protected and Safe from Lightning Damage

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:22:00 +0000

No matter how many times we see a lightning-damaged computer, we can't help but think how easily this could have been prevented. You would think people would understand the importance of having a good surge protector or UPS connected to any electronic devices they own.

Lightning causes $5 Billion of economic impact in the U.S. each year.

Your concern should not be about the lightning strike that hits your house - because a direct hit will most likely destroy every bit of electronics and low-voltage wiring in your home - and you should simply be glad you got out alive. The lightning strike you should be worried about is the one that strikes your neighbor's house across the street and down three houses. That's the one that will send a lovely high-voltage spike right across the earth, up your phone and cable lines, into your computer.

What Surge Protector should I buy? A $2.99 outlet strip will not protect you! The best Surge Protectors are made by companies who specialize in this technology, such as Panamax, APC and Tripp Lite. They are typically a bit more expensive than other brands, but well worth it.

What about a UPS - Battery Backup (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for your computer and electronics? Since the prices have dropped significantly, it is generally a good idea to have a battery backup on any system where the loss of your data or downtime would be a major inconvenience. Even a power loss of a few milliseconds can power off your computer and corrupt whatever documents are open at the time. Accordingly, the only components you need to connect to the UPS are your computer and monitor.

Does having a UPS eliminate the need for a Surge Protector? No. Everything else should be plugged into a surge protector, as you only need to keep the computer and monitor running long enough to shut down the computer properly in the event of a power failure. How big a UPS should you buy? That depends on three things: Your monitor, how long you want the system to run in the absence of power - and your budget. The larger your monitor, the bigger your UPS needs to be, as the monitor pulls a great deal of current and will deplete the reserves of the UPS quickly. Choose a UPS that fits your specific needs. When you buy an UPS... again invest in one produced by a company that specializes in this technology like APC.

Broadband Cable and DSL subscribers: Make sure you get a smaller UPS for protection and better connectivity. If the power blinks or browns your cable/dsl modem and network router and switch will reboot and this can cause your connection to the internet to be disrupted. To better protect against surges get one with coax and network protection.

So you don't want to invest in a surge protector or UPS? You can always do what many do during electrical storms and simply unplug everything from the wall when a storm is imminent. But if you are not home it is hard to unplug.

Remember for direct or indirect hits, the only sure way is to pull the power, phone, and cable plugs on sensitive electronics before thunderstorms threaten. Since most lightning strikes occur either at the beginning or end of a storm many people have been electrocuted while unplugging their electronics during thunderstorms. Never touch wires during a thunderstorm, even to unplug your equipment. Be careful... your equipment is not worth your life. Lightning is the #2 weather killer in the U.S., lightning kills more than Hurricanes and Tornadoes, combined. Only floods kill more!

Need assistance or have questions contact BWS Technologies at 334-358-6305.

DNSChanger Questions Answered

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Yes... The warnings about the DNSChanger Internet problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website.

BWS Business & Residential Clients:
If you have the IndigoGuard service you are protected.

If you have any questions please call us at 334-358-6305 or email us at support@bwsit.com

Why is July 9th important?
To assist victims affected by the DNSChanger, the FBI setup temporary clean DNS servers in 2011. This solution was a temporary, provided additional time for victims to clean affected computers and restore their normal DNS settings. The clean DNS servers will be turned off on Monday July 9, 2012, and computers still imfected by DNSChanger will likely lose Internet connectivity.

Am I infected?

If you're in the United States, go to dns-ok.us

If you see an image with a green background (see image below) if you're more than likely clean. A red background means you're definitely infected. Please note in rare cases depending on your ISP you may see the green box and be still be infected. So make sure you scan for viruses and adware.

Help! I'm not sure or my computer's infected with DNSChanger.

You can bring your computer to:

BWS Technologies
1797 East Main Street - Prattville

-or- For those DIY folks follow the steps at the bottom of this post.

What is DNSChanger?
DNSChanger is a Trojan horse malware with many versions. It changes an infected computer's DNS settings to point to bad guy-controlled servers. These then show you ads that look real, but aren't. Basically, it redirects your good Web surfing to bad Web sites that then attempt to steal personal information and generate ad revenue.

What does DNSChanger do?
DNSChanger changes your Domain Name System (DNS) settings without your permission. This is bad because DNS is basically the Internet's phone book crossed with a map. DNS links a URL, such as CNET.com, to an IP address. (An IPv4 address would be something like 192.1.56.10, while an IPv6 address would look like 1050:0:0:0:5:600:300c:326b.) DNSChanger changes that and redirects search results and URLs to malicious sites that are designed to either serve you ads to malicious sites, or intend to illegitimately collect your login information.

How can I avoid malware like DNSChanger in the future?
Security suites aren't perfect, but they will protect you from the vast majority of threats out there including DNSChanger. Whether you're on Windows or Mac, Android or iOS, you really ought to have some kind of security program installed. And always double-check the URL before entering personal information into any kind of online text field or form, no matter what operating system or device you're using.

Get protection and support with IndigoGUARD from BWS Technologies >>

If you're concerned about your own PC, or family members please call or bring your computer in.

Below are some steps to follow:

The first thing you want to do is make a backup of all of your important files.
Scan for and remove the malware. The goal is to remove the malware and recover your PC from the control of the criminals that distributed it.
Once you have a clean PC, ensure that your DNS settings are correct by checking again at dns-ok.us.
After you have fixed your computer, you will want to look at your router you’re using and make sure they automatically use DNS settings provided by the ISP.
Changing DNS is only one of the functions of the malware kits. The malware could have been used for capturing keystrokes or acting as a proxy for traffic to sensitive sites like bank accounts or social media. It would be a good idea to check your bank statements and credit reports as well as change passwords on any online accounts especially saved passwords from your applications or web browsers.

For Questions:
Call 334-358-6305 or email us at support@bwsit.com

Sources: FBI, DCWG, CNET

Viral "Facebook Privacy Notice" is FALSE

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:55:00 +0000

We have gotten some questions about this... A so-called “Facebook Privacy Notice” claims you need to repost it to protect your privacy. The notice went viral on the network Tuesday but is, in fact, a fake.

The posting is based on the idea that Facebook’s recent listing as a publicly traded company will negatively affect its users’ privacy.

This is an untrue.

Both Facebook and its users are still bound to the same terms and conditions that are accepted by users when they sign up for the service. If Facebook ever significantly changed its privacy settings, it would have to notify users about the changes to those terms.

Even though Facebook has become a publicly traded company, it has has no affect on how it treats your data and privacy. It does not mean your information on Facebook is publicly traded — it just means that you are able to buy a shares of the company on the stock market.

The text of the false post below. If you see it DO NOT share with your friends!

For those of you who do not understand the reasoning behind this posting, Facebook is now a publicly traded entity. Unless you state otherwise, anyone can infringe on your right to privacy once you post to this site. It is recommended that you and other members post a similar notice as this, or you may copy and paste this version. If you do not post such a statement once, then you are indirectly allowing public use of items such as your photos and the information contained in your status updates.

PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning – any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/or the comments made about my photos or any other “picture” art posted on my profile.

You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee , agent , student or any personnel under your direction or control.

The contents of this profile are private and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Again the text of the false post above is FAKE/FALSE. If you see it DO NOT share with your friends!

Facebook Admins - Schedule posts and different roles

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Finally Facebook Page admins can schedule posts and have different roles. Wow! Are you excited we sure are.

Look out, HootSuite and other third party Facebook management tools. You just got a little less relevant with an update from Facebook that lets Page admins schedule posts. Posts can be scheduled up to six months in advance at 15-minute intervals.

Facebook also outlines how brand pages can now create specific roles of manager, content creator, moderator, advertiser and insights analyst to multiple page admins, each with varying degrees of permissions. See chart below.

New Facebook Pages Timeline: Covers, Content explained

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:20:00 +0000

Business Owners, Marketers and brand managers are you still digesting yesterday’s news about the launch of timeline for pages? Well here are some tips and food for thought to help avoid indigestion.

Target The News Feed With Interesting Posts
With a high percentage of user interaction occurring in the news feed, sharing fresh content and giving Facebook users reasons to engage with that content is vital.

Build Relationships Before Selling - You can’t just treat Facebook as a forum for pushing sales without having a conversation first. Connect with your current an potential customers, treating them as people, not ways to make money.

Embrace Your Past - Take advantage of the back-dating capabilities of timeline. Including company milestones such as founding year, milestone sales, product or service introductions, expansions, moves, and other key events.

Manage Private Conversations - The first key thing to know about brand messaging is that users must initiate the conversation. And, secondly, brands can only send two messages to users for every one message received from the user. This is to prevent spammers from overwhelming users with sales and marketing messages. In brief, keep it classy. When a user reaches out to you, that’s an authentic, personal experience that you should treat in the same way as a face-to-face conversation.

Cover Photos - Get creative! users will enjoy visiting your timeline. Your business surely has plenty of images ready to represent your brand on Facebook. But remember to follow the rules below.

Official Facebook rules - No purchase info: The cover photo is a place to demonstrate the brand’s personality, not to deliver a sales pitch. No contact info: The rules explicitly prohibit contact info in the cover photo. Not a big deal though the about section below the cover photo should this information. Also the pinned post is the ideal place for this kind of promotional content and advertising, see the section below on pinning. No Facebook actions: With the old Facebook pages, you might have created a landing page with an arrow pointing to the Like button. Now, with Facebook action requests banned from the cover photo, you can’t ask or instruct fans to like your page. No calls to action at all: You cannot ask them or instruct them to do anything: no purchase info, no contact info, no Facebook actions... no calls to action at all.. No lying: This should be a policy for every one when interacting with customers period, but Facebook has outlined it as a specific rule for cover photos. Don’t promise anything you shouldn’t be promising.

Pinning - By highlighting your post this way causes it to stay at the top of your timeline for exactly one week, whether there are new posts or not. Do you want a certain photo or promotion to be highly visible to visitors of your page? then pinning is the ideal way to do this.

Here are some examples of how to use pins:
1. Post a coupon for 25% off special items.
2. Display special office hours.
3. Share a special post.

Starring - By highlighting your post this way causes its width across the page, making it more visible as visitors view your timeline. Because this high visablity, you’ll definitely want to save this feature for your absolutely best posts, and the ones that you don’t want any of your customers and prospects to miss.

Here are some examples of how to use stars:
a. Post about a new product or service.
b. A milestone event.
c. Photos from a recent event.

7 things you need to know about new timeline feature for pages.

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:21:00 +0000

Facebook has opened its new profile design, Timeline, to business, brand and organization pages.

You can now Message fans directly - Now people can contact you privately using messages. Notifications about new messages will appear right in your admin panel
Pin your Favorite Post to the top - Hover over a story and click on the star icon to make the post wider. Click on the pencil icon to pin the item to the top of your page, hide it or delete it from the site altogether.
Change your Fan Page name - For those brands who have been stuck with the dreaded “misspelled” or “inaccurate” fan page name, you now have a way to request to change it.Be sure to make the fan page name your actual business name. As brands begin leveraging the open graph, insuring your name is accurate will be key.
Photos, Likes, and Apps moved - Photos, likes and apps are now at the top of your page. Photos show in the first spot, but you can change the order of everything else so people see what matters most. You can show a maximum number of 12 apps, so make sure to put your most important ones first.
New administrator panel - Keep track of your activity on your page from the admin panel. Respond when people write on your page timeline, and view your latest insights. Visit your activity log to review all your posts and activity.
Cover photo - The cover photo can be up to 850 pixels by 315 pixels but may not contain any of the following:
- Price or purchase information, such as “40 percent off” or “Download it at our website.”
- Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section.
- References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features.
- Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends.”
Default landing tabs are gone - Facebook has removed the ability to create a default landing tab. Instead, the new tabs can be up to 760 pixels wide.

The new brand pages aren't compatible with mobile Facebook apps yet, but they will be soon. Businesses can begin converting their Facebook pages on Wednesday, Feb 29th 2011. The update is not optional: Those pages that have not switched will be forced to make the change on March 30.

Read more at Facebook.com

via AllFacebook.com

Latest Apple announcements with videos

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:53:00 +0000

Siri, voice control assistant, was the big Apple announcement. The iPhone 4S is, as the name implies, an speed boosting update to the iPhone 4, while the iPod lineup has seen only very modest updates.

Apple announces the iPhone 4S. Apple's newest iPhone is an all-internal upgrade that looks identical on the outside to the iPhone 4. The device will be available for pre-order on October 7, and it is released in the US on October 14. As almost everyone expected, the iPhone 4S will also launch on Sprint in addition to AT&T and Verizon. Apple's site suggests unlocked models will be available, but pricing info for contract-free handsets isn't available yet. The iPhone 4S has a faster dual core processor with much-improved graphics performance, improved battery and wireless performance, and a vastly improved 8 megapixel camera. Exclusive to the iPhone 4S is Siri, a new and powerful voice interface.

iPhone 4s Video

Apple introduces Siri as iPhone voice control assistant for iPhone 4S. Siri looks like it will revolutionize voice control on the iPhone. Siri is able to understand natural language inquiries and quickly look up information, generate appointments and text messages, and even take dictation. You may never need to type on your iPhone again. Reportedly the existing Siri app will go dark on October 15, so the service will definitely be exclusive to Apple's newest iPhone after that.

Siri Video

iOS 5 available October 12. Available to everyone else on October 12. iOS 5 will be a free download that will run on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S; all models of iPad; and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. Apple's free replacement for MobileMe, iCloud, is also going live to everyone on October 12. Meanwhile, the App Store is now officially welcoming apps compatible with iOS 5.

iOS 5 Video

Also

Apple refreshes iPod touch lineup with new colors: With the only apparent changes being a new white model and a price drop for the entry-level model, the iPod touch received only a very modest update today. No mention was made of the iPod touch being updated with the A5 processor, which marks the first time the line hasn't kept pace with the iPhone's processor.

Apple refreshes iPod nano, lowers price: The iPod nano also received a very modest update; aside from new clock faces, integrated fitness functions, a slightly revamped UI, and a price drop, the nano is largely the same as last year's model. The new UI and clock faces appear to be available to 2010 model iPod nanos via a software update, so if you have last year's model already there doesn't appear to be any reason to upgrade.

8 GB iPhone 3GS now free with contract, iPhone 4 price dropped: You can now pick up Apple's two-year-old iPhone 3GS for free if you sign up for a two-year contract. That may sound like a great deal, but by 2013 the iPhone 3GS is probably going to seem like it's a UNIVAC. You're better off spending the extra $99 to get an iPhone 4 instead; it's the same capacity, but with a much-improved processor, Retina Display, and a far better camera. Sure, the iPhone 3GS is free, but in our opinion you get what you pay for with that model.

You can check out Apple's keynote for yourself here.

via TUAW

Unannounced Facebook Changes

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Facebook has changed more of the site than what it announced, adding to unhappiness with the site.

The unannounced features include:

Posts can now be as long as 5,000 characters, ten times the previous maximum length.

You can no longer accompany a friend request with a message.

Part or all of the navigation bar can remain on the screen even when you scroll down the page.

You can create bookmarks, labeled favorites, in the left-hand column.

Birthday reminders appear in the upper right side well-wishes now show up as notifications on the upper-right-hand corner of the screen, near where you see poke notifications.

Friend lists that existed before the new smart list prompts have an entirely new management interface.

The poke button has become a link tucked into a pull-down to the right of the add friend button.

A thumbnail image of the user, and his or her name, appears int the right corner of the top blue navigation bar; when one surfs the site using a page alias, the name and main image appears in the same place.

via Inside Facebook: Facebook Increases Character Limit on Posts to 5000, Rolls Out Floating Navigation Bar and More Amid Unrest

Get 20GB of online storage for 70 cents

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Amazon Cloud Drive is a hard drive in the cloud (on the web). Store your music, videos, photos, and documents on Amazon's secure servers. All you need is a web browser to upload, download, and access your files from any computer.

How to:

First sign up for Amazon Cloud Online - 5GB Storage Drive for Free. Please carefully read full term & conditions for more info and privacy use. Click the link. http://bws.us/gRwxDl

Second purchase MP3 Album $0.69 get 20GB of Space for free . Follow the link and purchase the album
http://bws.us/eB9dQY

More Information

Unlimited, secure access from any computer
Use your Amazon Cloud Drive as the go-to location for all your important files. At work, at home, during your commute or while on vacation—you'll always have access to everything you've uploaded to your Cloud Drive through your Amazon account.

Never worry about losing your files again
Store files in your Cloud Drive and never worry about losing them if your computer crashes, or is lost or stolen.

Songs purchased from Amazon MP3 are stored in your Cloud Drive for free
When you purchase songs or albums from the Amazon MP3 Store, you can now save your purchases to your Cloud Drive. All your purchases are backed up and available for you to download at any time. Even better, you can listen to your music from any web-connected computer with Amazon Cloud Player.

Differences: AT&T iPhone vs Verizon iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:18:00 +0000

With the Verizon iPhone a reality, there is one question of current iPhone owners: should I switch carriers?

The primary difference between the AT&T iPhone and the Verizon iPhone is the technology each uses for 3G connectivity.

In the end, your phone is going to work essentially the same on both networks, and the truth is that the vast majority of users won’t notice any difference. Here are some key points to remember, though:

Calls: In general, Verizon will drop less calls. It’s unclear what impact the iPhone will have on its network, but we don’t expect it to be as bad as AT&T was in its early years. Verizon’s network has proven itself to be more robust.
Speed: In general, AT&T has the faster 3G network, and in some cases it’s a great deal faster than Verizon. This of course only work if you cab get a signal.
Simultaneous voice and data: Only AT&T is capable of talking on the phone and surfing the web at the same time, but Verizon is working on a solution, saying the fix might be implemented by the end of this year.

The latter point may become a non-issue soon, though. According to The Wall Street Journal, a solution to carry voice and data simultaneously on CDMA networks is coming later this year.

Technical details:

AT&T employs the UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, in its network. UMTS is built upon concepts from the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, the basis for EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution). Because of this shared architecture, most UMTS devices support GSM and EDGE, including the AT&T iPhone. GSM/UMTS technology is widely used worldwide. UMTS phones can be easily moved from one UMTS network to another, making them ideal for international use.

Verizon, uses CDMA, code division multiples access, a form of spread-spectrum signaling that utilizes bandwidth more effectively than most other solutions; it’s often considered more spectrally efficient. CDMA also utilizes soft handovers of phone calls, so instead of switching directly from one tower to the next (hard handover), CDMA devices can receive a signal from multiple towers simultaneously. That makes the shift between towers less detectable, and it decreases the rate of dropped calls. On the other hand, AT&T UMTS devices aren’t as efficient at soft handovers. Verizon's CDMA can’t use a SIM card, making it far more difficult to switch phones.

This argument between CDMA and UMTS may become a moot point in the next few years, though, as 4G networks overtake 3G technology. WiMax and LTE are the primary 4G standards. Both AT&T and Verizon are utilizing LTE as a standard for their 4G networks.

adapted via Mashable

Verizon announces iPhone 4

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Verizon will offer a CDMA EVDO version of the iPhone 4 starting February 10.
Existing Verizon Wireless customers will be able to start pre-ordering the device on February 3. The 16GB version with a two-year contract will cost $199.99, while the 32GB version will cost $299.99. The device will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon stores, via Verizon's Web site, at Apple Retail stores, and via Apple's Web site.

25% of PC users disable antivirus software

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:54:00 +0000

A new survey from antivirus and computer security firm finds that about one in four PC users admit to turning off virus protection on their PCs because they thought the programs were slowing down their computers.

That’s not a good idea because such a practice leaves the computer totally exposed to the even simplest of viruses, allowing the bad guys to include it in a botnet used to distribute malware and phishing.

Furthermore, more than three out of five (62.8 percent) have tried multiple computer security products in the span of a year on the same computer, hoping to find one they like, and nearly one in eight (12 percent) have considered getting off the Internet altogether for safety reasons.

Adapted via Yahoo News

Cell Phone Users Are Gullible

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:41:00 +0000

Cell phone users are making really bad decisions compared to their desktop computing counterparts.

The study's data is reveals the harsh truth. Cell phone users are three times more likely than users of desktop computers to offer up confidential login details to a phishing site, and they are also quicker to respond to phishing scams.

Rather controversially, Trusteer, the research company, claims iPhone users are the most foolish of all, accessing phishing Websites more than BlackBerry users by a factor of eight. This is especially galling bearing in mind BlackBerry is still a market leader in the US, with 36 percent of the smarphone market in October 2010 compared to the iPhone's 25 percent. In other words, iPhone users appear to be making extra special efforts to be dumb.

Adapted via Yahoo News

Amazon - Android App Store

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:22:00 +0000

Amazon is preparing to open an Android app store, and is currently accepting applications from developers for Android-based smartphones, according to a Amazon blog post.

The applications will be sold on the Amazon Appstore for Android, which the company expects to launch later in 2011. At launch, the Appstore will be available for customers in the U.S., and it will be compatible with Android 1.6 and higher. Users will be able to shop for applications from their PCs, which isn't possible with the existing version of Android Market, or from their smartphones, and pay with their existing Amazon account. The store will carry free and paid applications.

Adapted via Yahoo News

Voila! AT&T's 3G Network Is Now 4G!

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:46:00 +0000

"AT&T Inc. flipped a switch and turned on its 4G wireless network Wednesday," reports the WSJ. "The switch, however, was in the company's marketing department." Taking advantage of loose definitions for what qualifies as 4G, AT&T has simply relabeled its existing, and much-maligned, 3G network as 4G.

The International Telecommunications Union hasn't set a hard definition on 4G, so carriers are going right ahead and calling their networks 4G. AT&T told WSJ that it was okay to do it because consumers won't notice the difference between their HSP-plus and the new LTE network.

AT&T isn't the only one, T-mobile did the same last year and then went on an anti-AT&T advertising spree.

Adapted via WSJ

The new Mac App Store is online

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:24:00 +0000

It's simple way to find, install, and manage your favorite software. To see the Mac App Store at all, you'll need to run your Software Updates (under the Apple menu) and get Mac OS X 10.6.6 System Update, or run the combo update you can download here.

After you reboot, you'll see a new icon in your dock, right after the Finder icon. Click that to launch the app store. Most apps cost less than you may have seen them at retail, but some, like Things, are priced higher than we've seen them in bundles.

What You Should Know About History Sniffing

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:22:00 +0000

History Sniffing is a term used for Web sites that run simple Javascript tricks to snoop into visitors’ Web browsing history. These tricks are nothing new, but they are in the news again, so it’s a good time to remind you about ways to combat this sneaky behavior.

The recent news is based on a study released by University of California, San Diego researchers who found that a number of sites were “sniffing” the browsing history of visitors to record where they’d been.

This reconnaissance works because browsers display links to sites you’ve visited differently than ones you haven’t: By default, visited links are purple and unvisited links are blue. History-sniffing code running on a Web page simply checks to see if your browser displays links to specific URLs as purple or blue.

These are not new discoveries, but the fact that sites are using this technique to gather information from visitors seems to have caught many by surprise.

As has been broadly reported for months, Web analytics companies are starting to market products that directly take advantage of this hack. Eric Peterson reported on an Israeli firm named Beencounter that openly sells a tool to Web site developers to query whether site visitors had previously visited up to 50 specific URLs.

Fortunately, the browser makers (most of them) have responded. These sniffing attacks do not appear to work against the latest versions of Chrome and Safari. Within Mozilla Firefox, these script attacks can be blocked quite easily using a script-blocking browser plugin, such as the Noscript add-on.

Mozilla addressed this history-sniffing weakness in a bug report that persisted for eight years and was only recently corrected, but the changes won’t be rolled into Firefox until version 4 is released. As a result, current Firefox users still need to rely on script blocking to stop this.

Internet Explorer currently does not have a simple way to block scripts from within the browser (yes, users can block Javascript across the board and add sites to a whitelist, but that whitelist lives several clicks inside of the IE options panel).

So the safest browsers to guard you against History sniffing would be Chrome and Safari.

adapted via krebsonsecurity.com

Top Malware for November - Drive-by downloads and fake archives list

noreply@blogger.com (BWS Technologies) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:07:00 +0000

By far the biggest threat to users in November was drive-by downloads, attacks that result in malware being downloaded to users’ computers when they visit infected sites.

Below is a brief overview of how these attacks infect computers:

First of all, a user visits an infected site that contains a redirect script. The redirect leads to a script downloader which in turn is used to launch exploits. These breaches allow malicious executable files to penetrate the computer. They are primarily backdoors and Trojans that, if successfully launched, give cybercriminals full control over the infected system. In most cases, users will not be aware of the danger, as all drive-by attacks happen without their knowledge. Redirects are not restricted to sites belonging to cybercriminals but also appear on legitimate sites that have been compromised. This means that regularly installing patches and updates for operating systems and software is the only guarantee of avoiding infection.

Another significant threat in November was the spread of fake archives, an online scam that remains as popular as ever. A user is asked to send premium-rate SMSs so they can access the contents of an archive. Instead of receiving the information they wanted, users normally find that the archive is empty, “corrupt” or, worse, contains a malicious program.

The method for spreading fake archives is highly effective – when users look for something via a search engine, a page is automatically generated with a banner offering the desired information.