The Technology Coach

Do You Have A Social Media Policy?

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:18:00 +0000

Do You Have A Social Media Policy?

If you haven't got around to creating a Social Media Policy for your employees, or, if you haven't reviewed your policy for more than a year, then now would be a good time to start.

Social media is growing by leaps and bounds. You can't ignore it, you can't control it, and you can't just let it happen naturally. Social media is getting more complex, pervasive, and not giving your employees direction could end up being dangerous to your brand.

Your employees are your best brand advocates. Make it easy and non-threatening for them to talk about your business on the social web by providing simple guidelines for them to follow. You can find an excellent directory of well-known company social media and blogging policies HERE on About.com. You can benchmark your own polices against what you find in order to develop, or enhance, your own business' guidelines.

Here are a few tips:

Adhere to the Code of Business Conduct and the policies set out in your employee manuals. Now is a good time to review policies with your employees.
Employees are responsible for their actions. Anything an employee posts that can potentially tarnish the Company's image will ultimately be their responsibility. Use common sense, social media is not where and employee should deal with complaints.
Let subject matter experts respond to negative posts. If you see something online, point it out to the person or group in charge of social media. (You do have someone in charge of social media, don't you?)
Be conscious when mixing your business and personal lives. Everything posted on line is public, and you can't take it back.
All employees who wish to officially represent your company online should be certified and trained.
Fully disclose your affiliation with your company, be transparent.
When in doubt, do not post
Give credit where credit is due and don't violate other's rights, copyrights and trademarks
Remember that your local posts have global significance, what you post today will be seen by other cultures on the other side of the world tomorrow. Different cultures have different ideas of what is acceptable behaviour.
Know that the Internet is permanent. Once information is published online it is essentially part of a global permanent record, even if you delete it. The Internet "remembers" everything.

Article thanks to Kim Fletcher

Intel Envisions the Rise of an entirely new kind of laptop, the Ultrabook

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Ultrabooks are the future of mobile computing, according to Intel. The company says thin, lightweight notebook computers from manufacturers like Apple, Lenovo and Acer are on the way, and they're going to take a huge chunk of the laptop market. An Ultrabook, according to Intel, features long battery life, a thin profile, no optical drive and, of course, specially designed Intel processors.

Intel has unveiled details of its plans for the breed of super-thin, rapid-on, tablet-like laptops which it calls "Ultrabooks".

The computer chip giant expects Ultrabooks to take over 40 percent of the laptop market within six to nine months. The new super-thin laptops run on Intel's Sandy Bridge processor. The models will include a new edition of the Apple MacBook Air, the Samsung Series 9, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 and the Asus UX21. Ultrabooks will begin shipping as early as this year's holiday season.

New features, which could launch Ultrabooks as a new subset of PCs, include Smart Connect and Rapid Start Ideal features for a small business owner or manager.

Smart Connect, according to Intel, is a new form of updating which can reload sites such as Twitter and Facebook and will function even if the computer is in sleep mode.

Rapid Start takes advantage of on-board flash memory to speed up start-up times to mere seconds. Even if the computer is off and without a battery, it will still recall the programs and data which were open when it was turned off.

Ultrabooks share an extremely thin profile, variants of these instant-on technologies, long battery life, lack of an optical drive and use of the Sandy Bridge processor, according to Intel. The company projects Ultrabooks will sell for under $1,000.

Should you really trust the cloud with your valuable data?

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:29:00 +0000

Cloud computing is the latest hottest thing right now, but should you really trust Microsoft, Google, Amazon, or anyone else with your valuable data?

Okay, I am declaring it right here, right now: 2011 is the Year of the Cloud. This buzz word “cloud” is wielded by just about any company that sells a server or an operating system these days. But what exactly are they talking about? What does “cloud” mean and should you trust companies like Microsoft, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, et al when they say the can save you money and keep your data safe?

My approach to technology has always been if something comes along that makes sense and makes my clients lives easier, I will encourage them to adopt it as soon as it is practical. However, the people selling cloud computing and other web-based services have yet to completely convince me the merits of their products and services outweigh the liabilities. Sure the cost savings is there, and the obvious practical benefits are clear, but the risks, oh the risks.

I understand the potential of these services and I am willing to entertain the idea, but there are so many questions unanswered, or worse, glossed over. Just in the past month or so we’ve seen examples of security breakdowns and outages that were very costly for companies that had placed their critical functions in the cloud. (Google, Amazon)

Earlier this week, Deb Shinder discussed Microsoft Azure, which is the company’s “cloud services” platform. The striking thing about the post, and the discussion that followed it, was the confounding way Microsoft has presented the product. Much of the discussion reflected confusion, uncertainty, and mistrust about security, up time, and benefits. And these are my fellow IT professionals expressing those concerns! No as IT professionals we’re usually pretty excited about “new and shiny” so for us to resist there really must be a legitimate worry.

Is it any wonder that a survey by The Small Business Authority shows that 71% of small business owners had never heard of cloud computing? For those of us in information technology that number may seem staggering since we have been talking about the general concept for years, but it shows that the companies selling cloud services have not been communicating effectively with my clients, the small businesses.

All of this uncertainty needs to be addressed before we get the mass adoption of cloud computing services that many are predicting. And the first uncertainty that needs to be addressed is trust.
So I am asking them, Should we trust cloud computing services? Can I be assured that your data is safe in these systems? And, I’d be happy to share my opinion with you as an IT professional, and tell you, can you (should you) trust these services?

If you’re looking for more details on cloud computing services I’d be happy to discuss.

Mac's Getting Viruses? I'm afraid so.

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Thu, 26 May 2011 11:59:00 +0000

For years, Mac owners have watched Windows users struggle with viruses and spyware. Mac owners laughed at Windows users. Apple even released commercials to this effect. You see, Macs were free from the malware, spyware and viruses that have plagued Windows users.

Note that I used past tense. Those days are over. If you own a Mac, you are now being targeted by the online miscreants and criminals.

There is no magical feature that makes Macs impervious to online threats.

Malware developers have traditionally targeted Windows purely for economic reasons. Windows is the dominant operating system. There are more people using Windows than Macs. A virus written for Windows will affect more machines, which means greater profits. With such a small Market share, it didn't make sense to develop viruses for a computer less than 10% of the world was using.

Back in 2008, a researcher made an interesting prediction: Attackers would target the Mac when its market share reached 16 percent. The Mac's market share is currently around 16 percent in the United States and Canada. Lo and behold, we're starting to see malware targeting Macs.

Criminals have released a kit for creating malware that targets Mac OS X. MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity are the first programs to come out of this kit. But they certainly won't be the last.

In fact, just yesterday, the MacDefender creators released a variant called MacGuard.

MacDefender is the first example of rogueware to appear on a Mac. Rogueware, or scareware, is fake antivirus that claims your computer is infected. These programs have been affecting Windows users for years.

Clicking a malicious Web link can infect your machine with MacDefender. Hackers like using links that look like popular news stories. They also push infected images in Google's Image Search.

Clicking a bad link or photo takes you to a malicious website. Clicking any link on the site downloads MacDefender.

There are some ways you can stay safe. Only click on links from legitimate websites. If you find yourself on a suspicious-looking site, leave without clicking anything.

Apple's Mac computers are a brilliant blend of style and function. If you're in the market for a new computer, definitely consider one. But keep me mind the advantage that Mac's used to have over PC's of being virus and spyware free no longer applies, it's a fair playing field now. See Last weeks article for more great Mac Vs. PC in the business world discussion.

Are Mac's for Business Too?

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Thu, 19 May 2011 13:49:00 +0000

A small business client recently asked: Are macs a cost-effective way to go for my business needs? What are the pros and cons?

My Answer has been pretty consistent for years, even as new Macs hit the market and new Operating Systems offer ever more features our go to answer is still the old reliable, it depends.

To a great extent, it depends on the size and type of business, but I can give you a few general pros and cons.

Macs typically cost more upfront, but can save in maintenance costs because they aren’t susceptible to most malicious software attacks like viruses and spyware.

Like Windows PCs, they work with well with Microsoft Office Applications and even Microsoft Exchange email server. They run most standard productivity software, like Microsoft Office, and can access most online business sites and services.

The one caveat is that there aren't any "mainstream" accounting applications for Mac, sure there are some, but you won't find the big guys (the ones your BookKeeper and Accountant already know).

There are also many niche business applications that are written for Windows only that you just can't get on a Mac.

You can overcome this by running Windows on a Mac for the occasional program. But if your business would best operate using software that is only for Windows, you’d likely be better off with a Windows machine.

In Short the Mac does have it's advantages especially for those in the graphic arts, music arts or video production fields, but even the best graphic designers I know, still have a PC sitting in a corner somewhere for email and accounting.

Next Week, What about iPad for business?

Watch out for fake virus alerts

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:16:00 +0000

Rogue security software, also known as "scareware," is software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure users into participating in fraudulent transactions.

How does rogue security software get on my computer?

Rogue security software designers create legitimate looking pop-up windows that advertise security update software. These windows might appear on your screen while you surf the web.
The "updates" or "alerts" in the pop-up windows call for you to take some sort of action, such as clicking to install the software, accept recommended updates, or remove unwanted viruses or spyware. When you click, the rogue security software downloads to your computer.
Rogue security software might also appear in the list of search results when you are searching for trustworthy antispyware software, so it is important to protect your computer.

What does rogue security software do?

Rogue security software might report a virus, even though your computer is actually clean. The software might also fail to report viruses when your computer is infected. Inversely, sometimes, when you download rogue security software, it will install a virus or other malicious software on your computer so that the software has something to detect.
Some rogue security software might also:

Lure you into a fraudulent transaction (for example, upgrading to a non-existent paid version of a program).
Use social engineering to steal your personal information.
Install malware that can go undetected as it steals your data.
Launch pop-up windows with false or misleading alerts.
Slow your computer or corrupt files.
Disable Windows updates or disable updates to legitimate antivirus software.
Prevent you from visiting antivirus vendor websites.

Rogue security software might also attempt to spoof the Microsoft security update process. Here's an example of rogue security software that's disguised as a Microsoft alert but that doesn't come from Microsoft.

Example of a warning from a rogue security program known as AntivirusXP.
For more information about this threat, including analysis, prevention and recovery, see the Trojan:Win32/Antivirusxp entry in the Microsoft Malware Protection Center encyclopedia.
Here is the legitimate Microsoft Windows Security Center:

Screenshot of legitimate Microsoft Windows Security Center.

To help protect yourself from rogue security software:

Install a firewall and keep it turned on.
Use automatic updating to keep your operating system and software up to date.
Install antivirus and antispyware software such as Microsoft Security Essentials and keep it updated. For links to other antivirus programs that work with Microsoft, see Microsoft Help and Support List of Antivirus Vendors.
If your antivirus software does not include antispyware software, you should install a separate antispyware program such as Windows Defender and keep it updated. (Windows Defender is available as a free download for Windows XP and is included in Windows Vista.)
Use caution when you click links in email or on social networking websites.
Use a standard user account instead of an administrator account.
Familiarize yourself with common phishing scams.

If you think you might have rogue security software on your computer disconnect yourself from the internet immediately and give us a call at Outhouse IT, the longer it's on your PC uninhibited with internet access the more harm it can do.

Give us a call 905-366-8234

Newest online scam are "tainted" images

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Wed, 11 May 2011 22:07:00 +0000

Never let it be said that scammers aren't innovative. The latest scam to come across the web are "tainted" images from a Google Images search.

What happens is that certain images on click will redirect you to sites you didn't want to go to in order to sell you something you didn't want, or in more extreme instances leading to what's known as "scareware" sites to try and scam you into installing malicious software on your computer.

The next time you perform an image search, be cautious because it will take time for Google to index the bad stuff and filter it out appropriately.Of course, a good anti-virus will protect you in most cases, but it's still better not to travel down the dangerous path if it can be avoided!

Social media marketing for Disaster Restoration Contractors

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 10 May 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Scott Kendall of The Technology Coach has been invited to speak at the Disaster Restoration Contractors annual conference in Toronto may 12th

Scott's popular talk on Social media advertising is always a hit, full of real world practical advice for small business owners on making the most of small business marketing budgets through the use of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

All restoration industry professionals
Insurance Professionals
Environmental Engineers
Abatement Contractors
General Contractors wanting to learn more about the industry
Carpet Cleaners wanting to learn more about Water Damage

The top 3 reasons to attend the DRC Show: Network:

Join hundreds of industry professionals at Canada’s only Restoration Show.

DRC Sessions that are tailored for all:

Track O – Owners and Managers
Track M – Marketing & Sales
Track T – Technical
Track C – Contents
Track T1 & T2 – Technical
Track D – Commercial Drying

Great Line up of Exhibitors including our Green Aisle:

What other show allows you to stay up to date on restoration products, equipment and services all under one roof? The DRC Show has become the Primary Purchasing Show for restoration contractors so come prepared to save!

This easter Protect Your Electronics From Dust Bunny Infestation!

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the upcoming Easter egg hunt which was tradition for the family. As the adults prepared lunch in the kitchen, the children scampered about in the yard. Sounds of glee filled the air as they innocently ran around, everyone happy as can be. All while unaware of the impending Attack of the Evil Easter Dust Bunnies!

Dust bunnies are small clumps of dust that form under furniture and in corners that are not cleaned regularly. They are made of hair, lint, dead skin, spider web, dust, and sometimes light rubbish and debris, and are held together by static electricity and felt-like entanglement.

This special report on the effect of dust on electronics reveals some startling facts. It discusses how dust can block vents or insulate components internally to cause overheating of some of the higher power PC components like the CPU which can go up nearly 30o F. It can also create problems with mechanical components, like fans and optical drives.Worst of all it can collect on hard drive connectors and components causing overheating and data loss!

Test show that the temperature increases due to a build-up of dust causing an increase in temperature can lead to complete and abrupt failure.

The keyboard and mouse are also affected by dust. Though these are easy to replace items, their
reliability can degrade rapidly when infused with dust. Stuck keys and “sticky” mouse operation are most frustrating to operators and can create both errors and productivity loss.

Slowing things down, reducing your computer lifespan and generally causing freezing, crashing and other annoying and unproductive technology problems. Damn those bunnies!

Dust can cause irreversible harm to computer electronics and its associated electromechanical components. Without protection from dust, serious computer errors, loss of information, or complete failure can result.

So this spring, as you're thinking of cleaning the garage, the attic or the office, think also of your technology and give us a call, we'd be happy to complete a on-site system tuneup at your office and ensure you're running in tip top shape!

Two Ways Old Technology Hurts Your Business. Get Rid Of It As Soon As You Can

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:21:00 +0000

I can appreciate that with all the challenges you face as a small business owner, the idea of holding on to what works, for as long as it keeps working, seems to be a good one. After all, why shouldn’t you keep that ten year old printer?

You can still get ink for it online at that specialty dealer in buffal, and it prints just fine. Or how about that 8 year old laptop, sure it’s not quite as fast as some of the newer models but it gets the job done right?

The powers that be in the tech world are ever pushing new advancements to drive sales and profits and you don’t want to contribute to this vicious cycle! I empathize with you. I too like to squeeze the last drop of productivity out of the things which I have invested. But lets consider some of the potential downside to holding on to technology too long.

Reliability: The cold hard truth is that things are designed to last for only a certain range of time. We have all come to know the term “built in obsolescence”. This is not to say that you can’t push these limits, but once you start down this road you are rolling the dice on uptime and overall performance. If any of these devices are involved with “mission critical” functions within your organization than you may be taking a risk without the appropriate level of reward in return. Most tech related devices have a lifespan of three to five years. If you take this into consideration ahead of time it is possible to budget for the necessary upgrades instead of having to face a crisis.

Productivity: This is a huge area of discussion because it is often difficult to measure. In the section above I mention “Mission Critical” functions. So, for example, we can look at a File or Email Server that is past its prime of 3 years. In the fourth year there are sporadic performance issues that ultimately lead to the need for replacement. If this results in a server down scenario then it is easy to count the number of hours that productivity has been halted. What is more difficult to measure is the loss of time and productivity during the periods when the server was not operating at peak efficiency. These losses could be the result of slower speeds, frequent need for techs to reboot server, email outages, etc.

When we look at productivity issues for “Non Mission Critical” machines we find similar problems. I am consistently amazed to discover the inventive and ingenious methods workers employ in an effort to overcome technical stumbling blocks to complete their job functions. I am oft reminded of the days when the youngest family member would have to stand in a specific position with “tin folied” antenna in hand to get the perfect television reception. While these “work-arounds” are commendable, they are also great productivity killers that can be largely avoided with the proper technology in place to get the job done.

So is your technology "getting the job done"? Is it as productive as it could or should be?

Give us a call at Outhouse IT we'd be happy to help you complete a small business technology assessment and see where you really stand.

Twilight Game Scam Spreading on Facebook [WARNING]

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:18:00 +0000

If you’ve been tagged in a Facebook friend’s photo album or seen a link promoting a Twilight: Breaking Dawn game, be careful. It is likely a scam designed to spread on Facebook and grab your personal data.

If you click on the link, you’ll be invited to start playing the game. If you’re using Facebook HTTPS, you will first be prompted to switch to a regular connection, which should alarm some users.

This particular scheme will make you “Like” the game without your permission, and it will show on your Wall, thus allowing it to spread further.

If you continue, you will be asked to give permission to a Facebook App, and finally you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire with some personal data.

As always, you should definitely avoid clicking on suspicious links such as these and verify each app before you give it additional permissions on Facebook.

If you’ve fallen prey to this scheme already, you should delete any spam posts you may have inadvertently sent. Then, go through your security settings and revoke any access for apps you don’t recall signing up for.

For more info on how to get rid of Facebook scams like this one, check out this guide.

Windows 7 finally overtakes Windows XP’s desktops

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:07:00 +0000

According to the latest results of the desktop OS market share in the US for April 2011 collected by StatCounter, it looks like people are finally leaving Windows XP behind and getting an upgrade to Windows 7.

For the first time since it became the most popular operating system around, Windows XP’s market share has been trumped by Windows 7.

Windows 7 is now used on 31.71% of desktops in the US, while Windows XP has dropped to 31.56%.

Now the lead isn’t a lot but it does show that Windows XP has finally peaked and is on its way out now.

Windows Vista is at third place with 19.07%, Mac OS X at fourth with 14.87%, Linux is last with 0.70% and Other/miscellaneous operating systems make up 2.09% of the chart.

Importance of note is the increase in Mac OS which sat at less than 10% for many, many years, but now enjoys a much healthier percentage.

It's important to note that this chart does NOT non-Desktop/Laptops so don't be surprised that the iPhone OS (iOS), blackberry and even Android aren't listed.

Is your business still running windows XP applications? Does it need to be? Some applications previously only windows XP compatible are now fully functional in a windows 7 environment and with the added security and protection Win7 offers over XP it's worth a look.

While we've done our best in the past to help clients find windows XP computers from suppliers even up until the end of 2010, it's now almost impossible to find NEW copies of XP, sure you can go used, off lease or refurbished, but new, Windows XP is just not available in the marketplace for purchase anymore. Even our might netbooks are now windows 7 starter edition.

So, is your business getting everything it can and should be out of it's operating system? Give us a call at Outhouse IT, we're here to help.

Clean the C&@# out of your computer with CCleaner.

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:20:00 +0000

There are a lot of tools out there that handle a lot of tasks, from antivirus tools that also clean your drive of temporary files and make you coffee to tools that promise to “make your computer faster.”

But as far as I’m concerned, few tools can make as much of a difference as Ccleaner, at least on a machine that’s not infected by a virus or malware.

Ccleaner is easy to use and will keep your computer cleaner, more secure, and running faster. It achieves this by safely removing temporary Internet files (and other means of tracing Internet activity), cleaning up the Windows registry, and removing temporary files and recent file lists (MRUs) from various applications.

But even though Ccleaner is a simple tool to use, that doesn’t mean you should just jump in and start cleaning everything without a bit of thought. Here are some things all users should consider before and during the use of this powerful tool.

1: Analyze before running the Cleaner

I know a lot of admins who just fire up Ccleaner and hit the Run Cleaner button without doing an analysis first. Yes, this is a fast method of getting rid of temporary Internet files. But there’s no way of knowing what’s going to be deleted (until it’s deleted) and there’s no way of knowing how much free space the deletion is going to create. Make sure you hit the Analyze button first. Then, after you read the report, hit the Run Cleaner button. Using Ccleaner this way ensures that nothing is deleted that shouldn’t be deleted. Also, after you run the analyzer, you can look at detailed information (by application) and then add exceptions directly from the list.

2: Set up cookies you want to keep

When you run the Cleaner, cookies are deleted. By default, cookies are retained from Google and Yahoo, but other cookies might need to be retained. To manage this, click on the Options tab and then on the Cookies button. From that window, any cookie currently on the system can be selectively added to the exclusion list. By adding these exclusions, you don’t have to worry about important cookies disappearing after each run of Ccleaner.

3: Always back up the registry

No matter how reliable Ccleaner is and no matter how many successful registry cleanups it does, never do a cleanup without first backing up the registry. Ccleaner will go so far as to remind you to back up the registry every time you run a registry cleanup. If the registry is not backed up, one of those corrupt or missing registry keys that Ccleaner fixes might not really have needed fixing. If that key is then broken and was not backed up, the issue caused by Ccleaner could become catastrophic. Fortunately, Ccleaner makes backing up the registry as simple as a couple of clicks.

4: Use the tools to manage startup applications

Ccleaner comes with a bonus: It lets you enable, disable, or remove programs from startup. I have always found this method of managing startup applications far easier than using the standard Windows method. What I like most about this feature is that startup applications can be enabled and disabled without removing them completely. This means if you need to temporarily prevent an application from starting up, it’s easy to do by going into the Tools tab, clicking the Startup button, selecting the application to be enabled/disabled, and clicking the appropriate button. When the application needs to be re-enabled/disabled, reverse the process.

5: Use the uninstaller

One of the best aspects of Ccleaner is the ability to remove applications from within it. It typically just starts the uninstaller, but I have found that running the application uninstaller this way ends with fewer registry issues than when I uninstall from the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool. And if there are registry issues after the uninstall, registry cleanup is only a couple of clicks away.

Great tool, used wisely

Ccleaner is more than just a tool to clean the registry or empty a computer of temporary Internet files. It also makes it easy to remove applications from startup and remove applications from the machine. Just make sure you use this powerful tool intelligently to avoid rendering your machine unusable. While they try to make it difficult to make mistakes, it is possible to render your computer unuseable by running some of the tasks ccleaner offers, so if you're not sure, err on the side of caution. And if you want to make the most of your technology, give us a call at Outhouse IT, it's what we do.

Online Fax Security

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:23:00 +0000

The security of fax transmissions is especially important to healthcare, legal, and financial entities. Even occasional users may wonder if Internet faxing, despite its many advantages, is secure enough to protect their confidentiality and that of their clients. The answer is, it depends...
First, let's compare Internet fax security to the security of normal fax transmissions over phone lines.

Both are susceptible to eavesdropping and diversion of transmissions, unless special precautions are taken. In the case of Internet faxes, encrypting a digital transmission or uploading it to a fax server over an encrypted Web connection provide good protection against interceptions. You should make sure that these security features are supported in any Internet fax service you consider.

Faxzero, an online faxing service I recommend, does encrypt all data before transferring it to their fax servers. In addition, their privacy policy states that they will not release personal information (such as your name, fax number or email address), nor information about the people you send faxes to, unless a court order compels them to do so.

Email-to-fax services can be spoofed, meaning someone can fake your email address in a message header and send faxes in your name. If you pay for Internet fax service that means you may be stuck with someone else's fax bill. A good Internet fax service sends a confirmation email back to the sender's email address with every fax it sends, providing an alert that an unauthorized fax was sent using your account.

Digital Delivery Offers Enhanced Fax Security

Normal faxes end up printed and deposited in a fax machine's receiving tray, where they lie until someone comes to retrieve them. These paper copies are exposed to everyone who has access to the fax machine, and may be accidentally read by people searching for their own faxes in the stack. Email-based Internet fax delivers faxes directly to the addressee's inbox (instead of a fax machine), where it's less likely to be seen by others.

Another security scheme stores received faxes on an online server. An email notice sent to the addressee contains a web link which points to the digital fax document. When clicked, the link opens a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection to retrieve the document and display it in a browser, from which the recipient can save or print a copy. So the faxed document is never exposed on an unsecured connection.

Redundant security can be provided by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to establish exclusive connections over the Internet. Coupled with encrypted fax documents and PGP digital signatures, VPNs may be overkill when it comes to secure Internet faxing.

It's hard to control the security implemented by business partners. If you send an Internet fax to a partner's fax machine number, the printout is subject to the security vulnerabilities noted above. If possible, you should get your partners to use a more secure all-digital Internet fax solution such as fax-to-email or the SSL method described above. Hopefully, they're just as concerned with security as you are.

Bottom line, my take is that internet faxing is more secure than using good old-fashioned office fax machines, because encryption is typically NOT used when sending from one machine to another. Faxes travel across the public telephone network, and are subject to potential interception by motivated hackers. But because encryption is used by online fax services, and faxes can be delivered directly to the recipient's inbox, online faxing is a more secure option.

Two Weeks After Japan Earthquake, IT Industry Faces Hurdles

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Two weeks have passed since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami rocked eastern Japan, and while a recovery among the country's technology manufacturers has begun, it could be several months before things start to normalize.

Many factories were closed immediately following the quake, and most have been gradually returning to production in the last week. A handful of plants were hit harder and could be offline for months.

Companies face a daunting task.

Japan's biggest earthquake ever recorded, and the tsunami it spawned, left more than 10,000 people dead and an even larger number missing; several nuclear power plants remain in emergency condition and continue to spew radioactive contamination to the environment; hundreds of thousands are homeless; and the economy is being forced to adapt to power failures and supply disruptions. The end of the disaster is still not in sight.

For IT companies, the loss of production at these plants could have widespread effects on the electronics industry.

Texas Instruments' plant in Miho, northeast of Tokyo, is one of the factories that was hard hit. The plant, which produced chips and DLP devices for projectors, suffered "substantial damage" and it won't be until May when partial production resumes. Full production is not due until mid-July, and that could be further delayed by power problems, the company said.

Toshiba estimates production at its mobile phone display factory in Saitama, north of Tokyo, will be stopped for a month because of damage sustained in the earthquake.

Further north in Miyagi prefecture, a number of factories near the quake-hit city of Sendai suffered high levels of damage.

A Sony plant responsible for magnetic tape and Blu-ray Discs was inundated with water when a tsunami washed through the town of Tagajyo and is one of six Sony plants currently idle. Two Nikon plants were severely damaged and won't be back online until at least the end of March. And Fujitsu's major chip plant in Aizu Wakamatsu is still closed with no estimate of when production will begin again.

But some of the potentially biggest disruptions could come from the closure of two plants run by Shin-Etsu Chemical. Although not a well-known name to consumers, the company is a major supplier of silicon wafers. One of the halted plants, its Shirakawa facility in Fukushima prefecture, is responsible for around 20 percent of the world's supply of such wafers, according to IHS iSuppli.

"The wafers made by this facility mainly are used in the manufacturing of memory devices, such as flash memory and DRAM," said Len Jelinek, an IHS iSuppli analyst, in a statement. "Because of this, the global supply of memory semiconductors will be impacted the most severely of any segment of the chip industry by the production stoppage."

The knock-on effects of the quake to the global supply chain are already being felt.

Sony suspended production of Bravia LCD televisions, digital cameras and other products at five factories far from the quake zone because it can't get raw materials and components. Suppliers are unable to deliver because of either quake and tsunami damage or because of disruptions to the distribution network.

Industries beyond consumer electronics are also likely to feel the effects of these problems.

The automobile industry is a big customer of chip companies and the products it buys are often custom-made.

"Products like microcontrollers and DSPs can't simply be swapped out for another chip, whether from the same vendor or another," said Tom Starnes, an embedded processor analyst at Objective Analysis in Austin, Texas. "The programs aren't easily transferable between processors, and even changing other chips like analog may introduce cost, quality, or reliability issues not originally anticipated."

The long-term effect on Japanese electronics manufacturers and the supply chain remains difficult to gauge. Several major companies have said they will delay the hiring of new workers, usually done on April 1, and some have adjusted or canceled dividend payments to shareholders. While a nascent recovery appears to be underway and some factories are coming back online, it will be weeks before the full extent of damage to the global IT supply chain becomes clearer.

Technology supply chain facing shortages and delays at hands of Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:04:00 +0000

The continuing natural disaster in Japan has severely hindered the manufacture of basic components used in everything from computers to smart phones, increasing the likelihood that some of the world’s biggest technology companies will face product shortages and delays.

“You will see shortages of everything from screens to memory, and with it, an increase in prices,” said an analyst in Boston.

Japan is the world’s biggest supplier of silicon used to make semiconductor chips and this could result in significant shortages of certain electronic components, potentially causing pricing for these devices to increase dramatically,”

Because most semiconductor producers keep about two weeks’ worth of inventory on hand, the market likely won’t feel a pinch until the end of the month.

“Before the disaster, semiconductor inventories in the global semiconductor supply chain were at high levels. The Japanese earthquake will cause the appearance of shortages to be delayed by a matter of weeks.”

Much of the disruption is a result of shipping and logistics issues, rather than damage to Japanese manufacturing sites. Many companies will have problems getting material and employees in and out of their factories. In addition, some companies are shutting down production at some facilities voluntarily, in order to reduce the pressure on Japan’s battered power grid.

Japan is a vital hub in the manufacture of components necessary to make technology such as flash memory and dynamic random access memory, which are key parts of most computing devices. Flash memory, specifically, has become increasingly popular in recent years, due in large part to a surge in the production of mobile devices such as tablet computers.

Some of the world’s biggest technology manufacturers have announced temporary plant shutdowns. Sony Corp. has suspended operations in at least seven Japanese plants. In addition, the company is assessing damage at several other facilities, while other Sony plants have voluntarily suspended operations to help contain power outages. The suspended operations will have an impact on the production of everything from lithium ion batteries to DVDs to semiconductor lasers.

The various delays and interruptions will likely affect almost every corner of the consumer electronics industry. Electronics giant Hitachi Ltd. for instance, confirmed damage at six of its facilities.
According to iSuppli, Hitachi supplies displays for the Nintendo DS hand-held video game system and for LG phones. FujiFilm also announced temporary disruptions to its operations, likely to affect some shipments of digital cameras. Even though the Toshiba Corp. factories that produce memory chips were largely unaffected by the earthquake, the company could still see a drop in shipments because of infrastructure damage in Japan.

In all, the disruptions in Japan’s technology industry could have an effect on everything from the film industry to car stereos.

The unfolding tragedy’s massive impact on industry is especially difficult for the country’s electronics industry because of the precision required to build some technology. Intricate and highly technical components require a rigorous, secure production cycle involving clean rooms free from dust and other impurities. Unlike cars, for example, whose production cycle can be stopped and started, a power failure in the middle of manufacturing chips can ruin an entire shipment.

“Japan will not have enough power to keep all its factories running non-stop and a lot of these manufacturing processes have to run 24/7 – so that’s a major problem,” he said. “It’s inconvenient to Toyota and Nissan, but it’s absolutely devastating to electronics manufacturers.”

Firefox 4: What You Need To Know

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:39:00 +0000

1. Tabs Are On Top

As with Opera and Chrome, Firefox 4 tabs are placed by default above the search bar instead of below it.

Alex Faaborg, the principal designer on Firefox, created a video to explain the thought behind this decision. The advantages of doing so, he says, are more logical visuals, space efficiency, and accommodation of new features like app tabs and a redesigned notification window that associates the notification with its site’s tab.

2. App Tabs

Mozilla 4 allows you to turn any tab into an “App Tab” by right-clicking on it and selecting “Pin as App Tab.”

These tabs stay put in the upper left-hand corner of the browser even as you scroll through your other tabs, which prevents the web applications you return to frequently from getting lost.

When there’s an update on one of the app tab pages, like a new e-mail, Facebook message or Twitter update, the tab glows — rather classy compared to the bouncing, flashing alternatives.

3. Switch to a Tab Via the Search Bar

Start typing the address of a website that is already open in a tab, and Firefox 4 will suggest an option to switch to that tab, even when it’s in a different open window. If you’re someone who opens more tabs than you can remember, this feature can help prevent repeats.

4. Sync Across Multiple Devices

The ability to sync bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, form fill data, and open tabs across multiple computers and smartphone is built in to Firefox 4.

While similar features have been default in Chrome and Opera for a while, Firefox director of engineering Johnathan Nightingale says that the organization took the time to develop “weapons-grade encryption.”

5. Panorama

Panorama (formerly tab candy) now allows you to overview all of your tabs and organize them into groups using a drag and drop interface.

The feature is accessed through an icon in the upper right-hand corner of the browser that opens to a blank workspace and icons for each of your existing tabs. You can create a new group by dragging two icons near each other, move and resize groups, and close all the tabs in a group with one click.

Manage Your Small Business Social Media Marketing From A Single Dashboard

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Social Media Marketing via Facebook for small business is hot! And I don’t see it going away anytime soon. That means your small business should be there. (Note: if you are still one of the few small businesses that does not yet have a website, Facebook would be a good place to start.)

One of the drawbacks for small business owners when it comes to any type of social media — whether that is blogging, Twitter, or Facebook — is taking on one more thing to do in an already packed day. Yes, you can outsource some of these activities, but the whole idea behind social media is the social part (as in you need to be present and engaging).

So I was pretty thrilled when a couple of messages landed in my email box about a young startup called MediaFeedia. Its aim is to be the answer for small business owners like you to manage your Facebook presence.

And I think they’ve nailed that pretty well. Here are some of the things you can do.

Manage multiple administered facebook pages from a single dashboard

Send posts, complete with photos, links and link metadata from the dashboard

Send posts in real-time or schedule posts in advance (hours, days, weeks or months in advance)

Receive notifications via email for all posts and comments made to your page

Respond to posts and comments via the email notification

What I Like About MediaFeedia

I took it for a test drive and really liked what I saw. Here are my thoughts on the service along with some handy videos to show you how it works.
Scheduling a post is pretty easy.

See the video, click here.

Plus, you get (almost) instant notification of comments on your fan page via email and can click to interact.

See the video, click here.

I truly love the option of being able to schedule posts to your facebook page. One of the keys to successful interaction is to be able to reach your contacts when they are on the site. This option allows you to to do that. You can see the example below. Note that the post source shows MediaFeedia.

Here’s What I Don’t Like

MediaFeedia is using the popular freemium model for their business — you get a free version that has certain features and benefits and have to upgrade to get more goodies. I’m actually okay with the model because I know businesses can’t survive without cash flow. But what I’m not okay with for this particular site is the way it looks like they are going to price their service.

According to the welcome email, you will get full features for 30 days and then will have to upgrade to continue with full features. You’ll still have a basic account, but notice that one of the key options they take away is the fan page email notifications. Ugh! Not good. The two key reasons why a small business owner like you and me would use this service is to 1) have the ability to schedule posts, and 2) be able to get notifications of comments via email.

But there is an alternative. I could use MediaFeedia for the scheduling options and then set up the (totally free) HyperAlerts to get email notification of wall posts. Or you could use one of the other new kids on the block like Postling to monitor comments. Problem solved.

Do We Recommend MediaFeedia? Yep.

No matter what, though, I feel comfortable recommending MediaFeedia and plan on using it myself. I think it’s one answer to helping small business owners be present and engaging with clients and prospects while being able to balance all the balls in the air.

Why your anti-virus software might have stopped working this week without telling you!

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Why clients ask "what's the best FREE anti-virus for my small business" my answer is always the same, Microsoft's Security Essentials is a free no-nonsense, no-hassle anti-virus and anti-spyware tool that does 80% of what small businesses need. Microsoft's own tagline for the application is "Proven anti-virus protection for free? That's what I need!" And it's true... or at least it was, until this week.

Microsoft released a new version of the Microsoft Anti-virus application a few weeks ago, and prompted everyone to "Upgrade" it's still free, but the upgrade takes about 20 minutes per PC and requires you to reboot when it's finished, so many people ignore it's prompting seen below.

Again the problem being most people didn't take the time to hit the "Upgrade Now" button the old version for some unexplained reason "stopped working" it never reported an error, or gave any signs of failure, but I've now seen 3 Pc's in the last week with virus infections that I KNOW were protected, but didn't get upgraded. So did Microsoft miss a virus definition distribution? Did the program hiccup and let a virus through? We're not sure, but we do know that if you DIDN'T Upgrade, you're likely unprotected, and possibly already infected without knowing it.

So if you're using Microsoft Security essentials, as I recommend most small business do (ask my why I tell 20% of my customers about a BETTER solution!) and you haven't already done the "upgrade" Microsoft recommended last week, you'd better soon, or, give us a call and we can arrange to have a technician install it for you and do a thorough security check at the same time.

Below is a screen shot of the older version not yet upgraded.

And the upgraded version below already installed (note the gray lines instead of the solid blue background).

Top 10 sites businesses should ban during work hours.

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:56:00 +0000

One popular method of reducing employee web traffic to non-business sites is modifying the DNS (Domain Name System) settings on your server or internet router, many of our small office clients have asked us about ways to reduce non-work related internet traffic to minimize distractions and keep workers productive and focused during working hours. The sites we found were blocked most often after we put the security measures in place are listed below.

No surprise here as Facebook was the most blocked site by businesses with almost one in four trying to put the clamps on social networking site, Myspace was second and is still a popular social networking site.

Youtube, the internets second most searched website, I could hear arguments on youtube though, as much as it is primarily an entertainment site, it also contains wealths of useful information and great "how to's" for staff and management alike.

Doubleclick, and ad.yieldmanager at numbers 4 and 8 are not "traditional" websites at all, these two sites are advertising agents that put the ads on other websites you visit.

Twitter at number 5 is another popular social networking site.

The biggest security threat of the bunch was probably number 6, hotmail, being an non-office email application it opens the doors to security threats in two ways, incoming and outgoing, both the threat of viruses arriving via hotmail and getting through the company email firewall AND sensitive files being sent OUT of the company via hotmail or similar web based email addresses were a concern.

Orkut at number 7 is a social networking site now owned by google and recently relaunched and Meebo at number 9 is yet another popular social media site.

And of course we can't forget ebay, I honestly think this site would have ended up MUCH higher on the list if it wasn't for what I call "self regulation" that is people who realize they're not supposed to be on that site, before they even try. eBay is one of the most popular websites on the internet, and a real "time waster" for employees.

The full list:
1. Facebook
2. MySpace
3. YouTube
4. DoubleClick
5. Twitter
6. Hotmail
7. Orkut
8. ad.yieldmanager
9. Meebo
10. eBay

If you're company hasn't already implemented an acceptable employee internet usage policy and doesn't have an easy way to enforce and monitor it, we'd be happy to discuss cost effective solutions.

Where's the best place to store those precious memories? Or critical backups?

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:02:00 +0000

Where should you really be putting your most important Data? CD/DVD Disc? An external hard drive? Tape Drive? USB Memory Stick/Flash drive? Something else perhaps? And what can we really expect in the way of longevity out of today's storage mediums?

CD/DVD

The vast majority of blank optical media (blank CD's and DVD's) sold today are of very low quality.

It’s very easy to tell if the spindle of blank DVDs you just bought are junk or not. Look at the sides of the discs in the stack. Do you see lumps, bumps and inconsistencies?

If the answer is yes, they’re low quality. Don’t bother returning them because every spindle you buy will be like that unless you go with a specific brand which I’ll mention in a moment.

Truly good optical discs have no imperfections that can be seen by the naked eye. So should you pop over to staples or best buy and look through all the spindles of optical discs? probably not.

You know from above that off-the-shelf media today are going to fail, much the same way floppy diskettes failed at the end of their tenure. Manufacturers churn these things out without any consideration of quality file writes or reads for the long haul, they are not a "long term solution"

If you do opt to use CD or DVD media, don’t plan on having anything last for longer than 2 to 3 years at most before read failure. It doesn’t matter if you have the best optical drive available, because there’s nothing you can do to stop the breakdown of the quality over time.

HARD DRIVE

One of the leading hard drive manufacturers Western Digital used to offer lifetime warranties on consumer PC hard drives, they stopped. Why?

There was a point in time when any Western Digital Hard Disk Drive you bought had a lifetime warranty. Then WD knocked that down to 7 years. Then 5 years. Then for some models 3 or even just 1!

What happened is that the manufacturing process changed, and certain components on the inside of the Hard Disk Drive that used to be made from metal were changed to plastic.

I’m not saying WD drives are bad because I use them myself, but the phrase "they don’t make ‘em like they used to" definitely applies.

As a testament to this, there are still 286 PCs (circa 1982) out there that when started, the drive takes a really long time to spin up, it’s really loud once running, but it amazingly still works almost 30 years later and all the data is accessible and ready to rock. I seriously, seriously doubt hard drives made today will be able to boast that 30 years from now.

In February 2007, Google Inc. released a study that they conducted on their own computers entitled Failure Trends in a Large Disk Drive Population. According to this study, which was the most extensive of it's kind ever completed, hard drives are most likely to fail if they are less than 3 months old, or more than 2 years old.

2 years!?

The best way to make a hard drive last as long as possible is to use two. A smaller hard drive for the operating system and a large one for storage. If you're not already doing this ask your IT technician about it, if you don't have one, we can help. This is a time-honored way of computing and it does allow for HDDs dedicated to storage to last longer than 2 years, but it's not an alternative to a backup, it's just better than one hard drive.

As for how much longer, standard fare is 3 to 5 years. A dedicated storage HDD will last for 5 or greater before showing signs of eminent doom. Doom that doesn't scream "hey I'm dying in here" until well, it's much too late. Luckily IT tech's have tools that measure the drive's S.M.A.R.T. (Self Monitoring and Reporting Tools) and can determine when a drive's on it's last legs, but only if they see it BEFORE that time comes.

And yes there are plenty of instances where people have had hard drives last well beyond the 7-year mark, however it’s never wise to assume that you will achieve that just because someone else did.

Heck lots of people have crossed the lake in early April because the ice looked thick enough, you want to go out on the ice too?

TAPEDRIVE
One word. NO. Not economical, not reliable, not cost effective, not easy to manage, not inexpensive, not an option.

USB FLASH

USB sticks have been around long enough to prove that they can definitely withstand the test of time better than any other immediately available affordable storage media.

If you write data to a USB stick, toss it in a drawer then 8 years later go to use it again, it will work. A hard drive used that way is an iffy prospect at best and I’d never trust optical media to last that long even with premium brands.

I’ll put it to you this way: If I were making a time capsule and wanted to put some data in it, I’d use nothing but USB sticks if I wanted something I could retrieve two decades later and have relative assurance it would still work and not have decayed beyond being usable.

The only known thing that can kill a USB stick is either unmounting it improperly (pulling it out while it's still being written to or read from) or running out of file writes as it does have a predetermined limit - yes you read that right, predetermined number of file writes. USB sticks, as with Memory cards for camera's, cell phones and camcorders have a pre-determined number of writes, somewhere in the multi-billions before they simply give up. And to my knowledge there's no odometer that says "almost done" when it's time to move on.

If it sounds like I’m telling you to burn discs less and use Flash media more, I am. Flash sticks don’t suffer from scratches or any damage from being a moving part because it doesn’t move.

But that being said if you're looking for something for regular daily use I wouldn't trust a USB stick much longer than a year before I switched to a new one.

CONCLUSION

So wait, what's the answer? Hard Drives aren't built like they used to be, optical discs aren't long term enough, usb sticks only work if you well, don't plan on actually using them, what's the right answer?

A combination actually. A combination of a local USB flash stick backup of the most important files swapped for a new stick on a yearly basis And a hard drive backup, but not your hard drive, someone else's, somewhere else.

While 80% of computer failures are caused by hard drive crashes, the other 20% are not, the other 20% are fire, flood, theft or sabotage. And if your USB stick backup and backup hard drive are plugged into your computer when the Fire, Flood, Theft or sabotage occur, you've just lost everything.

My real recommendation is use USB sticks daily or weekly to store the most critical data and an online backup solution (which backs up to someone else's hard drives somewhere else out of the way of fire, flood, theft and most cases of sabotage).

But aren't someone else's hard drives just as likely to fail as your own? Yes, but online backup companies know that and prepare for it, everything you ask them to backup is backed up to not one but two hard drives at the same time, and the drives themselves are traded out for newer drives every 2-3 years depending on their previous failure track record.

Worried about security? The security practices that REPUTABLE online backup companies use to store your data, is the same grade of security that the US and Canadian military use to store their data, I won't go into nitty gritty details but you know the story of a million monkey's on a million typewriters? Well all you'd get is a lot of banana peels to compost.

So if you're not sure the backup solution you're already using is "ideal" for your business needs, give us a call, we'd be happy to discuss the details and provide a solution.

Imporant tips for managing employee Internet access

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:42:00 +0000

There’s a fine line between being Big Brother and keeping employees from wasting too much time on the Internet. And as we all know, there are plenty of ways to waste time on the ‘net: Facebook, Twitter, chatting, shopping, scores… you name it. But how do you manage control of your employees — and what type of control do you extend over them? Everything gets even more complicated if your business also depends upon the type of PR and marketing to be had from the likes of Facebook and Twitter. As more and more companies and businesses resort to these outlets for free advertising, different levels of control must be put into place.

Here are a few suggestions for tools you can use to manage this control, policies to implement, and ways to keep your employees from revolting.

1st Make sure you have a clear access policy Instead of employing controlling software, it might better suit your environment and employees to have clear policies in place that prevent the usage of certain Web sites during work hours. This method does call upon the honor system (unless you are using a monitoring tool), which gives your work environment a more relaxed feel. The problem with this method arises when you discover an employee abusing the policies and you do not react. If you lay out a clear policy and do not punish those ignoring it, you may as well throw that policy out the window.

If manually monitoring (over the shoulder) would take too much time or feel to intrusve to employees, as most managers feel it does, you'll want to look into tools that will monitor network usage for you. With tools of this nature, you can keep tabs on what your users are viewing online and then act accordingly. This is a much less Big Brother approach to managing what your employees are viewing. By handling this task this way, you are more inclined to have a lower attrition rate from employees not wanting to work in a controlling environment. Monitoring tools allow you to monitor employee Web usage from a single desktop. Some tools even allows the administrator to view employee bookmarks and favorites. Although some think this a better approach than implementing policies and preventing access to certain (or all) Web sites, many people view this quite the opposite. As I said earlier, it’s a very fine line.

DNS Redirection is an industry accepted method for Web content/security filtering using tools that are completely Web based. With DNS control, you can filter content, prevent phishing, block page bypass, protect against malware , delegate administration, and much more. You will have detailed daily reports as well as archived logs and statistics. With content filtering, you can select from more than 50 categories and prevent the use of proxies for bypassing filters.

Along with having clear policies, you have to be willing to offer some flexibility. During the holiday season, employees are going to shop online. During March Madness, employees are going to check basketball scores. You must be willing to give or you will find yourself with some upset employees. If you are never willing to bend on your policies, the attrition rate may rise during certain times of the year or with certain cross sections of employees. (Older employees may be less apt to take issue with such policies than younger employees.)

The saying “Everything is relative” applies here — as does “Everything in moderation.” The real problem with employees surfing the Web happens when it interferes with actual work. This could be too much browsing or browsing to unsafe or inappropriate sites. You, as an employer (or manager) must tread that fine line between too much and too little control over what employees can do with their Web browsing.

What measures does your organization rely on to manage employee Internet activity? If your approach isn't working, or you don't have one at all, Give us a call at Outhouse IT, we're here to help.

Your own email @facebook.com? Beware Facebook survey scam

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:04:00 +0000

Thousands of Facebook users have been hit by a scam which claims to give them early access to a facebook.com email address.

Messages, appearing in the news feed of users who have fallen for the scam, read:

Just got my own email @facebook.com! Quickly get one before someone takes your name [LINK REMOVED]

However, clicking on the links leads you to a webpage which tricks you into giving a third party application permission to post to your Facebook wall.

Don’t, whatever you do, allow the app to have permission to access your profile. Because then it will start to spread the messages even further, starting with your online Facebook friends.

You won’t realise it’s doing that, of course, until it’s too late – as you’re too distracted by the form asking you for your email details.. oh, and the revenue-generating online survey that the scammers have put up in the front of it..

Note, these scam messages are not connected with Facebook’s genuine plans to give everyone a @facebook.com public email address.

Facebook expects to roll out that service more widely in the coming months, and will use your “publicusername” when live.

Here’s a YouTube video where Sophos will show you how to clean-up your Facebook account if you were hit by this, or similar scams:

Talking with techies

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Talking with techies

As a techie* you probably have no difficulty communicating with your peers. You use acronyms, terminology and examples that your colleagues understand. The difficulty arises when you need to communicate with techies in different fields or when you need to talk with non techies such as customers, upper level management or the sales staff.

I write marketing material, presentations and web content for technical products and services. When I talk with techies I need to play the role of “designated idiot.”(I first heard this term used by Bruce Madole in 1994 at an HPCA presentation.) I have found that techies often assume knowledge that their audience may not possess. By being the designated idiot, I ask questions until I understand the process or product. When I understand, know the acronyms, expressions and terminology I can then write the web page, the white paper, the case study, the testimonial story or the marketing brochure.

When techies are presenting, talking to customers or training their sales staff they need to keep in mind the following principles .

Know your audience. Find out who they are, what they need and want to know. Determine their level of technical understanding. Some may not know the difference between an extruder and a die, or a browser and a hard drive. You need to be able to talk to them at their level – not down to them. You need to help them follow your train of thought, and use real examples that they can understand.

Talk about the benefits of features. As a subject matter expert, you know your product better than anyone but sometimes you see all the features and are blind to the benefits of your product. The benefits are what interests potential buyers and it’s what sells the product.

When talking to your sales staff or to a customer about design issues, talk about the benefits of the features. Describe how a feature will contribute to efficiencies, cost savings, or ease of use. Use practical examples from the field, not from the lab.

Beware, the devil is in the details. Techies are often frustrated because they want to talk about every detail such as the thickness and type of plating on a particular part. But the audience only needs to be assured that the part will stand up to the rigours of use. You may have spent months testing various plating materials to come up with the right one. So what? You now have the part that works effectively and won’t wear out like the one competition uses. When a savvy customer asks about the type of plating then you can provide the justification for the type of plating.

As a techie, you have a detailed knowledge about the products you design, and we hope you demonstrate that enthusiasm for the product. Be cautious about delivering a brain dump. Not only will you intimidate the technically challenged and but you will fail to impress the knowledgeable members of the audience. It is a fine balance. You need to provide enough information without overwhelming.

A techie with well-developed communication skills can be a powerful partner to sales staff and the marketing team, including outsourced suppliers (such as buzz4biz). You can provide great support when you are able to communicate with customers and provide in-depth and understandable answers to customer questions.

*For the purposes of this article “techies” is an all-encompassing and endearing term to describe engineers, engineering technologist and IT professionals of all kinds. It is not a term of derision, but a term of convenience.

This article shared from buzz4biz.

buzz4biz creates success through the written word.

They write to

motivate employees
protect brands
maintain customer awareness.

Full article "Talking with techies"

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (The Technology Coach) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:14:00 +0000

Wishing The The Happiest of Holidays!
To your family from ours at The Technology Coach!

2010 Was a VERY exciting year for us, both professionally and personally. Siobhan and I welcomed our first child Saoirse Kendall Born Sept. 20th. If you'd like to see pictures (and who doesn't!) of our new baby, find us on facebook and we'll be happy to "friend" you. While you're there why not check out our facebook fanpage, full of tips and tricks we include our Blog entries and any news on our facebook pages. Social Media Marketing is a very powerful tool and we'd love to help you explore how it can help your business, just ask!

As if 2010 wasn't busy enough it was also our first year operating as an incorporated company, if you'd like to hear about why we made the decision to incorporate after 7 years in business just send us an email, we'd be happy to tell you about why we made the decision and the professionals we involved to help us through it!

Last but not least the end of 2010 also marked the beginning of our new branding, with the name change on the horizon for early 2011 we've already registered our new domain, thrown up a temporary place holder website and created new email addresses for myself (scott@outhouseit.com).

Keep your eyes peeled and ears open for more exciting news on the launch of Outhouse I.T. Inc, Where our mission is to provide small businesses with a full service, cost effective alternative to an in house I.T. Department.

And now for our gift to you, our loyal customers and friends, this months technology tip is about creating an out of office email message to automatically let others know you are away from the office during the holidays, you'll find details here on our Blog.

As many of us wind down for the Holiday Season. We're reminded at this time of year of the importance of family, taking some time for ourselves and enjoying the rest of life as much as we enjoy running our businesses!

Again a sincere Happy Holidays from our family to yours and all the best in 2011!