Ah, those pesky passwords. If you work in the corporate world or in an office, you have one for your PC/Network and, unless there is a password synchronization application that combines them, you probably have more than one for other applications. Add those to the ones that you have for your home Internet, your banking and other websites that require passwords, and before you know it you have a nightmare on your hands in trying to manage them.

Part of the frustration has to do with the different requirements for password formatting. Some systems only require four characters, some require eight. Some need a combination of alpha and numeric characters and others do the same with the addition of a few capital letters thrown in for extra security. It can be positively maddening.

The worst thing you can do with your passwords is to place them in a text document which can be accessed on the hard drive of your computer. Your files are vulnerable – even if you think they are not. If someone is intent on finding them, they can. Even if you place them into a password protected document, those can be cracked, too.

Writing them down has its own vulnerabilities, too, and there are varying opinions on this practice. If you do write them down on a piece of paper, put the document in a locked location whether it is in your home or at work.

Here are 6 tips on how to handle your passwords:

1. Make them complex. People who use easy to remember or short passwords are inviting disaster. Use a little imagination and pick a password that is very difficult to attach to your life. Stay away from birth dates, phone numbers, house numbers, or any other number that is associated with your life.

2. Keep passwords unique. When you change your passwords, make them unique from each other. Do not use the same password on all of your sites. If you do, then you are open to having every site that you have a password to being vulnerable to hackers to log on and steal your identity, money or destroy your reputation.

3. Be obscure. Use a combination of letters, numbers, capital letters and special characters if possible. The more you do this, the more secure your passwords will become. Create an alphanumeric version of a term you can remember. Using this technique the word “Spaceship” becomes “Sp@ce5h!p”.

4. Change regularly. This is the singular tip that can save you if you do not heed any of the other tips. How often should you change your password? How secure do you want to be? The frequency with which you change your password will determine how secure you are from becoming a victim. The more often you change it, the better you are. The longer you leave it the same, the more vulnerable you become. Three months is a good cycle for a password, but certainly if you fear for the security of your identity, then a monthly change is not out of the question.

5. Password-protect your PC. Be sure to give your PC a password on power-up. This will help protect your files unrestricted access to your PC.

6. Password-protect your wireless home network. If you have a wireless home network, be sure to password protect it as well. Use the same principles above in order to secure your wireless network. This will prevent others from accessing your connection and using it maliciously to hack the personal or business PCs and laptops you and your family use at home.

Finally, there are password programs that can help with this important task, but the best advice is to start with the tips above right away. Password software can be useful as an organizational tool, but it is no match for using sound methods to manage and make your passwords difficult to crack.

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I’m often confronted by other technology professionals about product X being better than product Y. The fact of the matter is that there is no magic bullet for IT. There is no single product available that solves all of the issues around a particular problem. There are always trade offs.

So, it is my pleasure to bring you some of the most common “my IT is better than your IT” arguments and my take on it…

1) Firefox is better than Internet Explorer: I think there is a lot of truth to this one, but because some programming will only run on websites which are accessed by Internet Explorer, you can’t count it out. There is nothing wrong with using two web browsers if you want to. I would also add that Microsoft Internet Explorer has come a long way towards being more secure in recent years.

2) The iPhone is the best cell phone: the iPhone is a very cool cell phone. But what if you don’t like AT&T (like me)? Our customers frequently ask us what cell phone they should consider purchasing, and my answer always starts with: use the one that you enjoy using the most. For some, that is a phone with a keyboard, for others it is the one with a great camera.

3) Microsoft sucks you should be running Linux: Without a doubt, Linux operating systems have matured a lot in the last 10 years. But frankly, businesses cannot rely on a operating system developed by a bunch of disconnected programmers. And good luck finding an accounting system for Linux which is better than its Microsoft based counterparts.

4) My Anti-Virus is better than your Anti-Virus: I see this argument a lot. The only truth buried here is that any Anti-Virus is better than no anti-virus.

5) Peachtree is better than Quickbooks: Personally, I use Quickbooks. I love how easy it makes accounting for someone who does not have a finance background. My accountant on the other hand, uses Peachtree because it is built around the needs of an accountant. I would also add that in the last 15 years I’ve been providing support for Peachtree – no other single program gives us or our clients more problems.

The fact is that every technology solution has trade offs. I think it is great that so many people are passionate about the choices they have made – that means that they are learning. But don’t let the choice you made yesterday, blind you from making a great choice to switch to something else tomorrow.


About 20% of our clients request that employees use a specific password for their computer/email or that they let managers know what their passwords are and they keep a list of employee passwords. The reasons for this seem logical – managers want quick access to their employees emails or files when they are out of the office. But the effects of this type of policy can be harmful to the health of your business.

Here are 5 more reasons why you shouldn’t know employee passwords:

1. So you have your employees computer password. What is keeping them from changing it just after they give it to you? Would you fire them for not keeping you updated with the correct password? Do you need one more thing to worry about and manage? What if you lost or someone stole the list from you? Chances are that you have more important things to worry about with your employees.
2. With most companies that have this policy, employees are LESS concerned about selecting a secure password and will often use passwords which can easily be guessed – like ’12345′. This really puts your organization at risk from hackers and other people who would seek to exploit this weakness and gain access to those systems.
3. It does not hold employees accountable. If you have common passwords, or even a list, you cannot guarantee that an employe is the only person with access to their files/email. What if someone used a known password to gain access to your email box and sent a threatening email to your largest customer? You would have no way of knowing who actually sent that email and the outcome would be very frustrating.
4. It is very easy for system administrators to reset passwords. If you do need access to their computer account, it is very easy to change the password. This also lets them know that someone needed that access.
5. If you need access to their information, chances are that it can be “shared” with you and you can access it with your own password. Setup email delegation for access to their email.

Within your employee handbook, you should have a technology section. Within that section, you should have a specific policy on passwords that should include:

1. Employee passwords should meet complexity requirements
2. Passwords should be private and not shared with anyone
3. Employees are responsible for keeping their passwords safe and secure.

Please give us a call if we can help you review and revise your password policy.

The PC and I have been BFF’s for years. For Christmas, my wife got a unibody Macbook to replace her aging Dell. Knowing my wife uses her computer mostly for photos, music, email and web browsing, the Mac was a safe choice and gave me an opportunity to fully appreciate the Mac operating system – OS X.

Unexpectedly, it lead me to consider, and ultimately purchase my own Mac when I needed a new laptop in January.

When shopping for my new laptop, I considered the Dell Latitude E6400 (the same that we have recommended to many of our clients), the Lenovo T Series (the newer model of the last 2 laptops I’ve purchased), and the 13″ Macbook Pro.

Of the three laptops I considered, the Dell was the best bang for the buck. It had all of the features that the Lenovo had, at a lower cost. My last three laptops have been Lenovo T Series systems (T41 and T61) and I was very happy with the quality that Lenovo built into their systems and was ready to pay for that. But the Macbook Pro had one feature that I could not find in the other two systems – It runs the Mac operating system. If I was going to accelerate my knowledge of OS X – I would need to be able to use it on a regular basis.

The Mac is also an excellent host for running additional operating systems at the same time. So while the core system is using Mac OS X, I can load up several virtual systems on my laptop and use Windows or Linux as needed. Also, I have some video, web, and graphics projects on my plate right now – and the Mac is excellent for working with those types of projects.

So – I’ve been using my new Macbook Pro for 6 months now. How does it really stack up?

What I like:

• I love the size. Of the three laptops I considered, this was the smallest, having a 13″ screen makes it easy to carry around and I didn’t have to sacrifice on the screen resolution.
• It is easy to switch between using my Mac as a Mac and using my Mac as a PC
• It handles my video, graphic, and web projects very well.

What I dislike:

• There are times that my touch/track pad has a mind of its own. I don’t care for touchpad’s to begin with, and this isn’t much better. The gestures are cool, but I don’t use them enough to like it
• Apple doesn’t know the difference between backspace and delete. The key says delete, but it backspaces. You have to hold down the control key to use it to delete.
• The simplicity of the operating system means that it is easy to use, but it also means that there are fewer options or ways for you to customize things to the way I like it. This also extends into 3rd party applications. Perhaps Mac users don’t like options, so developers don’t build them in.
• A LOT fewer programs run on Mac. Finding a good program that you need is difficult and there are fewer choices.

Overall, I am happy with my decision. The things that the Mac does really well, are so positive, that they eclipse the negatives (for me).  I’ve even considered purchasing a Mac desktop to replace my Dell Optiplex – which I may do someday.

I should be clear about one important point. The Mac is great for graphics/creative users and home users who work with photos, videos, email etc. The Mac is also great for the geeks out there who need a system that can do everything with some tweaking. The Mac is a poor choice for everyday business/office users because you will severely limit what applications you will be able to run on your system. While you can run Windows on a Mac, it is expensive, and has little to no advantage over simply using a PC for the job.

Please help me in welcoming two new members to the team at Acroment: Ian Murray and Tony Lofreso

Ian Murray is a Certified Microsoft Trainer (MCT) and comes to us from a national computer training company where he helped IT professionals gain their Microsoft Certifications. In addition to his MCT Certification, Ian is also a Microsoft Certified IT Professional. We are excited about the opportunities that are available for our staff and clients by having an MCT on board.

We would also like to welcome Tony Lofreso. Tony started with us in the spring as an intern and we quickly realized we needed to have him here full time. Tony is a incoming senior at the Univerity of Akron where he is working to compelte his Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems. He already holds an Associates of Computer Network Administration and Security from Stark State College.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to interact with them, I am sure you will soon.

For the second year in a row, Acroment is proud to be a title sponsor for the COSE Strategic Planning Course.

Please join me for a preview of the course at the COSE Event: Case Studdies in Strategic Planning on June 15th at 8:00am. The event is free and will give you insight into the program, and some topics for you to consider when going through the strategic planning process for your business.

For more information and to register, please click here.

COSE’s Strategic Planning Course is a six-month intensive, results-oriented strategic planning process for quality minded companies and organizations that want to grow. This course will enable you to take advantage of the experience of other entrepreneurs who have built successful companies. Based on your business type, you will be matched with a course alumnus who will act as your mentor and attend each class session with you. The business relationships that are forged and the networking that takes place among students and mentors make this course a powerful and valuable tool for your business.

For more information on the 2010-2010 COSE Strategic Planning course, pleaseclick here.

Tips for evaluating suspicious emails from Eric Clemens on Vimeo.  This video explains how you can better evaluate suspicious messages and avoid opening emails which may harm your computer. Instructions are for Outlook 2007, but should apply to other email programs such as Outlook 2003, Outlook 2010, and Thunderbird. Click the video to view full screen.

This is our first of many videos to come. Please leave us a comment to tell us how we can improve these videos or other topics we can present in the future. Thanks for watching!

When we purchased Pervasive Support Systems last year – it included a WildWestDomains reseller account. WildWestDomains is a premier reseller of hosting and domain name services.

For a limited time – I have set the pricing for .com domain name renewals and transfers at OUR COST – Just $7.99 per .com domain name. In addition, if you are transferring a domain to us from another registrar, you will receive 1 additional year of registration (for each domain) for FREE.

If that wasn’t sweat enough – I’ve also activated the following promotional codes to use at checkout time for an additional discount:

• 15% discount off any order $100 or more – Use Code: 100CN15
• 10% discount off any order $50 or more – Use Code: 50CN10
• 5% discounts on orders $25 and over – Use Code: 5NC25

Any one wanting to take advantage of this offer will receive the white glove treatment from us to assist in your transfer.

Visit www.domainsonice.com to get the process started!

Acroment Technologies is a leading provider of outsourced IT services to small businesses in NE Ohio. To reach our growth goals for 2010 and beyond, we are currently accepting resumes of experienced Account Executives who would like to be a part of a small, passionate, and unique culture. This position would be ideal for someone with a background in IT Staffing or selling technology professional services. Little/no travel required. Aggressive compensation plan with unlimited potential. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the following link.

http://www.acroment.com/about/careers/account-executive/

Acroment is proud to be a first time title sponsor for the 2010 COSE Strategic Planning course. Eric Clemens will be giving a prentation on the top “things every executive needs to know about their IT systems” on January 9, 2010. Business owners are encouraged to join me to hear my presentation and check out the course.

COSE’s Strategic Planning Course is a six-month intensive, results-oriented strategic planning process for quality minded companies and organizations that want to grow. This course will enable you to take advantage of the experience of other entrepreneurs who have built successful companies. Based on your business type, you will be matched with a course alumnus who will act as your mentor and attend each class session with you. The business relationships that are forged and the networking that takes place among students and mentors make this course a powerful and valuable tool for your business.

Please contact me if you would like more information and can attend.