A few months back tornados ripped through Joplin, MO and Tuscaloosa, Alabama causing massive devastation. If you were fortunate, you only had to suffer through minor interruptions of utility services, with others paying a far steeper price.  In fact, a colleague of mine who also offers IT services had his office in Joplin reduced to a pile of rubble. This got me thinking about how important disaster recovery planning is to any business. No one expects terrible things to happen, but when they do, having that plan in place can really save your bacon. And one of the MOST important aspects of this is the recovery part – how are you going to get that data back onto a working platform that allows you to continue serving your customers and operating your business. The shocker for most business owners is that simply having a copy of the data does NOT guarantee a fast recovery. Let me give you an analogy to help you understand…

Let’s suppose we put together a disaster recovery plan for your home. Your house would represent the server and platform, and all your furniture and personal items would be the data. Now let’s suppose we could make a backup of your home by making an exact copy of everything that’s in your house (all your furniture, appliances, clothing, etc.) and storing it in a “backup” shed. Then the unthinkable happens: your house gets leveled by a tornado, flood or fire and everything is gone (or a critical part of it is damaged and needs to be replaced). You would think, ”Well, at least I have a copy!” True, but the first thing you would need to do is replace the home itself (remember, that’s the platform that everything resides on). Next you would have to ”reinstall” the services like gas, electricity and water (let’s call that the software). Then you would have to haul everything from the shed back to the house and “reformat” it by arranging it into the house. Depending on the extent of the damage done to your house, that could take days or weeks; chances are you’d have to find a hotel to live out of in the meantime. In addition, there’s the time and cost of moving everything back in and re-arranging and restoring everything to its proper place.

Plus, the above assumes you have a recent, working copy of your entire home and everything in it. If you failed to make a copy – or if the shed where you were storing everything had a water leak that destroyed everything inside due to mold – then you’re really out of luck.

Of course, this is a simple analogy – and there are ways to backup your data and network so that recovery can happen inexpensively in a matter of hours versus days or weeks. But if you simply think having a tape backup is going to be your saving grace, you might be unpleasantly surprised. I can’t tell you the number of businesses who ended up losing incredibly valuable, irreplaceable data because they didn’t think through the RECOVERY part of the backup equation.

So what do you need to think about? First, the way you backup your data should be based on how important your data is and how fast you would need to be back up and running in the event of a disaster. If losing your data would only be a mild inconvenience and you could stand to be down for a couple of days, then tape backups may be okay. If that’s not an option for you and there are certain critical functions that need to happen to keep you from getting into hot water with your customers and to prevent you losing a LOT of cash, then you want something more reliable than tape drives.

The BEST thing to do is contact our office to schedule a strategy meeting to go over your needs and expectations for what should happen in the event of downtime or an outright disaster. That way you know for sure what to expect and – more importantly – how to accurately prepare for a disaster.

A phishing e-mail is an e-mail sent by a hacker designed to fool the recipient into downloading a virus, giving up their credit card number, personal information (like a social security number), or account or login information to a particular web site. Often these e-mails are well designed to look exactly like an official notification from the site they are trying to emulate.

For example, a recent phishing e-mail was circulated that appeared to come from Facebook stating that videos or photos of Osama Bin Laden’s death were posted online. These e-mails looked exactly like a legitimate Facebook e-mail and even appeared to come from ”Facebookmail.com.” Once you clicked on the e-mail the phishing site would attempt to install a virus on your machine.

And now due to recent security breaches with Sony and e-mail marketer Epsilion, phishing attacks are going to increase – and they are going to get more sophisticated and harder to distinguish from legitimate e-mails. That’s because the hackers that were able to access the private databases of the above mentioned companies now have the name, e-mail and interests of the subscribers, and in some cases birthdays, addresses and more. That means a phishing e-mail can be personalized with relevant information that the user provided to Sony, making the e-mail appear to be more legitimate and the user more likely to click on the links provided and take the actions requested. Now more than ever it’s critical that you are wary of e-mail notifications and the actions they request you take. Even having good anti-virus software installed won’t protect you if you give your account information away freely.

But it’s certainly true – there are plenty of awesome things to say about cloud computing.  The main advantages are:

• You can pick and choose the applications you use and pay for – on demand

• Payment for cloud applications is usually incremental which saves money

• All software updates are automated

• Because the servers are not your own there’s no investment, upkeep or replacement costs

• If your workforce is mobile  they will have better access to company data if you store your data in the cloud

• You can scale up easily by paying for additional application users without capital expenditure

These benefits can save  smaller  businesses plenty of time and money. But for every person who raves about the cloud there are others who talk about the risks. Here are two objections we hear most often:

“But is it secure?”

For our clients, security issues are mainly to do with the security and privacy of information stored. So can you be sure that your data is secure and not at risk from hackers or your competitors’ beady eyes? For most small businesses these security risks are reduced to a minimum by:

• Windows security routinely managing day to day security

• Hosted centres where data is held are highly secure installations that do not routinely allow personnel inside the premises

• Data encryption

“It’s just too new!”

Cloud computing has been seen by many as yet another new distraction – especially when the past couple of years have bought more pressing challenges. With many companies now using the cloud for email, IT support or online data back-up very successfully it’s no longer seen as new or particularly risky. Our advice?

• Start small

• Get some expert help to weigh up the potential savings for your business

• Move parts of your IT infrastructure  to the cloud one at a time.

(If you would like some free cloud consultancy contact us or look out for our new e-course coming soon.)

You may have heard about the new “Buy Back” program being offered by Best Buy. The premise behind Best Buy’s Buy Back program is simple: Buy a technology product in certain categories – mobile phones (but not pre-paid phones), laptops, netbooks, tablet computers and TVs – from Best Buy, and the store will let you bring it back and receive a portion of the purchase price. Of course, there are “catches.”

First, the Buy Back program isn’t free. Its upfront cost is based on what you’re buying. For example, the Buy Back benefit on a $2,500 TV would cost $349.99. New laptops can run $70 and phones $40 to $60.

Second, Best Buy won’t give you the full purchase price back. The amount is based on the age of the device and the condition it’s in. An item returned within six months will get you a maximum of 50% of the purchase price provided it’s in good condition and you have all the parts. If you wait 18 to 24 months, you’ll get no more than 20% and if you wait 24 to 48 months, you’ll only get 10%.

Finally, you don’t get cash but a Best Buy gift card, which, naturally, can only be used at Best Buy. So is it a good deal? Depends on how of ten you like to upgrade your equipment and how much you frequent Best Buy stores. If you like new things and love Best Buy, it’s probably a great deal. However, there are many critics of the promotion who say the only beneficiary is Best Buy.

They are, in fact, the largest independent provider of warranties so they have enough data for a valid analysis.

They have analyzed failure rates on 30,000 laptops and notebooks.  Here are the main findings:

• One fifth (20.4%) of laptops have hardware failures during the first 3 years. SquareTrade doesn’t publish data beyond 3 years, but one would assume that the failure rate increases still further.

• Failure accelerates markedly with age. Less than 5% fail in the first year, but this rises by an additional 8% in each subsequent year.

• Netbooks are 20% more unreliable than laptops.

• High end laptops are more reliable than cheaper alternatives – 18.1% versus 25.1%.

• Surprisingly HP was the most unreliable of the manufacturers with a hardware malfunction rate of over one quarter in the first 3 years.

• Apple and Dell are about average

• Asus is the best with a failure rate of only 15.6%.

If you would like to read the full report click on this link:

http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf

According to a little birdie, only 50% of the customers who take iDevices into Apple Stores for repair have their apps, settings, contacts and the like, backed up.

That’s right – around half of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches don’t find themselves plugged into iTunes after that initial set up – a set up that won’t even need to be done after iOS 5 lands…

“A little birdie says that about 50 percent of Apple Store customers who need to get their iPhones swapped have never plugged them into iTunes after the initial activation and sync. This is a big reason, according to this birdie, for why Apple Store Geniuses are excited about iCloud.”

The comment about iCloud makes sense. The current barrier to entry when it comes to backing up iOS devices is the cable and computer. Theoretically, and apparently this is happening, devices need never actually be connected to a computer other than to do iOS software updates.App installations and updates can all be handled on-device, and music can also be purchased from the iTunes app. People just don’t need to connect to the desktop iTunes.

But there is one thing they need, and that’s power.

The way iOS 5′s backups will work changes the game completely. Now, when a device is plugged into a power outlet and the screen is locked then a backup will be performed. This happens once a day, usually at night when there is less chance of a user interrupting the process. With the default setting being ‘ON’ there really is no reason for users to not back up their data.

Apple, once again protecting its users from themselves.

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 asWindows 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:

Scan your computer. Use your antivirus software or do a free scan with the Microsoft Safety Scanner. The safety scanner checks for and removes viruses, eliminates junk on your hard drive, and improves your PC’s performance.

Get help from Network Logix. If you have trouble removing the software yourself, you can contact us, and one of our competent technicians will be happy to assist you.

Check your accounts. If you think you might have entered sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or passwords into a pop-up window or at a rogue security software site, you should monitor your associated accounts.

Like this article? Get more at www.sparknewthinking.com

Why You Should Be Concerned

While it’s not uncommon for employees to waste a bit of work time on relatively harmless activities, such as shopping or visiting a favorite sports site, times have changed; employers are learning the hard way that employee use or abuse of a company’s Internet system can lead to significant liability and time wasted if not monitored.

For example, one business owner (who will remain nameless) shared that they received a panicked phone call from the office while traveling. The police had shown up and arrested one of their staff for soliciting a minor online. Since he was doing this during work hours from the office, that’s where the police showed up to arrest him – clearly a PR nightmare. And stories like this are happening EVERYWHERE.

Then there’s the wasted time. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are addictive. If your employees are constantly “plugged in” to those sites, they won’t be nearly as productive at work as they should be.

How To Solve This Problem

Protecting your company requires two simple steps at a minimum. The first is to have a written company policy that details what employees can and can’t do with company resources or during company hours. Next, you’ll want to have a content filtering system in place that will enforce your policy by automatically “policing” your company e-mail and Internet usage, blocking sites and content you don’t want your employees to access without hindering their ability to work online.

Free Productivity And Security Assessment

Mark Twain once said, “Supposing is good, but knowing is better.” If you want to know for sure how much time your employees are spending on non-work related surfing and what web sites they are accessing, call us for a free trial of our content filtering software. At no cost, we’ll install our monitoring software for a week and then provide you with an accurate report of what your employees are doing online while at work.

How To Instantly Get Your Employees To Stop Wasting Time Online

Our FREE Productivity and Security assessment will reveal:

• What web sites employees visit and how much time they spend there
• If your firewall, anti-virus and other security settings are set up properly to protect you from a hacker or malware attacks
• How you can put simple, automated tools in place to “watch” over your company’s e-mail and Internet connection

As we put the finishing touches on this post, a huge thunderstorm is moving in from the west. It’s calm right here at the moment, but the radar is showing some intense yellow and orange moving our direction. That’s sure to have a number of the sites we monitor experiencing at least momentary power outages throughout the night and probably means we will get at least one phone call first thing in the morning about networks that don’t work.

For those who have uninterruptible power supplies or UPS’s on critical equipment and surge suppressors that protect systems not only from surges on power lines, but also through their internet and network connections, power outages will be only a minor inconvenience.

Equipment may not automatically power on, so there will be just a bit of delay while equipment is checked and turned back on. But, for those who won’t spend a little bit of money to make sure they are protected, the story is likely to be a lot different. Recently, one of our clients experienced a surge that came in through the internet connection provided by a local cable company. Not only did the surge damage the cable modem, it also damaged several ports in their switch and one of their computers. Not only was there the expense of replacing damaged equipment, staff was not able to be productive while waiting for repairs to be made.

And while most of the repairs were made quickly, repairs to the damaged computer took significantly longer and meant the affected employee had to use a much slower workstation temporarily. Now every piece of equipment is protected from surges on both the power line and the network connection, insuring that there won’t be a repeat performance.

If you would like to learn from this client’s experience, give us a call at 614.503.7139. If not, then we will talk to you after the lightning strikes!