Recently, I spoke with a person who received a computer message from xxx anti-virus software. The message indicated that the computer was infected. Out of concern, this person signed up to receive anti-virus protection and paid a fee via credit card.

This person now realizes the question that should have been asked, “Is this a scam?”

And sadly it was. The software downloaded was probably “virus software” (malware) instead of “anti-virus” software. A previously clean system now has malware.

Beware: you may be subject to a similar ploy!

By the way, we’ve had our first call from a Mac user whose system was infected by malicious software. Any system can be infected.

Be suspicious. Don’t follow bogus advice.

A few things you can do:

1. Internet security software – Use trusted internet security software and become familiar with how it works.
2. Use multiple levels of protection – These include updating software, use a firewall, use caution with links and attachments, etc.
3. Backup – Regularly backup your computer, keep one copy off-site.
4. When in doubt – Turn off the computer, and contact ForeSight.

Click here for additional information from the Microsoft website.

Click here for additional information from the Apple website.

What do you store on your computer: business documents, presentations, accounting data, pictures, music, videos, email, contact list, website favorites, calendar information, etc.?

Most folks don’t appreciate the importance or magnitude of material stored on their computer(s) until it’s in jeopardy.

ForeSight is often called upon to help rectify: hard drive failures, virus attacks, theft, corrupted systems, etc. Sadly, as of yet, we’ve not received a call from a computer disaster victim who had a recent back-up of their important files.

Don’t risk your valuable information!

You have two choices:

1.    Take precaution to avoid failure and minimize threat.

Or

2.    Accept the loss which will occur following an inevitable misfortune.

Some Key Precautions:

1. Back-up – In many ways a current back-up allows failures to be “un-done.”
2. Verifiy Back-up – Assure that the entire backup process is working to protect all critical data.
3. Store Off-Site – Reduce the risk of losing both computer and backup data.

Click here for more suggestions.

Remember back in the day when CB radios were in? Fun, huh? Enthusiasts loved talking to truckers and other road warriors, though most people did more listening-in than talking—it was the nature of the fad, right? 10-4…good buddy…

Yet, while eavesdropping was an acceptable necessity in the case of CB-ing, you likely don’t find it acceptable for others to read your e-mail messages, see your website communication, or spy on your company or personal documents.

Because wireless signals travel through the air, they can be picked up by intruders. Good news: there are a number of ways to reduce the risk of your data being viewed by others.

Some Key Wireless Protection Suggestions:

1. Encryption – This makes the receipt of your data typically useless. WPA2 is generally regarded as the most secure encryption technology widely available today. Encryption using WEP is not considered as secure.

2. Wireless Key – The wireless key (equivalent to a password) allows you to decrypt the encrypted communication. We recommend a long, strong, unique key.

3. Guest Account – These accounts typically allow the user to access the internet but not the local network.

Click here for more wireless protection suggestions.

Chain of command is an important protective protocol—we don’t have to look far to find ample illustrations: military, banks, schools, and virtually all businesses. In most cases, it is wise to limit the number of actions permitted without approval from an administrator.

Most computer operating systems allow for the configuration of a similar structure. The computer may run in either an administrator or a user mode. What does this mean? Basically, a user is limited as to what can be done without administrator approval. An administrator can make any change to the system. Many Windows computers are by default set to run in the administrator mode, although a user mode can be selected.

The choice is yours:
Utilize the administrator mode at all times or
Operate in a user mode and utilize the administrator mode only when intentionally approving changes to your system. This second arrangement is the safest.

Even if you alone have access to your computer, utilizing a user mode is an extra layer of protection for your system against inadvertent changes or malicious attacks.

User Mode Advantages:
1. Control Software installation – Many businesses prohibit users from installing software without approval. Hence, control of software installations is more easily maintained.

2. Block Malicious Software – In some cases, installation of malicious software can be blocked by running in user mode.

3. Avoid Harmful Changes – Inadvertent changes that can be harmful to the computer can often be avoided by running in user mode.

You’ve probably seen recent news reports of the thefts of possibly millions of e-mail addresses from a large advertising company. This security breach could affect customers of such well-known companies as Best Buy, American Express, Citibank, Capital One, Visa, and others.

Here’s the problem: a crook could send an e-mail to a customer of a bank, let’s say. The e-mail might suggest a problem with the account and link the account holder to a counterfeit website. Here the trusting victim is asked to login and voila: the criminal now has access to the account!

When the perpetrator has knowledge of a relationship between an e-mail address holder and a particular company, the chances of a successful deception is greater than random attempts at phishing. These targeted attempts are known as “spear phishing.”

Avoid being a victim of fraud:

1. Guard your privacy – Be very careful what you say and to whom you say it. Pretty decent advice—but particularly when it comes to on-line communications.
2. Pay attention – Remember: if something does not seem right, it probably isn’t. Trust your instincts; better safe than sorry.
3. Be suspicious – If a request from a well-known company does not seem professional, it is likely a fake. Even if it looks professional, it could be a fake. Double-check.

Click here for more suggestions.

Computer owners often contemplate replacing computers which they’ve used for three or more years. Where circumstances allow, such a consideration is certainly positive, given the benefits of newer, faster, and up-to-date equipment.

But this approach isn’t always the best move. In fact, for a myriad of reasons, some businesses decide to hold back on computer purchases. What can these businesses do to maximize the performance of their present systems?

Upgrading from the current Hard Disk Drive (HDD) to a new Solid State Drive (SSD) is the answer for many. Significant improvements in reliability, speed, and power consumption are all within reach with an SSD.

Relating a personal experience—I recently upgraded both a laptop and a desktop computer. The resulting improvement in performance of both was impressive: computer startup time was reduced 40%, virus scan by 49%, and file search by 28%. Very satisfactory indeed!

Click link for a brief video: Intel SSD Video

Click link for a laptop drop test video: Intel SSD Drop Test Video

Do you often see flatbed tractor trailer trucks rolling down the highway with very small loads? With the exorbitant price of fuel, this doesn’t seem like a cost-savvy practice, does it? Wouldn’t it be great if these light loads could be combined into one shipment? The savings would be staggering!

So why the talk about trucks? Actually, the servers in many businesses share something in common with such trucks: partial utilization. Many servers are running at only15% of their capacity! These under-utilized servers consume most or all of the space, energy, and capital costs of fully utilized servers.

Is there a solution to this problem? Yes, indeed: virtualization. With Virtualization, multiple “virtual” servers are supported by one physical server. Instead of one operating system and one application, a physical server can support 4 (or more) virtual servers. Utilization can often be increased from 15% to 60+%—providing a 300% or greater improvement.

3 Benefits to Virtualization:

1.    Energy Savings – Great energy savings can be achieved by powering fewer physical servers.

2.    Reliability – Greater reliability and recoverability can be achieved using virtual machines.

3.    Lower Capital Expense – Fewer physical servers reduce the amount of money invested in computer equipment.

Please click here for further information on this topic.

Lazily indulging in a second cup of morning coffee, you curiously peruse your email. Oh look! Bob has written; what a nice surprise!

“I haven’t heard from him in ages! Wonder what’s up?”

Anticipation turns to surprise as you scan the message. What Bob has to say causes you to nearly spill your coffee.

“I’m traveling in Bulgaria. All my money was stolen. I need your help immediately…”

You want to help Bob in his dire situation. But then again…this is all a bit odd. Seems strange he would turn to you first. And Bulgaria? Hmmm… you decide to investigate.

Good idea!!!

Come to find out, Bob did not send the email. Someone broke into his email account and sent requests for “help” to all of Bob’s contacts. Thankfully, you contacted Bob through some other means than his hi-jacked email account and found your suspicions to be well-grounded. Poor Bob—what a mess!

It gets you to thinking…

Is my email account safe???

A Few Simple Steps to Protect Your Account:

1.    Strong Password – Use a strong and unique account password–one that would be nearly impossible for an intruder to guess.

2.    Strong Password Reset Questions – Treat these questions as you treat your password. Don’t make it easy for someone to access your account without your permission by claiming that the password was “forgotten.”

3.    Use All Available Security – Some email services have additional features and systems available to protect your account.

4.    Exercise Caution When Using Public Computers – If you use a public computer to access your account, be certain not to leave log-in information on this computer for someone else to find.

How do you handle “Yes / No” questions you are hesitant to answer? You know the type:

“Are you busy Saturday?” “Sir, do you realize you were speeding?”

You perhaps face a similar cyber-quandary. Depending on your computer settings, you may see an Internet Explorer pop-up which states,

“This page contains both secure and non-secure items. Do you want to display the non-secure items, yes or no?”

Is the correct answer Yes or No?

First, realize that a web-page will be either: 1) Secure: with encrypted content, recognizable by an address beginning with “https“ and containing a lock icon on the browser, 2) Non-secure: in which your web browsing could be the target of “eavesdropping,” or 3) Mixed: containing both secure and non-secure items.

Why secure and non-secure items on the same web-page? The creator of the web-page may feel that some content does not require security, or malicious intent could be involved. Either of these situations can lead to the pop-up message. Secure/non-secure web-pages should produce a certain amount of insecurity on the part of the wise computer user.

3 Options for dealing with the pop-up: “Do you want to display the non-secure items, yes or no?”

1.    Add selected web sites to a trusted sites list – By doing this, Internet Explorer will not bug you with this message when you view your “trusted” websites.

2.    Change “Display mixed content” settings – Selecting “Disable” should prohibit unsecured content. Selecting “Enable” will instruct Internet Explorer that it is OK to mix secure and unsecured content. Selecting “Prompt” will tell Internet Explorer to ask you if it is unsure what to do.

3.    Answer the question each time it pops up – This allows you to evaluate the risk and give the appropriate answer each time. Answering “No” is the more secure choice, as only secure items will then be displayed.

Click here for further information on this topic.

Be sure to check out our first ForeSight Video Podcast!

Give us a call to talk about what ForeSight can do for your business.

Printing Costs got your Budget in the Red?

Maybe you’ve noted that much of the printer manufacturers’ profit comes after the sale of equipment through ink and toner sales.

Be aware that printer cartridge output varies from less than 200 pages per cartridge to well over 30,000 pages per cartridge, depending on make/model. Big effect on your bottom line!

Businesses often think of printing expense as simply the printer purchase cost or the cost per cartridge, but these isolated costs are often misleading in terms of total expense. Analyzing Total print cost per page is a more accurate approach. For example: [(Printer Purchase Cost + Printer Cartridge Cost + Maintenance Cost) ÷ (Total Pages Produced)] = Cost Per Page.

Simple Steps to put Your Budget in the Black:

1. Consider Your Printing Volume – Determine how much printing you do per month. You may be surprised—the figure may be higher than you think.
2. Choose a Printer appropriate for your volume – Select a printer which provides an ideal balance between purchase price and cost of consumables. For example, it is possible that a printer costing $400 more than another model may potentially sport a $5,000 savings in toner cost in 5 years! Shop wisely.
3. Know the Scoop on Printing Supplies – Toner cost, especially, varies widely. For many printers, both Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and compatible cartridges are available. The latter may save you a significant amount of money if you choose a reliable source.
4. Optimize your business through ForeSight – we are your competitive and reliable source for printer and toner purchase, as well as computer hardware and software.