TechTidBit - Tips and advice for small business computing - Tech Experts™ - Monroe Michigan

Brought to you by Tech Experts™

The Purpose Of Routine Maintenance On Your PC Or Server

Anthony Glover is Tech Expert’s network engineer.

Workstations and servers are valuable assets for any small business. This is why it’s very important that we take proper care of these vital attributes.

Computers can be great, long-lasting tools if taken care of correctly and routinely. This ensures that your PCs and servers will continue to run as they should, as long as possible. There are several steps to maintain your PC or server.

Monthly Hardware Cleaning
This will keep your fans running efficiently and keep your PC or server clear of dust and debris that can potentially cause a few issues (such as heating problems, fan malfunctions, or damage to devices like your power supply).

Heat also can cause computers to run slow or sluggish. This is extremely important and should be monitored and managed by an IT professional such as Tech Experts.

Monthly Software Management
This is to ensure you provide a safe operating environment for your business. It helps to keep the functionality of all your programs and keep your computer running smoothly. By clearing caches, you eliminate temp files that could potentially cause problems for some programs and will also free up space on your hard drive. This is another key process to keep your PCs and servers running at their full potential.

Registry Cleaning
Throughout use of your PC or server, you will accumulate registry errors from programs being installed, updates, etc.

This should be cleaned and corrected on a monthly basis to ensure proper operation of your PC. When it comes to speed when booting and operating your PC or server, this is an especially big factor.

Monthly Hardware Monitoring and Recording
When you are operating a business that needs your equipment to work efficiently (which is the case for most businesses), you’ll want to check your PC and servers on a monthly basis.

Having your vital components like hard drives scanned, checked, and recorded will let you know if anything needs replaced before it fails and leaves you in a bind.

Thermal Monitoring
Heat is a vital threat that should never be overlooked as it’s essential to speed and safe operation of your PC or server.

Heat can destroy components and cause Blue Screens Of Death due to heating issues, causing the PC or server to not function at all unless it’s corrected.

You want to make sure the environment of the equipment is clean, clear, and cool to avoid overheating.

Process Monitoring
This can catch potential threats like malicious software, of course, but it can also help you and your IT department find more subtle unwanted issues such as backdoors or even rootkits that allow onboarding of your PC or server without the end-user knowing at all.

Here at Tech Experts, we provide a preventative maintenance service that can be utilized on both PCs and servers at your business. So why hassle at all if you don’t have to?

You could have an IT professional manage your computers, saving your business money and saving you time. It could even save your computers or server.

The Importance Of Having Ad-Blockers

Luke Gruden is a help desk technician for Tech Experts.

Every day, millions of people go online and go to a familiar website, just to get an advertisement pop-up that disrupts their online experience.

Ads are a way of life for many websites to generate profit from viewers visiting their website and, when clicked, these ads can take a person to another website, usually for their product.

While annoying and harmless when used as intended, issues in this system start to happen when the intentions of an “advertiser” go beyond just advertisement.

There are malicious people on the Internet utilizing advertisements to leave our computers and information vulnerable for theft and abuse.

Some advertisements will come in as scareware trying to pressure people into calling their number or download a harmful program.

Scareware is a common pop-up that thousands have fallen victim to – giving up Social Security numbers or access to bank accounts, allowing malicious connections to their computers, leaving networks vulnerable and infected, and more.

Some advertisements, if not filtered by a website correctly, can actually contain viruses and infections that don’t allow a person an opportunity to protect their own browser and computer.

These infections usually leave spyware and trojans that try to steal your information from your computer.

Surprisingly, the websites with these sorts of advertisements may have never intended for you to fall victim to scareware or other infections.

Usually, websites with these ads tend to be smaller websites using an advertisement agency that does not fully screen all the advertisements they are receiving, allowing malicious people to send their harmful information out onto the Internet.

There is a very simple solution to these real threats: ad-blocking software. If you use Firefox or Google Chrome, there are two good options that you can attach to your browser.

The first option is Adblock Plus, which is a common choice that works well. There is also uBlock Origin that uses less processing power than Adblock Plus that also blocks most advertisements. Both of these options will go a very long way in protecting your computer.

If you are using Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, these web browsers do not support add-ons and have weak advertisement blocking capabilities.

Firefox and Chrome on their own, even without add-ons, are more secure than Internet Explorer. If you have not switched to Chrome or Firefox, I highly recommend you make the change soon.

The installation processes for Adblock Plus and uBlock Origins are very straightforward and easy on Chrome and Firefox. You can Google the ad-blocker you want to use and go to either the Chrome web store or Add-ons For Firefox, based on which browser you are using.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a substitute for anti-virus. Ad-blocking extensions for your browser simply help to block the things that could become nasty infections.

For a more protected computer, you should absolutely use both anti-virus and ad-blockers.

If you need help setting up ad-block software or have questions, you can always contact Tech Experts.

Stay safe and remember to use ad-blocking software to keep your Internet experience safe.

2017 Will See Worst Cyber Attacks To Date

jared-stemeye
Jared Stemeye is a Help Desk Technician at Tech Experts.

At least, according to cybersecurity experts.

There were around 500 million people with personal information leaked and over $2 billion stolen or lost in damages between 2015 and 2016 alone – and, chances are, you heard of at least one of the many high-profile data breaches during this time. Experian, Target and Yahoo all experienced massive data breaches within the past two years.

Beyond the private sector, government agencies such as the Office of Personnel Management (the bureau in charge of background checks on all government employees) were hit with cyberattacks, causing data leaks of over 22 million individuals who had undergone federal screening.

These numbers are quite alarming as top cybersecurity firms and analysts agree 2017 will see even more data breaches through the creation of ever-evolving and sophisticated malware.

Size Doesn’t Matter
In the cyber world, there are few things being bought and sold faster than data. Personal records, financial information, and even intellectual property are being distributed and exchanged for money or other data – and business is booming.

Organizations of all sizes were not fully aware of how this deeply embedded malware could potentially be infecting their systems without their knowledge until just recently.

The prevalence of zero-day attacks was not fully understood either. This has allowed attackers to prepare and disseminate virtually undetectable software to perform data dragnets across many networks, big and small.

It would be naïve to assume that all the data breaches occurring are currently exposed and being corrected. This is even truer for smaller, community-driven businesses that may have little to no persistent network security monitoring.

The Cost
Per the non-profit online security analysts Online Trust Alliance (OTA), approximately 82,000 cybersecurity incidents impacting more than 225 organizations worldwide were reported in 2016.

“As the majority of incidents are never reported to executives, law enforcement or regulators, the actual number of incidents causing harm combining all vectors including DDoS attacks could exceed 250,000,” OTA said.

Given this, it is well known by those affected that data breaches are expensive – and the longer the breach takes to discover, the more these costs can compound.

“If a breach took a long time to be found, then something about the existing infrastructure made it hard to discover the weakness sooner. That calls for rearchitecting the infrastructure, typically an expensive and time-consuming project. But that imperative is not always heeded,” says OTA. However, the cost of notifying victims and hiring security consultants to investigate, identify, and fix the problem can cost a company a lot more.

This is only the beginning as the costs of such an attack continue to rise when downtime, lost productivity, and the resulting lost revenue are considered.

Today’s Need For Cyber Defense
The scale of small business networks is becoming more complex as even basic technologies evolve.

Cloud deployment, fluid transfer of data across multiple devices, and the incorporation of all things Internet have made it increasingly difficult for your everyday office worker to navigate and detect threats.

For the attackers, though, nothing has changed. Malware will keep infecting these new systems and attackers will keep hunting for data to steal. “Cyber-attacks and cyber-defense is not a battle of attrition, it’s an arms race,” Ray Rothrock, CEO of Red Seal Security Analytics, says.

It is important to always be ahead in this race and, for businesses, it is becoming increasingly evident that having a full-time cybersecurity team at the ready is necessary for a fluent and successful operation.

Four Technology Tips To Enhance Your Small Business

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Technology has transformed the way small businesses operate, and making full use of the tools that are available can mean all the difference between success and failure in the competitive business environment of today.

Here are four tools that every small business owner should make full use of to transform how they do business.

Video
Video has been proven to increase conversions, enhance customer trust, add personality to a brand, and educate consumers about your products and services.

In addition, the use of video on your website can appeal to the Google search algorithms and significantly improve your chances of ranking well for a given keyword or phrase. Using a video in your local Google or Google Maps listing can also provide a huge boost to your online presence. [Read more…] about Four Technology Tips To Enhance Your Small Business

Explaining Wireless Solutions For Your Small Business

Anthony Glover is Tech Expert’s network engineer.

When it comes to wireless solutions, the average user can get overwhelmed by the terms that are often used – and, in some cases, there are devices that sound like they do exactly the same thing.

We’re here to help and give you some information on the differences between the solutions you’ll encounter.

Wireless Routers
There are several router solutions out there made by several manufactures. The wireless solution you want to approach when running your business will not only give you a wireless access point, but give you good range and the least amount of interference.

If you are running a small business, a consumer grade router may suffice for a small structure of users. It’s a good solution if you are just getting started with your network infrastructure or if you want a decent wireless radio.

This is a good solution if you are trying to cover a distance of about 2000 sq feet. Routers also provide a DHCP capability that will allow more than one user to use your Internet connection.

Most routers have up to 4 ports and open doors to direct network connectivity for your devices, such as printers, range extenders, network-attached storage devices, or even additional access points. Some wireless routers even provide VPN capabilities that will allow traffic to be routed from one location to the next, providing a gateway between sites.

Wireless Access Points
Access points are similar to routers minus the firewall and additional ports. They support port forwarding and have secure wireless capabilities. Some even support the POE function (Power On Ethernet).

This function allows powering the device using a POE device and Ethernet cable and allows placement virtually anywhere.

Not to mention, they add domain capabilities via wireless to allow a workstation to join a specific domain.

There are two types of access points available: consumer and enterprise grade access points.

Consumer grade access points are access points that are typically designed for the home user while enterprise access points are for users that need additional features that are designed for business use, such as manageability, and offer a better solution for security.

Today’s wireless access points provide support for Wireless AC, which have speeds of up to 1200 mbps and are compatible with older Wireless B, G, and N.

Most provide a single Ethernet port to provide connectivity to the network. supporting 10/100/1000 gbps.

Configuration GUI can be accessed by utilizing any browser that’s connected to the network. Some can even be used both indoors and outdoors, providing placement flexibility.

Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
Network-attached storage (NAS) can be an essential form of storage for any small business that needs to access data and share it amongst many.

The device provides a central location that users can access and allows storage data to be copied and saved. NAS devices also have room for more than one drive for additional storage options. Several manufactures have NAS devices available, so remember to read hardware reviews to make sure you are selecting the ideal NAS device and make sure to review the features to make sure it is within your business needs.

Should You Upgrade To A Solid State Drive?

Luke Gruden is a help desk technician for Tech Experts.

Solid state drives (SSD) are a relatively recent piece of technology that is slowly becoming more standard in the computer market, replacing hard disk drives.

SSDs are a very fast piece of technology that changes what we can do with computers, especially with mobile devices like tablets and laptops.

To understand the significance of an SSD, it’s important to understand the older hard disk drives (HDD) that most computers still use today.

HDDs are inexpensive and provide a large amount of space in a single drive. The speed of an HDD varies, but is very slow when compared to an SSD.

Since HDDs are cheaper, it is more reasonable to have large RAID of drives connecting to one another for backup purposes.

HDD are mechanical in nature in that it is a rotating disk spinning very fast with a single needle reading the information off of the disk.

Anything mechanical like this breaks down over time with wear and tear. If a laptop with an HDD gets hit or tilted at the wrong time, this can cause the HDD to break. For more portable and on the go devices, SSDs will not break nearly as easily as HDDs.

The biggest “pro” for SSD over HDD is the speed of an SSD in reading information.

For most computers, loading up Windows will take about a minute or much longer. With an SSD installed, Windows can load up in seconds. SSDs are about 10X faster than HDDs, possibly more depending on your set-up.

Having programs like Word and Excel open up instantly can drastically change your workflow and productivity. Having a faster drive means nearly everything you load from your computer will run faster as an SSD does not need to search for information like an HDD.

SSDs are still expensive when compared to HDDs, but are becoming cheaper with time. Currently, I can find a 500GB SSD for about $230 while a good HDD for the same space is about $100, so SSDs are little over twice as expensive as HDDs. Additionally, most HDDs will not fit into a laptop while all SSDs can fit into laptops.

If you wanted to upgrade to an SSD from an HDD, there is a cloning process where you can directly copy your drive information over to the new SSD as though nothing was ever changed other than the drive. This process would keep all of your programs and information and gain all the speed that comes with having a SSD.

If you want faster load times on your computer, have a laptop that moves around often, or you want Windows and Windows programs to start up almost instantly, then you want to upgrade your device to an SSD.

If you want a lot of storage with less expense but you can handle having slower speeds, keep your HDD. If you are interested in upgrading your computer but aren’t too sure yet, give us a call at Tech Experts and we can help.

Virtual Private Networks: What, Who And Why

jared-stemeye
Jared Stemeye is a Help Desk Technician at Tech Experts.
In our modern world, it is tough to come by anyone born within the last two generations who doesn’t use a smart phone, tablet, or other personal computing device daily.

With the ongoing tech revolution comes continuous news of hacked users, mass data collection, and online tracking reported by mainstream news outlets.

This is the reason Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are becoming a necessity as computer users conduct more and more of their day-to-day lives online.

What Is A Virtual Private Network?
A VPN is a group of computers or networks linked together over an Internet connection. All the information sent or received over the Internet is automatically encrypted when connected to a VPN.

Typically, VPN services offer the highest forms of encryption to protect said data, providing peace of mind for anyone conducting personal or business-related tasks where sensitive information may be present.

As the technology has evolved, VPN applications have become very easy to install and operate. Many of the popular personal-use VPN software developers have made it as simple as installing the app and turning the VPN service on.

Premium VPN services even allow users to choose to mask their IP address, making it appear as though you are accessing the Internet from an entirely different country, which can be quite useful if you do not like your web activity tracked by ad-targeting websites like Facebook or YouTube or your Internet Service Provider.

Who Most Commonly Uses VPNs?
Many different individuals and organizations use VPNs for varying reasons, but the need for a strong layer of security is the fundamental purpose for everyone.

From a business standpoint, VPNs can be easily set up and maintained so that employees can securely access company resources and tools from anywhere on any network or Internet connection without the fear of having sensitive information intercepted.

Further, this encompasses all aspects of a business’ need for security of payroll information, employee and customer information, scheduling, and any other confidential company documentation.

The population of personal VPN users has expanded dramatically in the past year. VPNs are the perfect solution for frequent travelers and those who value their privacy, which has become increasingly difficult to maintain.

Why Should You Use a VPN?
Most of us consider ourselves law-abiding “digizens,” using networks for entertainment, communication and knowledge – but other net users may not be so nice or trustworthy.

A VPN can protect you by concealing your web activities from those with prying eyes under layers of encryption that makes all of your web traffic nearly impossible to intercept or track.

This is especially relevant if you are a frequent user of public Wi-Fi networks, such as your favorite lunch spot or coffee shop. The act of accessing vital information on your devices through a public network is easier than most realize.

Given this, I highly recommend the use of a VPN for your daily Internet use, whether it is personal or professional.

Joining the privatized world of VPNs is an easy and extremely beneficial process.

VPN providers are generally friendly and typically on hand to help should a problem arise.

If you are just getting started with VPNs, consider acquainting yourself more in-depth through a Google search of the top VPN applications and their different features.

Six Tips For Making 2017 Your Most Productive Year Yet

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Want to up your game in 2017? Ready to hit the ground running? Here are some great tips for making 2017 your most productive year yet.

Squeeze everything you can out of your day
Get to work on the tasks that are hanging over your head at every opportunity. Long commute? Catch up on the latest industry news, draft a few emails or start to plan your tasks for the day ahead. Work remotely? Use any downtime you have, like waiting on hold to speak to the doctor or standing in line at the bank, to tackle the tasks you haven’t yet found time to accomplish.

Become more efficient at completing routine activities
It’s highly likely that you spend a significant proportion of your time on unproductive tasks that do nothing to enhance your achievements. Take a look at your weekly tasks and identify which of them add no value, which can be better managed, and which you can delegate. Make sure you are spending your time on the tasks that really matter. [Read more…] about Six Tips For Making 2017 Your Most Productive Year Yet

An Introduction To Cloud Computing

Anthony Glover is Tech Expert’s network engineer.

So what is cloud computing? In definition, it’s the practice of using a network of remote servers on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, instead of a local server or a PC.

Ideally, cloud computing is the future of computing, from creating a backup to managing cloud software. Think of this as the easy-access entity for your computing devices, network, etc.

Using the cloud improves mobility and, should you find yourself in a situation with data loss or equipment damage, it shortens disaster recovery time. Additionally, it can significantly lower prices on hardware.

So why utilize the cloud?
Today, the cloud is broadly used and anyone that doesn’t use it today is left in the dark in several ways. The main issue is the redundancy and the ability that can be utilized with the cloud.

A cloud interface for items – such as local software, local backups, your everyday access of traditional programs used throughout your organization – can all be gathered and placed in a cloud environment, making them obtain a failsafe attribute that no other service today can provide. The ability to access, change, and provide these features end-users live for through a managed cloud-based environment is essential in any technical environment today.

How secure is the cloud?
The cloud is the safest environment for your data – as well as the most cost effective and easiest way to manage each and every aspect of computing at your business.

Your data can not only be backed up via the cloud, but can also be expanded just by paying for additional space rather than additional equipment. Some services even provide real-time backups that update as you add new material to your PC. This brings in the peace of mind that your data is not only backed up, but safe.

How fast is the cloud?
The cloud is as seamless as your Internet connection. The faster the Internet connection, the faster the cloud connection. Of course, network equipment can also be a contributing factor when having a seamless cloud environment. With that said, the faster the networking equipment, the better.

Of course, there are recommended system requirements for any cloud device or service, however they do vary based on the solution depth and complexity.

Can I have multiple devices backup to the cloud?
Yes, you can. You can have multiple seamless cloud backups going at once that can not only be real time, but managed by a professional to make sure that all of your critical data is accessible and up-to-date.

At Tech Experts, we can provide a solution that can fulfill your cloud back-up needs with a managed environment you would expect from a technical provider.

I’m interested – where do I sign up for the cloud?
The cloud is closer than you think. In fact, it’s just a phone call and a service visit away.

Call one of our trained and detail-oriented professionals today at (734) 457-5000 to inquire about a cloud-based managed solution that’s suitable for your small business.

How To Avoid Infections On Your Company’s Network

Luke Gruden is a help desk technician for Tech Experts.

Computers are just like people – they too can catch a virus and become infected. Your computer can potentially be infected from anything it connects or interacts with, so it’s important to watch what disk or USB device you insert into your computer or websites you go to.

What is a computer infection?
A computer infection is referring to malicious software that can harm your computer or even steal your information. There’s more than one variation of it. There is spyware that watches what you type and do on your computer to gather and steal information.

There is adware which will change your settings and hijack certain parts of your computer to promote its own products.

There is cryptoware which will lock your whole computer and make it unusable.
There are also many other types of infections or malware that your computer can come across.

Is my computer infected?
If your computer has been running slower recently and you are seeing strange pop-ups or odd programs, you are very possibly infected. At Tech Experts, we monitor many different computers, keeping track of any odd processes and programs that are installed. We also have managed anti-virus that further helps us identify when our client’s computers could be infected.

How can I clean an infected computer?
There are many tools and resources that can be used to clean an infected computer and no single tool is absolutely perfect. Usually when cleaning an infection, we run at least three to four different (reputable) programs, depending on what type of infection it is.

If it is a very deep infection, we could end up running seven or more different programs to clean out the infection. It is important to know which tools to use and how to use them, however.

Certain programs can cause damage to the computers’ registry if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for.

How do you prevent an infection?
Understanding your computer habits are one of the biggest ways to prevent infections. If you find yourself web surfing to questionable sites or to sites you’ve never been to before, this is one of the biggest ways to catch an infection.

Downloaded programs you don’t remember installing are one of the biggest red flags of an infection. Opening up emails and attachments that you don’t know where they came from is a good way to become infected. Know the sites you visit are safe and be attentive to what emails and downloads you view.

Having a good anti-virus is very important for a clean computer protected from those threats that you cannot see normally. At Tech Experts, we provide AV for ourselves and clients that prevent most infections. No AV is 100% able to stop all infections. With hackers making new threats every day, there is no method to make sure all possible vulnerabilities are blocked.

However, having good software and good habits will prevent the great majority of infections of hopping onto your computer.