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Faster Updates On The Horizon For Windows Users

Last month, Microsoft announced that the latest release of Windows will deliver more rapid and smaller OS updates straight to user’s mobile devices or PCs.

The group’s Unified Update Platform (UUP) encompasses a novel set of technologies that will offer “differential downloads;” that is, OS updates that deliver specifically what the user needs and nothing more. Microsoft is using the analogy of a gaming app to explain how the concept works. If a user downloads an update to an existing gaming app as opposed to downloading the entire game again, the user simply receives the data required to update the game. In the same way, the differential download package will only contain the data related to the changes that have been made since the last update, thereby significantly reducing the download speed and size.

In addition to making updates faster and more efficient, Microsoft will also enhance the logic that underpins the OS update checks. Instead of sending data back and forth, it will place the processing burden on the server, making checks much faster.

Mobile users can also expect to see some positive changes. While new mobile devices have traditionally been delivered at the base build and have required “two hops” to reach the latest release, mobile devices will now behave more like PCs, offering single-hop updates.

How To Identify And Handle Scareware Pop-ups

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

Let’s say you’re reading the latest news articles on a webpage you visit regularly. In an instant, a new browser window flashes onto your screen, blinking with some sort of notice, a warning of virus infections, a legitimate looking logo, and a phone number to call.

Some of these even employ audio statements such as, “Your PC is infected. If you close this window you will lose all information stored on your hard drive.”

These tactics combined do a very good job of eliciting emotions of fear and anxiousness from their victims.

However, with the proper knowledge to identify the fraudulent practices of these groups, along with the proper steps to handle such occurrences, you will be able to avoid the hardship many others have encountered.

The first thing you should know is that it is quite simple for anyone to attach the Microsoft, or any name brand anti-virus’ insignia onto the page to make it appear convincingly genuine. The ‘official’ logos you see on these pop-ups are not legitimate, though it is very easy to think that they are.

The second, and probably the most important, thing to know is to never – under any circumstances – call the phone number provided by the pop-up.

The disreputable individuals on the other end of the phone are not meant to help you. Like the pop-ups, they too are proficient at inducing anxiety among their victims, urging those who call to allow permission for remote access to the targeted computer.

Once someone has access to your desktop, they have access to all your locally stored files and can make changes to them as well as plant malware or spyware.

Never allow remote access to your computer unless you, without any doubt, know who it is you’re allowing access.

Now, what you should do next? First, attempt to close the window as you would with any other window by clicking the X in the top right corner.

In many cases, a dialogue box will appear at the top of the screen, providing more anxiety-inducing phrases to make you think your actions are incorrect. Rest assured you are on your way to ridding yourself of the pop-up.

Browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox have an opportunity to prevent these boxes from reappearing after you exit out of them. In the pop-up box, click the check field next to the “prevent additional dialogues” option and click OK.

If the pop-up window has yet to close, retry exiting out of the window. No additional dialogue boxes should appear at this point, allowing you to regain control of your computer.

If the pop-up window does not close after these steps or if the issue persists after a short period, contact your trusted IT team to remove the issue.

Under any circumstance, remember, these pop-ups are not viruses themselves and, if you follow the advice given in this article, they will cause no harm to your computer.

However, it is still best practice to run a full virus scan if this does occur to ensure you are unaffected.

Five Simple Year-End Technology Tasks To Start 2017 Right

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

If you want to get 2017 off to the right start as far as your technology is concerned, do a little end-of-year cleaning with these five simple tasks.

Update all of your passwords
If 2016 taught us anything, it’s that security and data infringement threats are at an all-time high. Most people don’t bother to change their passwords until after they have been hacked, which beats the purpose.

Now is the right time to change your passwords. The longer your password is, the better. For added security, use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Clean up your hard drive
Get rid of any files you no longer need. Not only will this step reduce the number of files you store on your computer, but it will also make finding needed files much easier.

It will also free up your storage space. If you’re not sure whether you need a file or not, archive it so that you can access it at a later time, if the need arises.

Reorganize your file structure
Once you have ditched the stuff you don’t need, invest some time creating a robust and intuitive file structure so that you’ll spend less time in 2017 searching for documents you know are there somewhere but just can’t seem to find.

Ditch the applications you no longer use
No doubt you have downloaded a whole host of applications that you never use or that have since been replaced by better versions.

Uninstall any programs you are not using to free up space and declutter your computer or mobile device.

Check that your software is up to date
The start of the year is a great time to make sure all the applications and software programs that you use are fully up to date.

In addition to protecting your security by ensuring you have the latest secure versions of an app, keeping your software up to date will also help you to make sure you are not missing out on any great new features.

Why Technology Is Important For Your Small Business

Anthony Glover is Tech Expert’s network engineer.

In modern computing, it is very important that you have a technological solution in place to allow smooth function at your small business. Here are 5 reasons why it’s important to do so.

Business Growth
As your business grows, you’re going to need a plan for expansion if you expect to grow. Technology changes every day and it’s important to stay up to speed with the latest and greatest tech in order to move forward in the growth direction. In today’s tech, there are even data growth solutions that will grow with your business automatically.

This not only saves time with expansion, but allows your business to save money in the long run. Technology is very important and should not be taken for granted in order for your business to thrive effectively.

On-The-Move Tech
As your business grows and you begin to move forward, you will need to be able to run your business from several locations. Technology allows you to do this from one central location. Utilizing tech makes certain that you’re not only monitoring your business at all locations, but that it’s more secure than ever.

From mobile devices to laptops to networking equipment, an IT professional will provide you with the best care needed to keep your business with you at all times.

Fewer Headaches With A Managed Plan
With a managed plan (such as the ones Tech Experts offer), your computer problems are monitored and are taken care of by a tech professional.

This cleans your hands of computer problems and allows you to run your business more effectively — minus the technology headache — and keeps your business running much more efficiently.

All workstations will be managed and up-to-date, along with programs that normally would fall behind due to user awareness.

Our tech team can and will make sure that your workstations servers and network equipment will have the latest firmware and software updates available.

Automate Computation
In today’s tech there are many ways to automate normally manual tasks. Such as automated password or online form completion.

Technology is designed to complete tasks for you while you sit back and save time and save money. Take advantage of a solution that is going to improve your everyday small business life on a colossal scale. Automation is domination in the computer world and should not be taken lightly.

Reduce Redundancy
Your data is a vital component to your business and it is very important that your data does not get overlooked.

When functioning in a business environment, the best practice is to not only have a backup of your data but prevent your data from being lost to begin with. This is when redundancy comes in.

Your server for your business should be monitored, verified, and managed by an IT professional. This will allow you to function throughout the day without worrying about your data being safe and secure, keep an increased outlook on productivity, and allow for a guaranteed solution for data retrieval.

Which Is Better – Ethernet Or Wi-Fi?

Luke Gruden is a help desk technician for Tech Experts.

To physically plug in your computer to the Internet or to use the air waves to connect to the net — more popularly recognized as Wi-Fi — is a good question to ask with many good answers, but it comes down to what you need out of your Internet connection.

An Ethernet connection is a wired connection from one network device (like your computer) to another network device. This wired connection is usually made of copper with some form of shielding.

Some Ethernet wires are even designed to take harsh weather conditions. Ethernet connections come in many different sizes and can be cut and made into any length you want, with 329 feet usually being the limit of a single long Ethernet cord.

A Wi-Fi connection is where one network device connects with another network device by sending wireless signals.

The distance that a Wi-Fi signal can travel is based on the strength of the signal, type of signal, and the objects and walls between both Wi-Fi devices. There are different type of wireless signals like N signal, G signals, and AC signals which can have a large impact on distance and quality of signal.

The benefits of using Wi-Fi are that you don’t have wires restricting where you can place your computer. This is especially useful if you need to move to different locations in a home or office without losing your Internet connection.

Wi-Fi is easy to share with others as you don’t need an Ethernet cord for each device that wants access. Your router can still have a limit of how many connections can connect, however.

The disadvantages of using Wi-Fi are that it can be very unsecure and have performance issues with maintaining speed or connections.

Public Wi-Fi connections can be compromised or falsified, causing everyone using the signal to have their data stolen. I avoid using public Wi-Fi signals as it can cost me all my credentials for websites I use. The benefits of using an Ethernet connection is that it is the most consistent and fastest connection you can have with another network device, providing consistent speed.

Ethernet connections are physical and can easily keep track of who is connected to the network and where. Ethernet speeds do not slow down with distance or obstacles. If you can plug an Ethernet cord in, the speed difference between a long cord and a small cord is negligible.

The disadvantages of using Ethernet cords is that if the cord is cut or damage, you most likely need to replace the whole Ethernet wire.

It can be tricky to conceal Ethernet wiring and require holes to be drilled throughout the building. You usually cannot move Ethernet wires along with you if you are using a laptop.

What it really comes down to between using Wi-Fi and Ethernet is if you favor security and speed or if you favor convenience and sharing.

If you need a secure environment with fast Internet speeds, you want to use a wired gigabit Ethernet connection.

If you need many strangers, family, or friends to connect easily and you need access in many rooms without hassle, you want to use a Wi-Fi connection.

Choose what is best for your business or home; if you have any questions, reach us at (734) 457-5000 and we can help you narrow down your choices.

Using Technology to Improve Your Business

In this day and age, small businesses are facing a serious question: keep doing business as usual or try to adopt and incorporate a more relevant way of doing things.

Keeping the status quo may be one of the reasons the business has remained so successful, but it may also be one of the reasons it starts to falter in the future. There is a certain loyalty to small, local businesses, but speed, convenience, and consistence overrules loyalty after a while.

With a few simple changes, it’s possible to keep the business running as usual (on the outside), while streamlining the way it operates from the inside. Ultimately, this provides the customers with the speed, convenience, and consistency they require to remain loyal.

The first change a business can make is to ensure a fast, easy way to accept credit cards as tender. A lot of small business still don’t accept credit cards or debit cards because they simply don’t have the means. Or, they accept these forms of payment, but rely on outdated, and time consuming methods, such as phone lines.

The solution to this is to utilize mobile devices to scan and authorize payments. More and more businesses are using this method and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing.

The second improvement that can be made is with accounting and bookkeeping. Using an accounting program that is not based in the cloud or using a program that the company has used for a decade may have worked in the past. However, as the business grows and taxes, payroll, and the bottom line increases, the business is going to be better off using a program that is constantly updated, constantly backed up, and that can be accessed from anywhere.

You move around a lot — and being able to access these important aspects of your business whenever you want and wherever you go becomes an important tool for managing your business on the go. The third and most important aspect of managing your business is providing your employees and customers with ways to contribute and feel valued.

A great way to do this is to keep an open line of communication with them. Implementing ways to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and feelings about their job and experience is becoming an important variable in employee and customer satisfaction.

In office settings, it can be very helpful to implement an instant messaging program between employees. This provides a way for everyone to communicate easily. In retail settings, employee text messaging groups can be utilized or social media groups can be used to let them feel a part of the team. Feeling a part of the team is crucial and feeling valued is even more important.

Social media can be huge when it’s used to interact with customers. Asking a customer to share their experience on Google or Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. will always result in more and more people becoming aware of the services and experiences your business can provide.

These three changes can improve the way your business operates on a day to day basis, without having too much overhead costs, and without having to overhaul major aspects of the business. They can improve employee and customer satisfaction, as well as make them all feel included. In the end, the general sense from the customers will be one of “Whatever they changed, I like it, and it works.”

DDoS Becomes A 1 Terabit Phenomenon

Back in the middle of September, some amazingly terrifying things were happening in the world of technology. A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack reached a mind-boggling 1.1 Terabits per second. Not all users are familiar with DDoS attacks, but we’ll explain how it scales to give perspective, why it affects smaller businesses, and how you can protect yourself.

First, what is a DDoS and why does it matter? A DDoS attack consists of many compromised devices targeting a single system. The compromised devices target the system by attempting to overwhelm an online service.

Once it is successfully overwhelmed, it can be temporarily unavailable or crash completely. There is generally not any irreparable damage to the system itself, but data that is mid-transfer can become corrupted and the system can become unresponsive preventing you from accessing it for work.

Secondly, we generally do not think in Terabits. People on a day-to-day basis are generally dealing with Kilobits and Megabits (which is 1000 Kilobits). When you download a file, you are likely doing it between 10-20 Megabits. This means that this new DDoS attack is 50,000 to 100,000 times faster than your average computer. These numbers are achieved by creating a series of compromised devices acting under singular actions, also known as a botnet.

Chances are, you have never been the victim of a DDoS attack. Unfortunately, that may change. In recent years, attacks on small businesses have increased substantially and the damaging potential has increased over time.

Part of the rise of DDoS attacks is the availability of easy-to-use tools off of disreputable markets and websites. With less skill needed to participate, more people can begin creating DDoS attacks.

So what can you do if someone decides to bombard you with a 1 Terabit attack? At that point, wait for it to end. Realistically, no one with that kind of botnet is going to attack a smaller business unless they have a personal vendetta against you.

More likely is a much smaller DDoS attack, something in the realm of sub-100 Gigabit attacks. But what can you do to defend yourself? Well, you might already be on the right track to preventing attacks not only to your business, but others as well. The main way smaller attackers are making a big impact is based on an open DNS resolver.

Now, what’s an open DNS resolver? More or less, it is an error. A DNS can be open or closed; an open DNS resolver allows traffic and requests from any Internet source while a closed DNS limits who can use it. Using open DNS’s, people can bounce off of open resolvers for both a larger attack as well as anonymity. How can you fix this? Most DNS clients are open by default, so make sure that when you set one up, you close it. When an attack does hit, it will generally give you an IP. Make sure to check out which DNS resolver it is coming from and to update the settings.

In the end, all you can do is make sure that your infrastructure is set up in a way that protects your data from a DDoS attack. Double-check your DNS resolvers to make sure they are not open, keep up to date backups available in case of the worst, and inform law enforcement when it does happen so that they may be able to track down the culprits and put an end to their childish games.

Mistakes To Avoid When Setting Up Your Small Business Network

Anthony Glover is Tech Expert’s network engineer.

Setting up your ideal network environment can be tricky. Here are a few things to avoid when setting up your network at your small business.

Lack of security on your network
Avoid this at all costs. A secure network is a happy network and, not to mention, a reliable one. This is especially needed if your business depends on confidentiality.

Lack of security leaves you vulnerable to hackers or curious individuals that could obtain information that could be vital to your business.

Ideally, a firewall is an essential choice when security is a factor in your networking environment.

Insecure wireless networking
A wireless connection is a convenient way for wireless devices such as printers, phones, laptops, or any other device that has wireless capability to connect to your network.

However, the convenience factor can turn problematic if left insecure.

When it comes to wireless networking as a security factor, always set a password on your SSID (such as WPSK or WPSK2). Your password should – at the very least – include a capital letter, numbers, and special characters such as “!”.

Poor network management
Poor network management is a much overlooked problem and can quickly become the worst thing that could happen to any small business network.

Good management of your networking equipment will keep your network secure. Poor management can lead to vulnerabilities in the network due to a lack of updates and a lack of securing ports, leading to possible intrusion from hackers.

Remember, all aspects of management are very important. This can include detailed and organized cabling, updating firewall firmware, updating servers and workstations, and securing ports on your server or end-user computers.

Network management – when done right – is ideal for your small business network and should be done by an IT professional such as Tech Experts.

Bad placement of Wi-Fi access points
Bad placement of a WAP can be a huge problem for wireless network signal performance. Poor signal strength can cause slow connections to both the Internet and your local area network and causes sluggish performance of your overall network.

It isn’t enough to simply choose the strongest WAP; it also needs to be placed where it can work properly.

To make sure you get the best performance out of it, it should be located in the center of the area you need to cover.

You should also keep in mind that the weakest signal points are directly below and above your WAP.

Cutting corners on speed
Buying a 10 mbps switch just because it’s on sale is a bad idea. Speed is your friend, especially when setting up your small business network.

A faster network will increase activity and save you time and money in the long run. 1 gbps equipment should be the ideal solution to not only transfer traffic faster, but access everything on your network faster.

We know networks aren’t easy as pie, which is why we always recommend having a professional IT team set up your office.

Cheaper isn’t better, especially when a poorly done set-up can cause large problems once you’re operating.

If you’re looking to set up a new building or relocate (or even redo your current office), give us a call at (734) 457-5000, or email at info@mytechexperts.com, to see what we can do for you.

Five Signs That You Need A New Work Computer

Luke Gruden is a help desk technician for Tech Experts.
A work computer is one of your greatest tools in the modern era. Like any other tool, you want to make sure you have the right one for the job – and that your tools are maintained and replaced if necessary.

Computers evolve and change faster than anything else and the demands of security and new software require that your computer be somewhat recent, not a museum piece.

The fastest way to tell if you need a new computer is if your computer boots up into Windows XP or to a Windows system older than 2000.

Windows XP is such old technology that Microsoft no longer provides security updates for it. This leaves XP computers vulnerable to security loopholes and hacking attempts. Even the most high-end computer from XP times would run very slow for modern programs, which often won’t even load properly.

Google Chrome, the web browser, doesn’t even run on an XP. If you boot up to a Windows XP, it is time to replace the computer. Windows Vista is your second sign that you might need to replace your computer soon.

The operating system is still receiving security updates from Microsoft, but not for much longer: April 11, 2017 is the last day of support for Vista. Windows Vista will be over 10 years old, which is about 90 years old in computer years.

In the computer world, we have Moore’s Law, which means that roughly about every 2 years we’re able to double processing power for about the same cost. After 10 years, a computer that would have cost $300 will not run at even a tenth of the speed of a modern computer of the same cost. It is about time to replace that Vista computer; if not this year, then definitely next year.

You might have noticed on different versions of Windows that it says 32-bit or 64-bit at the end of its title. This is important. A 32-bit OS cannot properly utilize newer computers. Without getting too technical: if your computer cannot support a 64-bit operating system, this is a good sign that you might need to replace your computer soon. Having a 32-bit OS is your third sign that you might need to replace your computer.

The fourth sign is if your computer came with a CRT monitor when it was new. A CRT monitor is an older monitor that is big and bulky with a square display instead of a widescreen display like all modern TVs and monitors.

If your computer came with a CRT monitor, replace this computer immediately. This computer will not run many modern applications. It may not even run basic websites that are out there today, let alone modern computer programs.

The last sign is that you’re asking this question about your current computer. Chances are, if your computer is 4 to 6 years old, it could be time to replace your computer if you need to run modern applications. If 10 years is 90 in computer years, then 6 years old is getting up there in age.

If you are still questioning if it’s a good idea to replace your computer, give Tech Experts a call. Once learn more about your particular situation, we can help you figure out if your current computer suits your work needs or if you should take the plunge to upgrade.

To Firewall, Or Not To Firewall, That Is The Question

When operating a small business, there are many things to consider regarding your communication. Whether it’s within the office or to the outside world, efficient and secure communication is a key component to running a business effectively.

There’s also the issue of transferring data, which can be considered the biggest aspect concerning the communication needs of your business. Internet and network security is a big topic these days, with all the changes inherent with technology, and all the vulnerabilities popping up all over the place.

Just last year, it was figured that roughly a million new viruses, spyware, and other malware created each day. Yes, a MILLION PER DAY. After that sinks in, consider this: it only takes roughly 82 seconds for sensitive data to be hacked, duplicated, and dispersed to the world at large.

Last year, 5 out of 6 companies were targeted by some piece of malicious software. Most of the new threats are things like digital extortion, sophisticated breaching attacks, and social media hacks.

A firewall is a good way to protect yourself and your company against an attack. A firewall is either a physical box or a piece of software that provides protection. They update on a regular basis to combat against the biggest and baddest hacker software out there. Even if they can’t update quite fast enough, it’s much better than just leaving your network unprotected.

The first, and simplest method, is to make use of the firewall that comes with your operating system. This is typically the built-in Windows Firewall.

This firewall is commonly used and is usually a good idea for a very small company. It’s perfect for an organization with low traffic and not much sensitive data (such as credit card data, social security numbers, addresses, and other personal data).

A physical firewall is a better choice for bigger, more established business with a need for robust and reliable security. Don’t get me wrong; even if you have a smaller business with little data transfer and communication, a physical firewall is always a good way to go. But you should really use a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether it’s really worth going through the extra steps and money it would take to implement a solution like this.

Physical firewalls can be looked at like something that separates the outside world from your internal network.

They are robust, they provide an added layer of security, and you get what you pay for. It is always recommended that you use a physical firewall.

The downside of this, however, is two-fold. First, and most obvious, you have to splurge a little to get a decent solution. Secondly, someone has to know how to install, configure, and maintain it. This is where Tech Experts comes in.

Once it’s all said and done, if your security measures are in place, you can rest assured that your days will be less stressful. You’ll be able to sleep at night knowing your data and other forms of communication are protected from the outside world.