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BlackBerry To Profit From Patents

by David Stone, Technician
After a little over a decade of being a main mobile power in the business world, Blackberry (NASDAQ: BBRY) is fading to black.

The smartphone and tablet manufacturer is getting edged out by an array of factors: First they waited too long to release a device that could compete with Android and iOS, and then fell short on innovative features and operability. Secondly, they failed to market their devices to generate the kind of “tech buzz” needed to drive consumer sales these days.

While Blackberry reigned supreme as the go-to business message service and mobile emailing solution, they were surpassed by changes in industry and social popularity.

Perhaps they made changes too little too late, or perhaps they thought that their grip on the business world would ever cease. Either way, they will forever be an example of how refusing to adapt and change or not being able to see the coming change will extinct your business.

The announcement of profit losses was preceded by a work force reduction plan and the possibility of going private. Both indicate a company in turmoil, not a tech giant about to reinvent the way people connect and share data. The future for new devices looks bleak at Blackberry, but the future of the company looks like it might have some options that provide low-maintenance profitability.

In addition to being the 6th largest manufacturer of mobile devices (smartphones & tablets) Blackberry also provides mobile internet service to 91 countries on a worldwide network of over 500 mobile carriers.

Blackberry also holds a lot of proprietary patents, which much like Microsoft will generate plenty of income with little to no cost. This would essentially turn the company into a technology holding company, with a focus on maintaining licensing not developing new hardware. In effect, this would hand the company over to the lawyers and wrestle it away from the engineers. That does not bode well for any company that wants to be an industry trend-setter.

With stiff competition from Android and iOS, a former industry standard in the world of mobile computing is all but gone. Perhaps it will remain in the ring for a few more rounds with a cult-like following of users, or maybe they will break into the services sector and resurge as a mobile-enhancement services company.

It’s A Scary Time For Your Company’s Systems And Data

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

We sent out an email a few days ago alerting folks to a new and particularly nasty virus that’s making the rounds. It’s called CryptoLocker and, if your systems get infected with this particular kind of “ransomware,” it is, frankly, a nightmare.

CryptoLocker scans your system and looks for all of your file storage locations – your local C: drive, any USB thumb or external drives, and even network shares (if you save files on your S: drive, for example).

It then encrypts every file it finds using a sophisticated, spy-level type of encryption. Your files – Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. – all become unusable.

Pay up, or else
You’ll then get a pop up on your system, letting you know that your personal files are encrypted, and if you want the key to unlock them, you’ll need to pay the cyber crooks to get it. The ransom (thus, the term “ransomware”) is anywhere from $300 on up. And, there’s a deadline – 72 to 100 hours – after which, the key to your files is destroyed, and you’re simply out of luck.

Prevention
This nasty virus is spread by opening email attachments or through other “social engineering” means.

Spam/virus filtering are generally aware of the threat and actively block emails that contain elements of this and other malware.

We suggest notifying your employees immediately of this new virus and making sure everyone is following some basic preventive measures:

  • Do not click on attachments in emails from someone you don’t know or companies from which you haven’t expressed interest in receiving information.
  • Do not click on links, advertisements or pictures that pop up on your screen when visiting other websites.
  • Do not engage in social media games or click on links that appear on social media platforms.

The virus emails come in the form of a shipping notice from UPS or FedEx. It is obviously fake, but the scammers make it look very real.

Why aren’t you backing up your data?
I’ve been in the IT business for nearly 27 years and I can say I’ve pretty much seen it all. But I’m still astounded when we run across a business owner who isn’t backing up their data.

Studies show that only six out of every 10 people back up their computer files. The 40% that don’t said that it was because they didn’t think they needed to.

According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 70% of small businesses that suffer a significant data loss go out of business within a year.

These ransomware and other destructive viruses are becoming more and more prevalent. We work hard to keep your systems safe and protected, but no antivirus software catches 100% of everything.

More than ever, it is vitally important that your business have a solid backup system that is managed, monitored and tested. Too many times we’ve gone in to help a new client who is in the middle of a disaster, only to find out they were religiously changing tapes in a system that hadn’t successfully ran a backup in months – or years.

How You Can Benefit From An Annual Security Assessment

by Jeremy Miller, Technician
Most companies have an IT service provider or an IT department to take care of all of the IT needs of the company.

These technicians can easily address any issues that arise. Most issues are not addressed until they become known and are reported to the IT service provider either from the person having the issue or monitoring software they have installed.

It is best to have your IT service provider run an assessment once or even better twice a year.

This can make you and your IT provider aware of any security issues that are not easily monitored or would cost too much to monitor.

A security audit can be implemented for a number of reasons.

Some organizations are required to have them if the information they are using needs to be secure based on a compliance standard such as HIPPA or PCI.

Every day new vulnerabilities are discovered and it is too time consuming to test every device on every network for each security risk that is discovered as they are discovered.

This is where the security audit shines; it can be used to check for any known vulnerability on every device on your network.
Even with all of the security software commonly installed on all business computers such as anti-virus, service checks, and patch management there can still be security risks running behind the scenes that can be detrimental to your company.

A security assessment can let you know if any software is using an insecure port to an employee’s malicious actions.

It can show you if an application is using more bandwidth than it should, which may be causing other issues on your network.

Security assessments are the best tools to test for data leakage. Data loss is every businesses problem. Significant data loss causes a business to fail almost 70% of the time.

There are other times beside annually that it is good to get a security assessment. It would be best to get them before and after changing IT providers.

It is good to get one after any large installation or migration. This can be a business application, hardware such as new computers or a new server or even a physical migration such as moving to a new location or building an addition.

Security assessments are increased in effectiveness when you run a baseline security assessment. A baseline security assessment is when you run an assessment before you do any changes to your current IT setup.

This will let you know where you are before any changes are made. You can then have a comparison to verify that your security is improving.

A baseline security assessment will also let you know what vulnerabilities you need to address. Some of these vulnerability issues can be quite costly to repair and are great to plan for.

The sooner you get an assessment the sooner you will be able to make informed decisions based on your actual network risks security requirements.

Everyone’s security needs are different; we can assist you with any questions or concerns that you may have about security assessments.

Top Tips To Avoid A Virus Or Malware Infection

by Michael Menor, Network Technician
Malware is short for “malicious software.” It includes viruses and spyware that get installed on your computer, phone, or mobile device without your consent.

These programs can cause your device to crash and can be used to monitor and control your online activity. Criminals use malware to steal personal information, send spam, and commit fraud.

Avoid Malware
Scam artists try to trick people into clicking on links that will download malware and spyware to their computers, especially computers that don’t use adequate security software. To reduce your risk of downloading unwanted malware and spyware:

Keep your security software updated. At a minimum, your computer should have anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall. Set your security software, internet browser, and operating system (like Windows or Mac OS) to update automatically.

Don’t click on any links or open any attachments in emails unless you know who sent it and what it is. Clicking on links and attachments – even in emails that seem to be from friends or family – can install malware on your computer.

Download and install software only from websites you know and trust. Downloading free games, file-sharing programs, and customized toolbars may sound appealing, but free software can come with malware.

Minimize “drive-by” downloads. Make sure your browser security setting is high enough to detect unauthorized downloads. For Internet Explorer, for example, use the “medium” setting at a minimum.

Use a pop-up blocker and don’t click on any links within pop-ups. If you do, you may install malware on your PC. Close pop-up windows by clicking on the “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the title bar.

Resist buying software in response to unexpected pop-up messages or emails, especially ads that claim to have scanned your computer and detected malware. That’s a tactic scammers use to spread malware.

Talk about safe computing. Tell your kids that some online actions can put the computer at risk: clicking on pop-ups, downloading “free” games or programs, opening chain emails, or posting personal information.

Back up your data regularly. Whether its text files or photos that are important to you, back up any data that you’d want to keep in case your computer crashes.

Detect Malware

Monitor your computer for unusual behavior. Your computer may be infected with malware if it:

  • slows down, crashes, or displays repeated error messages
  • won’t shut down or restart
  • serves up a barrage of pop-ups
  • displays web pages you didn’t intend to visit, or sends emails you didn’t write

Other warning signs of malware include:

  • new and unexpected toolbars
  • new and unexpected icons in your shortcuts or on your desktop
  • a sudden or repeated change in your computer’s internet home page
  • a laptop battery that drains more quickly than it should

Get Rid of Malware
If you suspect there is malware on your computer, take these steps:

  • Stop shopping, banking, and doing other online activities that involve user names, passwords, or other sensitive information.
  • Update your security software, and then run it to scan your computer for viruses and spyware. Delete anything it identifies as a problem. You may have to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If your computer is covered by a warranty that offers free tech support, contact the manufacturer.
Before you call, write down the model and serial number of your computer, the name of any software you’ve installed, and a short description of the problem.

  • Tech Experts offers technical help on the phone, in our office, or in your home or business, based upon what is most convenient for you.

Telephone and online help generally are the least expensive and most time efficient, but you may have to do some of the work yourself. Bringing the computer to our office is usually less expensive than having a technician visit your business or home.

  • Once your computer is back up and running, think about how malware could have been downloaded to your machine, and what you could do differently to avoid it in the future.

 

Looking For Good Career Advice? Avoid These Stale Clichés

Books, blogs, and motivational gurus are full of career advice for beginners and veterans alike. Much of it can be useful, but you’ve got to be careful to separate the good from the misguided and obsolete.

Don’t blindly follow these “words of wisdom” without a healthy dose of skepticism:

“Any job is better than no job.”
Working at a job you hate can sap your morale and make any change harder to accomplish.

You probably won’t be motivated to do good work, and if you quit out of frustration, you could be labeled an undependable job-hopper.

No job is fun all the time, but you’ll generally do better at a job you can find some enjoyment in, even if that takes longer to find.

“Follow your passion.”
On the other hand, don’t wait forever for your dream job to present itself.

You need to know what you’re good at, and what you like doing, but chances are you can do well in a job that satisfies less than 100 percent of your ambitions.

You don’t want to give up worthwhile career opportunities because they don’t fit with an unrealistic dream of success.

“You need an advanced degree to get anywhere.”
Education is always a good thing, but without a clear purpose, you could waste years and thousands of dollars on studies that don’t necessarily translate to career success.

Decide on what you want to learn, be clear on how it will help you, and make sure the investment will really pay off in terms of increased opportunities and career satisfaction.

“Never quit a job.”
You shouldn’t jump ship at the first sign of trouble, but staying at a dead-end job with no hope of advancement and little chance of learning anything doesn’t help your career.

Look for opportunities to improve your situation wherever you’re at, but keep an eye on the job market so you’re never trapped.

“The one thing you need to do is …”
Be wary of any advice that offers a quick fix. Managing a career is complicated. You don’t know what’s coming up, and you won’t always know the right decision to make. You’ll make mistakes and encounter bad luck.

Commit to learning and moving forward, and don’t waste time following short-lived trends or depending on gimmicks to land your dream job.

How To Beat Job Burnout

If you are finding it more and more difficult to cope with the demands of your job in addition to the rest of your life, you are definitely not alone. More and more people are putting in additional hours at work or being on call even when they should be at home relaxing.

The good news is there are ways to make your daily routine a little more balanced. One of the best is to actually build downtime into your schedule. As you plan your week you should make a point of including time with friends and family as well as activities that will allow you to recharge such as a sport of some kind.

Being proactive about scheduling can be very helpful and also prevent free time from being wasted. Another good idea is to drop activities that are sapping your energy or time, including online activities. Making time for exercise can also assist you with becoming more alert and boosting your concentration and overall energy level.

Why Virtualization Is A Good Idea For Your Small Business

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

Server virtualization is the partitioning of a physical server into smaller virtual servers to help maximize your server resources.

In server virtualization, software is used to divide the physical server into multiple virtual environments, called virtual or private servers. This is in contrast to dedicating one server to a single application or task.

Server virtualization provides a small business with almost unlimited storage space. Let’s look at some of the ways that server virtualization could benefit your small business.

Efficiency
Virtualization maximizes server space, which reduces the number of servers needed to store important company data.

Since multiple virtual servers reside on a single physical server, your infrastructure will require less space, saving occupancy costs.

Economy
Virtualization will cut down on your energy consumption, which will lower your monthly bill. Because you’ll need fewer servers, you’ll save on hardware costs, as well.

For a small-business owner, these savings can mean a lot in the long run, especially if energy costs are high.

Disaster Recovery
Fires, theft and natural disasters happen, often without warning.

What would happen to your business if all of your important files were stored on in-house servers that got destroyed in a tornado or fire?

With virtualization, that becomes less of a worry, especially if you conduct regular checks to ensure that your data is being properly backed up.

It is equally important that you take steps to ensure the data can be recovered if necessary and that when recovered, the data is usable.

Virtualization cuts down on the risk that an employee or thief could walk off with important company files, something that can happen if you back up company files on external hard drives.

Business Continuity
Unlike disaster recovery, business continuity is about quickly recovering from things like power outages and server crashes.

These two common occurrences could cost a small-business owner a lot of money depending on how long employees remained idle waiting for power to be restored or a server to be repaired.

With a virtualized server environment, server images are often backed up to the cloud – where they can be enabled in real time and act as a replacement server until resources are restored.

Virtual Desktop
This is a growing trend in the business world. Also known as client virtualization, desktop virtualization separates the PC desktop environment from the physical machine and operates in the cloud.

With virtual desktop infrastructure, employees can access the company network from their laptops, tablets or smart devices.

Virtualization has worked well for large enterprises for a number of years, and now the technology is affordable for smaller businesses.

Choosing virtualization for your company is no small matter. You’ll want to make sure you use an experienced, trusted IT partner to make sure your project goes smoothly.

The Benefits Of VoIP Over Traditional Phone Service

by Jeremy Miller, Technician
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the general term used for transmitting two-way voice communication over a network.

This can work on any network, whether it be at home or work, connected to the Internet. VoIP can also be used for internal communications and do not necessarily need to be transmitted out to the Internet.

Plain old telephone system (POTS) is the traditional phone service that everyone is used to, and it is commonly known as a home phone.

This system is designed to run on dedicated electronic circuits and is transmitted using analog signals where VoIP uses digital.

There are many reasons that you should use VoIP over POTS many of which include cost and expansion. Where ever you have a network connection, VoIP can be implemented. POTS often are much more costly.

As I said before POTS requires a dedicated circuit to transmit on. This means every time you add a new phone you would have to run a phone line and a network drop.

POTS can become quite expensive for an office building if you have to run phone lines to each person’s office.

In the event of expansion POTS will require costly hardware upgrades and provisioning of new lines. VoIP will only require more bandwidth and possibly software upgrades which are generally inexpensive and very easy to do.

There is much more competition in the VoIP market. Where POTS may have a few providers to choose from in your area, VoIP will have hundreds to choose from on the Internet.

When using VoIP you have control over the traffic of the phone calls as well. This makes it easy to manage, record, and maintain all phone calls.

Many of the features such as call waiting, conference calling, music on hold, multiple extensions and voice mailboxes are all free with VoIP. These features have always come at a premium when using POTS.

VoIP does not limit you to what you can transmit over its call. For instance you can make a video call or a voice call using VoIP. While in your call you can send over an attachment which is quite similar to email.

There are downsides to using VoIP as well, but most of them can be mitigated. The first is unpredictable quality of service. You may not always get great sound or video quality.

This is usually dictated by the available bandwidth. If you notice your quality is not as good as you like, then you may need to upgrade your Internet speed or you network equipment.

VoIP may not always get you to the correct 911 responder in the event of an emergency. They are not centralized like POTS. The traffic could be routed around the world.

Since VoIP relies on the Internet and the Internet relies on electricity, you will lose your VoIP service if either Internet or electricity goes down.

This can be avoided by having a redundant Internet connection and battery backups for your network equipment.

You can also install an IP based private automatic branch exchange (PABX) which will allow you to integrate your POTS with VoIP so you can take advantage of VoIP and not lose the benefits of POTS.

If you are looking into VoIP or have any questions we would be happy to help.

Choosing The Best Option To Back Up Your Data

by Michael Menor, Network Technician
We highly recommend that all computer users regularly back up their data in order to prevent losing information in the case of a disk failure.

We recommend at the very least backing up files that are frequently changed. A basic backup strategy involves copying important files to a location separate from your hard drive.

Having more than one copy of important data is insurance against the loss of that data in an event such as a hard drive or system failure.

To make your backup strategy more complete, you should try a trial restore of your backup so you will be comfortable enough with the process to use it before you experience the loss of data.

Flash drives that plug into a USB port are a convenient technology for backups. They do not generally require any extra software and are very portable and they can be reused many times.

Flash Drive
A flash drive can serve as an external repository for important data as a protection against an event such as the failure of your hard disk.

However, a single flash drive does not have the storage capacity to backup an entire hard disk or file system, and they tend be more expensive than other storage methods for the same amount of data.

Cloud Storage
You can access your data from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection and you don’t have to keep track of any extra hardware or external storage media.

There are many providers that offer free online storage. A few popular ones are Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft SkyDrive.

Many of these are cross-platform applications that enable you to access whatever data you have stored as though it were stored in a folder on your computer’s hard drive.

CDs/DVDs/Blu-ray discs
CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are also an option for backing up data if you have an internal or external drive that can write to one or all formats:

  • CDs: 750 MB
  • DVDs: 4.5 GB (single layer) or 8.7 GB (double layer)
  • Blu-ray: 25-100 GB

CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are among your cheapest backup options (per gigabyte), and they are also among the most durable (no moving parts to wear out or metal parts to rust).

However, while it is technically possible to back up your entire system to CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs by spanning multiple discs, it would be a time-consuming process that would require many discs.

External Hard Drives
An external hard drive is often the same type of hard drive as found inside most computers, only in a stand-alone enclosure with a USB or other data port that is powered by your computer or a separate wall adaptor.

As such, it is possible to purchase an external hard drive that is as large or larger than your computer’s internal hard drive, allowing you to backup your entire system to a drive that you can separate from your computer, carry with you to transfer your files, or set aside as a backup.

Most external hard drives have moving parts, however, making them more prone to wear and damage due to drops or vibration than some other backup options.

Also, some external hard drives do not operate cross-platform, which means that if your drive is formatted for use with Mac OS X, it may not be recognized by a Windows computer (or vice-versa).

External hard drives are available in sizes ranging from 100 gigabytes to many terabytes, and some are small enough to carry in a purse.

However, in whatever size you choose, external hard drives are the fastest and most versatile way to back up large amounts of data.

Outlook.com Tips And Tricks

Ever since Microsoft switched Hotmail to Outlook some users have had difficulty adjusting to the changes even though it is essentially still the same, and attaching photos and files is more simple than ever before.

There is however some simple tips for those who have found the changeover confusing.

The important thing to remember is that your email address has not changed and continues to end with hotmail.com. You can even add an alias account via http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/outlook/add-alias-account.

The alias makes use of the same contact list, settings and inbox as your primary email address.

Those who don’t like the default blue color scheme can also change it to suit simply by selecting the small ‘cog’ icon that can be found in the right hand corner of the Outlook window and selecting from the 18 available color schemes.

If you are writing an email that has turned out to be almost novel size but don’t have time to finish, just tap the button marked “Save Draft” on the colored Outlook menu bar.

This will save a copy to your Drafts folder and allow you to go back, finish and send it at a later time.