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Seeing the Sites – Telemarketing Scam Defense

by T.J. Lee
The connected age we now live in has brought us both great wonders and significant evils. What’s interesting is that the same technologies are often used for both.

One tool that can, and is, often misused is the telephone. Once the most annoying thing you were subjected to was a call, always at dinner time, which turned out to a telemarketer sales call. But the number of scams, spams, and serious whams that can come from seemingly innocent telephone calls has skyrocketed.

Ever get an odd call in voicemail or on your answering machine with instructions to call back right away? Do you call, not call, is it real, a trick, a trap? Before you dial check with this interesting site to see what’s what with the return number.

http://800notes.com/

You can type in a number and find out if it’s a known scam, or if others have been getting the same calls as you. You can also tap into the latest news on Do-Not-Call lists, telemarketing scams both domestic and coming from overseas, as well as articles about your telephone rights, what to do if you are getting harassing phone calls, how to file complaints with the appropriate government agencies and more.

What’s nice is that all of the pages provide for reader comments so you can benefit from the experience of others with the topics being discussed.

4 Hidden Dangers Electricity Poses To Your Computer Network… And One Simple, Inexpensive Solution That Will Prevent Them All From Doing Damage

Is your computer plugged in? Do you use a power strip with a surge protector? If so, you are a heartbeat away from disaster and don’t even realize it. The same electricity you depend on to run your computer and network is also trying to destroy your data.

Believe it or not, electricity is one of the biggest threats to your computer network and the data it contains. Here are four computer power problems you must know about and how to prevent them.

Transients
Commonly known as surges and spikes, these are caused by lightning storms, wind, squirrels shorting out power lines, auto accidents, etc. Several times each week these spikes can travel up the power cord into your computer damaging everything from power supplies to motherboards.

Conventional wisdom says use a power strip with a surge protector and you are safe. As usual, conventional wisdom is dead wrong. After several months, these surge protectors become useless having been zapped by the surges they were designed to protect against.

Blackouts
Whether momentary or prolonged, the sudden loss of power can corrupt your PC to the point of not being able to start up again when the lights come back on.

Sags
This is when the power drops below normal. Have you ever seen the fluorescent lights flicker for a moment? Then you have witnessed sag. Sags are more common than surges and are caused when equipment like air conditioners, blow dryers, water heaters, laser printers, copy machines and other electrical equipment are turned on or come out of sleep mode. A typical small office will experience 30 or more sags each day. Sags cause many of the weird and unexplained problems computer users complain about every day.

Noise
Ever been watching TV and seen fuzzy pictures and/or white lines or dots when you turn on a blender or vacuum cleaner? This is the result of electrical noise. While a fuzzy TV picture is an annoyance, this electrical noise causes many computer problems including loss of data.

So how do you protect yourself from electrical problems? The most simple and inexpensive solution to all four of these hazards is a battery backup. The battery backup (also known as a UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply) senses when there are problems with the power and automatically switches to the battery protecting you from computer damage and data loss.

Choosing the correct battery backup for your computer or server can be tricky. Having one with a battery too small is the same as having none at all.

For most desktop computers, a battery backup with a 500VA or larger rating should be sufficient to keep you going through momentary power problems, and give you time to shut down your computer if you experience a longer power outage..

Protecting your server requires detailed knowledge of the server functions and power consumption in order to pick the right battery backup solution. If you want help in determining the right protection for your specific network, give us a call: 734-457-5000.

Everyone’s Talking… So What About The Economy?

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

I’m coming off a marathon couple of weeks of travel… I’ve been to Council Bluffs, Iowa (near Omaha) for a peer group meeting and to Nashville, Tennessee for a marketing seminar. The one constant everywhere I visited was conversation about the economy. It’s the main topic on every news cast, every news paper article, and every news radio program.

Economists are calling what we’re experiencing a “precession” rather than a real recession. Activity is stalled because everyone’s scared. This isn’t to say that the economic pressures aren’t real – I talk with clients every day who are experiencing slower sales and slowed collections.

In our business, we’ve not seen a significant decline in sales so much as we’ve seen clients slowing their payments. Companies that paid regularly within our net 10 terms are now paying in 30 days. Clients who paid in 30 days are paying at 45. I think everyone is hoarding their cash because they’re scared and not sure where things are headed.

Whatever the terminology – slowdown, precession, recession, decline, etc. – that this is the perfect time to be working on our businesses to really take advantage of the situation. What do we need to do when times get a little tougher? Adapt and change! Here are a few thoughts for consideration.

Cash Is King
We need to evaluate how cash leaves and enters our company. Can we cut some outgo or speed up some inflow? We need to watch cash because he who has it will win. Cash flow is a critical thing to take care of. Watch your A/R and keep it collected. Cut back where it makes sense. Evaluate how the money flows.

Reinvent!
In our business, technology, processes and procedures change constantly. We have to reinvent ourselves pretty regularly to survive. There is no better time than a difficult one to see what needs to be changed or improved in our companies. There are likely things that need to go, and new things that need to be added. Think carefully about your business and what should continue to be part of it.

Get Outside Your Box
Forget “But we’ve always done it that way.” Don’t let the norm be the norm – look outside your comfort zone and consider all options. You can’t allow the rut to keep you on the wrong path. Creative thinking and planning will be key to coming out of this on the other side.

Plan Carefully!
Planning is always important but never more important than when times are tough. You need to make sure you have a solid plan and your team understands it. There is no money or time to waste, so your plan needs to keep everyone working toward the same goals.

Market Your Business!
We have a client, John Poniewozik from Iceberg’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning, who has his business marketing down! His promotions are unusual and attention getting. Have you seen his penguin television ads or direct response letters? They’re really great. You might think some of our marketing is unusual, and I admit that it is.
But I think that is the key to why it works! Doing the same old boring stuff that every other business with whom you compete is doing, makes your business blend into the background. There is no differentiation – if you market like everyone else, there’s no way to tell why your business is better.

I have a friend who is a marketing consultant, and she often talks about how business owners fall into the habit of “ego based marketing.” They think “my clients are different” or “my customers would never respond to that type of marketing.” Baloney! Customers are craving something different. Use that to get their attention and get them to buy from you instead of your competition.

Execute
As business owners, I think we have a tendency toward perfection. We want everything our companies do to be 100%. I suffer from this myself, and it has been difficult for me to learn and accept that 95% is good enough 95% of the time. We get stuck sometimes in “paralysis by analysis” mode and keep “working on things” and never “getting things done.”

Execute on your planning. Execute your marketing strategies. Execute your process improvement projects. There will be time to perfect them as you go along. But when your competitors finally get around to executing their “perfect” plans – you will be that many steps ahead of the game.

Difficult times are opportunities. Many will struggle, some will fail, but for those who are ready and execute – you can leverage these times to make up ground quickly.

My advice: Don’t listen to the news. Follow your own plan and make things happen.

Technical Terms Confusing? Here’s An Explanation!

As a technician for over 20 years, I have heard a variety of terms being thrown around and I am sure a lot of these are terms you have heard at one time or another and never knew the true meaning of the word. I thought that a list of terms most people have heard along with the definitions would help to understand the variety of things that can happen to a computer, but hopefully not yours.

Hang: A totally unresponsive computer is said to be hung, or hanged. You could also use the term frozen, though hang is the accepted term used by computer nerds for generations.

This very thing happened to me just the other day. I was home on my personal PC and I needed to view a webinar on Windows Server 2008. I got ready for the webinar and when the webinar started my computer just froze. I checked with a co-worker to make sure there was nothing wrong with the website. I had to reboot my computer and when I did I was able to view the webinar. My computer had totally hung. But once the PC came back up I discovered I had a glitch…

Glitch: Whenever the computer does something strange or unexpected or behaves in a manner inconsistent with normal operation, that’s a glitch. Glitches happen to everyone.

In this case, my sound did not work. As far as I knew it was working. The sound may have not been working for weeks but you notice it missing only when you otherwise would expect it. Such is the agony of the glitch. When I asked my wife if she had any problems with the computer I got the classic “Oh yeah, I meant to tell you I think the sound is out.” Often, you fail to notice a glitch unless it does something that directly affects what you’re doing.

Bug: A bug is an error in a computer program. Despite the efforts of the best programmers, most computer software is riddled with bugs. Bugs are what cause computer glitches. Bad bugs can cause a computer to hang or crash.

Note that most of the worst bugs happen when you mix two programs together and they interact in some new and unexpected way. The term comes from the early days of computing, when a real bug (a moth) got stuck in the circuitry.

Crash: Crash is another term for a dead computer — specifically, what happens to a hard drive when it ceases operation. A crash is typically more sensational than a hang.

Remember that a hang is a freeze. A crash is typically accompanied by spectacular warning messages or weird behavior (and may indicate more than just a dying hard drive). In fact, a crashed computer may still be teasingly functional. Only the foolhardy continue to use a crashed computer.

If you have been experiencing any of the bugs, glitches, hangs or crashes make sure to visit a professional at Tech Experts as soon as possible so we can do our best to protect your vital information from disappearing forever. You can reach us at (734) 457-5000.

How To Spot And Protect Yourself From An Infection

Are you finding it harder and harder to protect yourself from malicious attacks from the internet?

To help protect yourself you should first start with how to identify them. We will start with sorting them in basic categories.

Viruses – they attach themselves to any file so that when you start the program, you activate the virus. These viruses are usually sent through email or downloaded files from the internet.

Worms – worms are just like what they sound. They keep multiplying and using up all the resources from the computer till the computer comes to a complete stop. These usually are spread through P2P programs and email. They can also be spread over your local network.

Trojans (a.k.a Spyware) – Trojans are the worst. They are used to steal information from the user. They are installed and used without permission and usually have some type of key logger to record what you are typing and send it back to the source so that they can collect credit card numbers and username/password to accounts. These are generally the hardest to find because they usually consists of multiple files.

The best way to protect from and prevent infections is to run the best antivirus/spyware software around. The number one common reason people get infected is not that they accidently download it but, that they do not keep track if their antivirus is installed and updated properly.

Just because you see in the bottom corner that your antivirus is running, does not mean its doing its job. Every day you should check to make sure that your antivirus is updating so that you are protected against the most recent infections. By doing that even if you download a virus the antivirus will scan the file and catch it before it gets too late.

If you do not have an antivirus program installed, I recommend installing one as soon as possible.

One of the best currently out right now is Computer Associates E-Trust Integrated Threat Manager and Antivirus. The program isn’t free, but is a bargain compared to the cost of downtime and an infection.

How To Keep Hackers At Bay

No one wants to have their network “hacked,” but what exactly can a hacker do?

Plenty, and you are right to be afraid!

One common way for hackers to access your network is through spyware or viruses, which are malicious programs written to imbed themselves into your network to gather private information, steal financial data, access passwords, e-mail addresses, and spread themselves to other users. But one of the most common ways for hackers to access your system is through e-mail, or spam e-mail to be more specific.

Phishing is when a hacker sends you a legitimate looking e-mail from a trusted source — like PayPal, your bank, eBay, or any number of other legitimate business web sites. These e-mails will tell you that your account is expired or will be closed if you don’t go to a designated web site and update or verify your account information.

Although you may have seen these e-mails before, be very careful! Hackers are brilliant at making not only the e-mail seem legitimate, but also at making the web site you go to look like the real thing.

If you fall prey to their scam, the site will gather your private information and then use that to access your bank account or to charge your credit card. To protect yourself, install a spam filter and NEVER open or respond to any e-mail requesting account verification. Instead, call the company. If it is a legitimate request, you can verify that with them over the phone.

“It’s Amazing! These Computers Are So Much Faster!”

United Way Upgrades Their Network With Help From Tech Experts

With some computers that were going on nine years old, the United Way of Monroe County knew it was time for an upgrade to their network. After a careful review of their requirements and several proposals, the organization chose Tech Experts as their trusted network service company.

“The United Way is an incredible organization, and accomplished amazing things with their technology,” said Thomas Fox, president of Tech Experts. “But it was clearly time for a technology refresh. We were very excited to work with them on the project.”

The agency had a mix of computers running Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and a file server running Windows NT Server 4.0. The workstation computers all needed upgrades, and were running various versions of Microsoft Office.

Like any small business, the United Way uses their computers for everyday business tasks, such as communicating with donors and volunteers, word processing, desktop publishing and book keeping.

“I knew we needed new computers badly and had been searching for ways to accomplish purchasing them,” said Connie Carroll, United Way’s executive director. “We were able to secure a grant and with that and the help of Tech Experts, we were able to upgrade our technology.”

The new network at United Way is fast – consisting of an IBM eServer running the latest Microsoft Windows 2003 Small Business Server operating system. The workstation computers all feature 17” LCD screens and lightning-fast IBM/Lenovo computers with Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office 2007. It is a tremendous upgrade from their old technology.

Connie continued: “It’s amazing! These computers are so much faster! It has been a bit of a learning curve getting used to the new Office software, but I know we will be more efficient going forward.”

“We like that Tech Experts is a locally owned company with a track record of providing service in the community,” continued Rusty Davis, the United Way of Monroe County’s Program Manager. “We like the personal service we receive from Tech Experts.”

Slowdown Means It’s Time To Boost Productivity

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

I attended an industry summit last month in Orlando, Florida, sponsored by the company that develops the software we use to run our business. Over 750 of the computer industry’s top service providers all converged in Downtown Disney for two days of training, sharing of best practices and panel discussions on the future of the computer service business.

Not surprisingly, a frequent topic of discussion among the attendees was the economy. While I know companies and people are struggling, I think in large part the media builds up the hype and frenzy to the point of near mass hysteria. “Bad news sells papers,” as they say.

Being involved in these discussions at the summit did drive home the point that we need to be the trusted business advisor for our clients. This means we need to do more than fix your computers – we need to help you maximize your technology investment, reduce costs and lower overhead. You don’t want computers – you want what the computers can do for you.

This has never been more important than right now, as we’re watching the economy rise and fall like a roller coaster.

This idea won’t be popular with your employees, but one of the areas where we can help you make an immediate impact on your bottom line is by increasing productivity. The Internet has become a way of life for nearly everyone – and almost every staff person has Internet access right at their desktops.

If you have a medium sized company with 10 regular, work at their desk type employees. Let’s assume, too, that each person makes $20 per hour after taxes and benefits. If each employee wastes just five minutes per day on the Internet, your annual waste is over $4,300. If they spend 15 personal minutes per day on the Internet, the annual cost is more than $13,000. An hour per day? The cost skyrockets to more than $50,000 per year.

There are plenty of options available to limit and monitor Internet usage at your company, and I’d encourage you to implement something immediately. There are some options that won’t cost you anything more than an hour of one of our consultant’s time.

If you know that employees are spending time on Myspace, for example, we can block access to that website. Or, you can make Myspace a hot monitoring term, and start recording a screen shot every second while an employee is on that site.

We also have the ability to block any external sites at the firewall level, so there’s no need to monitor employee’s computers. With a firewall, we can deny and allow sites based on their category (research sites are allowed, while lingerie sites aren’t). Call me at the office (734-457-5000) and I’ll be happy to discuss options with you.

If you’re concerned about violating employee privacy, here’s a little secret I’ll let you in on: The good employees don’t care. And secretly, they’re going to be happy you’re cracking down on the slackers.

The Value of Peer Groups And Partnering

I’m extremely fortunate to be involved in several peer groups, which helps put me in touch with the best and brightest in the computer service industry. In case you’re not familiar, a peer group is an association of business owners, usually but not always in the same industry, who meet on a regular basis to network and discuss issues they’re having in their businesses.

The Three Amigos in Orlando, Florida! From left, Howard Cunningham, David Bennett and me. I’m very fortunate to be able to call these guys friends.

If you’re not involved in some sort of CEO group or industry association, I encourage you to join one. It is invaluable to be able to network and talk with other business owners who understand my company and the challenges I face. And I’d bet you’d find the experience invaluable, too.

I was able to see two of my peer group friends at the Orlando meeting, David Bennett and Howard Cunningham. These are guys I admire a lot, not only for their business acumen but also for their willingness to share what they’re doing in their businesses that make them successful.

Dave owns Connections for Business in Hollywood, Florida, and Howard owns Macro Systems just outside of Washington, D.C. These guys share my goal of growing my business and providing incredible service to my clients. They’re at the top of their game in the IT services industry, and I’m really glad to be able to call them friends.

Do You Want To Be Able To Work From Home? Here’s What You Need To Know!

There’s a hot business trend that’s become even MORE popular with the rising gas prices: telecommuting.

Whether you call it “working from home,” or your “virtual office,” the idea is the same: Your network is configured to give you and your staff the ability to work from some location other than the office.

While most business owners and managers pulling 60+ hour work -weeks love the idea, they often fear that employees working from home won’t be as productive, or won’t take their job seriously, but this fear is on the decline.

The International Telework Association & Council (ITAC, www.telecommute.org) reports that the number of workers who telecommute at least once a week has topped 23 million and is continuing to grow.

While telecommuting will not work in every situation, there is no doubt that technology has made working from home extremely practical whether a few times a month or every week.

Offering Work From Home Options Makes Your Company More Competitive
As a matter of fact, offering work-from-home options can give you a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the best employees:

• Employees who are sick can continue to work without infecting the office or losing an entire work day.
• Employees forced to stay home to take care of sick family members can continue to work instead of taking off long periods.
• Inclement weather or heavily congested traffic won’t shut down your office.
• Key managers with a heavy workload will actually be more productive if given the ability to work from home on evenings and weekends.
• Allowing employees flexibility during peak workloads (e.g. CPAs during tax season) makes employees happier to put in the extra hours from a home office.
• Employees with temporary or permanent disabilities can continue to be fully functional in a home environment.

Telecommuting Improves Employee Productivity And Retention
ITAC reports that enabling key employees the ability to work from home actually increases their productivity, leads to fewer sick days, and a better work/life balance which in turn, reduces turnover. After all, an employee who is given the benefit of working from home will often pass up higher paying job offers that will require them to be in an office 40 hours a week.

For the business, telecommuting saves on rent and utilities and can help avoid the heavy expense of renting additional office space or moving to larger locations.

Most business owners will test a “work from home” program by only giving themselves and a few key managers the ability to work from home. Often, this is for after-hours access. Once the technology is set up and tested, a few additional key staff can be permitted to work from home on special occasions, while traveling, sick, or otherwise unable to come in.

FREE:
The Ultimate Small Business Owners Guide To Setting Up A ‘Work From Home’ Program Or Remote Network Access
If you are thinking about investing in the technology to allow your staff to work from home or a remote location—DON’T—at least not until you read this informative new report.

To secure your free copy, go to:
www.MyTechExperts.com/remotereport
or, call the office at (734) 457-5000.