Don't buy it - Microsoft is not going to call you and offer to help!
Today has been interesting… I received an email from a long-time friend saying he had the strangest phone call, from MICROSOFT… They informed him that his system was vulnerable and that they wanted to help him fix it if he would give them access to his system by visiting a website.
This guy was born at night, but he wasn’t born last night, so he questioned it, and when he did so, they hung up on him as expected.
It seems a once popular old scam has returned from the grave. In fact, a quick Google search just now turned up this showing that it is happening elsewhere, not just here.
With that said, please keep in mind, Microsoft is NEVER going to to call you and offer to help fix your computer security issues. That is like thinking the US Government is going to call you up and offer to fix your financial woes.
This is called “Social Engineering” and it has been around for as long as people could reach out and touch someone. In the *old* days, a person would call their mark on the phone and tell them they were with Ma Bell and that they were updating their records. Then they would give them a little information about them, such as “We have your phone number as 555-1212, and your name is Joe Schmoe, we are setting up security measures so we can insure your privacy, can you please give me your mother’s maiden name? Now how about your social security number so we can identify you when you call us in the future?”. Sure enough, if the person on the other end of the phone sounded official, the mark would give them anything they wanted.
This only works on people who are trusting. So here is your warning to question things that come to you with no reason. Question that strange phone call asking for more information about you, question why you should open a particular link that a ‘friend’ sends you in email, question why you might need to install a codec, player or driver when visiting a website, and for goodness sakes, question why Microsoft might call you up wanting to help.
If you have fallen for this type of scam, please contact a computer service professional and have them thoroughly checkout your machine for rootkits, keystroke loggers, and other forms of malware. For more information you can email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748 in the Greenville / Upstate area.
Have a very happy Thanksgiving, we ALL have so much to be thankful for!
If you have issues with your business computer systems, who do you call?
If you are calling a one-man-shop, you may be getting a great deal in terms of hourly rates, however, you may find that the wait for this one person to finally get around to you could lead to inconvenient downtime. Unfortunately, the better the technician, the more likely this will become reality as they will pick up new clients, and have to service them. Obviously, there is only so much of one person to go around.
Some independent technicians have built-in a set number of clients to avoid this, as they realize they cannot be in two places at one time. The average tech will operate on a first come, first served basis, and still others will prioritize their calls, placing downed servers higher in the queue than a workstation with a virus.
Before opening Homeland Secure IT, many years ago, I ran a business like that, and though I had plenty of clients, I was run ragged with a call in Easley, then a call in Greer, then a call in Clemson. I am glad those days are over!
Homeland Secure IT is fortunate enough to have multiple technicians who CAN be in more than one place at one time! What about when we can’t? Yes that happens, when we are deploying a new server or network where all technicians are tied up on that job, sometimes we have to pull a man off that job to handle a call. Still other times we will have a heavy workload, such as in the case of when a new virus or updates are released and everyone is calling at one time. Using remote access tools, in many cases, we can service more than one client at a time. Again, these are tools that the average one-man-shop does not have at his/her disposal.
What is YOUR response time?
Generally, in the Greenville area, we are on location within 30 minutes, longer if we are dealing with Seneca due to drive time. Our average response time is difficult to measure due to a large number of our calls being handled by remote access, email or phone, which equates to INSTANT response time! When averaged in with our typical on-site response time of 30 minutes, it brings us closer to 5 minutes for response time! Just remember “on-site” where we go to you, will generally take us 30 minutes from the time you call.
What about these free estimates? How does that work?
Computers which are brought to our office qualify for a free estimate. We never charge to determine what is wrong with your computer, if it is brought to us. The same goes for an onsite consultation regarding performing service for your company. We will come to you and talk with you about how our services or products may or may not be right for you at no charge. That being said, we do not offer free estimates for a computer repair if we must dispatch a person to your location. We still generate a charge for the visit.
What services does Homeland Secure IT provide?
It may be easier to ask, “What services doesn’t Homeland Secure IT provide?” than to ask what we do. We specialize in small business computer and network support. We have offices with a single person in them that we provide total IT support for, and we have clients with 50+ users, with multiple locations, requiring VPNs between their sites and many servers. There really is no client “too small” for us, and we have yet to find one too large, but I am sure there is one out there! We do everything from desktop and laptop repairs, to network security, Voice over IP, CCTV and server deployment and maintenance.
If you are dealing with the one-man-operation and you are happy, then by all means, please continue! If you are growing tired of waiting hours and hours, or even days for a technician to show up, or return a call, then please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We serve the entire Upstate of South Carolina!
This morning I was having a discussion with a potential client and we were talking about the “Homeland Secure IT” name, the individual mentioned that they understood the play on words, however they were simply not sure how to take “IT”, because they thought of “IT” only in the terms of “Information Technology”…
I explained that the “IT” in our case is an all encompassing catch-all term that covers just about anything you plug into the wall. We sell, service, repair, support a wide range of technologies, not just a computer, server or network, but VoIP systems, CCTV and network security camera systems, firewall appliances, anti-virus software and software in general.
So basically, whatever IT is, we can help you with IT!
I am unsure of a way to indicate everything we work with, but suffice it to say, it is not limited to just a notebook computer fix, or a simple virus cleanup. While we DO those things, we also deploy Blackberry Enterprise Server so your mobile users can stay connected. We help integrate wireless devices like Androids, iPads and more into your Microsoft Exchange. We configure VPNs that allow a mobile workforce or a branch office to connect to your data as if they were physically in your office. We design and deploy Voice over IP phone systems. We offer biometric and card swipe time clocks.
Again, if it plugs into your network, or connects wirelessly, or you WANT it to, we can help. Give us a call at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com to discuss your unique needs! We serve the Greenville & Upstate SC area!
Save money on Greenville computer repair
Whether you are an individual or a business looking for computer repair or computer service in Greenville or the Upstate (Easley, Pickens, Spartanburg, Anderson, Simpsonville, etc), chances are good that you are not only wanting computer repair but you want that computer service performed as QUICKLY and as inexpensively as possible.
If you already have an IT service provider, you might wish to ask them up front if there is a cheaper way than to have them dispatch a tech to your location. Many IT houses will give you a discount if you take the computer to them. If that is convenient for you, then you can generally save 10%, depending on the company.
Sometimes, saving money in that way can be more expensive in the long run, as you have to take time out of your busy schedule to drop off and pick up the computer. In the case of an attorney billing 200 an hour, that is probably not the most cost effective way to handle the situation.
What about REMOTE SERVICE? Where the tech can look at the computer from remote. This is usually billed at a half hour minimum. The computer has to be functional and connected to the internet for this to work, but this type of service provides INSTANT gratification and a reduced rate! Same with phone service, where the IT provider acts as your help desk to talk you through checking everything. Again, this is billed at a reduced rate or a half hour minimum in most cases.
Think about this for a moment: If you have a computer down at your site, and a technician is dispatched from the IT company, they will usually charge you a one hour minimum, and sometimes the labor may take half an hour. Why not have the tech look at something else while he or she is on location? Instead of just addressing the immediate need of the computer that is broken, you can say “After you get that computer fixed, if you have time left in the hour, could you check a few of our desktops to ensure they have the latest Microsoft Patches on them?”.
A computer that is down is never a pleasant situation. Just like your car, you are suffering from the inconvenience of being without it, then the double whammy of getting slapped with a bill for the service. Knowing the hints above may save you a little frustration and some money.
Homeland Secure IT provides complete computer service & repair, at your location, in our shop, via remote access and we offer excellent help desk support via phone or email. Our response times are above the average in our area, and our rates are very reasonable. Let us help you the next time you need a computer fixed in a hurry. Call us at 864-990-4748.
