#LeapIntoIT Kindle Fire Giveaway
It’s that time again! Time for us to have some fun, and help one of our Upstate, SC friends get something cool to play with.
We’ve given away stuff before, like Trend Micro anti-virus, a wireless IP security camera, a Cisco Flip Mino HD video camera, Microsoft Office 2010, and even a Microsoft X-BOX 360, but this is likely the most exciting thing yet, or at least the 2nd most exciting!
We decided that since it is a Leap Year, we will help one person leap into the tablet computer revolution by giving them one of the hottest little tablets out… The Amazon Kindle Fire! It is far more than just an eBook Reader, it’s a smokin’ hot tablet too! So hot, it’s on FIRE! =)
Let’s call it the “Leap Into IT” giveaway! #LeapIntoIT
Who is eligible?
Anyone who can walk into the Homeland Secure IT office at 104 Mauldin Rd, STE E in Greenville, SC to retrieve the tablet in person. We will NOT SHIP IT. Also, you must not be prohibited by law from participating in any giveaway, and all that legal mumbo-jumbo. Let’s put an age restriction on it too. You must not be older than, no wait, you must be at least 18 to participate.
Employees of Homeland Secure IT cannot play this silly game because they would never get any work done.
Past winners of Homeland Secure IT giveaways ARE eligible (Andrea, James, Hal, etc)
How do you get involved in this?
There is NO purchase necessary, but there are some things that you will want to do…
- Pass through our initiation process – This is where you tattoo your forehead with the Homeland Secure IT logo. Okay, this is optional.
- Sign up to this blog by hitting the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON over in the right-hand column. You can receive the daily blog posts in email first thing in the morning this way. And you can opt out later (after the contest is over) when you get tired of my yammering…
- Sign up for our SUPER LOW traffic mailing lists HERE … We rarely send anything out, so you won’t be too annoyed. You can unsubscribe from either or both at anytime, AFTER the contest end date.
- Go to our home page at www.HomelandSecureIT.com and hit the Google +1 button & Facebook “like” while you are there.
- Go to our Google business places page and leave a review and rating (hopefully a good one)
- Go to Merchant Circle and leave a review/rating
- Go to Yelp and leave a review/rating
- Go to Yahoo! and leave a review/rating
- LIKE us on facebook HERE … Follow us on Twitter HERE …
Here is a list of ways to connect:
http://www.homelandsecureit.com/connect.html
If you connect in a different manner and you feel it is important, email me, or tag me in a post so I can see what you have done and count that as well!
In review, it is up to you to determine how much, or how little you wish to get involved. The more ways you connect, the more chances to get this darn Kindle Fire!
How is the selection made?
Good question! We lay out a grid, with your each name written in it in the parking lot, and we then shoot a gerbil straight into the air, and in whatever grid the gerbil falls into, that’s our winner.
Okay, (maybe) it isn’t like that at all. No, in fact it is not.
On February 29th, 2012, I’ll take every name/email address from our mailing lists, all the names of those who have reviewed us on Yelp, Google Places, Yahoo! & Merchant Circle, all the mentions on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, all the Likes and Follows on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, all the Google Plus +1s, and dump them into a spread sheet. Next I go to www.Random.Org and put the number of lines in my spreadsheet as the max number and generate a random number.
Whoever matches that number in the spreadsheet is contacted.
If they are out of the area and cannot get it in person, another number will be selected and the process repeated until we have a winner!
So, with that said… Let’s do this! Leap Into IT!!!!
If you are using pcAnywhere to remotely access your computer, you probably want to go read the “pcAnywhere Security Recommendations” posted by Symantec.
The danger is that someone so inclined could potentially access your computer through vulnerabilities exposed from old source code, and gain full access to your computer, files and your network.
To sum it up, disabling pcAnywhere is a surefire way to protect yourself and your company.
If you have questions about this or any other security issue in the Greenville or Upstate SC area, please call upon Homeland Secure IT, we can help set your mind at ease. 864.990.4748
So you have been cruising along at your business for years and all has been great, but now, out of the blue, people on your network are having trouble viewing websites.
You found that if you reboot that firewall (pull the plug on the thing since there is no power supply) that YOU get back online right away, but then later that day, someone else on the network is now having trouble accessing websites so you reboot the firewall and all is well, for a while.
What could it be? It MUST be the firewall going bad since that fixes it.
Before jumping to that conclusion and just replacing the device, think back. Has your company grown? Maybe you have added a few new employees, or, maybe you have added tablets or other connected devices.
What could be happening here is that you have added one too many devices to your network and exceeded the number of seats that your firewall appliance supports. When you originally purchased that device, a technician counted the number of computers, servers and connected devices and said “You need a 25 user firewall and it will cost $xxx.xx”, to which you agreed and promptly forgot about.
Now, flash forward to today and your 12 users and a server have grown to 15 users, two servers and many people have iPads or Android tablets or phones, taking you past the 25 user limit. The last person to connect once you go over the limit will generally be denied access to websites by the firewall, as a warning that you have exceeded the license terms, and it probably won’t “reset” just by turning that computer off, you will have to reboot the firewall to free unused seats up.
So what are you going to do about it? I guess you could tell the employees to stop connecting their personal phones to your network, or you could replace the firewall with a cheap router that has no limitations.
Both will work, but are bad ideas.
The real solution is to correct the licensing issue. Determine how many connected devices you have within your network, and estimate how many you will need for the next year, then talk to a vendor who can provide the proper licenses and apply those for you. Don’t forget to include VoIP and security systems, even copiers and connected printers, as they may require a seat too.
If you are experiencing rapid growth, consider upgrading to an unlimited license.
Just a note – If you have an old device, say 4-5 years old, now may be the time to consider upgrading the entire device to the latest technology at the same time you correct the user limitation!
Should you require help with this, Homeland Secure IT offers sales and support of most major brands of firewalls. We partner with Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWALL, TrendNet, D-Link, NetGear and more! Call us for more information in the Greenville / Upstate SC area – 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com
Microsoft rings in the new year with updates! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
The Advance Notification outlines 7 bulletins that cover updates from “important” to “critical” in Microsoft Windows (XP / Server 2003 / Vista / Server 2008) and Microsoft Developer Tools & Software.
Most will require a restart, or at least MAY require a restart.
On the Advance Notification page you can find out more about the updates coming your way on January 10th.
If you require assistance with these updates or any other security issue in the Greenville / Upstate SC area please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – Computer Version
I first read this story on a University of Arkansas computer system sometime before 1985 and promptly typed it up and put it on my BBS (Non-Prophet BBS) for people to read. I have sent it in email, and “snail mail” for the last 25 years or so… I still get a kick out of it. If anyone knows the author, please contact me so I can give credit and thank them. – John M. Hoyt
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – Computer Version
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the shop,
The computers were whirring; they never do stop.
The power was on and the temperature right,
In hopes that the input would feed back that night.
The system was ready, the program was coded,
And memory drums had been carefully loaded;
While adding a Christmasy glow to the scene,
The lights on the console, flashed red, white and green.
When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,
The programmer ran to see what was the matter.
Away to the hallway he flew like a flash,
Forgetting his key in his curious dash.
He stood in the hallway and looked all about,
When the door slammed behind him, and he was locked out.
Then, in the computer room what should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer;
And a little old man, who with scarcely a pause,
Chuckled: “My name is Santa…the last name is Claus.”
The computer was startled, confused by the name,
Then it buzzed as it heard the old fellow exclaim:
“This is Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
And Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.”
With all these odd names, it was puzzled anew;
It hummed and it clanked, and a main circuit blew.
It searched in its memory core, trying to “think”;
Then the multi-line printer went out on the blink.
Unable to do its electronic job,
It said in a voice that was almost a sob:
“Your eyes – how they twinkle – your dimples so merry,
Your cheeks so like roses, your nose like a cherry,
Your smile – all these things, I’ve been programmed to know,
And at data-recall, I am more than so-so;
But your name and your address (computers can’t lie),
Are things that I just cannot identify.
You’ve a jolly old face and a little round belly,
That shakes when you laugh like a bowl full of jelly;
My scanners can see you, but still I insist,
Since you’re not in my program, you cannot exist!”
Old Santa just chuckled a merry “ho, ho”,
And sat down to type out a quick word or so.
The keyboard clack-clattered, its sound sharp and clean,
As Santa fed this “data” into the machine:
“Kids everywhere know me; I come every year;
The presents I bring add to everyone’s cheer;
But you won’t get anything – that’s plain to see;
Too bad your programmers forgot about me.”
Then he faced the machine and said with a shrug,
“Merry Christmas to All,” as he pulled out its plug,
“And to all, a good night!”
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!
Merry Christmas from Homeland Secure IT
Christmas is almost upon us!
Hope you have your shopping done by now, and if not, well, it’s not too late to order a notebook, netbook, desktop or tablet computer from Homeland Secure IT!
We offer sales of all major brands of computers and components such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, NexLink, Asus, Samsung and more. Whether it is a business computer or one for your personal uses, we have something for you or the person on your list you have forgotten about not found the perfect gift for!
Orders placed are generally here at our Greenville office the next business day before lunch at no additional charge!!!!
We will be closing on Friday, December 23rd so our staff can spend time with their families, and we will be in the field on a server deployment on Monday, December 26th, however, we *WILL* be available for emergency calls should you need us!
In the last 24hrs, I have spoken with or assisted at least 3 people who have become infected due to opening a malicious email.
One of them was my wifey, Pamela, who received an email from the US Postal Service stating that her package had been refused and to open the attached file for details. Due to her old Microsoft Windows Vista system which without question should be updated, the payload from the trojan was dropped and she was without her computer for 3 hours while over 300,000 items were scanned again and again and her icons restored so she could use her desktop.
What is happening is a bit of social engineering. The emails appear to come from someone you trust, in this case the Post Office, and they appear to have important information, just too good to pass up. A busy worker may be momentarily fooled, and likely, at the very moment they click on the item, they think, “Ohhh I bet I shouldn’t have done that”, but it is too late.
- How can you keep from becoming a victim of this type of exploit?
- Avoid using unpatched Microsoft Windows systems! When updates are released, install them.
- Install all updates to important applications, such as Microsoft Office.
- Install all updates to Adobe Reader, Flash, Acrobat, and to JAVA.
- Keep current and trustworthy anti-virus such as Trend Micro Titanium 2012 on all your computers.
- Use caution when opening attachments. Ask yourself why the USPS would be sending you and email and why would the information be in an attachment before clicking on it.
Before I get responses such as “Macs do not have that problem”, yes, Apple Mac OS X does have that problem. We have dealt with almost as many Mac security issues this year as we have Windows 7. Regardless of the Operating System, a little common sense and preventative maintenance goes a long way!
Should you need help with a virus cleanup or virus removal for your personal computer or your business, we can help. We also partner with Trend Micro to offer Worry-Free, Trend Micro Titanium, and the entire outstanding line of Trend Micro anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and anti-everything software, just give us a call at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.
We believe Trend Micro’s Titanium Internet Security 2012 is the best anti-virus, anti-spyware & anti-spam package at any price, however one lucky person is going to get it from us at absolutely no cost this month!
Titanium Internet Security 2012 includes everything you would expect in an anti-virus package with a few extras…
- Blocks email and image spam
- Blocks and finds malicious links in emails and IMs
- Blocks downloads and access to malicious websites
- Fake AV cleaner – eliminates malware posing as antivirus software
- Protects from viruses, spyware, worms, trojans, botnets and rootkits
- Utilizes the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network to proactively stop threats before they reach you
- Prevents unauthorized changes to your applications
- Skinable interface (allows customizing Trend with a favorite photo or image)
- Windows Firewall Booster
- Protect your children – restrict internet content and set access schedule for your kids with Parental Controls
- Maximize your PC’s performance – System Tuner improves PC performance by cleaning up browser history, cookies, temporary files, registries and more
- Protect and defend your data from loss and theft with Data Theft Prevention to keep information like credit card numbers and passwords safe
- Secure Erase – shreds computer files with sensitive information to keep it from being easily recovered
- Includes SafeSync – secure online backup with sync, sharing and mobile access (2 GB cloud backup)
- Includes a copy of Trend Micro Smart Surfing for Mac
So how can you score such great anti-virus for yourself or your business? Homeland Secure IT is a partner with Trend Micro and recommends this product as well as sells it and installs it. The suggested retail price is only 49.99 for the first year, with renewals generally costing less. You can call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information.
However, since this is the Thanksgiving season, and we want to give you our thanks for supporting us this year, we are going to give away one copy of this software, and maybe a couple copies if the interest is high enough.
We will draw on December 1st and announce the winner on our blog, Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.
You enter by subscribing to our mailing lists HERE, subscribe to this blog, LIKE us or link us on Facebook, Mention us on Twitter, or give us a Google Review, or otherwise connecting with us.
Here’s a list of how you can connect with us!
For every way you reach out to us, we count that as an entry. So if you join our mailing list, leave a review on Google, post a link on twitter and like us on Facebook, that is FOUR entries ! If you have already connected because you love us, or because you wanted to win something like the X-Box we gaveaway, don’t worry, you are STILL in our list and need do nothing.
The winner who is selected must be able to come pick up the item at our office in Greenville, SC. We will not ship it to you. If you do not want it, or you do not claim it within 7 days, we will pick another winner!
Good luck!
Everybody Panic!
Remember what I said back on Oct 25th about the hard drive shortage? Then I rambled a bit more and went as far as to say, “Don’t Panic“???
I think I misled you. I now upgrade my opinion to, “OKAY, PANIC”.
According to numerous articles citing industry experts and analysts, we’re seeing a total 180 from the “relax, everything is going to be okay” attitude.
One analyst at Piper Jaffray (Gus Richards) believes supplies of hard drives could run dry by the end of November. He stated, “Availability is really going to tighten up. I’m seeing prices quoted anywhere from up 10 to up 60 percent”. Read the entire article over HERE.
Here at Homeland Secure IT, we have been feeling this for many days. Drives that were costing us ~150 dollars are still running as much as 250 dollars. Desktop computers we were quoting at 750 have now gone up as much as 100 dollars to reflect the increase in hard drive costs.
Multiple vendors we work with are entirely out of stock and online retailers are limiting purchases to quantity one, as well as indicating they are out of stock as well.
This week has brought more queries about SSD (Solid State Drives) than we have ever had! Even though we can obtain just about any size or speed SSD you may want, the price is considerably higher than traditional hard drives, even with the inflation taken into consideration.
Whatever you do - Don't panic... Okay, maybe just a little!
Yesterday I wrote about the hard drive shortage due to the flooding in Thailand (here)…
At the time, we were not actually feeling the affects, however, 24hrs later, we sure are!
The same terabyte SATA drives which sold for 60 dollars back on October 3rd, are approaching 140 dollars each today, and many vendors have sold out of them. Those who have not sold out have begun to limit the quantity you can purchase. Hard drive rationing!
What’s a computer repair house to do when they need one? Pay the jacked up price, and unfortunately, pass it on to our customers…
An individual can still purchase from places such as Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, etc, until the stock is depleted, then it’s anybody’s guess what the next step is.
This morning, one vendor was sold out entirely of 1TB bare drives, but, they did have a few external drives that one could purchase, then scavenge the drive contained within for their install.
A word of warning to anyone who does that: The drives contained in external enclosures are generally slower drives, not designed for the sustained transfer rates or rapid access that a typical workstation may require.
If you find a reliable and affordable source for hard drives at this point in the game… You might want to keep it to yourself, or maybe share with me!
OH, and don’t think that this hard drive situation only affects computers and servers. LOTS of devices these days require hard drives, from copiers, to digital video recorders, to Voice over IP phone systems.
Another computer technician on Facebook mentioned to me that this could be a good time to make the switch to solid state drives, and I think they may be right!
Thoughts?
