They call it "Worry-Free" for a reason... It's REALLY Worry Free!

We are offering small businesses a discounted rate on Trend Micro Anti Virus / Anti-Malware products, including their award winning Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Standard for those without mail servers, and Worry-Free Business Security Advanced for those with Microsoft Exchange mail servers or Microsoft Small Business Server.

Worry-Free Business Security is perfect for a the small office that has from 5 to 100 computers and wants a way to manage malware threats centrally from their server, keeping every workstation and notebook up to date with only one license to purchase. The Advanced version covers your mail server, and provides exceptional spam filtering in addition to blocking the virus, trojan, worm, spyware, malware threats that come in via email.

Then there is web filtering, which protects your network from threats found on the web.  Although it was not designed specifically for this purpose, Trend Micro’s Worry Free Business Security web filtering and behavior monitoring allows the administrator to lock down particular types of web sites, preventing your users from browsing to bandwidth stealing streaming audio if you like, or even social media sites.

The features do not stop there! If you would like to find out how Trend Micro products may help protect your computers, company data and privacy, please call us to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation. The current prices on Trend Micro makes a person wonder why they would even opt to use anything else!

We also offer full installation and configuration services for your business in the Greenville / Upstate South Carolina Area at reasonable rates.

Backup? I can't even find reverse!

Not a week goes by that I don’t have at least one conversation with a small or even medium sized business owner who has no backup strategy in place at all. Today’s conversation was courtesy of a rather intelligent individual from Greenville who I have known and respected for some time now. He shall remain anonymous in order to spare him shame and harassment by all who know him for eternity.

Mr. X is busy running his business, which is thriving in a poor economy, but at the same time, he is also responsible for all computer repair & maintenance which is centered around half a dozen workstations, a couple notebooks and an aging file server. He backs up his data using some free software and a couple removable USB hard drives because the tape backup they have was outgrown years ago. The drives are “sometimes” taken off-site, but for the most part, they are on location and sometimes get swapped around.

The list of problems here is long. Obviously in the even to fire, theft, flood, or other catastrophic disaster, the data is probably gone, along with the backups. Even if that is not the case, using software which has no audit trail may prove inadequate if even a file or folder is lost on the server due to a user deleting it, as there is no way to ensure the data on the external USB drives actually contains everything, and when it was put on there. Still, a  recovered file that is far out of date is better than no recovered file.

Other problems are that the server is old, and from what he told me, his RAID array is not optimal, if I understood him correctly, one file drive failed a couple years ago and everything is hosted on the remaining drive in the server.

I made several suggestions to him today… One was to get his RAID working and get a local backup going using a new drive and quality backup software like Backup Exec BEWS from Symantec and a new backup drive that uses reliable and economical media. This was shot down immediately due to the cost. Next I suggested fixing the RAID array, optimizing his USB drive backups and implementing an Online Backup Solution, such as the one we offer from Servosity. This was of more interest to him due to the fact that he does not have to invest in a tape backup drive and backup software as well as maintain it and remember to change out tapes. HOWEVER, the recurring costs have him concerned.

What we are doing currently is setting him up to try our Servosity Online Backup Solution absolutely free for a couple weeks to get a feel for how it works, and allow us to tell him exactly how much he will be paying per month. If this works out, he will at least be protected.  Imagine losing your company data and how much it could cost you. Is it worth it to risk that? If you do not have a fully functional backup solution, please contact us and let us do the same for you. No obligation, no cost!

I bet you wish I would just shut up about this Google High Speed Fiber Connectivity thing don’t you? Well I refuse!

Please take a moment to vote for Greenville, SC in this poll:

Again, even if you are NOT in Greenville, but live in the Upstate, or maybe another town in our region, the entire area would benefit from a deployment of Google Fiber! Take 2 seconds and select Greenville, SC… GoogleOnMain / Google On Main / LuckyGVL / We Are Feeling Lucky is only getting started!

As a financial officer of a small business in Greenville, I get frustrated when I see other small business owners struggling with technology, or lack thereof.  I understand the need to squeeze the most out of every dime in your business and the thought of not buying something that you can just as well do yourself.  John and I got to know each other years ago over the set-up of a computer network at McAbee’s Carpet.  Now, I’m not suggesting a relationship that develops into a marriage, but you might consider what benefits Homeland Secure IT can offer you to improve your productivity and overall business function.

What part does technology play in your small business?

McAbee’s Carpet, as many people know, is a business that my parents started in the 1960′s.  My mother handled all of the accounting by hand with perfectly documented ledgers that I watched her slave over into the wee hours of the morning most every week night.  Over ten years ago, I convinced her to begin putting the accounting on computer.  She did not trust any computer to match her expertise and continued her manual ledgers for at least three more years until I was able to convince her that both were equal.  Today, of course, all of the accounting is handled through Intuit’s Quickbooks and I’m able to file all the necessary Federal and State Forms from that software.

I now look back and can see the importance of having a soundly structured computer network to work with on a daily basis.  Working off of a network offers me the ability to delegate accounting tasks such as Accounts Receivable entry and invoicing to a co-worker so I don’t have to handle every aspect of daily tasks.  We also have the ability to keep scanned documents and various other important customer information securely on our network.  We have all grown very accustomed to the email and calendar sharing… I don’t know what we did before!

Putting all of our confidence into this computer system now brings up a new worry… backup!  We have a tape drive that is used for daily back-ups, but what if that fails and I do not notice for days or weeks?  What if we had a fire and the tapes were destroyed?  I am certainly not mindful enough to take a tape with me every night.  The new solution that has offered me so much peace of mind is having an online backup system through Servosity.  I get an email in my Inbox every morning that I know to look for which reports that my successful nightly backup is tucked away safely online should I need to retrieve it.  For literally a few dollars every month, I can go home knowing that my data is secure should anything unforeseen occur and I don’t have to do anything!

McAbee’s Carpet is certainly not up to speed with technology today.  But I do find myself getting aggravated when a vendor does not offer online payment now.  I do have a goal of installing a Voice over IP phone system soon.  But for now, I think we are in a place where I have a secure network with a working backup system and an IT company with Homeland Secure IT that I know I can call at anytime for any concerns or problems and they are there the same day to assist me.   I am a supporter and investor of Homeland Secure IT not just as an attempt to keep a husband happy, but because I believe strongly in his passion and ability to provide great service and support to businesses in the Upstate area.

Greenville is Feeling Lucky for Google Fiber

You would have to be living under a rock to still be in the dark about Google On Main / LuckyGVL (Just Google for #GoogleOnMain, #LuckyGVL, We Are Feeling Lucky, Greenville Google Fiber, etc). You probably already know that a couple thousand people in Greenville SC heard from various means, such as Twitter, Facebook, email, txt message or analog social networking like a phone call or a face-to-face meeting (people still do that?) that Greenvillians were being organized to meet at Falls Park on a beautiful Saturday night, wearing dark clothing, and that they would be taking part in something historic.

And historic it was! It has made local, regional, national and international news! Aaron Von Frank should be quite proud of himself and his band of merry men who orchestrated the endevour which involved so many people pouring into the downtown area, spelling out “Google” and having a great time!

Time Magazine has an article about Greenville’s GoogleOnMain this week, which has gotten even more people excited. Earlier in the week (over a week after the big event), people were meeting at another “Celebration” where the volunteers, sponsors and organizers were thanked and they discused how to harness this energy and take it to the next level.

There’s no end in site for Greenville’s Google On Main!  I believe we are just getting started!  Check out www.wearefeelinglucky.com for more information!

Here’s my daughter Megan in a video clip from the other day… She believes Google Fiber would help the education system in Greenville!

Homeland Secure IT provides Greenville IT & Network Sales, Service & Consultation

I’ve noticed a trend where friends, family and clients alike will feel as though their IT service provider is only there to fix their broken computer. When they need a computer repaired, they call the technician. When they need server service for their business, they call the technician. When they need a new network drop in their office, they call the technician. But in some people’s minds, that is where it stops.

If you build a relationship with your IT support provider, they already know more about your network than you do in many cases. So the next time you are thinking about adding a VoIP (Voice over IP) phone system, network security cameras, access control system, biometric time & attendance (time clocks) monitoring, or even mobile devices, you might want to give your IT company a call and ask if these devices are a good match for your existing network, and if they can provide you with a quote.

At Homeland Secure IT, we want to ensure your technology experience provides you with the highest level of satisfaction possible. We will work to determine if that new gadget, say an Apple iPad, will easily integrate into your network. We will also tell you if it will not work well, and how that can be corrected. Give us a call and find out just how much more you can get out of your network! http://www.homelandsecureit.com/technology.html has a short list of some of the devices we work with every day. It doesn’t stop there. If a product integrates into a network, chances are, we can help you with it!

Ahhhhhhhh!  Another frustrating day at work for you? Could it be because everything you wanted to do was slow as molasses? Each website you visited was slower than the last and your business depends on internet hosted applications, or “in the cloud” solutions? If that describes you, chances are good that you are suffering from a bandwidth bottleneck.

If you find everyone in the organization is slow, it narrows it down to one of a few things. An internet connection that was not designed for the amount of traffic you are moving through it, issues with your internet service provider,  an extraordinarily high amount of traffic due to end of month activity within your own business, or it could be the result of something more sinister.

Determining if your connection speed is right for your business can take some research, however it is obvious that you should have more bandwidth available to you than you will typically use, not the other way around. Calls to your ISP may help you discover if the problem is upstream from you. Leaving two potential situations that may look similar initially. If you are closing out your month and everyone is busily publishing reports, then you may notice a spike in internet bandwidth usage on your business network, however, there could be other reasons that you might want to investigate.

Your users could be streaming audio/video, or utilizing the business network for unnecessary activities which could be robbing you of precious bandwidth, or, on the darker side, a machine could be infected with mal-ware that is consuming bandwidth in several unsavoury ways. To the untrained eye, spikes in network usages may appear the result of a user streaming, when in fact, their machine has been compromised and proprietary business collateral is being passed to the outside, or that machine may be relaying hundreds of thousands of unsolicited email / spam.

If you find your business network is experiencing an unexpected slow-down, it is best to seek the assistance of your IT professionals right away to avoid further exposure if that is the case. The old adage is, “better to be safe than sorry”, and it certainly applies here.

Homeland Secure IT will be glad to answer any questions you might have should you encounter a situation of this nature. Please call us. If you are already a client of ours and this is occurring after-hours, please do not hesitate to use your techs personal contact information. Your security is our first priority!

As I sit here, I am reading a friend’s status on Facebook that says, “well…ugh!!! no more waiting on the mail….got denied my unemployment cuz the state says i had disregard for my employer when i posted on facebook i was loosing my job. ??? SO…ADVICE….NEVER talk about your job, and NEVER have coworkers as friends on facebook!!!!! now, if i could just find a job, none of this would matter!”. I heard from her two weeks ago, and she had lost her job officially because the business she worked for saw her post that she was afraid she was losing her job and they let her go. There is probably more to this story, like the position she was in was being phased out, etc, and when she heard about it, she posted on Facebook that she was worried about her job and they took that as an opportunity to go ahead and eliminate her.

That is a sad story, but there are plenty more like them. A few weeks ago, I remember seeing someone post on Facebook that they had been terminated from their job because of questionable content on their personal Facebook, and there have been several higher profile cases make the mainstream media that are similar. Person posts something on a social networking site, employer sees it, employer fires worker.

While we are talking about the bad sides of social media, we might as well hit upon these: Business secrets are leaked, time is wasted, bandwidth is consumed and disputes with clients and rival businesses happen.

But what about the good aspects? Some businesses uses Social Media as a means for following what the world is saying about their products or those of their competitor. Network Solutions for instance saw me ranting on Twitter one day and started up a conversation to ask how they could help me. That is a great customer service and marketing tool in my opinion. Many other businesses use social networking as a vehicle for promoting their products or services in a more direct way, which can be annoying, but for the most part, business in general does not “spam” their offerings to the world.

Another good side of social media would be the ability to keep up with trends and to catch the latest breaking news in your industry. Due to Twitter I have been able to see security information instantly instead of waiting for email notification from the various sources. Staying up to date is vital to keeping our clients operating properly.

There are obviously two sides to this coin. If your business finds itself in need of blocking certain content, such as access to social networking sites, this is possible through the use of firewalls and software packages that can permit access to a particular site while blocking access to others, or you can disallow everything across the board. If you would like to discuss how content filtering can help you or your business, please contact us for a free consultation.

Yesterday I wrote about how phone books seem to be going the way of the Commodore 64 (relegated to being used as a door stop). Of course as soon as I said that, I got a phone call from a potential client who had gotten our name out of the phone book. First one this year I believe. However, she had looked in the WHITE pages and she was looking for a specific name, not something like “Computer Repair” or “Computer Sales”, etc. She actually was not even looking for anything to do with computers at all! She was looking for a locksmith actually who’s name was something like Upstate Security or Homeland Security, and found our name. Turns out, when I told her that we did computer sales, computer service, computer consultation, etc, she said she NEEDED someone to fix her computer and I gave her the name of a really good Locksmith at the same time.

I have looked to see how people are finding our business in searches, and I have asked each new client how they found us. The majority always say “We just Googled for you”, and then I have to ask exactly what they searched for. Most of the time it is “Greenville Computer” something, like “Greenville Computer Sales” or “Greenville Computer Repair”, and most always it is Google being used, but a few have used Bing.

I received some input regarding my thoughts from yesterday and it appears that nobody that read the blog entry actually uses a paper phone book. One person said they instantly toss new phone books in the garbage (I told them to consider recycling). A fellow business owner in the same field who follows my silliness on this blog told me that when he is in need of anything, he first uses his own address book which is loaded with hundreds of contacts (Outlook, Exchange and his phone), and if fails to locate what he is after, he then uses search engines exclusively because the time it takes to lay his hands on a phone book and flip through it is a waste of his money. Then my wife weighed in and said “many businesses in the phone book have gone OUT of business in the time since it was printed”. So it would seem that most people feel the same way that I feel.

If you are using yellow page advertising in the computer service or computer support field and are having great success, I would be interested in hearing from you. In fact, if you have any comments, just email me, or comment on this article. (I’m envisioning every phone book ad salesperson emailing or calling me…)

Now it has been over a week since the Google On Main #GoogleOnMain event where thousands gathered in Greenville’s Falls Park while aircraft flew overhead capturing the spectacle on video and stills. Yes, the #LuckyGVL sponsored event was spectacular without question! More info on this event, including photos and video can be found on http://www.wearefeelinglucky.com/

This coming Tuesday evening at 7PM, there will be a follow-up event that you should go to if you are in the Upstate…  Find that information here: http://wearefeelinglucky.eventbrite.com/ This will be a fun event and you will get to see unreleased footage of the Google On Main campaign!

And it would be great if you could join the Facebook fan page and help support the Upstate of South Carolina: http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Are-Feeling-Lucky-Greenville-SC-For-Google-Fiber/108303235861525?ref=nf&_fb_noscript=1 This group has grown to more than 1700 in a few days now and your participation is invited and encouraged.

Remember, what helps Greenville, helps the UPSTATE of South Carolina. So if you are from Easley, Six Mile, Pickens, Piedmont, Liberty, Duncan, Spartanburg, Anderson, Simpsonville, etc, it doesn’t matter, if we are selected by Google as the place to roll out 1Gbps high speed fiber internet, without a question, you will see the benefits anywhere in the Upstate!