Homeland Secure IT Alert

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Thursday, February 23, 2011

Microsoft has released Security Advisory 967940, titled “Update for Windows Autorun”, and it covers an issue that has long plagued Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. When you insert a USB flash drive, or USB hard drive, Windows has attempted to treat them like CD/DVD material and perform an autorun on it. While most IT professionals and tech savvy individuals have disabled that feature, and anti-virus developers such as Trend Micro have provided an option to disable that function, as gaping hole has been there for everyone else.

How has it affected people? Many ways, from a person inserting their USB flash drive from home into a business computer and the autorun functionality automatically installing the malware that was on the home system directly onto a network computer, creating a huge network security issue, down to malicious people dropping a flash drive containing malicious software on it in the parking lot of a large company they wanted access to. This resulted in workers at said company picking up the flash drive and inserting it into a computer on the corporate network in an attempt to see what was on it or find the owner to return it, and unknowingly permit software that would allow remote access to the network.

So, finally, after years of this, Microsoft has addressed it!

Microsoft has also published MS10-077, a revision to a bulletin posted in 2010 for a change to the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 update package. And MS10-070, which is yet another revision to .NET Framework 4.0. These are labeled “Critical” and “Important”, respectively.

Keep your systems up to date, and be sure you have current anti-virus… We recommend and sell Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security and Titanium. In Greenville / Upstate, SC please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information…

Homeland Secure IT Alert

It involves a well-to-do gentleman who takes his computer to a local (New York) computer repair facility for a simple virus cleanup / removal in 2006, and things go horribly wrong. The owner of the computer service center tells the PC owner that he has fallen victim to an elaborate attack from a foreign entity that has not only his data in danger, but the well being of his family!

Over the next six years, the computer owner pays the computer service shop an estimated SIX MILLION dollars to keep him safe. The article goes on to explain further oddities revolving around the strange relationship between computer owner and shady computer repair clinic owner.

This is so intriguing that it could be a turned into a movie, except for the part where it is all too real, and a man, his family and others were hurt by the very people he trusted.

The next time you are in need of computer service, don’t let the technician tell you that you need to pay millions of dollars… Select a quality IT company who will give you a reasonable estimate for the labor and a time frame for the repairs. A typical virus cleanup / malware removal can take an hour, sometimes more depending on the severity and the data being dealt with. A reputable repair facility will generally have your computer back to you the same or next business day.

Homeland Secure IT provides business & personal computer service and repair in our Greenville office, or at your Upstate location, including Simpsonville, Anderson, Spartanburg, Easley, Piedmont, Seneca, Duncan, Taylors, Pickens, Mauldin, Clemson, Six Mile. Please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for additional information.

Shiny Happy People

According to a story published in the Washington Post, computer users are happier with their PCs than at any time since the first year (1994) that this was tracked! This was based around a poll run by ACSI LLC.

It was not surprising that Apple had the highest user satisfaction with their “cult-like” Mac following, though it may catch some off guard that Microsoft held its own. The article cites improvements in Microsoft customer satisfaction since the release of Windows 7, which we have seen ourselves. In fact, since the release of Microsoft Windows 7, we have been seeing people dump their aging Macs and opt for less expensive Windows machines as replacements.

Some factors that appear to be contributing to the migration from Mac to the Windows platform are the consistently lower prices for Microsoft Windows based machines, security holes being exploited in the Mac rapidly narrowing the “Mac is more secure” gap, the overall user friendliness and reliability of Windows 7 and of course the larger software selection.

Either way, across the board people are as happy as ever with their computers!

If you find your experience is less than satisfactory, I would like to hear from you. Reply here, shoot me an email, give me a call, etc. We can likely help improve your satisfaction!

Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 With BPOS Goodness

So you are setup with a FREE trial of Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite and are enjoying all the online apps but something is missing, you don’t want to use web apps, you want to use all the features of Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 or 2010 that you have already paid for and know your way around.

Well it is possible to have your cake and eat it too! *IF* you signed up for the BPOS Standard trial instead of the “Deskless Worker” trial, then you can configure your Outlook to view the same Exchange data you see with Outlook Web Access. You will see the same emails, the same contacts, the same tasks, folders, public folders, calendars etc!

Wait, you didn’t get the Standard version of the BPOS demo? That’s okay, you can log back into the portal and activate the Standard version, then deactivate the Deskless Worker product and not even lose your configuration. YOU MAY lose your emails though and have to start over, but hey, it’s just a demo, you didn’t have that much anyway!

Okay, so back to task at hand, getting Outlook configured. It’s EASY, relatively speaking to accomplish this. First you log into your online mail app (OWA) at http://mail.microsoft.com and once in there, click on OPTIONS at the upper right hand corner, then, select ABOUT from the left hand menu. You will see something that looks like this:

Data to gather from OWA to setup Outlook

The important information for you to gather will be the “Outlook Web Access host name”, and the “Mailbox server name”.

Now, close out Outlook on your desktop and go to START/Control Panel and select Mail (If using Win 7 64 bit, once you open Control Panel, type “mail” in the Search Control Panel input at the top right hand side and select “Mail (32-Bit)”).

Select “Show Profiles” and add a new one… Let’s call it “BPOS”.  Next, select the checkbox for “Manually configure server settings or additional server types” then hit “Next >”. Select “Microsoft Exchange or compatible service” and hit “Next >”.

In the “Server:” field, put the information you gathered from Outlook Web Access for the Mailbox Server Name… (Ex: A3DIAXVS251.RED001.local). For “User Name:” enter your email address, then select “More Settings”. Don’t bother hitting “Check Name” as it will not function (yet)…

Select the “Connection” tab, at the bottom, select “Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP” and then hit the button “Exchange Proxy Settings…”, for “Use this URL to connect to my proxy server for Exchange:”, you need to enter the Outlook Web Access hostname from OWA (Ex: red001.mail.microsoftonline.com) and do not include the “https://” or the “/owa” here, just the hostname.

You can select to “Only connect to proxy servers that have this principal name in their certificate” if you wish, but not necessary.

DO select both of the checkboxes at the bottom for “On xxxx networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP”, and set the proxy authentication settings to “NTLM Authentication”.

Click OKAY and apply those settings and now try to open Outlook… You should be prompted with a login.

Sounds complicated? Kinda-sorta, but it works well, and you only have to do it once. You can also use the Microsoft single signon client if you wish, which will remember your login and password and allow you to open Outlook without any issue, but some company policies may not allow you to install additional software, or automatic login applications so the above should work for you.

If you get stuck, please reply here or shoot me an email at info@homelandsecureit.com and I will try to give you a hand.

Homeland Secure IT offers many backup solutions that can protect you from this scenario, but our favorite is Servosity Online Backup, which runs on your computer, regardless of the operating system of that computer (Server, Workstation, Notebook, etc) and quietly backs up your data to a secure server located “in the cloud”.

It is affordable, it is reliable, and the president of Servosity is an Upstate SC native. What more could you ask for?

If you would like to try this awesome online backup service, we offer a FREE trial, just call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for additional details or get setup for a trial.

Please do it before it is too late. Losing your pictures, music, documents, etc is a painful experience, and potentially devastating. The cost of recovering hard drives can be in the thousands!

Thanks Russell… I didn’t even know about the Code Search until today. I can promise you I will be using this

10 Google Services That Don’t Get the Limelight They Deserve  posted on MakeUseOf.com

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

Yes, the subject is correct! Microsoft is offering students the deal of a lifetime…   Windows 7 Professional for only $29.99!

Follow this link to get the whole scoop…  In short you must have an email address ending with .edu, or be enrolled at a college listed as eligible on that site.

There is also a link at the bottom of that page for Microsoft Office Professional Academic version for $79.95, but last I checked, that link is broken.

If you have not checked out Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Office yet, you should do so using the free trials that are available, or if you happen to be a student, upgrade to both for only 100 bucks!?!  What a great deal! What a way to start out the new school year, with the latest software!

If you really need a reason to upgrade other than features and having the latest, how about security? Windows 7 Professional and Office 2010 Professional address security better than any previous version!

Students with Macs are loading Windows 7 Professional on their computers for compatibility with the latest software and requirements of colleges, giving them the best of both worlds!

If you require assistance, please email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864-990-4748 – we can provide help in installing either of these software packages to those in the Greenville / Upstate SC area.

Homeland Secure IT Alert

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Microsoft has updated their August Security Bulletin as of August 10, 2010…

A webcast is scheduled for 2:00 PM Eastern on August 11, 2010 - Register here

The following information was provided courtesy of US-CERT National Cyber Alert System
Technical Cyber Security Alert TA10-222A:

Systems Affected

• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Office
• Internet Explorer
• Microsoft .NET Framework
• Microsoft Silverlight

Overview

Microsoft has released updates to address vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Microsoft .NET Framework, and Microsoft Silverlight.

I. Description

The Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August 2010 describes multiple vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Microsoft .NET framework, and Microsoft Silverlight. Microsoft has released updates to address the vulnerabilities.

One of the bulletins released, MS10-046, addresses a previously identified vulnerability in the Windows Shell that is actively being exploited.

II. Impact

A remote, unauthenticated attacker could execute arbitrary code or cause a vulnerable system or application to crash.

III. Solution

Apply updates

Microsoft has provided updates for these vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August 2010. The security bulletin describes any known issues related to the updates. Administrators are encouraged to note these issues and test for any potentially adverse effects. Administrators should consider using an automated update distribution system such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

IV. References

Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August 2010 -http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-aug.mspx
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-046 - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS10-046.mspx
US-CERT Vulnerability Note VU#940193 - http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/940193
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/default.aspx

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Summary:In short, apply updates to all your Microsoft Windows based systems ASAP using Microsoft Updates or WSUS.

If you require assistance with Microsoft Windows Updates or WSUS, please call us at 864-990-4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Homeland Secure IT Alert

Whatever you do – Don't panic…

It seems like once a month or so we get a phone call from someone who is freaking out over their computer not booting up…

In the case of the system giving a blank / black screen, or the even more ominous “Operating System Not Found” / “Missing operating system” message and nothing further upon boot up, you might be surprised to find that the solution is easy…

Many newer computers come from the factory with the ability to boot from external media, such as USB hard drives, flash memory sticks, card readers, smart phones such as the iPhone, digital cameras and other devices. This applies to machines running Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, and even Windows Server.

I always suggest to the person with the trembling voice that they take a deep breath, and unplug anything they may have plugged into the computer since the last time it was booted up. Remove any memory cards, flash drives, USB devices, etc. Make sure there are no disks in the CD drive or floppy drive (What? Someone uses a floppy?) and then reboot.

In more cases than I could possibly remember, their machine will boot up as normal and their blood pressure will drop tremendously.

I have heard stories that unscrupulous computer service technicians will “diagnose” this problem as a faulty hard drive and charge the client for unnecessary computer repair and parts. Hopefully, if this is the case, you will not fall into that trap because you just read this post. If I saved you from a heart attack, please respond here, or buy me a coffee.

The computer can be set to NOT boot from USB devices in most cases, so if you encounter this regularly and wish to make that change, it should be possible in the BIOS. Should you require assistance with that, or your system does NOT boot up even with USB and memory devices unplugged, please give us a call at 864-990-4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We offer complete computer service, repair and sales to Greenville / Upstate SC.

Microsoft BPOS

Are you tired of dealing with POP3 or IMAP mail from your ISP? Tired of SLOW email? Do you want to share calendars between coworkers? Do you want to see the same contacts, calendar entries and emails on your phone as you do in your Outlook on your desktop and also via a web interface? Do you want your mobile workforce to have access to the same resources you do, including public / shared calendars & contacts? Want support for your Mac, Apple iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry?

Then Microsoft Exchange is the way to go, however, there are costs associated with hosting your own Exchange server that are unattractive to many smaller businesses.

Fortunately there are Hosted / In-The-Cloud alternatives, such as Microsoft’s Own BPOS, the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite which features a Hosted Exchange server, SharePoint, Office Live Meeting and Office Communications Online. Using BPOS can eliminate the need to purchase, deploy, maintain, backup and eventually upgrade a Microsoft Windows Server with Microsoft Exchange Server. The services are hosted “in the cloud”, in a data center, where all maintenance and upgrades are maintained FOR you. No need to worry with backups either.

This solution isn’t right for everybody, but it could be the answer to your problems if you have a smaller office, a large mobile workforce, a small budget or possibly no central location to place a server at. Would you like more information? Please call us at 864-990-4748 ext 201 or email info@homelandsecureit.com to arrange for a free, no obligation consultation.

Free 30 Day BPOS Trial

Optionally, you can sign up for a FREE 30 day trial of BPOS - Business Productivity Online Standard Suite - This trial includes 20 user licenses for Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting, and Office Communications Online.

Homeland Secure IT offers Hosted Microsoft Online Services including the full BPOS / Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting & Office Communications Online) as well as the Business Productivity Online Deskless Worker Suite (Exchange Online & SharePoint Online), and each service individually.

If you are in the Upstate / Greenville SC area, we can assist you with configuring your Outlook to work with the Hosted Exchange Online service at your location or ours.

We also offer full remote support and phone support to clients anywhere in the United States.

Microsoft Office Home & Student Edition

Looking to upgrade to the new Microsoft Office 2010 and don’t know which version to get? Here’s a run-down on the features and applications included in the Home & Student edition of Microsoft Office 2010. This version is well suited to the typical user who works at home and does not require Outlook, Publisher, Access, etc.  I have included a link to a comparison of all the Microsoft Office 2010 suites below, and their suggested retail price.

Products and features of Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student Edition:

• Rich and powerful new ways to deliver your work on your computer, Windows Mobile-based smart phone or a web browser
• Easy-to-use Tools, customizable templates, color schemes, and photo-editing capabilities
• Work with people from different places at the same time with the new co-authoring experience
• More ways to access your files from almost anywhere, Office 2010 puts you in control of getting things done according to your schedule
• Simplifies your tasks and creates amazing results

Word 2010

• Add impact to your document with new picture-editing tools.
• Better illustrate your ideas with diagrams by turning bullet-point lists into compelling SmartArt graphics.
• Apply new formatting effects to your text such as shadow, bevel, glow and reflection.
• Capture and insert screenshots directly into your document.
• Communicate with ease in many languages with improved translation tools.

Excel 2010

• Highlight data trends by creating data charts in a single cell with new Sparklines.
• Find the right data quickly with new filter enhancement in PivotTable views.
• Analyze data quickly. Highlight specific data with new and improved Conditional Formatting options.
• Display data in a dynamic and interactive way with PivotChart views.
• Spend less time sifting through data–use the new search filter to narrow down pertinent data to display.

PowerPoint 2010

• Embed and edit video files directly in your presentation.
• Set videos to fade in and out and apply a variety of video styles and formats.
• Broadcast your presentation online with new Broadcast Slide Show.
• Captivate your audience with new transitions and improved animations.
• Use slide sections to navigate, organize and print your presentation.

OneNote 2010

• Use quick filing to organize notebooks, ideal when you’re working on multiple projects.
• Apply styles and formatting to selected text to another paragraph with the new Format Painter.
• See results as you type with improved Search functionality and view a prioritized list of Search results.
• Easily organize and jump between your notebooks with the improved notebook Navigation Bar.
• Take notes while working in Word, PowerPoint or in Internet Explorer and automatically link them.

Office 2010 Home & Business adds Outlook and it’s mail features! For a comparison of Microsoft Office 2010 versions visit this link

Homeland Secure IT offers sales of the entire Microsoft Office product line, whether you need Home & Student for personal use or multiple copies of Microsoft Office Professional  for your business. We also offer installation and complete computer service and repair in the Greenville and Upstate SC area! Call 864-990-4748 ext 201 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information…

Trend Micro Internet Security is great for business or personal use!

Last month we drew for a wireless network IP security camera, before that we gave away a Cisco Flip Mino HD video camera, and this month, we are going to give away Trend Micro Internet Security 2010, THE best anti-virus packages on the market!

Two lucky winners will receive the retail version of Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 which will protect up to 3 computers from infection by trojan, virus, spyware, grayware, and other forms of malware as well as spam!  Each package retails for $49.99. Protect your Microsoft Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 based computers from infection!

How do you enter? That’s easy! In the “Follow Me” section on the right-hand column of our blog, enter your email address and hit “Subscribe”, you will get a daily archive of this blog first thing in the morning after that. Another option is to join our mailing list/s. You can do that by visiting http://www.HomelandSecureIT.com and hitting the “Subscribe to our mailing list” link on the right side of the page.

If you subscribe to the blog and one of our mailing lists, you get TWO chances to win, if you subscribe to our blog and both mailing lists, you get THREE chances to win when we draw for the names.

Who is eligible? Homeland Secure IT provides computer service, support, repair and sales in the Greenville / Upstate SC area, so if you are in these areas, our mailing lists are probably of interest to you and if should you win one of our drawings, we will try to deliver the item to you in person or you can pick it up at our office on Mauldin Rd. in Greenville. Those who enter from outside the Upstate area are responsible for shipping and handling of the prizes.

Homeland Secure IT employees and family members who are subscribed are also eligible, however, one of us actually won the last contest and we decided to redraw. If Greg wins, he is not giving up his prize, hahah.

Those outside the USA are not eligible unless they can come here and pick up the prize in person. This offer is void where prohibited by law.

How is the drawing done? We take all names on all lists, dump them into Microsoft Excel, run a random number generator from 1 to however many is on the list and select the corresponding name. Very low tech, but hey, it works!

We will draw for two winners of the Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 package on September 1st, 2010. Winners will be announced here on this blog, in our newsletter and via social media sites like Twitter & Facebook.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

A typical computer worker will have a 19″ monitor on their desk, and spend a good part of their day flipping between applications. They will open Microsoft Outlook, and read emails, flip back to Excel and work on a spreadsheet, copy some data from that and paste it into an email or start up Microsoft Word and continue this routine of flipping between applications to view the most important one at that moment.

Windows 7 allows you to quickly move two programs to opposite sides of a display to view them simultaneously

Some workstations are lucky enough to be equipped with a larger, say 20 or 22 inch widescreen monitor, and Microsoft Windows 7 which allows you to easily snap one program to one half of the screen and another to the other half, sharing that one monitor to view Word and Excel simultaneously.

While this solution is much better than the constant flipping, it does have a few drawbacks, such as limited display area due to screen size, unless you are one of the very few who are fortunate enough to have a 30″ display, and if you are one of those, you can just close out this site now, because we all hate you.  (Of course I am only kidding, really).

A much more elegant solution is to use two monitors, hopefully of the same model and place them side-by-side or use a specialized mount to hold the monitors in the perfect position for you to see them. These mounts have come down in price considerably and are worth looking into, especially if you have MORE than 2 monitors.

Dual monitors can increase your productivity

For those who have not experienced multiple monitors, having two monitors allows you to keep your Outlook open on one, while working in Word or another application on another. You move seamlessly between them, when your mouse gets to the right edge of the left monitor, it moves to the left edge of the right monitor. You can move open windows and applications between these monitors as if they are one large display.

I currently have two 24″ monitors on my desk, and could not work with less than that after maximizing the use of these monsters. If I had a larger desk, I would add another monitor!

Going multi-monitor is a snap. You first need a computer that supports this, or to purchase a dual output video card. Then you need a 2nd monitor and cable. It’s really that easy. Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 supports multiple displays, but Windows 7 does the best job of it. Apple Mac OS X Machines also support multiple monitors.

The Nexlink Business computers we offer come dual monitor ready, so if you have one of these systems, you only need the additional monitor.

If you would like more information on dual or multiple monitors (no need to stop at 2, why not add 6!?), monitor stands, multiple output video cards, or our Nexlink Business computers, please call 864-990-4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com – We offer sales of monitors, computers, video cards and installation in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area.

In an attempt to make it easier to visualize the differences between versions, I located a chart from a Wiki article and modified it to include the current suggested retail pricing of the various versions.

Microsoft Office 2010 Features and MSRP Matrix

As you can see from the chart, Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus offers every feature available in the Office Suite of programs if you purchase the Volume license. And the Home and Student version provides the basic suite of software, excluding the Outlook mail client. The number one seller is Microsoft Home & Business because it does offer Outlook and it is affordable as well.

Notice the “Product Key Code Price” is much lower than the full retail version. The Product Key Code, or PKC version is the same as the Retail offering for each suite with a lower price due to the lack of media. PKC sales are designed for new PC purchases, which come with the evaluation of Microsoft Office 2010 pre-installed. Instead of buying a full retail version and installing that, you purchase the PKC from your vendor, which is just a package that contains a Product Key. The Product Key is then entered into the demo version to register it as the full product you purchased.

Not only does this save on packaging costs, but less packaging means less junk ends up in the landfill (while not a totally green solution, every little bit helps).

Volume licensing is the king of the green solutions as you do not actually receive any paper or packaging, or even media. You purchase a minimum of five licenses, which are delivered electronically, and you download the media and burn it to your own disk. Volume licensing is ideal for a small office of 5 or more, on up to offices and organizations with 1000s of employees.

Homeland Secure IT offers nationwide sales of Microsoft products as full retail, product key code or volume licensing, 1 user or 1 million users. We also offer complete installation, upgrades and computer / network support / service in the Greenville and Upstate South Carolina area. Please call 864-990-4748 ext 201 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for additional information.

Homeland Secure IT Alert

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Monday, August 02, 2010

Microsoft Issues Emergency Patch: Rated Critical

Microsoft issues out-of-band security bulletin and patch today August 2, 2009. Out of band means released ahead of the regular scheduled monthly update.  The out-of-band patch is designed to address a security flaw in the way shortcuts are displayed.

Software affected includes Windows operating system, various versions, and is rated critical. Microsoft encourages users to take action

This security update is rated Critical for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows listed here and obtained from Microsoft

Operating System
Windows XP Service Pack 3
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2
Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1 and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2*
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems and Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2*
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 2
Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems*
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems

Recommendation from Microsoft: Customers who have not enabled automatic updating need to check for updates and install this update manually.

Microsoft Security Advisory

If we can be of assistance with this or any other security or computer issue, please do not hesitate to call us at 864-990-4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Homeland Secure IT Alert – Contact Info

Hal Westmoreland from AccessAbility Services Inc, of Simponsonville, SC was the lucky winner of the wireless network security / surveillance camera giveaway for July! Congratulations to Hal!

Incidentally the first name drawn was Pamela Hoyt, my wife, which somehow didn’t seem fair, so we drew again.

I would like to thank everyone for playing our little game, those who are signed up will be automatically entered into our next contest… Watch for details coming soon!

You can view your trends with a web interface, and access the data with your iPhone. I believe something like this really could encourage you to lose some weight. Recently there have been news stories which cite studies about weight loss and the results indicate that those who use internet weight tracking actually do lose more weight and manage to maintain that loss better than those who do not.

The thing that bothers me is that it will Tweet out your weight once a week to Twitter. All I could think was exactly what it would be tweeting when I stepped on it… Something like, “HELP ME! This fat guy is smushing me!” is probably what it would have to say about me! Still, it is an interesting gadget and I would love to have it. Who knows, maybe I will order one. Follow me on Twitter to see what this thing has to say!

The other day, I wrote about Nexlink SP series business notebooks and that generated some interest in their products among our clients and friends. Today we happen to have both a Nexlink SP 4000 and a Toshiba Tecra A11-S3511 in stock before they are delivered to their new owners, so I thought we would give a rough comparison of the two.

We have an even playing field with these two products… Both are designed for business use and feature the following specs in common:

Nexlink SP 4000 Business Notebook

Intel i3-350M 2.26G Processor

2GB DDR3 1066 SODIMM RAM

15.6″ widescreen LCD display w/built-in camera

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

Docking connectors,  VGA port, 10 key numeric pad, media card reader, express card, DVD-RW, audio in/out, Gigabit NIC, Wireless & Bluetooth, security lock slot

The differences between the two are:

Toshiba has a finger print reader, serial port, mini display port, eSATA, modem, 3 USB ports and only 250GB HD

Nexlink has 4 USB ports & 320GB HD

Aesthetics: In comparing the two visually, they both feature a matte finish on most of the areas you touch, though the mouse buttons on the Toshiba are chromed plastic and show fingerprints badly. The rest of the surfaces are similar between the models. The layout is similar, except many of the connections, including power are on the back of the Toshiba unit. The Nexlink’s backside is devoid of connections.

Display: Set to the same resolution, I can tell no difference when viewing the same screens and graphics. The speed of refresh is great on both models. One difference is that the Nexlink may offer better privacy when viewed from the side. Those working with sensitive material may still wish to use a privacy filter.

Toshiba Tecra A11-S3511 Business Notebook

Keyboard & Touch Pad: Both units have excellent keyboards though slightly different in style, however the touch pad on the Nexlink is more to my liking, the surface area is larger and is a little rougher, making it easier for me to manipulate. Your mileage may vary here. All of us in the office like the Nexlink’s feel better and it seems to be more responsive.

Performance: Considering these are units going out to clients, we did not want to load them down with benchmarking tools. We did use them to browse, check resources and to run the Windows Experience Index. Not surprisingly due to the similar configuration, they both had a 3.6 rating, with the Toshiba coming in 0.1 faster on disk access and the Nexlink 0.2 higher on gaming graphics. Otherwise, they performed identically. It should be noted that the Toshiba comes pre-loaded with their suite of software and applications to support the notebook and that from the factory it was using 1.02GB of RAM, while the Nexlink was using 600MB.

Overall Experience: Either of these notebooks would make a great system. They weigh about the same, have about the same dimensions, have similar battery life, and have a rugged build to withstand the everyday wear and tear a portable computer user would inflict. In addition to being a great portable computer, they also connect to an (optional) docking station that allows the use of a large LCD, external speakers, printers, full size keyboard and mouse all by dropping the computer into the docking bay. Who could ask for more?

The bottom line probably comes down to money for most potential owners of these notebooks. If that is the case, then I recommend you consider the Nexlink SP Series as your first choice. You get similar performance and features and can save a little money!

Homeland Secure IT is proud to partner with the US based manufacturer and offer the entire line of Seneca Data’s Nexlink notebooks, computers and servers. Please call 864-990-4748 ext 201 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information. We provide installation, migration and support in Greenville / Upstate SC and national sales.

Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security is Anti-Virus you can depend on!

I am asked why Homeland Secure IT loves Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security and Office Scan products so much. The default answer is, “Because it is the best!”, and then I proceed to explain how we feel it protects our clients better than other anti-virus / anti-malware suites, and how it consumes less resources and many other factors, however, I could stop with just the security. After all, what good is anti-virus if it doesn’t do the job it is intended for?

Our belief that Trend Micro is the best is backed up by many totally satisfied clients who use it and rely upon it daily, and many independent studies which have been performed on various Anti-Virus brands.

One that sticks out is a benchmarking test performed by AV-Test.org that covered five Enterprise endpoint solutions, including Symantec, McAfee, Microsoft, Sophos and Trend Micro. The Trend Micro test included two products, Worry-Free Business Security designed for small business and OfficeScan designed for large Enterprise accounts.

AV-Test.org Endpoint Security Benchmark Testing

AV-Test.org tested zero-day attacks actually occurring in the wild by sourcing malicious URLs which have malware associated with them. The testing occurred simultaneously across all vendor’s platforms to ensure no biases during the test runs. Products were configured to block or detect the threats at multiple levels, thereby giving each vendor maximum ability to protect against these threats.

In these test, Trend Micro emerged as teh overall winner. Trend Micro also demonstrated a decided advantage in blocking these threats at their source, the URL. With an overall score at blocking zero-day threats of 89.5 and 89.0 percent, the Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security and OfficeScan solutions respectively stand distinctly apart from other products whose averages ranged from just 52.5 to 77.5 percent.

Source: AV-Test.org | Note: Results are based on the T+60 minute results

And in the time to protect category, Trend Micro ranked #1 too.

Source: AV-Test.org | NOTE: Time-to-protect improvement is the percentage of threats missed at T=0min that are subsequently prevented at T=60min. For example, with Trend Micro OfficeScan: At T=0min, 161 threats were prevented while 39 threats were missed. Of the 39 threats missed at T=0min, 17 were prevented at T=60min (17 of 39 equals 43.6%).

Why Trend Micro outperformed the competition

Trend Micro has outperformed the competition in a number of recent tests (See NSS Labs) due to the Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure that powers OfficeScan and Worry-Free Business solutions. This unique cloud-client architecture that uses Smart feedback to source new potential threats, patent-pending correlation that analyzes multiple threat vectors (web, email, file) in real-time allows Trend Micro to react faster than other vendors against new threats. Our multi-layered approach to security gives us a decided advantage over the competition in combating today’s sophisticated threats as well as the volume of new threats.

For more information or to receive a copy of the report, please call us at 864-990-4748 ext 201 or email info@homelandsecureit.com – We sell Trend Micro products nationally and offer installation and upgrade services to Greenville and the Upstate of SC. We also provide complete virus removal and cleanup service!

Trend Micro Internet Security is great for business or personal use!

In previous posts I have primarily focused on Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security products which is a perfect solution for a small, medium or even larger company who has a server to host it on and five computers or more. (With WFBS Hosted, you do not need a server to host it on, it is hosted in the cloud).  The reason for that is because we service a lot of companies and organizations who have 5 or more computers.

But what about those of you who have only one or two computers at home, your small business or a non-profit? Fortunately, Trend Micro has a product especially for you! It is called Trend Micro Internet Security, and its big brother Trend Micro Internet Security Pro!

Trend Micro Internet Security is an outstanding product which has never let us down. We have hundreds of seats of Trend Micro in use currently without a single unhappy client! The “footprint” of this anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware, anti-spam product is much smaller than some of the other packages that are available, meaning that it uses less resources, leaving more for your important applications (and even gaming).

Here are some of the features direct from the Trend Micro website:

Enjoy smart features tailored to your activities

Trend Micro Internet Security safeguards your computer and personal information against the latest threats:

• Prevent unauthorized software from changing your critical applications, without impacting your PC performance
• Pause security updates or scans when you give presentations, watch movies, or play games
• Automatically prevent suspicious software on USB devices from opening.
• Helps you to easily manage all the devices connected to your home network

HOW TO TRY:

You can get a 30 day trial of Trend Micro Internet Security or Internet Security Pro for FREE by visiting HERE. Simply click the “Free Trial” link, and fill out a little information and you can download the product and see for yourself how well it works on your system before committing to purchase. During the trial, if you decide to purchase, you can purchase direct from Trend Micro or through your favorite reseller (I hope that is us!).

HOW TO BUY:

You can buy from Homeland Secure IT, LLC by calling 864-990-4748 ext 201 or emailing info@homelandsecureit.com. We offer sales of this product for one computer, 3 computers, dozens or even thousands at reasonable prices. We can provide it as a retail package, or licensing (for 5 computers or more) which helps cut down on packaging and shipping costs because the licenses are delivered electronically.

In addition to offering sales of Trend Micro Anti-Virus, we also perform installations, upgrades,  virus cleanup &  removal,  as well as the full range of computer repair / service in Greenville and Upstate SC!

I am active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, Plaxo, and still have a MySpace account, though I don’t really use it that much. I haved tried out Google Buzz, FriendFeed, and several business only SM sites. (Heck, I have even checked out Chat Roulette and Omegle – but that is an entirely different story)

Out of all of these, one that I fail to see the value in for a computer service, repair and sales business like Homeland Secure IT is FourSquare. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I use it constantly, and get very frustrated when it isn’t working like I think it should. But I use it for personal purposes. If you have not played with FourSquare, it is a geolocation based social media “tool” that lets you “check-in” to a venue or location when you get there using your GPS equiped smartphone. Assume you go to Starbucks for a quick Dark Cherry Mocha Frapp – you “check-in” and now the whole world can see what you are doing.  You can brag to Twitter & Facebook that you have disposable income you can spend on yummy coffee.

Same thing goes for attractions like amusement parks, ball games, and stores like say, “Target”. If you check-in enough times, you become the “Mayor” of that venue!

Here is where the value of FourSquare comes in… Assume you check-in and become mayor of XYZ Sandwich Shop. You have been announcing this for a while, everytime you visit there. The whole world has seen you were there, giving free advertisement to XYZ! But, if XYZ is smart, they will reward you for your loyalty and offer a free sandwich when someone becomes Mayor, and maybe a free drink every time the Mayor visits after that. A very cheap price to pay for this type of advertising.

Many places, especially restaurants, will offer specials that popup when you check-in near their venue. These will show up as a “SPECIAL NEARBY – Check out the great ribs at ABC BBQ”, which can help bring new business into these places. And still other places will offer you a free entree when you visit several of their location. FourSquare itself offers “Badges” for accomplishing certain feats, such as checking into three Starbucks locations.

All that said, our business does not have foot traffic nor visitors, so offering a “Free Virus Cleanup” to a mayor would be silly. I believe I am the only person to check-in to our location in the months that I have been using it. But it does bring up a pet peeve of mine. Today I was ousted as Mayor of a local coffee shop – BY THE OWNER OF THE PLACE. Wow, that doesn’t do anything to help with loyalty. My suggestion to places that want to check-in themselves, create a second venue, call it XYZ Sandwich Shop STAFF, and let the staff go crazy checking in!

I would further suggest that business owners who can benefit from FourSquare’s power of (free) advertising, take advantage of it the way it was meant to be used. Offer Mayors a treat, some recognition, and encourage them to remain the mayor and others to try and oust the current mayor. 4sq is both a FUN, and a very useful business tool, when used properly.

BTW: If you can think of a way 4sq can be used to promote our computer repair business here in Greenville, and increase loyalty, well I’m all ears, but until that happens, I will be trying to take my place as mayor of every great business in the Upstate!  Watch out Mayors, I’m coming for you…   

BTW: Have fun, it is only a game!  (But seriously, I’m coming for you)…    Also check out other geolocational based SM tools / toys like Gowalla, Gypsii, BrightKite, Loopt, etc…

We offer sales of licensing and renewals for these and many other great companies…  Just call 864-990-4748 ext 201 or email info@homelandsecureit.com – We serve Greenville and the Upstate of SC, as well as nationwide licensing sales

Mailing List Mayhem

Let’s assume you are managing a mail distribution list with more than 50 people on it for a church or business and currently you are handling it in Outlook. Why not assume it is for a newsletter or bulletin…

Some of the problems you face are as follows: ( AKA the Top 10 Reasons to Switch to Email Marketing)

10. This is just too confusing and time consuming (see reasons 9 through 1 below)

9. Sending large emails with pictures or PDF attachments to dozens of people can slow your mail server to a crawl and take all day to send.

8. You have to manually add and remove each recipient, which is time consuming and is prone to human error (typos, accidental deletion of the wrong people).

7. You have no way for people to add themselves via a link on your website.

6. Subscribers are not verified, they have not opted-in. (Read more about the CAN-SPAM Act).

5. You have no way to see if your email was actually OPENED, or see which links were clicked on in your email.

4. Your mail distribution list likely has only the email address of each person and no idea of who happygirl1977@gmail.com really is.

3. You do not have a list of which addresses are bouncing, unless you compile  it yourself from the actual bounced messages.

2. If you are sending newsletters, you may be just constructing your email inside Outlook and it may be text based, with no real consistency in appearance.

And the number one issue faced by those using Outlook to manage a mailing list/newsletter: You are sending a large number of emails from your account, which may appear to recipients and mail servers to be junk mail, which could ultimately result in your mail ending up in the spam folder, or worse, certain mail servers could see traffic from you as unsolicited email and flag your IP address as suspicious, resulting in the inability to send to that domain again until it is cleared up. In some cases, you could be blacklisted and placed on a real-time block list (RBL) and that would affect all mail sent from everyone at your business or organization to many mail servers around the world. (Those types of problems can take a while to get cleared up, and some RBLs hold you hostage and make you pay a fee before removing you).

The solution to these nightmares is to make a small monthly investment and use one of the many mailing list managers that are designed for email marketing and newsletters. They address all of the issues above, and give you an easy template based interface which allows you to create well structured newsletters, and send them to your subscribers without fear of blacklisting, and without the hassles of manually editing distribution lists. You can place a signup button and form on your website, and anyone who is interested can subscribe themselves to your list!

As an added bonus, you can see how many of the emails went out, how many were opened, which links were clicked on and other analytic information that will assist you in determining what content is “interesting” to your subscriber base. You also see how many bounced, without having a dozen bounce messages in your inbox!

You are probably thinking that this must be expensive and there is no way you can afford it. Quite the contrary, you can get started for FREE by signing up for an evaluation. After the trial period, you can then subscribe for a few dollars per month. I personally opted for MadMimi (see link below) because it is the most affordable, however,  any of the three are awesome!

If you would like to subscribe to our mailing lists, or see what the subscription form looks like, click here:

Subscribe to our mailing lists

Try these out for free:

Constant Contact

iContact

One last thing – Using these solutions you do not have to have a Publisher, or even Office loaded. It does not matter if you are on a Microsoft Windows machine, Apple Mac, a netbook or even a tablet or pad computer, you can create your newsletter with just about any computer with a web browser!

If you have questions or need some assistance, just let me know, I will do what I can to help!

Next month, we will probably give away some awesome Trend Micro Anti-Virus product!!!!!

Thanks for playing…

Those of you who are lucky enough to live in the Great State of South Carolina can look forward to August 6th as that starts the Sales Tax Holiday!

That’s right, starting at 12:01AM on Friday, August 6th and ending at 12:00PM on Sunday, August 8th is your chance to buy items for student use without the 6% SC State sales tax.

The catch is – the items you purchase must fit into two categories – #1 it must be for school use, and #2 it must fit the long list of appropriate products, which can be found at www.sctax.org.

Technology-wise, if you are attending a university, a technical college, or have a child in school, you can purchase an entire computer, notebook / laptop, printers, and software and get this savings. You can’t buy computer parts, such as a monitor, UNLESS you purchase that monitor at the time you purchase the computer.

This could be an awesome opportunity to save some money… Imagine if you were planning on buying a top-of-the-line computer, with a big LCD monitor, Microsoft Office 2010 and Trend Micro anti-virus, not having to pay tax could save you enough to upgrade to an even BIGGER LCD monitor for the same price as you would pay if you purchased this system today. Or, optionally, if you are like my family with two children, and you have to buy two similar systems – waiting until the SC Tax Holiday could save enough money in taxes to buy my wife dinner at Ruth’s Chris or Pomegranate which would go a long way towards calming her down over such a large expenditure.

If you are a computer / network / technology student, learning to perform computer service, network support, etc, I believe this would cover your purchase of Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange, Cisco firewalls and security equipment as well, but please do read the information at the www.sctax.org site to make sure.  It will surely cover expensive software such as Adobe suites which students can already get a discount for the academic version, but a further 6% sure helps!

Homeland Secure IT is an authorized reseller for many outstanding computer / notebook companies such as Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Nexlink and Dell, as well as Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWall & Microsoft partners, so if we can help you with that next computer purchase or upgrade, let us know! We serve Greenville and the Upstate of SC…

Happy shopping!