Disaster Recovery Made Easy with Servosity Bare-Metal Restore

Those of us who have been through a hard drive failure know what real pain is! As a computer technician, it is no less devastating for us, all the same things have to take place after a failure, the routine is something like this:

  • Determine the drive is indeed dead, have last rites, it was a good drive.
  • Replace the drive in the computer.
  • Format and load our operating system. (We do have the install disks, right?)
  • Configure all the networking, ownership, accounts, etc. (What? No net access? Of course not, you don’t have the right driver)
  • Load drivers for network interface,  audio, video and other hardware. (They are long out of date if you are using the original install media)
  • Load all the updates, patches and driver updates. Windows XP systems may require 100 updates or more!
  • Load your applications… Of course you know where the disks and license keys are.
  • Find some applications online because they were downloaded. Guess what? Your key no longer works with the current version, your version is no longer available for download…
  • Restore your files from the last backup you made. YOU DID MAKE A BACKUP, RIGHT?
  • Spend the next week realizing you missed various things and fix those as you go.

Even for a seasoned techy type person, the time spent could literally be hours. New curse words will be invented. You may miss an important event like your son’s wedding, because this is far too important to put off.

There are many things that can shorten the time it takes to return your machine from a brick to a working system. You can ensure you have all your install media for the operating system and applications in one place, and that your product keys/licenses are tucked away safe and secure. Any hardware driver disks should be kept, and without question, you should always backup your system!

What if I told you that all of that can be avoided, and in the event of a hard drive crash or even a complete computer failure, that you could replace the drive, or failed system with another identical system, then have it running as if it never happened in about 20 minutes?

Through the magic of a “Bare-Metal Restore”, that is entirely possible! It is as if you went back in time, to happier days when the system was working correctly!

Many products are on the market that can accomplish this, but if you are using our Servosity Online On-Demand backup solution, you already have all the software you need!  You will require an extra hard drive to make the image to, a few minutes to configure it, and then let it run!

Watch it in action here as Damien Stevens, CEO of Servosity talks with Jon Evans, and George Law performs an actual restore:

 

We are so sold on Servosity that we use it for our own servers, recommend it to our clients and have partnered with them to offer it to you!

Convinced this may be right for you? Call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. Want a free trial? Sure you do! Click this link:

 

Free Servosity Online Backup Trial! Click Here...

FREE Servosity Online Backup Trial! Click Here...

Secure IT Alert: Zero Day Adobe Flash Vulnerability Results in Attacks on Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, Etc.

Secure IT Alert Header

Homeland Secure IT Alert

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Adobe has warned of a new zero day vulnerability the other day that is being used to exploit users of Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader and Acrobat across all platforms, including Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X and Linux. It also covers Flash player for Chrome and Android users, as well as the Authplay.dll component from Adobe Reader and Acrobat X for Windows and Macintosh.

This is a critical vulnerability and at this moment in time, there is no fix for it.

Attackers are exploiting it by attaching malicious Excel (.xls) documents to emails. The Excel document will contain a specially crafted Flash (.swf) file, and if you open the malicious Excel attachment, the embedded .swf file executes and leverages the vulnerability to install persistent malware on your system, such as a bot client giving the attacker a stepping stone to install even more malware.

Since no patch exists, yet, it is advised that you use extreme caution when opening Excel documents attached in email unless you are expecting them.

If you feel you have done so in the last few days, please run a virus scan, or consult with your computer service or repair technicians. Those in Greenville / Upstate SC can call Homeland Secure IT at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for assistance.

Homeland Secure IT Alert Footer

Homeland Secure IT Alert

We offer Microsoft Office 2010 open / volume licenses for your business in Greenville / Upstate SC!

In a conversation today, I heard how much someone had just paid for 18 full retail versions of Microsoft Office 2010 Professional which they purchased online because they were not aware of other ways in which you can obtain the product.

If you are in Greenville / Upstate, SC and need to buy Microsoft Office 2010, please consider giving us a call! We may be able to save you or your business some money on Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Office Home & Student,  Home & Business, Standard Professional, Professional Plus and Office for Office for Mac in addition to making administration of larger quantities much easier.

Different ways Microsoft Office 2010 can be purchased include:

  • Microsoft FPP (Full Product Package) – This is the full retail package, includes media and product license and ability to load on a desktop AND  a notebook (restrictions apply). Versions available are Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student, Home & Business and Professional.
  • Microsoft PKC (Product Key Card) – If you buy a new PC with the Office Trial loaded on it you can purchase the PKC for Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student, Home & Business and Professional (cheaper than buying the Full Product Package)
  • Microsoft Volume Licensing – If you have a business or organization and need to purchase 5 or more copies at a time, this is the way to go! Open licensing is a downloadable product which saves on packaging and thus is better for our environment, and in turn, saves you money! You have only one product key to keep up with and can place the same installation package on a file server to install across machines on your domain. Microsoft Office 2010 Standard and Professional Plus are available via this method. We can help determine which is best for you!

In addition to those methods, non-profit organizations which we work with can obtain almost unreal pricing through some programs we have available!

If you would like more information on which version may be right for you or your business, click the more info banner to the left, or feel free to call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

We are a Microsoft Partner & Small Business Specialist and would love the opportunity to help you with any Microsoft purchase or support, whether it is Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Small Business Server 2011, Microsoft Exchange 2010, Microsoft Link Server, Microsoft BPOS / Business Productivity Online Suite, Office 365, and more…  One seat or one thousand!

Do firewall appliances expire like a carton of milk?

Something that many people don’t know is that there are actually expiration dates on hardware and software.

Let’s say you buy a Cisco ASA 5505 security appliance (firewall) for your business, and you keep it up to date. When do you expect to replace it? Chances are, you feel that the firewall should be left in place until it dies of old age or fails due to some other event like a power surge or lightning strike, etc.

That is exactly what an attacker hopes for, that you will “set it and forget it”. See, each security product receives many updates over the course of its life. The manufacturer finds security holes and produces patches to those vulnerabilities that must be installed, just like on your Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS. If you do not apply those patches, you run the risk of a security breach due to an attacker exploiting a known “hole” in a device.

So back to this “expiration date”. Each product actually has an “end of life”, and that is the date that the manufacturer will no longer support it. That comes in many flavors. It may be an end of sales cycle, or a complete end of support. Products that reach the end of life and are no longer updated are the prime targets of attackers.

Manufacturers have to leave behind old hardware because of changes in the firmware technology which could require additional processor or RAM capabilities, far beyond what your 5 year old firewall may have.

If you have an older piece of hardware, you may want to see if it is at its end of life, and at the very least ensure that the latest patches / updates from the manufacturer are installed.

Should you require assistance with this in Greenville or Upstate SC, please call us! We support all common brands of security firewall appliances and we are partners and dealers for Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWALL and more!

864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Those affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami today are in our prayers…

Totally off the IT theme here or even Greenville / Upstate related stuff, I just wanted to say that our heart goes out to those affected by today’s earthquake and tsunami disaster.

The actual events and resulting damage are horrible of course, but honestly, it will be weeks before the long term effects are known. Water supplies destroyed, sewage systems, communications, power, food supplies, in addition to the highway and shipping  infrastructure and the insurmountable monetary issues.

We will be making what small contributions we can to assist the affected areas, but more so, these families and businesses will be in our prayers.

Patch your Mac, patch your Windows, patch your Microsoft Groove too… #patches

 

Secure IT Alert Header

Homeland Secure IT Alert

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Thursday, March 10, 2011

It has been patch city this past week…

Let’s start off with the Mac stuff for a change…   Apple Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard) and 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) are the subject of two Apple security advisories which warn of 16 vulnerabilities in OS X’s Java components. Apple simply states the worst case scenario, that by luring a person using a vulnerable computer to a website containing a malicious Java applet, an attacker can exploit some of these Java flaws to either execute code or even elevate privileges on your OS X computer. In MOST cases an attacker would gain privileges given to the currently logged on user, which doesn’t include root/administrator access in OS X. Still, the threat is real enough that you should not hesitate to update as quickly as possible…..

You can let the OS X automatic Software Update utility install the updates for you, or download direct from: Java for OS X 10.5 Update 9 [dmg file] and Java for OS X 10.6 Update 4 [dmg file]

Don’t worry Microsoft Windows users, there’s something for you too! Sure don’t want you feeling left out.

Patch Tuesday addressed code execution and “insecure library loading” vulnerabilities on ALL CURRENT versions of the Windows operating system.The critical update is MS11-015 an important update is available that addresses Remote Desktop: MS11-017 It is recommended that you apply these patches ASAP…

Groovy!  Okay, not so groovy…   If you are using Microsoft Groove 2007, there is a service update available for you that you should deploy. Not deploying said patch could expose you to nastiness if you are enticed to open a malicious document. Don’t know what Groove is? Don’t worry, many people don’t. Microsoft Groove 2007 (now called Microsoft SharePoint Workspace) is a document collaboration system that allows you to share a workspace with a team of online and offline members. When you make changes to documents, the changes synchronize over the shared workspace. Groove ships with Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise and Ultimate editions. Install the update

As always, it is best to insure your anti-virus is current…  Trend Micro is our favorite!

If you require assistance in the Greenville / Upstate area with your computer or network security, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Homeland Secure IT Alert Footer

Homeland Secure IT Alert

Who is your Greenville / Upstate BUSINESS computer dealer?

If you are in the market for a new business computer, where do you go in the Greenville / Upstate area?

Do you go to a “big box store”? A warehouse? An office supply?

You should be aware that the “business computer” you purchase from some dealers may actually be a computer designed for home use, and not actually a business environment.

Here are a few differences between a home computer and a business computer:

  • Home computers generally are designed for faster graphics (aka games) and not processes, such as multi-tasking with business applications, where you have QuickBooks, Microsoft Office and other business applications open simultaneously.
  • Home computers are likely to have small power supplies, or power supplies that claim higher wattage output, when in reality, that is maximum power output, not average power output.
  • Home computers may have inferior cooling systems, such as fans with bushings instead of ball bearings, possibly causing damage to the computer itself if failure should occur.
  • Home computers do not have the hard drives designed for long duty cycles (being left on long periods of time), and tend to fail much quicker than their business spec counterparts.
  • Home computers generally have Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium loaded by default and cannot join a corporate domain without an upgrade to Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate.
  • Home computers have cases and motherboards that may not lend themselves to expansion (IE, adding drives, or additional cards).
  • Home computers in most cases do not have long warranties (Our business class computers are sold with a 3 year warranty!).
  • Support for your home computer is rarely easy to obtain. You may have to call a call center, stay on hold, then speak to someone who may not speak your language as their own primary language. Returns and replacement parts are hard to obtain sometimes. Our business computers are supported by *US* as well as the manufacturer who is reachable, speaks English, and will ship parts next business day at no additional charge.

Before you purchase your next business computer in Greenville / Upstate SC, consider comparing specifications with a computer designed from the ground up for use in a business! Will it cost more? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

Call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information.  We are partners with the best computer manufacturers in the world: Seneca Data / Nexlink, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, and more!  Not only are we a computer dealer, we also service / repair business computers.

 

 

Ditch the WiFi and go with 3g or 4g broadband connectivity for your mobile devices

Those of you who are using a notebook computer or mobile device such as an iPad, iPhone, Android or Android tablet and connecting to those public free wifi access hotspots may want to just ditch the WiFi after what I heard about today…

In spite of what I said about safe browsing from public wi-fi hotspots using a VPN a while back, it sounds like a “proof of concept” is about to be published which states that the mere action of connecting to a public WiFi hotspot, then establishing the VPN can potentially give away the VPN credentials. This could potentially happen whether it is an open (unsecured) access point, or a rogue (man-in-the-middle) AP.

If this is true, which we should know in a few weeks, then it sounds to me like ditching WiFi all together is not a bad idea if your data is valuable. 3g and 4g connectivity through your wireless provider may well be the best bet.

Obviously, this is not platform specific (Mac would be just as vulnerable as a Windows PC), and it is not a bug in the operating systems or VPN software.

I will be posting more information should it be proven to be a legitimate threat. Until then, stay safe….

 

Mozilla Firefox 3.6.15 released – Fixes Java Bug introduced in 3.6.14 last week…

About a week ago (03-02-2011), Mozilla released Firefox update 3.6.14 designed to patch a number of security issues, then they turned around and released Mozilla Firefox 3.6.15 designed to correct a Java bug that presumably introduced in the 3.6.14 update.

The Java applet loading bug does not appear to create new security vulnerabilities, so you should be secure if you updated to 3.6.14, but I do not believe I would hesitate to update to the latest, just in case. Just to be clear, this does affect both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac users.

This information comes courtesy of the WatchGuard security forum…  Here’s a quote from that posting about upgraded to Firefox 4 BETA:

On the subject of Firefox, if you’re an adventurous user who likes to adopt the latest and greatest as early as possibly, you might want to give Firefox 4 BETA a whirl. I’ve downloaded it myself, and it seems to have sped up my browsing experience a bit. Mozilla also ensures that the latest BETA contain the same security fixes as 3.6.15. – Corey Nachreiner, CISSP

Homeland Secure IT is your Greenville / Upstate, SC WatchGuard Partner, offering sales, service & support! Please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com if you require assistance with network or computer service or security…

3

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Opening Night Performance at Warehouse Theatre, Greenville, SC

Midsummer Night's Dream

Opening Night of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

directed by Jayce Tromsness and presented by The Warehouse Theatre

As Reviewed by Pamela M. Hoyt

Last night was one of those evenings that leaves a Mom smiling!  Allow me to explain… John, myself, and our daughter, Megan, were very excited about attending the opening night of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at The Warehouse Theatre.  My son, Brett, had other plans which fell through at the last minute, and I was able to get him a ticket Friday morning so he could be with us as well.  Hence, as every Mom loves, our family was together for a night out and what a great entertaining night it was!

I was dumbfounded by the great lengths that The Warehouse Theatre actors went to set the stage and introduce this production into the Greenville community weeks before the opening.  They used Social Media – which I Loved – with a facebook fan page and created such intrigue with the troupe of actors that were coming from afar to present this production.  A few weeks ago I remember a strange person “friend requesting” me on facebook which got my attention.  I researched the origin of the information, and knowing the storyline of Midsummer, I chuckled in amazement!   They continued this media hit by posting Youtube videos by the great Russell Tripp that exemplified their travels across the U.S. to get to Greenville and followed with an interview by Kimberly Kelly.  The communities excitement was building over the international theatrical troupe that The Warehouse Theatre hired to perform this Shakespeare work… and WE had tickets!

We arrived early so that the four of us could sit together in our usual claimed seats on the back row. Brett, the 15 year old son, was interested when four very attractive young ladies chose to sit in front of us!  I watched as all of them chatted curiously over Paul Savas and Shannon Robert’s display of slight panic as to the whereabouts of the cast!  “Do you think the play will start on time?”  one girl asked.  After a period, I leaned over and informed my son that this was all a part of the setting for the play.  “Oh!” he commented and his face lit up like he knew something that the rest of the room had no clue about.  He actually stopped texting and put his phone away for the entire production!  Ironically, Megan and Brett’s high school drama department is also performing the same play and Megan attended their opening the night before. I knew she was curious to see how the play compared to her friend’s production.

The Warehouse Theatre did not let us down once again!  It is believed that “Midsummer Night’s Dream” was first performed between 1595 and 1596.  Amazing to see a Romantic Comedy from an era so long ago can keep an audience laughing with such light humor and yet on edge waiting on the next scene even today.  To read a description of the play is more confusing than enjoying Midsummer as the dreams unfold.  Basically, the play is based around three couples and the complexities that love evokes as three separate dreams intertwine.  The cast does a marvelous job of engaging the audience and carrying them through this twisted script that young and old can follow along with intrigue whether you are well versed on Shakespeare’s writing or did not pay much attention at all when you had to read this in school.

The troupe of seven actors appeared to constantly have fun with this play and they carried this through from the minute we stepped foot through the door at the Warehouse.  Their fun and light heartedness  was contagious throughout the audience yet they displayed such professional acting that we all wanted to be a part of.  Hint:  Stay away from the front rows if you do not want to have a speaking part! Even the young child, Mae Evelene Tromsness, that played the Changeling Child seemed to enjoy her role throughout the evening.  Each character of Shakespeare’s drama was portrayed with a modern edge and flavor that we all could relate and empathize.  The lighting and setting was kept very simple yet engaging for the audiences enjoyment.

Of course I was anxious to hear my children’s reaction to Midsummer over pizza after the play.  Brett stated that he “Really enjoyed it!”  And Megan just laughed when I asked her how it compared to Thursday nights’ performance at her school.  “My friends are not quite as professional!”  I must throw in that Megan made sure to state that this was her favorite Warehouse Production… second only to Rocky Horror!  Thank you Paul Savas and the Warehouse staff for bringing this fantastic troupe of actors together.  Bravo to the Teatro Moltoimpassionata  for making their journey to Greenville so we might fall in love with the cast of such a top notch production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

To buy tickets or for more information about Greenville’s Warehouse Theatre, visit www.WarehouseTheatre.com – The opening night was sold out, so you may want to hurry and get your tickets so you don’t miss this great performance.