eGuard Tech BLOG

And One Simple, Inexpensive Solution That Will Prevent Them All From Doing Damage

Is your computer plugged in? Do you use a power strip with a surge protector? If so, you are a heartbeat away from disaster and don’t even realize it. The same electricity you depend on to run your computer and network is also trying to destroy your data.

Believe it or not, electricity is one of the biggest threats to your computer network and the data it contains. Here are four computer power problems you must know about and how to prevent them.

1.) Transients – Commonly known as surges and spikes, these are caused by lightning storms, wind, squirrels shorting out power lines, auto accidents, etc. Several times each week these spikes can travel up the power cord into your computer damaging everything from power supplies to motherboards. Conventional wisdom says use a power strip with a surge protector and you are safe. As usual, conventional wisdom is dead wrong. After several months, these surge protectors become useless having been zapped by the surges they were designed to protect against.

2.) Blackouts – Whether momentary or prolonged, the sudden loss of power can corrupt your PC to the point of not being able to start up again when the lights come back on.

3.) Sags – This is when the power drops below normal. Have you ever seen the fluorescent lights flicker for a moment? Then you have witnessed sag. Sags are more common than surges and are caused when equipment like air conditioners, blow dryers, water heaters, laser printers, copy machines and other electrical equipment are turned on or come out of sleep mode. A typical small office will experience 30 or more sags each day. Sags cause many of the weird and unexplained problems computer users complain about every day.

4.) Noise – Ever been watching TV and seen fuzzy pictures and/or white lines or dots when you turn on a blender or vacuum cleaner? This is the result of electrical noise. While a fuzzy TV picture is an annoyance, this electrical noise causes many computer problems including loss of data.

So how do you protect yourself from electrical problems? The most simple and inexpensive solution to all four of these hazards is a battery backup. The battery backup (also known as a UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply) senses when there are problems with the power and automatically switches to the battery protecting you from computer damage and data loss.

Choosing the correct battery backup for your computer or server can be tricky. Having one with a battery too small is the same as having none at all. For most desktop computers, a battery backup with a 500VA or larger rating should be sufficient to keep you going through momentary power problems. Protecting your server requires detailed knowledge of the server functions and power consumption in order to pick the right battery backup solution.

MySpace Has Become A Hunting Ground For Criminals and Pedophiles

Over the last few months there has been a lot of news coverage and controversy over a social network website called MySpace.com, and rightfully so. I decided to include a front page article about this in my newsletter to warn my clients of the dangers this website poses to their children and families.

For those not familiar with MySpace, it is a phenomenally successful online network that enables users to post and exchange gossip, messages, pictures, personal information, and pretty much anything else that comes into their minds. With 60 million members, MySpace is the biggest and fastest growing of all social network sites.

Although users are supposed to be at least 14 to register, it is easy to bypass this restriction. An estimated 10 million of those members are under the age of 17 and many more are under the age of 14. What makes this site so dangerous is that many children are posting pictures of themselves along with other confidential information such as the school they go to, where they live, personal schedules, who their parents are, and other contact information. It is this information that is placing them in danger, as online predators may use it to find and harm these children. Just look at these horror stories:

14 Year Old Girl Found Dead
In January, a 14 year old girl in New Jersey was found naked and strangled in a garbage bin. Friends said she had been in contact with an older man through one of the social network sites.

15 Year Old Sexually Assaulted
A 26 year old Houston man was charged with sexual assault, accused of luring a 15 year old girl into a relationship through MySpace.

37 Year Old Man Attacks 16-Year Old Girl
A 37 year old man solicited a 16 year old girl by visiting MySpace.com. The man misrepresented himself as being younger, then tracked her down. Lafayette Sheriff Lt. Craig Stansbury said the man showed up at the victim’s after-school job and followed her to the parking lot, where he forced her into his car and attacked her. The assailant knew where she worked because she posted it on her MySpace profile.

Firefighter Solicits 16 Year Old Boy
A Hughson firefighter was sentenced Thursday to a year in jail for engaging in sexual activity with a 16-year-old Lodi-area boy he met online. He was arrested, and investigators soon learned that the two had met on MySpace.com.

How To Protect Your Kids Online

* Keep the computer in the family room so you can monitor what happens online.
* Review the websites your children visit. If they have a webpage on MySpace, make sure they are not posting pictures or other confidential information such as phone numbers and addresses.
* Educate your children about the dangers online and provide them with clear instructions about what they can and can’t post or share online.

Set time limits on surfing and restrict most computer use for specific purposes, such as school homework.

Courts have ruled that an employer’s monitoring of its employees’ e-mails and other computer related activities during work hours and/or on company-owned equipment, Internet, and e-mail accounts is not illegal.

Companies typically monitor employees’ online usage for the following reasons:

1. To avoid claims based on sexual, racial, ethnic, and other forms of harassment.
2. To protect against an employee sending or posting confidential information.
3. To reduce exposure to intellectual property infringement claims.
4. To decrease the likelihood that an embarrassing message attributed to the employer will be sent.
5. To guard against computer viruses.
6. To improve productivity.

It is recommended that employers create an AUP (acceptable use policy) that outlines what is and isn’t acceptable use of electronic media and communications.

When you’re making a list of things to be thankful for, computers and technology usually don’t make the list; as a matter of fact, they often get put on the “hate” list of things that frustrate us! However, I think it’s time someone gave credit where credit is due! Here are the top 5 reasons why we should be thankful for all the new (and constantly evolving) technology we have available to us:

1.) It allows us all to be more “earth-friendly.” Thanks to e-mail and the Internet, as well as the ease in document imaging, we can all communicate with each other without having to waste paper and ink, not to mention stamps!

2.) We can instantly access information on practically any topic we want, whenever we want. I remember when I was a kid, all research required a trip to the library and old-fashioned research with a set of encyclopedias. Now, if you need to find a Mexican restaurant within 1 mile of your location, you can not only find one, but you can check out the menu and order online so your food is waiting for you when you show up!

3.) It keeps us in touch. Although it can easily be argued we’ve gone too far in this department (see the article to the right), cell phones, Blackberries, and even online forums (blogs, Facebook, MySpace) have enabled us to find and stay in touch with more people more frequently.

4.) It saves us time and money. Nothing has done more for the consumer than the Internet. In minutes, you can search on and compare various products and services without having to make a single phone call or (even better) getting in your car to drive about looking for what you want. Plus, you can order just about anything online and have it shipped to your door. Amazing!

5.) It’s a great scapegoat for any number of mistakes you’ve made. Missed an appointment? Blame your system being down. Don’t want to talk to someone? Use the old, “I have no bars in this area,” excuse. Overlooked an important client’s request? Just tell them you never got the e-mail!

What are WE most grateful for? Those of you that trust us to make all the computers and gadgets work the way they are supposed to!

Computers rarely stop working overnight. In most cases, there are early warning signs that problems are brewing. Below are 10 surefire signs that you need to get a professional to investigate your network ASAP:

1. Your workstation or server starts running very slowly, freezes up, or crashes.
2. Your web browser has been changed to another strange browser you’ve never seen before.
3. You are getting an unusual amount of pop-up windows, even when you aren’t surfing the web.
4. You don’t know if every computer on your network has the most current virus definitions.
5. You don’t know if you have a firewall in place or the last time it was updated.
6. You haven’t attempted to restore your data from a backup tape or other storage device in awhile, and you aren’t checking your backup log for errors.
7. You receive e-mails accusing you of sending spam, and/or you find e-mail messages in your “outbox” or “sent” folder that you didn’t send.
8. Your computer starts making a grinding, clicking, or loud whirring sound.
9. The fan is constantly running.
10. You are getting a growing number of error messages, and you are forced to create work-arounds to complete certain work tasks.

If any of these signs are present, you should contact a pro immediately to investigate further!

The old saying of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially true in the world of computers and all things digital; and if you are like most businesses, your computer network is critical to the operation of your business so make sure you don’t procrastinate if any of these signs are present.
Ideally, you should perform regular health checks and maintenance on your network to make sure problems don’t crop up. Here’s why:

• Critical security updates need to be applied at least once a month to protect you from a constant flow of new hacker attacks.

• Firewall, virus and spyware protection need to be monitored and updated on a daily basis because new attacks are released daily.

• Your data backup system needs to be monitored and tested frequently to ensure easy data recovery in the event of loss. The rate of tape drive failure is 100%; that’s why you need to frequently monitor your backups.

• Servers and workstations need regular tune-ups to keep them running fast and error free.

• Monitoring of disk space is important to avoid data loss, crashes, and storage problems.

• Server event logs need to be monitored for early alerts to network issues.

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is taking a reactive approach to network support and maintenance rather than a proactive one. In other words, they wait until something stops working and THEN they call in the professionals to fix it. This approach not only costs more in the long run, but it also leaves you vulnerable to more devastating crashes such as data corruption and loss, virus attacks, and extended downtime. Even NEW computers and equipment need regular maintenance because new threats are constantly evolving.

Thanks to a new software technology called, “virtualization” you can now save THOUSANDS of dollars on hardware upgrades while simultaneously (and drastically) improving your ability to recover after a disaster.
Before virtualization, you could only run a single operating system and a single application on a server; but virtualization breaks that requirement by making it possible to run multiple operating systems and multiple applications on the same computer at the same time, reducing the need to constantly add new servers to support your network. This technology also simplifies your infrastructure, which means less maintenance is required, and it lowers the overall operating costs of running a network.

And if the hard-to-ignore cost savings isn’t enough, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can be back up and running after a disaster.

If you ever make purchases online, you must know how to quickly determine if the web site you are about to buy from is secure.

A secure connection is an encrypted exchange of information between the web site you are visiting and the browser you are using. Encryption of data is simply a process of converting the information you type in (your name, address, and credit card number) into an unreadable format that only the receiving web site can decipher.

Encryption is done through a document the web site provides called a web site certificate. When you send information to the web site, it is encrypted at your computer and decrypted at the web site to prevent hackers from intervening and stealing your credit card information. So how do you know if a site has a certificate and a secure connection? There are two things to look for. Just note that these two checks only apply to the web page where you actually enter your credit card information, NOT the entire site itself.

Once you are on the actual order page, look for a tiny yellow padlock in the bottom right corner of your web browser. Depending on your browser version, the Security Status bar may be located on the top of the browser and to the right of the Address bar. The padlock should be closed (locked). Next, look at the actual URL. It should begin with “https” rather than the standard “http.” If you are on a web site and you see these two things, the site will have a certificate. You can view the certificate by double clicking the yellow padlock. Upon clicking, a certificate dialogue box will pop up that contains information about who the certificate is issued to, who it was issued by, and when it expires.

Another way you can view a site’s certificate is through your browser’s menu options. In Internet Explorer, go to File, Properties and then click on the Certificates button. The same dialogue box will then come up for you. In Firefox, go to Tools, Page Info and then click on the Security tab. You can then click on the View button to see that site’s certificate.

If you ever get a warning that there is a problem with the web site’s certificate, it could be due to a number of problems such as the names on the certificates don’t match up with the web site or the certificate has expired. If this happens, you may want to call the company and place your order by phone rather than going through their web site. Finally, make sure you check out every company’s Privacy Policy. Even if they have a secure checkout process, they could give or sell your information to third party companies.

It’s a classic he-said, she-said case that ends up in court on a daily basis…

Widget buyer Ms. Robinson testified that Mr. Smith, the Widgets Corp. sales manager, told her that if she put her order in immediately, the price would be discounted by 20 percent. Mr. Smith argued that that was not what he said. According to his testimony, he agreed to give a 20 percent discount only if Ms. Robinson ordered at least one million widgets, which she did not. The widgets were manufactured and delivered, and the client was billed for the full amount. The client is refusing to pay the full amount and the manufacturing company is throwing it to a collection agency. If brought into a court of law, who would be right?

Provided that neither party can produce a signed contract to back up their case, there is no way of knowing who is right.

However, let’s suppose Ms. Robinson produces an e-mail she sent to her boss copying Mr. Smith that says, “I made a deal with Mr. Smith, the sales manager at Widgets Corp., to get a 10 percent discount for 500,000 widgets ordered.” Let’s also suppose Mr. Smith cannot produce any e-mails, contracts, or memos to the contrary. Now the chances of Ms. Robinson winning her case go up exponentially. When faced with two credible witnesses whose recollection of an event or agreement are in dispute, the court is most likely to favor the person who has corroborating documentation to support their side of the story.

E-mail has Become the Primary Means of Communication and Negotiation

In the not too distant past, business people would communicate primarily through face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations, faxes, and the occasional paper document. When a “my word against your word” dispute arose, a court case could be awarded to the person who seemed more confident or credible.

Nowadays, e-mail has become the default mode of communication. It’s very common for a buyer to communicate to a seller entirely by e-mail. Transactions are done without the two ever meeting and in some cases, never speaking. As a result, the “my word against your word” conundrum becomes more of a contest between e-mails, as opposed to a competition between the memories of the people involved.

The upside of this situation is that if you can produce an e-mail that supports your version of the facts, you have a leg up if it goes to court. The downside is that most people are careless about what they say in an e-mail. They don’t think about it ending up as an exhibit in a courtroom under close scrutiny leaving them with the only explanation, “I know that’s what I said, but that’s not what I meant.”

Food Service Company Awarded $2.5 Million Thanks To A Few “Innocent” E-mails

*Example: A food service company was contracted to provide all meals at 48 nursing homes. Ultimately, the food service company claimed that it was underpaid over $2 million and sued in federal court. The president of the nursing home company claimed that the food service company had made certain oral cost guarantees that were not honored, thereby justifying the underpayments. However, a detailed review of the nursing home company’s internal e-mails revealed that its executives had “privately” expressed substantial doubt about the supposed oral guarantees. The e-mails were given to the jury, which awarded the food service company $2.5 million.

What Should You Do To Protect Yourself?

The most important thing you can do is think twice before hitting “send.” If you are a manager or employer, train your employees to be careful about what they communicate via e-mail and constantly remind them of the dangers. Once an e-mail is sent, you cannot get it back. Another good practice is having a system for archiving and managing e-mail communications. This goes double for certain companies because of regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

*Story reprinted from How E-Mail Is Revolutionizing Litigation — and What You Should Be Doing About It by Michael G. Trachtman, The Corporate Counselor, www.law.com

Read On For An Easy Way To Remember Your Passwords And Maintain High Security…

One of the hardest habits we struggle to get our clients to break is writing down their passwords on sticky notes by their PC. Obviously this is a security risk. Another bad habit is choosing really easy-to-remember passwords such as “password.”

But admittedly, it CAN be hard remembering all of those darn passwords that are always changing. To solve this little dilemma, we’re suggesting to our clients to stop using passwords and use “pass-phrases.”

What is a “pass-phrase” you ask? They are letters and numbers put together in an easy-to- remember phrase such as “GoEagles09!” These are MUCH easier to remember than a random cluster of letters and numbers, which means you won’t have to write them down on a post-it note anymore!

Pass-phrases can be built from anything, such as favorite quotes, lines from movies, sports team names, a favorite athlete’s name and jersey number, kids’ names and birthdates, pets, and so on.

All you need to do is be a little creative to get numbers, letters and punctuation into the phrase. Since introducing this to our clients, we’ve found (believe it or not) they actually have fun doing this! Just don’t get so proud of your pass-phrase that you share it with others!

It’s everyone’s favorite application. Since its introduction, it has revolutionized the way we communicate, both personally and professionally. It has had a major impact on how companies market themselves, communicate with vendors, send out press releases, rally employees and alert clients to their latest and greatest promotion. The ease, low-cost and speed of e-mail in marketing is the biggest reason why our inboxes are overflowing with spam.

In response to the ubiquitous outcry, “I hate spam,” governments have crafted new regulations surrounding the use of e-mail; and if you are one of the millions of companies using it for marketing, then it’s important that you familiarize yourself with these laws. But the danger doesn’t stop there…

Even if you don’t get caught by the feds for violating the rules of e-mail usage, you can still end up on a blacklist with the major ISPs such as Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN. Once you get blacklisted, you are considered guilty until proven innocent, and ALL the e-mail you send won’t get through, even to people who want to receive it—a consequence that could end up hurting your business more than a fine.

So what are the basic guidelines of e-mail marketing?

First and foremost, make sure you are only sending e-mail campaigns to people who have solicited (requested) to be on your distribution list. This is called “opting-in” or subscribing, and e-mails sent to these folks are considered “solicited e-mail.” You are perfectly within your rights to send them messages; but if you got their e-mail address by any other means and they did NOT specifically request to be on your list, that’s considered “unsolicited e-mail” or spam. Sending promotional e-mails to people who have not requested it is not only illegal, but annoying…so don’t do it!

Next, make sure you provide directions on how a person can remove themselves from your distribution list in EVERY e-mail. The best place to put this information is at the very bottom of your message. You should also include your full company name and contact information at the bottom so no one can blame you for cloaking your identity—another legal “no-no” of e-mail marketing.

Finally, when sending e-mail, we recommend using a web based application service such as ConstantContact. These web-based applications will help you manage your e-mail distribution list with automatic opt-out and opt-in tools and will keep your e-mail server off an ISP’s blacklist.

Naturally, you want to make sure the information you are sending is interesting and relevant. No one wants more junk filling up their inbox so the better you are at marketing, the better your results will be. E-mail is not a magic marketing bullet that will solve all your marketing problems, but used correctly, it can certainly help you reach more customers and build stronger relationships with the people you already do business with.