The Internet has always had its share of bad apples, and those bad apples are making big headlines lately.  With the DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks on Twitter and Facebook in the past few days it has really shown who has the upper hand when dealing with IT security.  What alarms us the most is the increasing number of vulnerabilities in Windows based operating systems when those said systems are not maintained.  By maintaining we mean ensuring that the system is updated regularly with the latest patches for ALL software on the system, the BIOS firmware, Antivirus definitions, Anti-Spyware definitions and most importantly the updates for your particular operating system.  The days of avoiding operating system updates have come and gone.  The industry has realized that releasing updates that have not been strenuously tested for real-world applications results in bad publicity, lower customer confidence and worst of all for them, a potential crash of their stock price.  

What can you do?

You can run Windows Update regularly, update your antivirus definitions, your spyware definitions and any other software updates.  We do not recommend doing your own security scans because you will not know if your system is already compromised or not.  Let us do that for you because we have seen an increasing amount of malware that fakes you out and makes you think that your system is operating normally.  Your antivirus is actually tricked into thinking that you are protected, and the whole time you may be assisting spammers send thousands of emails out to other innocent users.  This happens with systems that are not updated regularly.

Backups

You are backing up your system, aren't you?  If you are not backing up your most important files then you will be at a tremendous loss if and when your hard drive fails, your system is compromised or if you have the unfortunate luck of your building burning down.  We recommend an offsite backup solution, meaning, take your backup media home and rotate it regularly.   

How about your emails?  Are you backing up your PST file as well?  If you don't know what that means then imagine what it would be like to use years and years worth of emails, never to be recovered again!  We handle that too!

Regrets Are Not Worth It!

If all of this seems overwhelming then you need to call us so we can figure out the best way to protect yourself.   We have seen an increased number of attacks on all levels of computing just in the past 2 weeks!!  Don't be a victim and don't end up wasting money trying to restore things the hard way.

I have been called many things the past few months, with the most common names being "ghost", "elusive", and "phone tag buddy".  As many of you know my schedule is filled to the gills and every minute of my day seems to be occupied with something.  Alas, I have come up with an answer to a lot of the missed communication opportunities:  The AAS, or Automated Appointment Scheduler.   I am very excited about this development because of the extra step that will be cut out of the rendezvous I set out on week after week:  Confirming my visit.   What I have done is put in my schedule for the next 2 months, well, until the end of April.  So if you need me to come out and check your PC or talk about your website, simply come to this website, click on the link on the left hand side that says "Schedule Appointment" and find a green box that meets your schedule.  Fill out the simple form, choose your date and time, click Submit, and then voila, I will show up on that day and at that time!   Since you will see my schedule, all you have to do is pick your best time.  

Appointment slots will fill up quickly, so if you need me, please get to this website and schedule it.  Of course if your computer is down and you can't get to this website, then call me, no problem, and I will find a date.  The scheduler is a tool to help organize, but there will be technical emergencies and we will have to play them by ear, so please call me if you are experiencing one. 

Here are some additional tips in getting a hold of me:

1)  Email is much better than calling me.  My iPhone gets email all the time.

2)  Text Messaging is better than email if it is an emergency.

3)  If you leave a voicemail, try to make it as detailed as possible so that I can call you back with the answer, and not another question.

4)  Please understand that I get about 100 emails per day that have to be answered and over 20 to 30 voicemails per day to return.

5)  I do work a lot of night shift, so if my phone goes directly to voicemail then I am probably sleeping.

6)  If my phone rings once or twice and then has a long pause for voicemail, then I am out of range and will be back into civilization shortly.  Leave a detailed voicemail and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can!

Thanks again for all of your confidence and your understanding, I appreciate you all!