Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Do You Catch My Drift?
October 19th, 2010It happened last week. I sent an email that was misinterpreted. Instead of being funny, it was received with alarm. Of course I didn’t intend it…I just thought the reader would ‘hear’ me in their head when they read it. And the smiley face next to it didn’t help it along either. Ah me.
Normally I am very diplomatic in my emails, sending information only and saving conversation for the phone calls. Don’t get me wrong…I know how to send a ‘neutral’ email message. I made a choice. And it backfired. It would be great if there was a way to ‘check’ drafted message before they went out…just in case. You never know. Really.
Then I found it. Microsoft is in beta testing of a software Add-In program called ToneCheck. I downloaded it and gave it try. I sent a scathing email to myself to see what it would do. It caught it alright; said my message was outside my tolerated tone tolerance. And while it flagged something that could have been offensive, ToneCheck is definitely still in beta…phrases I tested to myself were downright ugly. ToneCheck merely flagged them as “Sad”.
Having a college background in English grammar, I am aware of the power in words and their usage. There is a blind freedom that many people enjoy when hidden behind the monitor and not face to face with someone. Words and comments get typed, sent and posted without so much as re-read or thought into how it will be perceived. Society has become numb to words and their implications. Right now are you thinking that your writing skills are too good for automated help? Social psychologists tend to disagree. Nicholas Epley and Justin Kruger conducted a study entitled “Egocentrism Over E-Mail: Can We Communicate as Well as We Think?” confirming that the senders of email are consistently overconfident in their expectation that the sarcastic tone inflection will be perceived…overconfident to the tune of 15% more than what was actually perceived correctly! Can your business afford to unnecessarily lose 15% of the in process sales prospects? Not in today’s economy. There’s just no replacing the non-verbal cues we send when physically present. Without that added benefit, the reader is left to rely on his/her own set of experiences and insecurities. Scary to say the least.
For now, I believe nothing replaces the old method of saving a draft and reading it later in the day before sending it. Getting a fresh read of the content (aka removed from the emotion of the moment) is the next best thing to having it read by another set of eyes for feedback.
After all, do we really want to trust the voice(s) in the other person’s head?
^ Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc.
8 Tips to Stay Cyber Safe
October 15th, 2010The month of October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). NCSAM is a national public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers and our nation’s critical cyber infrastructure. Cyber security requires vigilance 365 days per year. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the primary drivers of NCSAM, coordinate to shed a brighter light in October on what home users, schools, businesses and governments need to do in order to protect their computers, children, and data.
Online:
- Keep your personal information private on social networks.
- Install a URL scanning tool to alert you of potentially harmful web links.
- Review your bank account and credit card statements regularly for questionable charges.
- Review your credit report and credit score regularly.
- Choose difficult encrypted passwords, consider using KeePass to safely store all your passwords.
On Your Computer:
- Keep your operating system and software programs up to date.
- Install these type software programs: anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall .
- Back up your computer data regularly.
Below are our recommend downloads to keep your computer safe:
- Anti-Virus: AVG Antivirus, Symantec Anti-Virus, Trend Micro AntiVirus
- Firewall: MS Windows firewall
- Anti-Spyware: Webroot’s Spy Sweeper
- URL Link Scanner: AVG LinkScanner
- Credit Report: Federal Trade Commission
- Credit Score: Credit Karma
- Password: KeePass
Below are additional sites listed by the NCSAM:
- Anti-Virus: ESET NOD32 Antivirus, F-Secure Internet Security, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Norton AntiVirus, Webroot Internet Security
- Firewall: ZoneAlarm, Norton Internet Security
- Anti-Spyware: PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2011, STOPzilla (removal)
- Credit Report: Equifax, TrustedID
- Credit Score: myFICO
A&J Computers offers solutions for all your IT security needs. Visit us at ajcomputers.com for more details or contact with questions.
^ Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc.
My observations and opinions on BlackBerry DevCon 2010
October 4th, 2010I just returned from the BlackBerry Developer Conference in San Francisco. As part of the event staff I typically don’t go to sessions and while I get a sense of how things are going – I don’t normally get the ‘vibe’ from attendees. This year RIM threw all that out the window with a couple of announcements – the PlayBook, WebWorks and a change to AppWorld.
First the big news – RIM is releasing a new tablet device called the PlayBook – while there are a ton of sites and blogs that will give you all the tech specs and other things – here’s my take: the PlayBook is a logical extension to your blackberry smartphone. Providing an enhanced platform including adobe flash and air which gives application developers more features – I see the PlayBook opening up a number of web based and widget based application areas for companies like ours and enabling a much easier development experience. From reading email on a larger screen to multitasking blackberry and walking around a conference with all the key information at your fingertips – this is a positive development for corporate users. From an it perspective – one the device is unpaired from your smartphone (bluetooth) all your email and other sensitive information is gone – making the security person in me feel better at night. So this seems like a win/win device for us here and really I can’t wait for 2011 to come so I can get one (availability in North America slated for q1).
WebWorks is the rebranded and improved widget technology. RIM made a bold move here by open sourcing the runtime and taking a major step forward to attract developers to the device. By allowing a developer to harness the power of the web, access on-device items like email, GPS, BBM and others – the platform is staring to compete on an even level with other device OSes and make development of the so-called ‘super apps’ a ton easier with the removal of the need to code in java. We will be building some super-apps in the very near future and enable our customers to do stuff on their blackberry smartphones we’ve only just discussed in the past. An additional benefit to open sourcing the runtime – the arrival of extension development. We all know the base of any runtime environment is great (a la .net, java, Silverlight, etc.) – but it’s the extension and control developers which truly empower app developers to take good apps to great apps. If you’re a developer, this is the platform to build BlackBerry apps on.
The final announcement was around the change in policy by RIM for developers who want to submit the application to AppWorld. Normally a token fee was charged for administrative purposes and to stop the ‘truly useless’ applications from going up on AppWorld. Well no more – at DevCon 2010 RIM announced they are going to waive this fee for developers. While a seemingly small item, this allows the hobbyist developer a no-cost option to publish their application to the masses and opens up development to a whole new genre.
Overall DevCon 2010 was a great experience as always – one thing I found out as I was writing this is the BlackBerry Developer Zone will make available the recordings from DevCon 2010 to all its members for free. That content is being produced and should be up soon. If you’re not a member and you didn’t get a chance to become a member, join now for free and see what you’ve been missing (http://blackberry.com/developer).
For any of you who missed the keynotes, announcements, etc. – you can check it out at http://www.blackberrydevcon.com (shameless plug for our web site development team). WES 2011 is in 7 short months (May 3-5, 2011) in Orlando, Florida – maybe we’ll see you there.
Good-Bye San Francisco, thanks for the hospitality for a 2nd year and we’ll see you again very soon.
Still Need to Buy Windows XP? Better Act Now.
September 17th, 2010Microsoft has announced that the last day to purchase Windows XP is October 22nd. This means it will no longer be stocked and available from Dell, HP or on the shelves at Best Buy. And if you still need to order computers with XP preinstalled, that date is October 1st (less than 2 weeks away).
Here are the 2 main questions we are hearing regarding XP’s discontinuation:
- My whole business relies on Windows XP. What if I need technical support?
A&J Computers Inc. is here to support your technical needs, and Microsoft will continue to directly offer Extended Support until April 2014. - Can my Windows XP programs run on Windows 7?
In most cases the answer is Yes. Microsoft has a Windows 7 Compatibility page to help you find out if your programs or hardware will work with Windows 7.
View the Microsoft announcement for full details about Windows XP End of Life at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-xp/end-of-sale.aspx.
Please contact us as soon as possible to place any computer orders that require Windows XP preinstalled to ensure they ship by the 10/22 deadline.
Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc.
The iPad and The Enterprise, a not quite fairytale
September 16th, 2010Once upon a time, in the far away land of Apple, lived a beautiful iPad. It longed to enter mainstream America, so it ventured out to play. Along the way, the evil corporation fooled the lovely iPad into entering its workforce, hoping to diminish the initial joy of this toy. Alas, the iPad was so happy in its new home, embracing the work happily, and evil was once again foiled.
Initially released as a mainstream consumer product, the iPad is here to stay…love it or leave it. In its first 3 months on the market, over 3 million iPads were purchased, and projections for media tablets as a whole are liable to reach almost 8 million consumers this year alone.
Like the iPhone, the iPad shares the same operating system, making it a legitimate tool for employees on the go. However, without videoconferencing capabilities, a staple tool for employees in the field, the iPad has room to grow. Also, like the iPhone, it does not support Flash and is still a bit too small to handle a serious at your desk workload. On the plus side, those handy apps are the main draw to the mobile workforce and they do a great job.
How well it works in the Enterprise is still up for debate. Third party application developers are helping to bridge the gap by developing apps to read and write common office file formats (such as Microsoft© Word and Excel), plus a plethora of utilities for day-to-day office tasks including many for IT administrators. Updates to the Operating System will ensue, enabling more multi-tasking abilities as time goes on.
While the iPad is still primarily a consumer-related product, the workforce is rapidly clamoring to justify its support within the corporate enterprise network. But don’t toss the laptops out just yet. The iPad was never intended to replace the standard computer; it is — and will remain to be — an additional tool in the workforce arsenal.
At the end of the day, we own iPads, iPods and iPhones and we use them every day. Just like every tool in a carpenter’s toolbox has its place, we believe in using the right tool for the right job at the right time. And that’s truly how to live happily ever after.
Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc
Why Your IT Consultant Needs to Be a Part of Your Business Decision Making Process
August 25th, 2010I have been fortunate enough through my career to work both in the corporate environment and in small business. In both, no matter how strong or organized the company was, I always noticed a disconnect, fear or mistrust from the business side toward the technology side. And that is essentially what it was like, a warring faction that left everyone tired, angry and over-budget. The time has come to…yes, here it comes…bury the hatchet. And here’s how…
For over 30 years (aka the dawn of computers), businesses have struggled with IT for power and control; one thought the other was controlling, one thought the other clueless. The truth is, neither party truly wanted control, they wanted to do their job and be done with it. Newsflash–both entities desire a seat at the planning table, to have an equal say in how business (and its implementation) will move forward. My question to you today, oh fearless business owner, is how can you help overcome this endless cycle?
For starters, both the business owner and the IT consultant should come together willing to adopt a balanced approach that considers long-term enterprise and short-term business interests; in other words, willing to work as a team. As Susan Cramm states in her book “8 Things We Hate About IT”, research indicates that companies that have single-mindedly pursued alignment have lower sales growth and higher IT expenses than do companies having a more balanced approach to IT.
In reality, the alignment adopted by companies over the years has only been superficial. They think they are working together, but they just aren’t. IT must be woven into the fabric of the organization, requiring a shared commitment and a shared responsibility. To realized this, businesses need to treat their IT consultant as a business partner and not as a service provider. Cramm likens compares this superficial alignment to a husband and wife with separate bedrooms. If the true partnership isn’t there, the IT consultant is essentially tiptoeing down the hallway in the middle of the night only to find the bedroom (or boardroom) door closed.
Below are four suggestions to help bridge the gap between business owners and IT consultants and begin truly collaborating at the same table:
- In order to get the results you want, get to know your IT consultant. I don’t mean over beer and a burger, but if that’s what it takes, then do it. Find out what makes him tick and he will do the same with you. All great relationships involve personal understanding and motivation. A great example is the business manager who needs something done NOW for immediate results (i.e. increased profits or employee bonuses) and the IT consultant who needs to do it RIGHT to support the enterprise long-term (i.e. avoiding expensive and difficult to change/fix systems). Having an understanding of where each other is coming from, how they operate and talking their language all helps create a working solution that is a win-win for the business as a whole.
- Getting to know technology isn’t the end result, it’s a part of your strategic plan. Your IT consultant supports the execution of your business strategy. More importantly, what he does helps expands strategic options. Use technology as a competitive tool or weapon in your business arsenal to reach broader ground – internally or externally. Within the walls of a company, to create an enterprise architecture that fits a business both today and in the future, plan to tweak it as you move along that timeline. You get more bang for your buck…what business manager doesn’t like the sound of that?!
- Let the right person make the right approvals. In a nutshell, business owners decide the what and IT consultants decide the how.
- In order to keep a plan on track, both groups must assess Value Measurements. In other words, in layman-ese, what do you want to get out of the project? Use that as the way to measure your success. Mary Yanocha, in “Consultants Can Make a Difference”, Baseline, lists common ‘value’ measures as:
• Cost and/or Time Savings
• Meeting milestones
• Customer satisfaction
• Revenue growth
• Performance improvement
• Employee satisfaction
• Return on Investment
All this leads to the conclusion that there are no more independent IT projects, they are IT-involved business initiatives. In “The Next Generation CIOs”, McKinsey on IT, research shows that “around 90% of CEOs expect business managers to (be actively involved in) IT budget decisions as well as the process and organizational challenges that technology implementations require”. Business owners can help their IT consultant by being responsible for actively being involved using the examples above. IT consultants can help by providing the best people for the job and sticking to the agreed upon assessments. With both people assuming the appropriate accountability, constant communication and collaboration, opportunities arise to learn more about how the other half operates and can then better prepare and navigate a project. Getting back to the marriage example, if you know your wife loves fine dining, and you learn to hold the door for her and place the cloth napkin in your lap, chances are you are on a good start to navigating your way through a meal you may not yet understand anything else about, and perhaps even enjoy the evening to boot.
Stop for a moment and think about how well you actively engage and involve your IT consultant in the decision-making processes. Do you micro-manage and effectively hog-tie the process? Do you drop the project in their lap and expect a quick, efficient solution to magically appear? Or do you volley back and forth, allowing the process to evolve naturally?
~ Julie Settle, A&J Computers Inc.
Can Buying a Computer Warranty Now Save Me Time and Money Later?
August 12th, 2010I recently replaced my laptop and was asked the age old question: would you like to add the extended warranty service? Hmmm, do I?
If you are like most folks, the immediate response is NO. It normally doesn’t pay for itself in the long run. But before you do that, regardless of whether you are a single user or a small business office, consider some of these key points:
- Do you know what to do or where to look when there is a problem?
- Can you fix most minor issues on your own?
- Do you proactively maintain and back up your equipment?
- Can you resolve an issue involving multiple third parties (ie–when they are pointing the finger at each other)?
- Do you have the time to research and implement updates and repairs?
Today’s IT warranties are tailored to you and your environment and are simple, expedient and on your terms. Your support solution helps resolve the situation, not get in the way. Many are also designed to provide tech-to-tech support, allowing your IT staff to fix the situation and free up your time to focus on the bigger picture.
Warranties may not be such a bad idea anymore, the choice is yours.
^JS
Risk: The Game of Strategic Conquest
December 27th, 2009My kids go the game “Risk” for Christmas this year. For those of you who didn’t grow up in the 80s, Risk a board game that is a simplified map of the world and requires you to take your armies and invade other player’s territories. The game can easily go on for days & days (we limit our games to 3 hours). While we were playing over the weekend I started to think about how Risk is kind of like running a business. Every day is a challenge to ensure your customers aren’t doing never ending battle with whatever product or service you offer to them. As an IT firm that offers not only day to day support, but hosting services for email and application I have to ensure that our customers technology services are always ready and always available.
As 2009 turns to 2010, I’ve started to ask our clients how they are going to change how they use technology in the new year. I’ve heard answers which include “More remote work” to “more personal service to our customers” to “ensuring our clients know we do more than just X”. Inevitably during the same conversation, our clients ask me about how they can reduce their technology spending, but offer more services than ever. As many of you know – this is a seemingly double edged sword – to save money long term you need to replace inefficient equipment, update software and convert in-sourced services to outsourced services. One of the biggest challenges is a budget to make planning these items out a little easier.
So I ask all of you, what is your plan for technology for the new year? What does your budget look like? How are you going to ensure your technology spending does not become like the game Risk – which can easily go on for ever and seemingly have no end.
Let me know what your thoughts are here.
Rain, Rain Go Away – How to keep your electronics safe in the storm
September 21st, 2009For those of you not in the southeast, the past few days have been nothing but rain. With well over a foot of rain in the past 3 days, a lot of people are getting worried about the flooding/lightning and the effect it might have on computer equipment. Here’s my advice to you:
If you don’t have a UPS (battery power) between the wall outlet and your computer – you should unplug your computer completely from the wall (don’t just turn it off) – this will stop the electrical surges and possible lightning strike from traveling across your power lines right into your computer.
If the room you are in is susceptible to flood or leaks, lift your computers and power strips off the floor to avoid eletrical shorts and shocks. Don’t just think about your computer – but anything electrical – TVs, DVD players, etc - as yourelf “What can get wet or struck by lightning?”
One thing to know – your power company is not liable for any damage caused to your electrical equipment. You MAY be able to file a claim with your home owner’s insurance but it depends on the size of your claim and what specific riders you have on your insurance. If you run your business from your home - don’t forget to check with your business insurance provider (general liability, etc) to see if they will cover any damages.
Most power strips you buy at the local stores don’t have any type of insurance or protection from surges or power spikes. There are a few and rather than recommending a specific brand, we’d rather discuss options with you in person to ensure you are receiving the correct protection for your equipment.
If you need help in gathering information for an insurance claim, call us and we can help get you current pricing, replacement pricing and any labor estimates for the claim. Our estimates are accepted by most insurance companies and we can work with your insurance company to determine the actual value of your equipment.
Is is OK for me to use my neighbor’s wireless internet connection?
August 31st, 2009We get asked (or told) about using a neighbor’s or the company down the street’s wireless Internet connection. Let me explain why it’s not a good idea to do and what steps you should take to prevent this from happening to you.
Here’s a exceprt from an article about using someone else’s internet connection:
Perhaps the first and most notable case of an individual being arrested for illegally accessing a wireless network is that of Benjamin Smith III of St. Petersburg, FL. In the spring of 2005, Richard Dinon noticed someone parked outside his home and obviously staring at a laptop PC. According to Dinon, when Smith saw that he was being watched, he quickly closed the laptop. Dinon left to run some errands, but upon his return over an hour later, Smith was still outside staring at his PC. Dinon called the police, who arrested Smith, claiming that he was illegally accessing Dinon’s wireless network. Police said Smith admitted using the network and was charged with unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
A subsequent inspection of Smith’s PC found child pornography, leading to an additional felony count of sexual performance by a child. In June of this year, Smith pled no contest to stealing a wireless computer signal and no contest to an amended, lesser, charge of felony child abuse relating to child porn police found on his laptop computer. According to a report in the St. Petersburg Times, “Smith’s attorney, Hubbell Losson, argued in motions that the statute outlawing unauthorized access to computers did not apply to wireless service, but Peters ruled against him.”
The key here is not that the guy was accessing the Internetor that he was parked outside the house, but that this can happen to you without your knowledge. If you are accessing an open wireless network or someone is accessing yours, how do you know what they are doing – they could be downloading music off a file sharing site (a felony here in the United States), hacking into a restricted site (which will be traced back to your Internet connection, not their specific computer) and do you want to be caught up in whatever they are doing? I trust my neighbors and the companies that are near me, but if they have an open Internet connection I make sure I steer away from it at all costs. In addition to the security risk I am taking (the open wireless could be a trick to steal passwords, bank account information or infect you computer with viruses and spyware), you are putting your future in someone else’s hands. So my recommendation is the not access that wireless network and to make sure yours is secure as well. Public wireless access connections (Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, etc) are OK as long as you have a firewall installed on your computer and good anti-virus/anti-spyware software. Here’s a quick wrap up of my recommendations:
- Don’t access an open wireless network unless it’s from a commercial service (e.g. Internet hot spots)
- Make sure your wireless network is secure from access (most devices have an easy to follow set of steps to secure your connection)
- If you are accessing one of the many public Internet connections available, have your firewall turned on, anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed correctly
- If you see any suspicious activity, call the police – it’s a felony to gain access to a computer or computer network without authorization.
So stay smart, stay secure and keep your network safe. If you are having trouble checking your wireless network, just give us a call and we can come out and check it for you.
Joe Vivona
A&J Computers Inc
