W32.Spyrat opens a backdoor using a predetermined port and IP address, allowing an attacker to perform the following actions on the compromised computer:

• Read, write, and execute files
• Steal stored passwords
• Issue commands
• Activate and view a webcam, if present
• Log keystrokes
• Create an HTTP proxy to route traffic through the compromised computer

Do not open this email or click on the URL if received. Read on for the full article at Symantec .

Julie Settle, A&J Computers Inc.

This year, give yourself the gift of security.  Enlist a capable and responsible IT company to be at the ready when you need them. 

Better yet, give yourself the gift of preparedness and proactiveness.  Take the time to have your systems upgraded and cleaned up.  Create a plan of action for the New Year to extend the life of those precious machines.  Allow an IT professional to research the best equipment for your needs now and into the near future at the best price (because many are approved vendors and can get a better deal than you might). 

A viable IT company offers professional service and advice on:

• Preventative Maintenance
• Remote Patch Management
• Equipment Purchases
• Helpdesk and Support Services
• On Call for Break/Fix Issues

As you, business owner, prepare for the annual holiday party, grant vacations and leave of absences, think about who’s taking care of your business while you are out running your business.   Have you checked with your IT guy to see if he’ll be around on Christmas morning for you if need be?  A back up plan of action is always a good idea.

A&J Computers Inc. has provided Helpdesk and IT support services for 21 years. 

Julie Settle

A&J Computers Inc.

For now the site is free for both companies and attorneys.  It’s a great resource for startups, especially those who have not yet established a relationship with an attorney.  Questions are completely confidential.  Each question posed will receive confidential answers by various attorneys who cannot view each others answers.

If you are any type of attorney, I suggest you check out the site and see if it’s for you. I imagine a lot of start ups will. Visit http://www.LawPivot.com for details.

^ Julie Settle, A&J Computers Inc.

Online:

1. Keep your personal information private on social networks.
2. Install a URL scanning tool to alert you of potentially harmful web links.
3. Review your bank account and credit card statements regularly for questionable charges.
4. Review your credit report and credit score regularly.
5. Choose difficult encrypted passwords, consider using KeePass to safely store all your passwords.

On Your Computer:

1. Keep your operating system and software programs up to date.
2. Install these type software programs: anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall .
3. 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.

Here are the 2 main questions we are hearing regarding XP’s discontinuation:

1. 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.
2.  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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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?!
3. Let the right person make the right approvals. In a nutshell, business owners decide the what and IT consultants decide the how.
4. 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.

This reminds me of running a business – at what point in a project do your resources all fall in line because of the strategy you’ve laid out and planned for.   Sometimes it seems like you are veering away from the end-goal, but the reality is you’ve carefully planned out your strategy and the leader’s jersey is yours when you want to take it.   Taking this lesson from cycling is extremely hard – it’s about how do you work smarter not harder, and proper planning is the key.  

One of the things we’ve been doing for a few years, is better and better information about clients, environments, process and procedures.  It seems simple enough, but when you get down to it – it’s a ton of work.   When the activity is not revenue generating, how do you justify spending all that time, resources and money on something that may never be needed?  Every time we go to a client or get a tech support call, we make sure we have their folder in front of us.  Coupled with our helpdesk system, this provides a comprehensive set of systems for us to ensure we have everything ready for the next time a client needs something.

So what do you do for customers to defend the leader’s jersey, or at what point do you have everything aligned to grab that jersey when you want it?