A&J Computers Inc Blog » customer service

Spam Comes In All Forms – This One Carries the Wikileaks Moniker

Julie Settle — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:03:41 +0000

Spam, and the massive destruction that accompanies it, has a way of riding on the back of whatever topic is popular at the moment. Right now, the latest news is spam carrying a Wikileaks worm. Symantec released an article today warning the public of the threat entitled “IRAN Nuclear BOMB!” from the Wikileaks organization which is not the case. The only content is a URL, which, when clicked, will download a threat identified as W32.Spyrat.

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.

Yes, Small Business, There Is a Helpdesk Solution

Julie Settle — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:17:57 +0000

Let’s face it — if your business is supported by computer technology, you need a Helpdesk. You deserve a Helpdesk. One of the main reasons a business fails (outside of negative revenue generation) is the inability to recover quickly from an IT disaster. Disaster — it’s a big scary word. And if your only desktop computer or your only server goes down and no one is able to recover the data from it, or recover it in a timely fashion, you’re toast. No longer do you have a customer database, no longer do you have an accounting history, no longer do you have a viable business.

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.

Still Need to Buy Windows XP? Better Act Now.

Julie Settle — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:02:24 +0000

Microsoft 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.

Can Buying a Computer Warranty Now Save Me Time and Money Later?

Julie Settle — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:11:13 +0000

I 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

Joe Vivona — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:31:47 +0000

My 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.