The Enstep Blog
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Optimize Cloud Performance: 6 Strategies to Try
An optimized cloud performance enables your business to streamline operations. Without managed IT...
Add the Quick Launch Bar to the Taskbar in Windows 7
The new Windows 7 taskbar allows you to dock items to the taskbar, combining the features of both the normal taskbar as well as Quick Launch. But what if you want to bring back the Quick Launch Bar to the Taskbar in Windows 7? Read more
Make the Windows 7 Taskbar Work More Like Windows XP or Vista
The single most visible change in Windows 7 is the new “dock style” taskbar, which shows icons instead of buttons, with all application windows combined within a single button. The first question many people will have is “How do I turn it off?” – and this article will show you how. Read more
Are You Opening Your Spam Email Messages?
A survey conducted by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group or MAAWG reveals that a almost half of computer users in North America and Western Europe not only open spam emails, but also click on the links and open attachments found within these messages intentionally. This not only invites more spam, but potentially exposes them to a large number of security risks as well. Data from the survey revealed that: Nearly half of those who have accessed spam (46%) have done so intentionally – to unsubscribe, out of curiosity, or out of interest in the products or services being offered. Four in ten (43%) say that they have opened an email that they suspected was spam. Among those who have opened a suspicious email, over half (57%) say they have done so because they weren’t sure it was spam and one third (33%) say they have done so by accident. 84% were aware of the concept of bots. Yet, most think that they are immune from these viruses, with only a third saying they consider it likely that they could get a bot on their computer. Spammers have mechanisms which allow them to track whether their emails are accessed or not. Opening or even unsubscribing from spam messages further invites them to send even more spam. Furthermore, Spam messages these days are not only vehicles to solicit or sell goods and services of dubious source and value, but are increasingly being used as vectors to spread malicious software or malware. Clicking on a link, opening an attachment, or just viewing it can potentially open users’ computers to vulnerabilities in the operating system or installed applications. This in turn can turn compromised systems into “bots”, or unwitting accomplices in spreading more spam or malware. It pays to be aware of this next time you receive suspicious email – and make sure that your employees understand the risks as well. Sometimes even your antivirus software isn’t enough to protect you – so please ask us about our Managed Security Services and how we can help you not only fight spam but prevent it from reaching your Inbox in the first place. Related articles: Survey: Millions of users open spam emails, click on links (zdnet.com) Twitter spam drops to under 1 percent (networkworld.com) Brazil-originated spam levels topping 13% says Panda Security (infosecurity.com)
Thinking about Security in the Cloud
As we begin to store more and more of our data on the Internet and in the “Cloud,” the threat of that data being accessed and used by someone or something outside of our knowledge or control becomes very real. Data such as credit card information, banking transactions, work history, private addresses and numbers, email and much more are now stored and searchable in everything from Facebook, Google, Twitter, and a host of other applications. In a June report titled “ Assessing the Security Risks of Cloud Computing “, analyst firm Gartner recommends that businesses work closely with their IT department or trusted IT services provider and consultant to understand the risks of storing data in the cloud. Not stopping there, Microsoft has called for even greater government oversight. Recently, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith travelled to Washington to urge the US Congress to enact legislation that would protect information that’s stored in the cloud. Microsoft is proposing legislation that would call for: Reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Modernizing the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Helping consumers and businesses manage how their information is collected and shared Addressing data access issues globally The move coincides with Microsoft’s recent efforts to offer cloud-based services not only for its consumer and corporate customers, but the government as well. Is your business ready for the cloud? What security and privacy policies do you have in place regarding your employees’ use of cloud-based services? Not sure? Contact us today to find out how we can help. Related links: Microsoft’s thoughts on cloud computing (microsoftontheissues.com) Challenges of cloud computing (techsling.com) Gartner: Seven cloud-computing security risks (infoworld.com)
Beware New Facebook Scam
McAfee posted on its blog recently news about e-mail purportedly coming from Facebook urging recipients to open an attachment to get their new password on the site. Unfortunately the email is a scam to get not only users’ password of the popular social networking website, but potentially any accounts they use while using their computer as well. This is the latest in a wave of malware and phishing scams specifically targetting uses of social networking websites. As the popularity of these websites grow, so do their attractiveness to online crooks . It is estimated that Facebook alone has over 350 million users, and just recently has surpassed Google as the most popular destination on the Internet. Even if just a small percentage of users fall for the scam, this would still make a sizable number of compromised profiles and accounts. As always, be extra careful when opening any sort of attachment in email messages. Also make sure to double check the sender of the message, the context and its content. For example, Facebook rarely asks users to update their account information via email. In addition, the message in the bogus email mentioned here is supposedly full of awkward sentences and wrong spellings, which should clue users in on its authenticity. Of course customers enrolled in our managed security services won’t have to worry, as we block these types of messages before they reach their Inbox. Worried about threats coming in through your email? Contact us and see how we can help. Related links: Beware the new Facebook password reset scam (cnet.com) Social-networking sites short on security (securityfocus.com) EU may regulate social networking sites over security issues (arstechnica.com)
Beware of Ransomware!
Users beware of ransomware : malicious software that extorts money from users in exchange for freeing the user’s computer or data. One particularly nasty version was recently discovered by researchers at CA which came bundled with a software download called uFast Download Manager. The malware blocks Internet access for users until they pay the publisher a fee via SMS. Users who download the software are immediately infected, seeing a message posted in Russian demanding a ransom under the guise of activating the uFast Download Manager application. To keep your computer environment safe, always be wary of downloading suspicious free software on the Internet. If you need help or are unsure, please contact us first so we can help!
Coming Soon: More Business-class Smartphones
Hold on to your mobile devices: IDC predicts 20.9% growth in smartphone sales from 2009 through 2013. Symbian and Research In Motion (RIM) remain the market leaders, but you can be sure that competition will intensify with giants Microsoft , Google and Apple in the mix. A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced the release of Windows Mobile 7 , officially named Windows Phone. The announcement, made at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, came soon after the debut of Apple’s iPad. Early hardware partners were announced, including Dell, Garmin-Asus, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and HP. While hesitant to give any specific dates, Microsoft says to expect Windows Phone handsets to hit the shelves “in time for the Holiday season of 2010.″ Business users will find the ”Office” particularly interesting: a center where users can access Office, Outlook, OneNote, and SharePoint Workspace on their mobile device. A feature called the “Marketplace” will also be useful, allowing you to easily find and download certified applications and games. Meanwhile, news has been circulating recently on websites such as The Wall Street Journal , Mashable and VentureBeat about Google’s plans to sell third-party software for its Android mobile platform. While an app store for their smartphone OS has existed for some time, many have criticized it for not being business ready, with its lack of a more stringent review and vetting process for apps. However, all that’s expected to change with the launch of a new app store completely filtered for business-ready apps . You can be sure that Symbian, through its sponsor Nokia, is not taking all of this sitting down. Soon, you’ll be able to download the popular VoIP product, Skype, for free from Nokia’s Ovi Store . The app will work over a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection – GPRS, EDGE, and 3G – and you’ll be able to call, instant message, text message, share photos and videos, receive alerts when your contacts are online, and import a phone’s address book. Not to be left behind, RIM also made a recent announcement of its plans to develop a new browser for its Blackberry products. Many have felt that the company’s products has been outperformed by the competition in terms of its web capabilities and UI. With this announcement, it’s believed that the Blackberry will finally have support for websites with AJAX, CSS, and HTML5, although no mention of flash was made. It’s truly exciting times for mobile device users. If you spend your day connected to customers, partners, and employees, you can see the value in these capabilities, with even more useful useful devices that really help you stay in touch and work on the go.
Evaluating Your Backup Solution
You can’t have a disaster recovery plan until you first have a good backup solution. Is your backup solution good—or just good enough?
Access Frequently Used Items in Windows 7 with Jump Lists
Finding a way to easily access recently used files, folders, and websites was annoying to some in previous versions of Windows. In Windows 7, the new Jump List feature allows you to those items quickly. Read more
Understanding March Madness and its impact on your company
It’s March again, and many hoops fans are once again in a frenzy – creating fantasy basketball drafts, watching streamed basketball games, and researching basketball trends, rumors, and other related information. That’s “March Madness” for you. Most of the activity of March Madness is internet based, with gambling and betting at an all-time high, especially as the tournament draws to a close with the Elite Eight Teams whittling down to the Final Four. Fans spend a lot of time watching streamed videos of games and gathering information on the tournament online, distracting them from their official duties and potentially wasting company bandwidth. How much does this impact your company? A lot, says the research. A 2008 Newsweek article reports that the March Madness phenomenon cost a total of $1.7B in lost productivity. And that’s not counting the high bandwidth consumed from all the video streams and the research activities. In more recent research findings reported by national outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the losses due to March Madness are expected to continue. “Those who insist there will be no impact are kidding themselves,” says John Challenger, CEO of the Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “It might be a slight drop in output, or it could be slow Internet connections as bandwidth is sapped by employees watching streaming feeds of the games,” he adds. If you’re concerned about your company’s bandwidth during this period and want to look for ways to better manage it, we’d be happy to discuss a possible roadmap. Sources: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/17/2048029/college-basketball.html http://www.newsweek.com/id/124404
Listen to Over 100,000 Radio Stations in Windows Media Center
A cool feature in Windows 7 Media Center is the ability to listen to local FM radio. But what if you don’t have a tuner card that supports a connected radio antenna? The RadioTime plug-in solves the problem by allowing access to thousands of online radio stations. Read more
Three Ways Managed Services Can Reduce Your IT Costs
In today’s tough market environment, many small and medium businesses are turning to Managed Services. But is the up-front cost worth it? We say yes—and think you’ll agree when we explain why.
Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan Up To Date?
Businesses are constantly changing. Is your disaster recovery plan changing, too? It should be. Every company can experience a business-altering event at any time: floods, explosions, accidents, computer malfunctions—the list is endless. If you have a disaster recovery plan, you’re prepared to prevent such events from disrupting your normal operations—or at least you were at the time you created the plan. But how long ago was that? As your business has grown, it’s likely that your products and services, or at least the way you deliver them, has changed as well. For example, the increase in technology-based processes over the past few years has likely increased your reliance on the availability of systems and information for your business to function effectively. These changes might necessitate a change in your disaster recovery plan. As a result, we recommend a regular review of your plan. If you make changes, these change should be tested and new processes documented so all employees can be trained accordingly. Finally, keep in mind that reviewing your disaster recovery plan isn’t a one-time event. Because changes to your products and services, or the way you deliver them, are likely to continue, reviewing your disaster recovery plan should be a regular process. If you’d like a professional review of your disaster recovery plan (or if you don’t have one in place at all), contact us today. We can help save your systems and data from the unthinkable.
Mariposa Botnet Masters Arrested
Spanish authorities report that they have arrested the masterminds behind a string of online criminal activities using the botnet dubbed Mariposa. Mariposa is the original name of a commercially distributed Do-it-Yourself malware kit, sold online for 800/1000 EUR for “wannabe” hackers. Along with the arrest, authorities seized sensitive data belonging to about 800,000 users in 190 countries, gathered from an estimated 12M+ infected host computers on the Internet. What’s particularly interesting is that the cybercriminals arrested were not themselves the author of the malware, nor were they any more techincally adept than many ordinary users. They simply had access to malware widely available on the Internet, and were able to conduct a crime of such a wide scale and reach. This illustrates that it’s become easier for many cybercriminals to conduct their nefarious deeds online, and highlights the need for more vigilance on the part of law-abiding netizens in keeping their network secure from hackers and malware. Is your network safe? Contact us to find out. Related articles: How FBI, police busted massive botnet (go.theregister.com) Botnet takedowns ‘don’t hurt crooks enough’ (go.theregister.com) Vodafone distributes Mariposa Bot, Conficker and Lineage in HTC Magic (techie-buzz.com)
SaaS Characteristics and Integration
SaaS has several characteristics that set it apart from other services: SaaS allows the access and use of commercially available software through a remote, network, or internet connection. This means that the software is not installed in the subscriber’s computer, but rather on the SaaS provider’s server. This also makes the software accessible to the subscriber regardless of his or her location. SaaS provides commercially available software, not custom made software, meaning that a particular software service is made available to multiple clients, so customization is limited to only what the software or SaaS provider allows. The SaaS provider shoulders the responsibility of updating the software, and subscribers can request updates, upgrades, and additional features. Regarding implementation, SaaS architecture is classified into four “maturity” levels based on factors such as configurability, multi-tenant efficiency, and scalability. Level 1 is the “ad-hoc/custom” level, in which a modified version of a particular piece of software is offered to subscribers, which is then run on the provider’s host server. This level is requires the lowest maintenance. The second level offers more customization and allows subscribers to configure the metadata of a program. This then allows a customized version of the same software, based on the needs of the subscriber. Multi-tenant efficiency is added to the third maturity level, which means that the SaaS servers are made more conducive for subscribers to use separate instances of a single application. The fourth and most “mature” SaaS architecture offers all four factors, with the service reaching optimum efficiency. Considering SaaS for your business? Let us help you sort through the details.
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