The Excitement of Uninterrupted Power Supplies: UPS

Summer is a time for lots of construction and road maintenance and my neighborhood is no exception. We were notified that there would be occasional power outages during the times they work on our street and initially, I blew this notice off and quipped, “No problem as long as they give advanced notice of specified [...]

Has your antivirus subscription expired?

Security for computer networks comes in many forms.Often the most troublesome and frequently encountered are malware infections (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, etc.). Unfortunately, during my initial meetings with prospective clients I still find workstations with expired antivirus software or no protection at all. Malware, like hard drive failures, can make workstations inoperable but all data [...]

Security: When was the last time you updated your software?

As SMB network system administrators we tend to focus on client “pain points”, i.e., “When did you realize that you needed help?” Was it when your hard drive failed and all data was lost? Did a workstation become infected with a virus or malware which prevented your staff from using the Internet? Or maybe you [...]

Robert Crane: Basics of SharePoint Video

Collaboration is the key to effective business use of the Internet. There are numerous tools both general and specific for business; Microsoft SharePoint is one such business tool.  We believe that SharePoint is a good tool for small business owners but recognize that before it is widely accepted more business owners need to understand how [...]

BizSpark! Do you qualify for free Microsoft Software?

A friend pointed out to me that for entrepreneurs and startups that are working on developing new online tools there is a Microsoft resource that can provide support for new businesses. I don’t qualify for a number of reasons but I thought I’d make you aware of BizSpark; a Microsoft initiative aimed at assisting startups [...]

What is Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS)?

We don’t collaborate!

Often when I talk to small businesses about collaboration, I’m told “we don’t collaborate” and I stand there with my mouth open. I think of how many emails are sent trying to finalize a report, update an inventory list, review a plan, etc. Email is immediate which makes us feel good because we got “it” [...]

Recognize and avoid fraudulent e-mail to Microsoft customers

Below is a message included in the latest Microsoft security bulletin: If you receive an e-mail message that claims to be distributing a Microsoft security update, it is a hoax that may contain malware or pointers to malicious Web sites. Microsoft does not distribute security updates via e-mail. To receive automatic notifications whenever Microsoft Security [...]

Online Backup Vendors: Major Players Lists

In preparation for my last article on online backup, I asked some of my peers what online backup tools they preferred; my intent was to compile a list of most favored by local small business IT support professionals. In true tech fashion I got two suggestions: a reference to other lists and a question regarding [...]

Are Cyber Criminals Stealing from You?

How redundant can we be regarding safe Internet communicating and web browsing? As much as we preach maintenance, I’ve noticed that in the current year all of our clients have had at least one malware infected computer; granted, most of those infected machines have been laptops which are used out of the office but no [...]

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