Don't Trip Over The Cloud

The latest craze in the IT industry today is the ever growing cloud. The cloud is defined as using applications or storing data outside your premises. Some good examples of cloud solutions are virtual server, hosted email or remote backup. At face value many of these solutions seem to be great ways to save money and combine resources. Yet there are some dangers you must look out for when determining which cloud services to use, such as Internet outages,  the Wild West of Cloud Computing and government control.
When you move to the cloud, you are essentially moving your data away from your location to shared data center. These data centers often are rated for everything from floods, fires, hurricanes and power outages. They have multiple Internet connections in case one goes down. 24/7 monitoring, redundant servers and often redundant sites in case a nuclear bomb would happen to go off. They have thought of everything except your business does not have multiple fiber connections and is probably not protected 24/7 by armed guards. What they fail to disclose is that they are not the weakest link, your business' Internet connection is. If the Internet connection at your business goes down and all your data is hosted in the cloud, how will your employees work? 
We can often mitigate these Internet issues with dual Internet connections, (i.e. DSL and Cable), so that if one connection fails the other one can provide service. But what if the problem is not your Internet provider, but the Internet itself? Outside of the control of your IT firm and your ISP is the actual Internet itself. On occasion there will be a piece of equipment that goes out or a piece of fiber gets cut and suddenly a geographic area such as a town, state or area of the country goes without Internet. This happened recently to a colleague of mine, whose town was without Internet for an entire day due to someone with a rifle taking out the fiber that connected the town to the Internet. 
While having your data in the cloud can be a cost saver in the short run, factors such as Internet downtime need to be properly analyzed as they can cost you more in the long run in employee downtime. To help mitigate the cost associated with Internet outage, many customers only place non-mission critical data and software in the cloud so that if they do have an outage their employees can still work.
In addition to the risks associated with Internet outages, there is what I have termed the Wild West of Cloud Computing. When I look at the marketplace right now for cloud computing, I see the familiar face of computers in the 90's, when every investor was throwing all their eggs into what ever .com they could get invested into. It was raining money in the IT community, every kind of tech company was opening at every corner with hopes of massive returns and then it hit, the .com bust. Everything came crashing down, from the little guys to the tech giants, no one was left unscathed. 
Back then the only ones who were hurt were the guys who invested, many times blindly, their money in these ventures, hoping for sky high returns. This time though, it is a lot different. Yes, it is the investors who are holding the money bag and will loose big if .com II happens, but the bigger losers will be you or those like you who have entrusted your data to these companies. How will your company fair without its data for 30, 60 or 90 days while it has to go to court to get back its data after the cloud vendor files for bankruptcy and the judge orders all the servers to be shutdown. It is very important if you are going to be in the cloud that you keep a local current copy of all data in case a situation like .com II happens.
The final issue that comes to mind with approaching cloud computing is the federal government and world government. In keeping track of the technology news I am constantly presented with stories like "President Obama Wants an Internet Kill Switch" or "The United Nations Wants Control of The Internet." Headlines such as these may be a bit sensationalized but there is much truth to them. Government's desire to control the Internet has been ever increasing as those in power ever seek to increase their power, the Internet is a bastion of freedom they have yet to tame. Remember even as remote as it sounds, there may be more government regulation coming to the Internet soon which could hamper your cloud strategy. 
While we do not have control over many of the traps of cloud computing, we can though mitigate our risks and decrease our exposure through a well thought out cloud strategy based on full knowledge of the hazards cloud computing presents. Before diving into cloud computing or even if you are currently in the cloud, examine what services and data you can safely store in the cloud and develop a plan of action if you were to run into one of the many hazards.

Clearing Out The Cobwebs From Your Computer

Normally when someone talks about cleaning your computer, they are talking about performing a defragmentation or deleting temporary and unused files or removing old programs. But today we are going to talk about a different type of cleaning, a physical cleaning. I am going to walk you through a little spring cleaning.
The most important part of cleaning your computer is dusting out the inside. Think of a nice hot summer day and going outside to do a bit of yard work. It’s hot and sticky and you move a bit slower because of the heat. Now try doing the same thing with a winter wool coat on. You would be lucky to move at a quarter of the speed; that is until you pass out from heat stroke. This is how your computer feels after it has a layer of dust on the components.
Dust buildup on your computer provides a layer of insulation which can destroy your computer and impact its performance, just as a wool coat would caused you to slow down and eventually pass out. Not only will the dust provide a thermal blanket for your computer but it can also cause damage to the fans. As the fans blow to cool the computer, the dust particles build up on the fan assembly and will eventually cause the fan to lock up.
Simple preventative maintenance can keep dust buildup from destroying your computer. The first step in cleaning the inside of your computer is to pick up some compressed air from your local store, most big box and office stores, along with computer stores carry compressed air.
The next step is to open up the case of your computer. Before opening the case, please shut down the computer and unplug the power. You may also want to disconnect the wires and take your computer outside if it is really dusty.
There are many different styles of computers and each open a different way, but the most common style is a tower that has a side that slides off. The side that comes off is always the side opposite of where you plug in your mouse and keyboard as you are looking at the back of your computer.
Look at the back of the case and there will be 1-3 screws holding the cover on the box. You may need a Phillips screwdriver to remove these screws. Once the screws are removed, the side will slide towards the back of the case. If your cover does not open this way and you need additional help, please consult your computer’s manual, me or your local computer professional as they will be glad to assist you.
Once the side is removed, if there is excessive dust you may want to carefully use the hose of a vacuum to remove the majority of the dust. Next, take the can of air, attach the extension tube, if provided, and using short bursts of air, blow out the inside of the computer. Make sure you blow inside the power supply from both ends. The power supply is the metal box the power cord plugs into. Also, be diligent about getting all the dust out of the fans.
After you have blown out the computer you should verify the operation of the fans. This is very easy, just plug in the power cord again, with the cover off, and turn on the computer. Once the computer is powered on, visually verify the fans are running. Most computers have 2-4 fans, sometimes more, depending on your computer. The power supply we mentioned earlier also has a fan inside, but is often difficult to see. A workaround for this is to hold your hand over the power supply at the back of the computer and see if you can feel the air blowing out.
If you have a fan that is not moving, with the computer still running, move the fan blade. This will often get the fan unstuck. If this does not get the fan running, please have the fan replaced right away to avoid any further damage to your computer system.
After you are done verifying the fan operation, turn the computer back off and reinstall the cover. Do not try to install the cover with the computer running as you can damage your computer.
I hope this simple little cleaning session will help keep your computer running in top condition. Depending on the conditions of where your computer is located, I recommend you blow out your computer every six months to a year.

Busting Five Common Computer Myths

This week I wanted to delve into a few computer related myths running around out there in cyberspace. Often these myths, like all myths, have either a grain of truth or were originally true but have since become outdated. Listening to these myths can sometimes cost you money and or damage your computer.
Turning your computer off will save wear and tear on your computer. This myth is both true and false. If you use your computer once or twice a week, I recommend that you turn your computer off in between uses. If you are a daily user of your computer I recommend that you keep your computer running 24/7. If you want to save a bit of energy, turn off your monitor, but leave the computer running.
The main reason to leave your computer on is that I suggest you schedule regular virus scans, backups and anti-spyware scans for the middle of the night. There is nothing more annoying than trying to work on your computer in the middle of the day while the virus scanner is running. Leaving your computer on will give these programs full access to your computer to perform their assigned duties, while not annoying you.
Turning off your computer will save it from getting damaged during a lightning strike. This is false. Even though to the user the computer looks like it is turned off, there is still electricity running through the computer system and parts of it are still turned on. The only sure way to keep your computer from getting damaged is by unplugging the power and Internet cables from the computer as well as the power cables from your printer and other peripherals connected to your computer. Lightning can easily enter your computer from a printer or external hard drive.
The best way to protect your computer is by purchasing a good quality surge protector that also offers protection for your Internet cable. A good quality surge protector will come with insurance that will replace or repair your equipment in case of damage. Good quality surge protectors start off at $30. Unplugging your computer is effective until that one time you forget to unplug everything before the storm.
Using your credit card online is not safe. This is false. Statistics show that you are more likely to get your credit card number stolen when you use it at a store or a restaurant. The keys to protecting yourself from credit card theft online are: 1) only purchase from well known merchants, 2) make sure the lock symbol shows up on the page you are entering your card number (this means the page is encrypted and you are less likely to get your number stolen,) and 3) NEVER, EVER respond to an email solicitation that asks for money.
I need to defrag my computer every week. This myth is rooted in truth. Back in the days of Windows 98 and 95 it was necessary to defrag every week to keep your computer running fast, but in today’s age of Windows XP, Vista and 7, the need to defrag every week is overkill. Defragging once every three to six months is sufficient. For the average user, every six months is good. If you delete and add a lot of files and programs on a regular basis, then defragging more often is appropriate.
Defragging your hard drive is the process of rearranging the block on your hard drive so that the computer can read the files faster. Like putting the pages of a book in order so you don’t have to continually search through it to find the next page. The Disk Defragmenter can be found under System Tools in the Accessories section of the Start menu.
Registry cleaner programs will make my computer run better. Registry cleaning and other “speed up your computer” type utilities are full of hype and broken promises. The truth is that these tools can actually damage your computer if improperly used. They have great marketing pitches, but in reality do very little to speed up your computer. I would say that you should leave these tools to skilled technicians, but a skilled technician should know how to repair a computer without such tools. The only tools you need to keep your computer running properly are an anti-virus, an anti-malware software and Disk Defragmenter.
You can find links to free anti-virus and anti-spyware downloads, as well as links to an archive of these articles on my website www.connectutech.com.

Five Quick Tips To Make Your Computing Life Easier

This week I wanted to give you a few quick basic computing tips to make your life easier. None of these are really fancy, but get the job done with a few less keystrokes.
1. Quick Cut, Copy and Paste – Cut, Copy and Paste are the three most common commands used in creating office type documents. Most users will highlight a word, sentence, paragraph or image, and then they will use these commands to move or copy the item to another location in the document. They often access these commands right clicking with the mouse and selecting the appropriate command from the context menu which appears. A quicker way to access these same commands is through shortcut keys. Ctrl+C for copy, Ctrl+X for Cut and Ctrl+V for paste. In addition, you can use Ctrl+Z for Undo and Ctrl+A to select everything in a document. Other shortcut keys available are usually listed in the menu system next to the command or in the user guide.
2. Quick Calculator – If you are missing your calculator or just cannot remember how many feet are in a mile, just type the equation (example: 1 + 4 =) or your conversion question (example: feet in a mile) into the Google search engine and Google will respond with the answer.
3. Tracking Packages – Don’t you wish there was a more convenient way to track packages then opening UPS or FedEx’s website, entering the tracking number and clicking submit? There is easier way, just copy and paste your tracking number into the Google search engine and no matter if it is a UPS or FedEx tracking number, Google with respond with a link to the tracking information.
4. Finding the right word – Writing articles and documents as often as I do, I often run into words that I just cannot remember how to spell. Not ever knowing where I left my dictionary I rely heavily on the Internet and Microsoft Office to help solve my spelling quandaries. Dictionary.com is a free online dictionary which not only will give you the spelling of a work, but the pronunciation and definition of a word. They also have a partner websites, Thesaurus.com which is an online thesaurus and reference.com which is an online encyclopedia. If you have Microsoft Word or Outlook you can also use their integrated spell checker to find the correct spelling.
5. Locating a picture of an elephant – Creating different media projects with your computer is very enjoyable for many until you are faced with finding a picture of an elephant for your child’s school project, which is due tomorrow. I have a solution for you; http://images.google.com is a complete search engine for images. Just type elephant into the search box, click search and you will soon be presented with 20,500,000 pictures of elephants. A couple of notes on this site, first if you are searching with kid eyes nearby, make sure the “SafeSearch” is turned on, as if it is not you may be shown images little eyes should not be seeing. You can find “SafeSearch” setting right under the search box. Second, many of these images listed are copyrighted, please verify the website you are copying them from allow you to use them for your intended purpose.
There are many tips to help make your computing experience easier and more enjoyable. I hope that one or two of these tips prove useful to you. If you have any questions about these tips, please feel free to contact me at eric@connectutech.com.

Printing All The Way To The Bank

Each day one of the most expensive things you do with your computer is printing. Each time you hit that print button depending on your printer it will cost you anywhere from 1¢ to 50¢. Currently there are five different readily available technologies on the market, each with its own place and price per page printed.
Before we talk about types of printers though, we need to discuss coverage. In the print world, coverage is defined as the amount of space covered with ink when you print a page. Why is coverage important? Coverage is important because when you purchase a toner or ink cartridge it states how many pages it will print. Any normal person would think that a page is a full page, but in fact the definition of pages printed on a toner cartridge is based on 5% coverage. What that means is that a toner cartridge that states it will print 5000 pages will print 5000 pages at 5% coverage. 5% coverage on a sheet of paper is just over a half sheet of printed text with no pictures.
Most often when you print a sheet, you will be covering more than 5% of the page with ink or toner. Therefore, that 5000 page toner cartridge may only be printing 3000 pages. The easiest way to find out how many pages you are actually printing out of a cartridge is to print a status page when you put in a new toner and write the page count on the front of the toner cartridge, then when the toner runs out repeat this and subtract the beginning from the ending count. Once you have this number, take the cost of the toner and divide it by the pages printed and you will have your true cost of printing.
Please consult your printer manual for instructions on how to print a status page and also note that not all printers offer a page count meter.
The five major types of printers are dot matrix, heat transfer, ink jet, laser and solid ink.
The first two types, dot matrix and heat transfer are mostly limited to cash register receipt printing and special application. The most common consumer product that uses heat transfer is the Brother heat transfer fax machine. If you own one of these, unless you only use it once a month or so, throw it away as they are extremely expensive.
The third type of printing technology and the one you are most likely to see in a home is the ink jet. Ink jets are popular due to the low entrance costs. An average ink jet printer runs less than $100 and offers great color. What people do not pay attention to is the very high operating cost of these printers. The average print cost of an ink jet printed page runs around 50¢ depending on coverage. Manufacturers often will sell these printers below cost, knowing they will recoup their expense in the sale of ink cartridges. If you think you are paying a lot for a gallon of gas, the price for a gallon of ink jet ink is roughly $10,000.
The forth form of technology is commonly called laser. Laser printers have a higher entrance cost, but have a long term savings in the cost per page. An average laser printer has a page cost of 4¢ black and white and 20¢ color. Laser printer will print pages faster than an ink jet and the ink will not run when it gets wet like a ink jet printed page will. One of the down sides of laser is the messy toner that is hazardous to the environment. If you get some toner on your clothes, you may never get it out.
The last printer we will discuss is a new environmentally friendly type of technology only available from Xerox. Xerox’s solid ink technology has no wasted cartridges, is environmentally friendly, has no messy toners, produces near photographic quality on plain paper and has a print cost starting at 2¢ black and white and 5¢ color.
The plain simple answer to the question of which printer is right for you is that it depends on your situation. If you do low volume color, 1-5 pages per day, an ink jet is probably the right fit. If you print over 100 pages up to 1000 color pages per month a color laser is a good fit. If you are printing over 1000 color pages per month, the Xerox Solid Ink Technology is a good place to look.
I often get the questions “I print only a couple color pages a month, but do high black and white volume, what do I do?” My answer to this question is that they need to purchase both a ink jet printer for color and also a laser for doing black and white.
At ConnectU we offer businesses a free evaluation of their printing needs. We offer a large array of printing products and our partnership with Xerox has given us a valuable asset when servicing businesses. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment.

To Laptop or to Desktop, that is the question: A Back To School Decision

“Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the limitations of a laptop or to take refuge in the strength of a desktop” was a long time ago written by one William Shakespeare in his famous play eHamlet. This soliloquy was written to his quandary on whether to buy a laptop or desktop…well, maybe not.
As we come into back to school season where young scholarly minds head off to college to study great intellectuals like Shakespeare, many parents are prompted to purchase a new computer for their child. One of the quandaries facing parents is whether to purchase a laptop or a desktop. Today we are going to discuss the difference, advantages and disadvantage of purchasing a laptop.
The first and biggest feature students will want in a laptop is portability. Taking a laptop to the library or off to class can help the student be more productive while not forcing them to be sequestered in their room at school. Even though your student will enjoy this portability, so will the local thief as he walks away with the unattended notebook.
Your budget is the second factor that you have to consider when purchasing a computer for school. In general a laptop will cost $200-1000 more than a similar equipped desktop. In addition, a laptop will cost more to repair than a desktop. Since the parts in a laptop are combined into one unit (the motherboard), if one item goes bad, you will need to replace the entire motherboard. On a desktop you can replace individual parts such as a video card. Also, if you need to replace the motherboard or other part in a desktop there will be several different brands to replace it with, whereas in a laptop you will only be able to use the exact part.
The third item to take into consideration is performance. In general, due to size and weight constraints, laptop hardware will underperform a desktop. Therefore, if you are looking for high performance, such as for gaming, graphic design or video production, you would fare better with a desktop. The performance of a laptop will suit most students through their entire school career, unless they are in an engineering or graphic design track. If your child is heading off for one of these tracks, I recommend contacting the school for guidance in purchasing a computer.
The final item to contemplate is often very important to students cramped into a small dorm room and that is one of size. With a desktop, as the name implies, they will need a desk area to place the computer, whereas with a laptop the student can take the computer anywhere and store it most anyplace in their room.
After taking all of this into consideration the choice between a laptop and a desktop comes down to one of personal choice and need. I personally have a laptop due to my need for portability with my work. Even with that aside I would always prefer a laptop since I often to sit on the couch while watching TV and working on my computer. The factors discussed in this article: portability, price, performance and size will come together to help lead you in the right direction when making the decision between purchasing a laptop or desktop for your student.

Photo Fun For Everyone

This week’s question comes from Twitter user Jeannemily. Jeannemily would like to know more about “filing photos, finding them and attaching them to emails.”
Well Jeannemily, the easiest tool I have seen for managing your photos is Picasa 3. Picasa 3 is another great free tool from our friends at Google.
You can find a link to download Picasa on my website http://www.connectutech.com. Just click the Free Downloads icon on the left side of the page. This will take you to our download links page where you will find the link to download Picasa 3. Click Run when prompted and follow the simple install wizard, selecting all of the defaults.
After you have completed the installation, the program automatically launches and prompts you where you would like it to scan for pictures. I would recommend that you select “Completely scan my computer for pictures” so that it will find all the pictures on your computer. You can delete unwanted pictures out of the albums later.
On the next screen, it will ask you what type of files you would like to use the Picasa Photo Viewer to view, I recommend that for ease of use that you Select All and click Finish. Before you are even done clicking Finished, you will start to see files populate
Of all of the picture management tools on the market, Picasa 3 has the easiest interface for you to navigate, so let us take a brief tour.
The first thing you will notice is the two panes in the center of the window. In the left pane you will see folders containing pictures and in the right pane you will see thumbnails of the pictures. As you click on the folders in the left pane, you will notice the pictures scroll in the right pane.
Right click on one of the folders and you will see a menu pop-up. With this menu you can change the description of the folder, find the folder on your hard drive, remove the folder from Picasa (note this does not remote the files from your hard drive, just from Picasa), and upload to a web album for sharing with friends and family.
In the right windows, just below the folder name, you will see a series of buttons. The first button plays a slide show of all the pictures in that folder, the second button creates a photo collage, the third button generates a movie of the photos, the forth button helps you create a CD of the photos to give to someone, the fifth button allows you to filter down to only starred photos and the sixth button finds only photos with faces.
At the bottom of the window are all the tools you will need to share your photos. Once you have selected a photo, photos or an album from the above panes; you can use these tools to upload them to a web album, tag them with keywords like the person’s name or the location, email them to a friend, print them, get them printed for you, Blog them, create a movie or Geo-Tag them (upload them to Google Earth.)
There are too many features in Picasa to go over each one individually, but one of the major features that I would like to go over is ease of use. There is no need to spend hours setting up Picasa, because Picasa will help you set up the features you would like to use. For example, uploading items to a web album. The first time you select photos to upload, Picasa will prompt you for information to help you either log into your existing account or setup an account.
Picasa also has a companion product, Picasa Photos Screensaver. The Photo Screensaver can installed through Google Pack which also be found on the download links page on my website. Once you install the Photo Screensaver you have the functionality to add photos in Picasa 3 by selecting the photo, clicking create on the top menu, then selecting Add to Screensaver…
I would like to thank Jeannemily for her question this week and hope that I have answered her question. If you would like to submit a question for possible inclusion in my weekly Tech Tips article, you can Tweet them to me @ http://www.twitter.com/ConnectU. By following us on Twitter you will receive regular technical tips and updates.

Can Your Computer Weather the Storm?

This is the time of year when your computer can get blown away, not by that new cool app, but by the on slot of Mother Nature. Lightning strikes, power surges, and floods are not friends to your computer, but mortal enemies. Now is the time to create a protective shield against these dangers.
There are three defensive strategies when preparing to combat Mother Nature. Implementing a surge protection strategy, properly placing equipment and backing up your data will help keep your electronic equipment safe.
The first and most important line of defense for your computer is a good surge protector. I’m not talking about the $5 junk you can find at most big box or discount stores; I’m talking about the ones that cost $30 and up. Most good quality surge protectors come with some sort of insurance, where if your equipment becomes damaged they will replace or repair the equipment. The cost of a good quality surge protector is small when you compare it to the hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage a lightning strike or surge can cause.
The key goal, when using a surge protector, is to guard each and every wire coming out of the wall and into a piece of electrical equipment. Not only do you have to protect the electrical plug, but also cable and phone lines.
Lightning and surges can enter your computer through many routes. Lightning has been known to go right through a DSL or Cable Modem and straight into a computer, completely destroying the PC. A major entry point for lightning is through the telephone line. If you are no longer using dialup, please take the time to disconnect the wire from the back of your computer.
An important note to remember about surge protection, it is not 100% effective. Even with the best surge protection there is always a chance your electronic equipment will be damaged by a surge or lightening strike.
A second way to protect your computer from the storm is by moving it off the floor. Locating your computer under the desk leaves it vulnerable to damage from flood. Moving the computer on top of the desk can help protect it from damage as well as lessen the amount of dust collecting inside. If a storm is pending, an extra step you can take to protect the computer is to cover the CPU with a garbage bag. This will ward off falling water from a leaky roof or broken window.
The final and most important way to protect your computer from the storm is by backing up the data on the computer and storing the backup in a remote location or in a safe. A simple backup strategy will keep your memories and valuable data safe in case of fire, flood, theft or hardware failure. If you cannot remember to backup your data, try using software such as our DataSafe pro, to continually backup your data in a safe offsite location.
If you need addition resources on keeping your computer safe during a storm, please check out our website www.connectutech.com.

Is your Child Sexting without your knowledge?

The Internet has many unforeseen dangers for children of all ages and in order to keep your child safe you must stay informed. This week’s installment of my four week series on keeping your child safe online focuses on other dangers your child can face online. If you missed last week’s installment or any of my articles, you can read them online at the Daily Commercial’s website under Tech Tips.
Last week we talked about the danger of sexual predators. This week I want to expand the list of dangers into less mentioned perils.
Pornography is one of the most accessible hazards your child will run across on the Internet. Porn can enter your child’s world through pop-up ads, unsolicited emails, redirected links and intentional web surfing.
These images, although annoying to adults, can have a detrimental effect on your child, exposing them to information they are unable or process or understand. Whether you agree or disagree with pornography, the long term emotional and mental effects on small children are vast and detrimental.
The second danger, bullying, occurs after a child meets an individual through a medium such as a chat room. Once introduced the bully starts to send nasty instant messages, emails and posts derogatory comments in forums to degrade the child, thereby giving the bully a feeling of power.
The next safety concern comes from scam artists Scam Artists use innocent children to reach into your pockets. Through online offers that are too good to be true and often are. These offers are delivered through chat rooms, pop-ups, emails, and instant messages.
Not only do you have to watch out for what others may do to your child, but you need to keep track of what kind of harm your child can do to hurt themselves. There are many popular things kids do online that can get them into trouble with the law.
Music labels are cracking down on the massive amounts of illegal music floating around the Internet. These files are most often traded through peer to peer file sharing systems such as Napster, Lime Wire and Bit Torrent. Not only are these peer to peer file sharing programs used to share music, but they are also great ways to catch a nasty virus. Not only can you catch a virus, but you may also catch a nasty law suit. Many people have been prosecuted and levied large fines for sharing copyrighted music.
In addition to illegal music, Sexting has become the newest avenue for children to cross the law. What is Sexting? Sexting is when kids take nude or semi-nude photos of themselves or others and send them via multimedia text messages on their cell phone. This may seem innocent, but Sexting can get your child into serious legal troubles. Sexting is very popular with teens, which, by chance, are underage. Jane who is 15, takes a nude picture of herself with her cell phone, sends it to Mary. Mary didn’t see the text message, later the message is found by a teacher on Mary’s phone. The police are called and the next thing Mary and Jane know is that they are being brought up on child pornography charges: Jane for distributing and Mary for possession. Not to scare you, but it has already happened.
The best way to keep your child safe online is through education. Educate yourself about the dangers and then educate your child about what you have learned.
Next week we will discuss some helpful safety tips followed by the last installment in the series in two weeks on software to help keep your child safe.
As always, if you would like more information or need additional resources, please see my website www.connectutech.com.

Your child is not completely safe at home anymore

Your son or daughter could be stalked, bullied or harassed right in the comfort of your own home. In today’s Internet world, protecting your child does not start when they leave the house, it starts at home when they are old enough to use a computer. Threats on the Internet come in all forms and fashions and in order to protect your child you must stay informed.
This week’s article kicks off a four week series on how to protect your child from the dangers of the Internet. This week we will look at sexual predators, in week two we will look at some additional dangers, in the 3rd week we will talk about some tips to help protect your child and the final week I will help you pick out a suite of software to protect and monitor your child’s activities.
Before I get into the dangers, I wanted to state that this series is not designed to scare you away from allowing your children to surf the Internet, but more of an informative discussion so that you can take action. The Internet is full of useful tools and resources for children of all ages. My toddler, with mom and dad’s help of course, plays educational online games. School kids of all ages use database and resources to do research for school projects.
You would think that sitting behind a computer in the safety of your home does not lend itself to being threatened, but the danger is real. According to the FBI, over 10,000 individuals were arrested in 2007 and over 22,000 cases were opened regarding Internet based sexual crimes on children. Officials state that the amount of online sex based crime is continually on the rise.
The biggest threat online to your children comes from sexual predators. Sitting behind your computer can give one a feeling of safety due to a certain level perceived anonymity, but predators have the ability to use that comfort to their advantage.
Most predators meet children online in chat rooms. Disguised as a fellow lonely child, the predator quickly gains the trust of his or her mark. Often nurturing these relationships over long periods of time, the would be predator covertly extracts key bits of information such as the child’s full name, town, school and maybe her parents work schedule. All seemingly innocent bits of information, the predator uses this information to further gain the trust of the child and create a plan of action. If the predator is lucky he will become a friend on his mark’s MySpace page where he can gain more valuable data and if he is real lucky, some racy photos of her and her friends. In the end, most often the result is detrimental to the mark, sexual battery, rape, kidnapping, prostitution or sometimes death.
Just because the predator does not live next door, doesn’t mean he or she does not have access to your child. Children and predators have been known to travel several states or across the world to meet.
Sexual predators are not the only threat to your child on the Internet. Next week we will touch on some less known hazards your child may be exposed to online.
It is your job as a parent to stay informed, protect and teach your child. You alone cannot keep your child safe, but knowing the dangers is a first step in keeping them safe.
I will be posting some online resources at my website www.connectutech.com. These resources will include a list of software and links to more information.

Five Quick Tips To Make Your Computing Life Easier

This week I wanted to give you a few quick basic computing tips to make your life easier. None of these are really fancy, but get the job done with a few less keystrokes.
1. Quick Cut, Copy and Paste – Cut, Copy and Paste are the three most common commands used in creating office type documents. Most users will highlight a word, sentence, paragraph or image, and then they will use these commands to move or copy the item to another location in the document. They often access these commands right clicking with the mouse and selecting the appropriate command from the context menu which appears. A quicker way to access these same commands is through shortcut keys. Ctrl+C for copy, Ctrl+X for Cut and Ctrl+V for paste. In addition, you can use Ctrl+Z for Undo and Ctrl+A to select everything in a document. Other shortcut keys available are usually listed in the menu system next to the command or in the user guide.
2. Quick Calculator – If you are missing your calculator or just cannot remember how many feet are in a mile, just type the equation (example: 1 + 4 =) or your conversion question (example: feet in a mile) into the Google search engine and Google will respond with the answer.
3. Tracking Packages – Don’t you wish there was a more convenient way to track packages then opening UPS or FedEx’s website, entering the tracking number and clicking submit? There is easier way, just copy and paste your tracking number into the Google search engine and no matter if it is a UPS or FedEx tracking number, Google with respond with a link to the tracking information.
4. Finding the right word – Writing articles and documents as often as I do, I often run into words that I just cannot remember how to spell. Not ever knowing where I left my dictionary I rely heavily on the Internet and Microsoft Office to help solve my spelling quandaries. Dictionary.com is a free online dictionary which not only will give you the spelling of a work, but the pronunciation and definition of a word. They also have a partner websites, Thesaurus.com which is an online thesaurus and reference.com which is an online encyclopedia. If you have Microsoft Word or Outlook you can also use their integrated spell checker to find the correct spelling.
5. Locating a picture of an elephant – Creating different media projects with your computer is very enjoyable for many until you are faced with finding a picture of an elephant for your child’s school project, which is due tomorrow. I have a solution for you; http://images.google.com is a complete search engine for images. Just type elephant into the search box, click search and you will soon be presented with 20,500,000 pictures of elephants. A couple of notes on this site, first if you are searching with kid eyes nearby, make sure the “SafeSearch” is turned on, as if it is not you may be shown images little eyes should not be seeing. You can find “SafeSearch” setting right under the search box. Second, many of these images listed are copyrighted, please verify the website you are copying them from allow you to use them for your intended purpose.
There are many tips to help make your computing experience easier and more enjoyable. I hope that one or two of these tips prove useful to you. If you have any questions about these tips, please feel free to contact me at eric@connectutech.com.

Google Tools...Fun, Free, Fantastic

Last week we talked about how to use free software to protect your computer, this week I want to touch on some additional free software from Google. Google is not just a giant search engine company anymore. Google offers a vast array of free software and services to provide function and fun to your life. This article will touch on four of these tools: Google Book Search, Google Earth, Picasa, and SketchUp. You will find links to this software by clicking the Free Downloads icon on my website www.connectutech.com.
For the book worms out there, Google has created Google Book Search. Book Search is a database of tens of thousands of books, including subjects such as Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Political Science, Biology and much more. This is not just a list of books with short paragraphs or excerpts from the book, but a complete searchable full text version of each book or magazine. This is like having a complete library online at your fingertips.
The is a great resource for the student who needs to do some research or the home bound who has trouble making it to the bookstore or library.
The next tool from Google can help you travel the world. Google Earth allows you to see the world from the comfort of your home. Whether you have always wanted to visit the Pyramids of Egypt or the Eifel Tower in Paris, Google Earth makes everyday an adventure. There are also several websites devoted to Google Earth tourism, where you can click on a link and it will point Google Earth to different spots on the earth.
In most places you can see an aerial view of a couple blocks, but in some areas where Google has integrated Street View, you can actually see pictures of the front of buildings from street level.
The third tool, Google Picasa, is a free tool that helps your organize, edit and share your photos online in a web based photo album. Once in your album you can tag the photos in Google maps; this map integrates with the aforementioned Google Earth. So when you are browsing Google Earth you may see photos other people have uploaded. When visiting the Great Wall of China on Google Earth you may see photos of people’s vacation or more photos of the Wall itself.
The final tool from Google I want to touch on is SketchUp. SketchUp is a 3D modeling software that like Picasa integrates with Google Earth. You can build anything from a bridge to a swing set in this easy to use modeling software. With SketchUp’s Push/Pull technology, converting a 2 dimensional photo into a 3D model has never been so easy. With a few clicks of your mouse you can bring life to the simplest of photos.
Even though Google is mostly known for its dynamic search engine, their free software and service offerings are unmatched. Even though I was only able to tough on a small portion of the list of the different free software and services offered through Google, I encourage you to browse through the different resources they have to offer and find the right tools for you.
You can find links to all of the software mentioned in this article as well as extras that you might find interesting in the free downloads section on my website www.connectutech.com.
Eric Wichhart is the CEO of ConnectU, a Business Technology firm based in Eustis, Florida. He can be reached at (352) 702-0354 or eric@connectutech.com

Security is Not Just About Anti-Virus Anymore

Credit card numbers, banking account information, Social Security Numbers, and financial records are all forms of information found on your computer that can be left open to hackers if your computer is not protected. This week you may have heard a lot about the Conficker worm lurking around the Internet. This worm and other malicious programs can be used by hackers to capture that data. Once captured, the thieves can use this data to steal your identity or money.
Last week’s article “Is danger lurking in your e-mail” discussed protecting your computer from virus laden e-mails. This week I want to talk about the other layers of security for your computers and network. These layers include updates, virus protection, firewalls and anti-malware software. The best part of protecting your computer is that there are many free ways to get protection; links are available on our website.
The first level of security is an updated virus protection. Virus protection comes in two versions, most commonly the software is installed directly on the computer. There are many vendors who provide anti-virus software, the most common ones being Symantec, AVG and McAffee. AVG offers a great free anti-virus solution for home users.
No matter which anti-virus you pick, the most important thing is that you make sure the anti-virus is kept up to date and that you have a recent version of the software. Newer versions of anti-virus will be more effective in tracking down newer viruses. You should update your anti-virus version no less than every two years.
The second form of anti-virus comes built in a firewall. This version protects computers on the network, but should be used as a supplement to regular anti-virus.
Speaking of firewalls, this is the second layer of protection for your computer. Firewalls also come in two different versions. Software firewalls which are part of Internet Security packages or independent packages such as Zone Alarm, which also offers a free version, are designed for non-networked computers. Network computers should be protected by a hardware firewall, which is the second type of firewall. Depending on your requirements, firewall can range from small home firewalls to more expensive firewalls for business.
Firewalls are designed to protect your computing resources from outside attacks, but can also protect the spreading viruses throughout your network.
The next level of protection is making sure your computer is up to date with the latest patches from Microsoft and other vendors. Patches from Microsoft are delivered through the Windows Update site as well as Windows Update Services.
Even if you have Windows Update Services turned on in the Control Panel, you must also visit Windows Update through Internet Explorer, by clicking Tools, then Windows Update. Going to the Windows Update site and performing a “Custom” update will install important updates not normally downloaded through the regular update process.
Updates not only increase program performance, but increase security and reduce fatal crashes.
The final level of security is probably the least known level and most ignored. Anti-malware, sometimes referred to as anti-spyware, software compliments anti-virus software by removing adware and other malicious software. The difference between a virus and malware is very small, but is dependent on the actions of the software. Viruses try to spread and infect other computers, where malware embeds itself in your computer and performs tasks such as sending out spam. Just like anti-virus software, anti-malware software is available in several free versions and must be current and up to date. One of the most popular free anti-spyware software is Spybot Search and Destroy.
There are many levels of protection required to keep your computers and network secure. Current and updated anti-virus and anti-malware software along with a firewall and keeping your computer up to date will compliment the spam protection you have implemented to keep you safe.
You can find links to the software mentioned in this article on our website www.connectutech.com.
Eric Wichhart is the CEO of ConnectU, a Business Technology firm located in Eustis, Florida. He can be reached at eric@connectutech.com or (352) 702-0354.

Is Danger Lurking In You Email?

Earlier this month my wife took me to see a Broadway show called SPAMALOT, a hilariously funny comedy by Eric Idle. Although SPAM was funny in this context, spam in your inbox is not. Spam can be annoying but can also be downright dangerous to your computers and network. Best estimates show that more that 90% of email is spam. One of my clients receives over 10,000 spam emails daily. Think of the time and resources that would be wasted if they did not have a proper spam filtering solution.
Even though large volumes of junk mail can waste a lot of valuable time, this is nothing compared to the potential of a virus outbreak caused by an email virus lurking in someone’s inbox. One mouse click opens the wrong email and the next thing you know, every computer on the network is infected. A virus outbreak can cause damage to valuable data, lead to expensive repair bills, computers and equipment downtime, employee complaints and legal action against you.
Not only can spam be dangerous, but spam taxes your system resources. Spam fills up your email box, which in turn will slow down your computer. Spam also uses up your Internet connection. All of that spam being downloaded by your email program will decrease your bandwidth and slow the loading of your favorite website.
There are many ways to combat spam. For the individual there is spam filtering software which you can purchase for around $20. This filtering software is loaded right on the computer and is an effective way to fight spam on a single computer. Another way is to switch your email address to a company, such as Gmail, who does not sell your email address and will actually filters your email before it reaches your inbox.
For the business there are three basic ways to fight spam. The best way is to use a hosted service. This solution filters your email before it is delivered to your server. Thereby, decreasing the demands on your server and decreasing the traffic on your Internet connection. The second way is to add an in-house filtering appliance. This decreases the load on your server, but does not decrease Internet traffic. The final solution is a software package placed on the server. This package will decrease the demand on the mail portion of your server, but places other demands on your server and does not decrease your Internet traffic.
No matter from which angle you look at spam, it is harmful. Combating spam is a serious issue for both the business and individual user. Forecasts state that the amount of spam is on the rise as malicious software continues to be spread. Implementing a spam filtering solution is an essential part of a security defense for your computer systems. Combined with anti-virus, anti-malware and a firewall, spam filtering software will help keep your computers protected.
For more information on spam filtering solutions, please see our website www.connectutech.com or contact me at eric@connectutech.com or (352) 702-0354. ConnectU “Making Your Net…Work!”

Ten Ways Businesses Can Save In Troubled Times

As the economy continues to slow and the outlook appears bleak for recovery in the near future, businesses have no choice but to find ways to reduce costs. One avenue for cutting costs is through expenditures in the Information Technology area. Whether your company has downsized or is just finding ways to reduce cost, I have come up with ten ways to reduce costs while keeping productivity high:

1. Extend the life of current equipment. As equipment becomes dated, it slows down and employees become less productive. The employee who runs that computer becomes less productive as they have to often wait for the computer to either boot or just perform a task. One of the cheapest ways to increase the performance of a computer is to increase the amount of system memory. For around $50 per computer, you can add an additional 1GB of memory which will often turn a turtle into a hare. This little trick is most effective on computers up to 6 years old. If you are running Windows XP, we recommend a minimum of 1GB of system memory for proper operation for the average task oriented worker. For Windows Vista we recommend 2GB minimum, but recommend 4GB for regular operation. You can find the amount of system memory your computer currently has by right-clicking on My Computer, click Properties. On the window which appears you will find the amount of memory installed. Online @ kingston.com you can find a tool to help you find the right memory for your computer.
2. Decrease the number of telephone lines. If your company has downsized, you may no longer have the large call volume of just over a year ago. Decreasing one or two telephone lines that are no longer being used can save you $100 a month. Sometimes when companies order a DSL line, the phone company will install an extra voice line to put in the DSL. So you are paying for an extra line from the phone company that you are not using. Most often the DSL is installed on the fax line.
3. Look for telephone bundle programs. Often telephone companies have special bundle pricing of which you may not know about. As the years go by, you continue to add lines and services, but never take a total look at your complete telephone line packaging. You may be already approved for special business discounts of which you are not taking advantage. You may also look at changing the type of service you are receiving. If you have 6 or more lines, upgrading to a T-1 circuit may bring some cost savings on your lines, taxes and long distance.
4. Clean your computers. I’m not just talking about the normal system defragmentation; I’m talking about opening up the computer case and blowing out the dust. When computers operate in any environment, the fans, which are designed to cool, act like a vacuum, sucking up every bit of dust in the local area. This dust creates a nice insulation layer on the computer’s internal parts. Where a nice furry coat is ideal during an Alaskan winter, it is not good for the computer. The coat of dust will insulate the computer, not allowing for proper cooling. This extra heat will not only cause premature system failure, but will also cause the computer to run slow. So if you have not cleaned out your computer lately or ever, next time you are at the office store or mass merchant buy a can of compressed air and blow out the cobwebs. Note: If you have a very dusty computer, I would take it outside before blowing it out.
5. Anti-Virus says it all. Make sure all of your computers have an active and updated anti-virus installed. The cost of cleaning off the viruses and repairing the damaged caused will often cost more than several years of anti-virus subscriptions. Even more if you consider that there are some good free solutions out there for non-business computers.
6. Anti-Spyware tools. Just like Anti-Virus software, Anti-Spyware software protects your computer from malicious software which can ruin your day and your computer. Running Anti-Virus is just not enough; a good Anti-Spyware will round out your protection plan.
7. Outsource your IT needs. Having a dedicated IT person at your business can have many advantages, but it has many downsides. Outsourcing your IT needs can: 1) make your IT department more flexible, as an outside vendor has a larger set of resources to augment in times of increased need; 2) with outsourcing you do not have to worry about your IT person being on vacation or sick when you need them; 3) you don’t have to worry about hiring the right IT person; 4) you don’t have to worry about payroll taxes or benefits and 5) you can have the knowledge that you will always get the best, most up to date information.
8. Replace your copier. If your copier is under lease and is within a year or two of the lease expiring, contact your copier dealer to see if there is a better model to suit your needs. Often you can get the vendor to buy out your current lease and replace the unit with a new machine which is color and has many more features for about the same cost or less of what you are currently paying. The money savings also comes in the decrease energy of the new energy efficient machine.
9. Replace inkjet printers. The real cost of an inkjet printer is not in purchasing the printer, but in replacing the ink cartridges. An average inkjet page printed in color will cost you .23, whereas a color laser printer can produce the same page for about .08. That means for every color page you print on your inkjet printer, it is costing you an extra .15 x 20 pages per week = $3 x 52 weeks equals $156 a year. So replacing an inkjet with a color laser will save you $156 a year on average. Printer companies do not make their money on the printer, but on the cartridges.
10. Be Proactive, Not Reactive. When times come where we have to cut back, the first thing people look to cut in preventative maintenance, because it is easy. The problem with ease is that the ramifications of this can be far reaching and expensive. A good example is changing the oil in your car; you would not go without that because you blow your engine. The same applies to your technology and other equipment in your office.

As times become tough, there are many ways to tighten the belt without affecting the long term stability of your company. Pick the right measures and you will help your bottom and keep your company safe in the long run.

You can find links to software downloads and configuration tools mentioned in this article, along with a downloadable pdf version of this article in our Support section under Downloads and Resources on our website connectutech.com.

Eric Wichhart is the CEO of ConnectU, a technology firm based in Eustis, Florida. Eric can be reached at eric@connectutech.com or (352) 702-0354.