Hackers and other cyber criminals are an ever present danger on the Internet. This is a fact that we simply can't escape, and what's more, you can be pretty sure that we will see an increase in the number of attacks against sites as the internet continues to expand and be used by more and more people. One of the latest major sites to be hacked is LivingSocial, so if you have an account with this website, you may want to keep reading.

LivingSocial is a daily deals website that focuses on bringing bargains and original deals to users based on their geographical location. In late April, news broke that the website had suffered a massive cyber attack with 50 million accounts being compromised.

From the reports we have seen, the attack targeted accounts world-wide with only account holders in Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and the Philippines being unaffected. An email sent out by Tim O'Shaughnessy, LivingSocial's CEO shortly after the incident said, "We recently experienced a cyber-attack on our computer systems that resulted in unauthorized access to some customer data from our servers. We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate this issue."

The company assured users that their credit card data had not been compromised, as they are kept in another database. Account passwords were also encrypted, which means they are harder to crack but not impossible.

What should you do? If you have a LivingSocial account, we recommend that you go and change your password immediately. This can be done by:

1. Going to LivingSocial's forgot your password page.

<li>Entering the email address you used to sign up for the account with. </li>

<li>Pressing Reset Password.</li>

<li>Checking your email for an email from LivingSocial and following the instructions in the email.</li>

It is advisable to pick a new password, one that is as different as possible from your old password and, as always, the longer, the better.

Is there anything I can to do protect my company? If you are a business owner who has websites that encourage customers to sign up for updates, accounts, etc. you may be wondering how you can keep your user's information secure from cyber attack. In truth, you can't keep your important information 100% secure, if a hacker is committed enough, they will be able to get the information they need or wreak the havoc they want to. But what you can do is to make it as hard as possible for cybercriminals to get your information. This could be as simple as using multiple databases to store different bits of information, or as complex as using the latest encryption methods and systems.

Each business is unique, and the best way to ensure your valuable data is secure is to work with an IT partner who takes the time to get to know your security needs and develop a solution that is as near to 100% secure as possible.

If you are worried about the security of your systems, contact us today. We may have the perfect solution that will meet your needs and budget.

Computers are complex machines. If you've ever looked inside one you know it's a confusing mess of wires and components. Like all machines, over time they will start to slow down and run slower than before. When this happens it can be troublesome for your productivity, and you may not be able to afford to purchase a new machine. Luckily, there are steps you can take to keep your machine running smoothly.

Below are four things you can do to keep your PC running smoothly.

1. Shutdown properly If you turn your computer off at the end of the day, or it freezes, it may be tempting to flick the off switch on the power bar, or press the power button until it turns off. This isn't ideal for your computer's health because when a computer is unexpectedly shut down, there could be damage to the operating system.

You may notice that when your computer crashes, it takes longer to reboot. This is because Windows is actually searching for, or trying to repair any damage that may have been done. There is a chance that powering down improperly could cause files to become corrupted which may make the system inoperable.

Therefore, you should follow proper shutdown procedures. If you need to shut down quickly, try pressing Control+Alt+Delete and selecting Shut Down from there.

2. Close unnecessary programs running in the background Some programs are written to be always running in the background. If you look in the bottom right of your screen, you should see programs running beside the clock. In truth, most of these likely don't need to be open. You should be able to right click on the icon and close them. This will save computing resources and make your computer run smoother.

A word of warning: It's best not to shut down the antivirus or security software as this will leave your computer open to attack. Also, don't shut down anything from NVIDIA or AMD as this is your video card software. Closing programs like this could cause your computer to crash.

3. Utilize Add/Remove on a regular basis Chances are high that you have installed a fairly high number of programs on your computer, some of which you may not use anymore. Those you don't use just take up valuable hard drive space, and should be removed on a regular basis. You can do this by:

1. Clicking on Start or the Windows Orb.

<li>Selecting Settings followed by Control Panel.</li>

<li>Opening Add/Remove Programs.</li>

It may take a few minutes to scan your system for programs, but a window will open with all the programs you have installed. Click on those you don't use anymore and remove them. We strongly recommend that you do not go into different files and delete programs, this could damage your system.

4. Use a malware scanner and antivirus program This may sound like a no-brainer, but it is still worth mentioning that having an antivirus program and malware scanner is a good idea. Many viruses and other malware often hijack system resources causing the computer to run slower, or crash. A regular scan can go a long way in minimizing this, which means your computer will likely run better for longer.

If you are looking for ways to keep your older systems running at their optimal levels, please contact us today to see how we can help you.

What is the difference between 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 ports? A port is a physical connection point where you can plug in things like Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives or devices. The numbers 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 indicate the speed or ability of the port. A 1.0 port works at snail speed, 2.0 is a little faster, and 3.0 ports are “SuperSpeed”. USB 3.0 may be indicated with blue coloring or the letters “SS”. 3.0 offers speeds up to 10 times that of a USB 2.0. Don’t worry, they are interchangeable and you computer will generally detect the appropriate settings.

In short, the numbers tell you how fast you can upload and download information to and from the port and what type of devices will work best. The higher the speed the faster you work.

Leaving the office for a little getaway? Whether you check out for a few extra days to fish or slip away to an exclusive inn, here are a few things to help you prepare your workstation for your time out of the office this summer.

• Handle your meetings. Don’t leave it to others to conduct meetings. Push your meetings until your return and inform all parties so there are no hard feelings or blow-ups at the office while you are away.
• Update your voicemail greeting and your e-mail Out of Office Reply. Don’t miss a beat. Let everyone know what to expect with regard to communication. When you will be available or back in the office.
• Make sure your mailbox is big enough. If you’ve been avoiding those quota messages, now is the time to increase your mailbox limit. If you exceed the limit set by your IT department, you may not be able to send and receive messages while you’re out.
• Change your passwords. You may not realize it, but a few employees in your office may know your passwords. Change your passwords before you leave so no one can access your computer while you’re away.
• Check the power settings on your computer. Be sure your computer won’t go to sleep so you can login at any time.
• Secure your laptop and company information. Always keep your laptop in a locked area when you are having fun in the sun. Vacationers are often a target for theft.

Enjoy your time away!

In today’s world of remote workers, collaboration tools are essential for a cohesive work environment. Google and Microsoft have made working together ridiculously easy.

Struggling to share documents?
If you’re tired of e-mailing versions of a spreadsheet, document or presentation back and forth with a coworker, these collaboration tools are a dream come true.

Google Docs features.
Google Docs allows you to share information and see each other typing in real time no matter what the distance. Working up a spreadsheet or document has never been easier. You can enter the data by typing or simply copy and paste from another source to instantly share it on the screen.

Test your Drive.
Here’s how to get started. Sign-up for a Gmail account online at Google.com by clicking on “Sign-in” in the upper right hand corner. Login with your new account and click on “Drive” in the menu bar at the top. This takes you to the “My Drive” area where you can view and create files.

To create a new document, presentation, spreadsheet, form or drawing, click on “Create” and select the file type, then click “Share” in the upper right hand corner. You will be prompted to name your file and fill in the “Sharing Settings.” Enter the email for the person you want to work with and be sure the dropdown menu is set to “Can edit” otherwise they will not have full access to the file.

The person you elect to share with will receive an invitation to join your document. When they sign-in to their Google account, they can view and share the file with you in real time. Easy collaboration.

Saving files for the future.
Files for work obviously cannot be stuck in Google forever. That’s why Google Docs offers a variety of formats to save your files. When you’ve completed your final touches click on “File” at the top of your screen and choose “Download as” to find the appropriate file extension for your project and save it to your computer or a local drive.

Microsoft’s take on collaboration.
Microsoft’s new version of Office (Office 365) also offers similar collaboration features however, some are more extensive, and others are a bit more restricted. For example, you can collaborate with co-worker’s in most Office applications except Excel. Word, OneNote, and PowerPoint are a breeze though and you have all the standard Office tools at your disposal.

Sharing looks much like Google Docs.
Simply open the document you want to share and click “File”, “Share”, and “Save to Cloud.” After you’ve saved the document to your SkyDrive account online, you will see an option to invite other people to the document. Enter the e-mail address for the person you want to collaborate with and click “Can edit” to give them full rights to the document.

An invitation to join your document will be sent to the recipient and if they have Office 365 installed too, they will have the option to use the Office version on their desktop or the Office Web Application version (a free browser version.)

As in Google Docs, you can see edits from collaborators in real time. This is a blessing and a curse since you need to click “Save” each time for the final edits to save to the final document and appear in red for other viewers. If too many cooks are in the kitchen making edits at the same time, there is a fail safe that will catch you and present you with the conflict. Unfortunately, you may need to undo some of your work to resolve the conflicts and move on.

Google or Microsoft?
All in all, Google Docs offers less frills but gives you a more streamlined approach. However, each has their strengths and weaknesses. Try collaborating today!

USB drives, also known as thumb drives, are an easy solution for data transfers but, they are not a data storage solution.

Thumb drives are readily available, inexpensive and small making them extremely portable and popular for transferring and saving files from one computer to another.

USB drive features and types.
Just like a good pair of shoes, different equipment brands offer different features. Some thumb drives are known for their reliability, some for durability, and others for versatility. Kingston, PMY and Scandisk drives are a great choice for all three of these features. Select the appropriate size drive for your work and you’re all set.

Thumbs drive vulnerabilities.
The same great characteristics that make USB drives a useful tool, also make them vulnerable and appealing for attackers. The portability of these devises makes them a target for thieves. It is easy to pluck a thumb drive from a laptop or out of a bag and make off with it in a flash. Never leave your thumb drive out in the open.

Damage it and your done!
Remember, USB drives are not invincible. Plugging a thumb drive into the wrong port or shocking it with static electricity can fry the drive rendering it useless. Even worse, get it wet or damage it and you can lose everything in the blink of an eye.

Use USB drives for temporary storage ONLY! No exceptions.
While they are handy they are very risky too.

Did you know that it took nearly 70 years to get Father’s day on track?

Mother’s day, spawned from the post-Civil War era originally “Mother’s Work Days”, caught on like wild fire. By 1909, 45 states observed the day of remembrance and honor for mothers everywhere. People enjoyed giving thanks to their mothers and retailers loved the increase in business.

Unfortunately, the campaign to celebrate father’s day was not met with as much enthusiasm. Retailers didn’t see the same sentimental appeal. Individuals across the nation worked to implement celebrations and slowly, the trend spread.

Father’s Day was a tough sell though. Many felt that it was a gimmick from retailers to sell things to families for the men to enjoy that often the men would end up paying for themselves. Many men disdained the day for decades.

In the 20’s and 30’s a movement arose to toss out Mother’s Day, and the idea of Father’s Day, to have one unified day of celebration, Parent’s Day. Many agreed that all parents should be celebrated and respected.

Over the next forty years, retailers struggled immensely. So, they latched on to the concept of honoring fathers and began promoting Father’s Day as a make-shift Christmas just for dads.
Finally, during his reelection campaign in 1972, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday. After nearly 70 years of debate, fathers finally claimed a day of celebration on the calendar.

Today, many fathers find themselves slipping away for their special day. Things like fishing trips, camping, or weekend vacations have become common forms of celebration.
The once traditional gifts of ties, hats, and socks have now been replaced with golf clubs, fishing equipment, and tickets to a favorite event like wrestling, car races, or even monster truck derby’s.

Celebrating Father’s Day doesn’t mean you have to be mushy and sentimental. Even a phone call, card, or e-mail will let him know you care.

Happy Father’s Day!

It may sound strange but, you would be surprised how many people don’t really know what’s going on with the technology in their business. Do you know who is accessing your company files and where they are stored? Do you know what websites your employees visit and every device your employees use for work?

If you answered no to any of these, you may be at risk for data loss, security breaches or worse, a dangerous infection. Know who is accessing information in your company, what they are doing, and when they are online in order to keep your company safe from internal and online attacks.

Who, what, and when? Your company information is the heart of your business. Client files, project information, and financials can’t be left out on a coffee table in the lobby for all to see. So, why is access to your files on the computer unrestricted? Set controls so each employee only has the access they need, monitor what they are doing with your company data, and see when they are online uploading or downloading company files.

Usage and monitoring policies. Create a company handbook, if you haven’t already, and be sure to include a privacy policy that informs every employee of your usage and monitoring policy. Clearly define actions that are prohibited and give examples so everyone is on the same page. The best policies are those that are written, signed and posted in the office to show your organizations expectations. This will help you weed out dishonest employees and deter crooked applicants. Employees are more likely to stay on task, stay off of personal websites and engage their work day if they know someone is watching.

Where and why? Working remotely is essential for many companies today. Workers may travel, work from home, or simply live out of state. Fortunately, where someone works doesn’t have to dictate the level of risk to your organization.

Start by evaluating each device your employees plan to use for work. Scan the devices for infections, set up antivirus protection, and implement a process for remote workers to safely use and store company files. Advise all employees to be cautious when using unsecured connections like those found in coffee shops and hotels.

Negligence is not an excuse. According to a recent survey from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Symantec, “Negligence is the most common threat, causing 41% of breaches.” Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to keep files safe. I’m sure you’ve heard stories of stolen laptops that housed loads of company data exposing their business to a massive security breach.
How do I get started with changes for my business? Educate your employees. Teach them about the dangers of storing company data on personal devices like their cell phones, laptops, and USB drives. Share examples that spell out your primary concerns and always revisit, revise, and reissue your company policies at least twice a year to reinforce the importance of security.

Visit www.staysafeonline.org for more information and statistics about keeping your company data safe. If you’re interested in setting up tools to monitor your systems and control access to your company data or would like to setup your employees to work remotely, give us a call today.

We will work with you to review your current technology, identify risks, and increase security. This will help you to know everything the technology you use everyday in your business.

Pause for a minute and ask yourself if your business is prepared for a disaster. Chances are you have some plan for a large scale disaster like hurricanes, earthquakes and fire, but what about other disasters like hackers or human error? The truth is, many businesses with a disaster recovery plan often forget to ensure they cover all potential disasters.

Here are five tips to help ensure that your business is fully ready for the next disaster.

1. Backup everything While it can be tempting to only backup the most important data and programs, it can be a chore to identify what is deemed to be important. Who knows, a file that is non-essential today may become essential in the future. If it is lost due to a disaster, this could prove to be a problem.

It would be a good idea to look for a backup solution that covers all data and programs. But, having a full backup solution isn't enough, you also need to ensure that recovery is easy and can be implemented quickly.

2. Look into tiered recovery Establishing a tiered recovery method means identifying the value and importance of existing systems and utilizing a recovery method that meets needs. It would be a good idea to identify mission critical systems and adopt a recovery method that can have these systems up and running as quickly as possible. From there you can tier different systems and match a recovery method. For example, archived files are likely not needed right away, so they can be recovered at a later date, using a slower recovery method.

3. Keep copies of all keys and licenses With the amount of software and programs businesses use on a daily basis growing, it would be a good idea to keep copies of the activation keys (the string of digits and letters you enter to activate the full version of software) and purchased licenses.

While many of these are now distributed electronically through email, there are still software developers that distribute keys by mail or with the physical install CDs. If you lose the codes in a fire, you will be out of luck and have to purchase the software again. This is an extra charge you likely don't want.

4. Pick the right recovery locations The best recovery plans offer numerous backup solutions which are hosted in different locations. A good provider knows this and will utilize data storage centers as far apart as possible. If you choose to backup your own data, it would not be a good idea to keep the backups in the office.

Similarly, if you are preparing for a big disaster, you likely have physical locations that you can move to if your main business location is damaged or destroyed. Optimal plans will have more than one location identified, and have them as far apart as possible. This will minimize the chances of losing full operations and increase your business's ability to bounce back quicker.

5. Match your recovery plan to your business There are so many different backup and recovery options that it can be tough to pick one. The best course of action is to look at your systems and how they work. If you operate strictly offline, a cloud based backup solution likely isn't your best bet. Or, if you operate fully in the cloud, a physical tape or hard disk backup may not be optimal.

If you are looking to beef up, or establish a disaster recovery plan, try working with an IT partner like us, who can help you find the optimal solution that can meet your needs and budget.

It's safe to say that Google is one of the most well known Internet companies out there. When many of us look for something on the Internet, we don't 'search for it', we 'Google it'. Google Search is the most popular search engine, and one of the reasons for this is that it's constantly evolving into something better and more efficient. Google recently introduced a small change to the search results page that business owners should know about.

This change, while not a major overhaul, did move some features around, making the overall results look cleaner.

With any search results that show a website, you will notice the site name in blue (clicking on it will take you to the website). Below the main result, you can see the URL (website address) in green. Beside the green URL there is now a downward facing green arrow. If you press this you should get a drop-down with up to three options:

• Cached - Clicking on this will show a snapshot of the page from a previous date - the link is from when Google last visited the page. According to Google, the cache is a backup of the page in case the current page is not available. While not generally important to many viewers, Google actually uses websites in their cache to determine if your site is relevant to various search terms.

<li><strong>Similar -</strong> Will search for sites similar to that result. This is a great way to find similar content to what is shown on that specific page.</li>

<li><strong>Share -</strong> Allows you to quickly share the site on your Google+ page. This means that you don't have to open your Google+ page to share content, just press Share and a pop-up window will open where you can add a comment and pick which friends/circles to share it with. This option is great for all Google+ users, as it makes sharing quicker and easier.</li>

While certainly not the biggest change Google has made to the search results page, this could prove to be helpful, especially if you share content, or need to find similar content on a regular basis. If you would like to learn more about how Google fits into your business, please contact us today.

Social media has become an important part of any business's marketing strategy. By having an active presence on the main networks, you will likely see increased sales or at the very least an increase in brand recognition. So, while social media is an invaluable marketing tool, there are also other departments which could benefit from it.

Below are four non-marketing oriented uses of social media that businesses could benefit from.

Hiring LinkedIn is a social network dedicated to helping professionals and organizations connect and find jobs and new talent. Most social savvy companies will have a presence on this network and may even hire exclusively from here.

If you are looking for new employees, it wouldn't hurt to have a LinkedIn profile. To find the best talent, you need to forge and maintain connections (usually starting with people you know), and be somewhat active in groups and on message boards.

It's also important to not forget the other major networks when it comes to hiring. Tweeting a job opening on Twitter, or posting ads on Facebook could also help you find your next employee. Facebook can be particularly useful because you can pay to target ads (in this case, job openings) at specific demographics.

Internal communications Communication is an important part of business, and most people choose to communicate using email. You have probably seen emails with jokes, invitations to after work events, lunch orders, etc. sent to the whole company and also received the many replies that go with it. This can get very annoying, and also confusing.

Why not utilize social media for non-essential (aka. not related to work) communication. Set up a Facebook group where your employees can share content, invitations to lunch or after work gatherings, interesting stories, etc. That way you can limit email to more important, business-related aspects.

Using social media for internal communication is also beneficial for companies with younger workers. Most already see Facebook, Twitter, etc. as their main form of communication, some even feel more comfortable communicating over this medium as opposed to speaking out in meetings. Having a group portal or Facebook page could give less-empowered employees a way to voice their ideas, and maybe even improve on them with feedback from others.

Learning A common complaint of many business owners is that they have a tough time staying on top of ever-changing trends and what currently interests their customers. Using social media to connect with your customers can be a great way to learn not only hot trends but also about new ideas.

Customer service When it comes to social media, users will often complain publicly on their wall or through their tweets. This is bad for you, as the reach of this complaint can go a long way and make you look bad. Some companies have decided to confront this head on by having specific customer service accounts. If a customer complains, has an issue, or even compliments you, be active and respond using that account.

If done properly, over time, you will see more and more people reaching out to your customer service account through social media. This also gives you another way to please clients or turn around negative customer experiences.

Social media and the various platforms are not only great for marketing, but can be incredibly useful for other business functions. Do you have any other ways you use social media? Let us know. Or, if you would like to learn more about how it can help your company, then contact us today.