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Working Nets
August 15, 2013

Google Apps Break With New Microsoft Office

Tags: , , , IT industry

When it comes to updating your software, newer is always better, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case with Microsoft Office 2013. To be clear there are some great changes that have been made to the software. Microsoft Office 2013 is using a model called ‘click-to-run’ which will stream the application to you instead of storing a huge file on your computer.

Some of the benefits of a click-to-run model are:

  • Quick installation
  • Automatic software updates
  • Virtualized (this will eliminate the risk of getting a virus)

While there are many benefits to using this type of model, the virtualized Microsoft Office presents a problem when it comes to using add-ons. Because the programs are being hosted in the cloud, the add-ons do not have a place to secure themselves to, causing them to break.

At the moment, Google Apps outlook Sync Tool (GAOST) does not work with the click-to-run model. As great as GAOST is, the only way to continue using it is to not update to the newest version of Microsoft Office or to use the web based interface for Outlook, which undermines the purpose of actually using outlook.

Over time, this will get worse, not better. It may be best to leave GAOST behind like the older versions of Microsoft Office.

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses in Baltimore and the surrounding area, businesses like yours, with the expert information technology support they need to not only survive, but thrive. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure, providing you with a peace of mind that is unequalled.

Did you know that 43% of companies that experience major data loss never recover? 51% close within 2 years. Don’t let this happen to you. Pick up the phone, call Working Nets today, and stop playing Russian roulette with your business.

If you have any questions about cloud computing, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Working Nets
August 8, 2013

Is My Password Secure?

Tags: , , Computer Security Baltimore

Have you ever asked yourself that? Either that or “How can I make my password secure?” Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. Security isn’t really a thing you can do, it is part of an overall plan you set up for your business.

The more convenient something is, the less secure it is, and vice versa.

What can we do?

One fairly simple thing you can do to help protect yourself, and your business, is to improve your password policies. Here are some suggestions for improve your passwords:

  • Use at least 8 characters
  • Use at least 3 of the 4 types of characters (Uppercase, Lowercase, Numeric and Symbol)
  • Change your password at least twice a year. More frequently would be better, but at least twice
  • Don’t keep your passwords where they could be found. Under the keyboard, in your desk drawer, or on your bulletin board all qualify as “where they could be found”
  • Use character substitutions to help make passwords more complex, yet easy to remember
    • a becomes @
    • s becomes $
    • i becomes 1
    • o becomes 0
    • e becomes 3
    • WorkingNets becomes W0rk1ngN3t$
  • Consider some of the following when making a complex password, to help make it memorable:
    • Passphrases: OnceUponATime
    • Misspellings: SkubaDyver
    • Themes: MilesDavis, SonneyStitt, TheloniusMonk (old Jazz Musicians)
    • Combinations: M1l3$D@v1$, 0nc3Up0n@T1m3, $kub@Dyv3r
  • Wherever possible, don’t share passwords. There are other ways to get into important data, if you have to.

Using some of these basic methods can go a long way towards protecting your business, and yourself, from fraud.

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses in Baltimore and the surrounding area, businesses like yours, with the expert information technology support they need to not only survive, but thrive. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure, providing you with a peace of mind that is unequalled.

Did you know that 43% of companies that experience major data loss never recover? 51% close within 2 years. Don’t let this happen to you. Pick up the phone, call Working Nets today, and stop playing Russian roulette with your business.

If you have any questions about cloud computing, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Source:

Working Nets
July 31, 2013

How Can Cloud Computing Benefit Me?

Tags: , Computer Security Baltimore

Cloud computing is one of the big buzzwords right now. But why? Clearly if everyone is talking about it then there must be something to it. Cloud computing offers many benefits to users.  Whether you know it or not, you may already be using cloud based storage. That photo you just uploaded to Facebook, that is stored in the cloud so you can share the content with other members.

The benefits to cloud computing are very straightforward. Your data becomes accessible from anywhere if you have the correct permissions. Additionally, data in the cloud is safer, it requires security backups and firewalls to protect your sensitive data from prying eyes.

In short, cloud computing is beneficial regardless of the reasons which you chose to use it and it also provides a much greater accessibility rate for its users.

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses in Baltimore and the surrounding area, businesses like yours, with the expert information technology support they need to not only survive, but thrive. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure, providing you with a peace of mind that is unequalled.

Did you know that 43% of companies that experience major data loss never recover? 51% close within 2 years. Don’t let this happen to you. Pick up the phone, call Working Nets today, and stop playing Russian roulette with your business.

If you have any questions about cloud computing, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Source:

https://secure.edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/edps/EDPS/Dataprotection/QA/QA10

dspigelman
July 25, 2013

Acceptable Internet Use While At Work

Tags: , , IT industry

Much concern has been raised by many business owners, about how to handle inappropriate Internet use at work. Frankly, business owners probably aren’t concerned enough. Let’s look at some interesting statistics. Now mind you. these statistics are from 2006, but I think we can safely presume the situation hasn’t gotten any better:

Stats are from the LocalTel Business Content Web Filter site.

  • 64% of employees admit to using the Internet for personal interest during working hours.
  • 70% of all pornography traffic occurs during the nine-to-five work day.
  • 60% of all online purchases are made during working hours.
  • 37% of at-work internet users in the US had visited an X-rated Web Site from work.
  • 37% of employees report searching for jobs online at work.
  • 27% of Fortune 500 companies have defended themselves from claims of sexual harassment stemming from inappropriate e-mails and Internet use.

All this results in an estimated 30% – 40% loss of productivity. And this doesn’t even consider the effect of the bandwidth spent on this and other things like streaming audio, which could impact even the performance of the users who are trying to use the Internet for business purposes.

In cases where employees download pirated software, music or videos, the businesses could be found liable – even if they didn’t know about it.

And that’s not even to mention the lawsuits that can be brought, particularly if the material is sexual in nature, against the company if a hostile workplace suit is brought.

Bottom line: You need to protect your business.

How? Well, there are a number of components to this, and technical solutions can play an important part of it. But the most important piece, and the one that most businesses – especially small businesses – don’t do, is to put an Internet Acceptable Use Policy in place. This is a policy that explains what is and is not acceptable, and the consequences of non-compliance. If the employees don’t have such a policy, they can always claim they didn’t know it wasn’t okay. Click here for some sample policies.

Once the policy is made available, there are technologies that can be put into place to help monitor and safeguard access. Systems can be as rigid or flexible as the company feels appropriate, while still being protected from inappropriate use.

Keep your business safe!

Disaster Recovery Services from Working Nets in Baltimore, Maryland

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses, like yours, with expert information technology support they needed. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure!

If you have any questions about Disaster Recovery, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Working Nets
July 18, 2013

Disaster Recovery Horror Story #8: The 7 Deadly Sins of Backup and Recovery

Tags: , , IT industry

Over the next several weeks, we will outline some of the most common disaster recovery mistake companies make, mistakes that could have disastrous outcomes. We like to call these the 7 Deadly Sins of Backup and Recovery. The first of these disaster recovery sins is backing up only your data.

This is a fairly common mistake. Many business owners believe they need only back up their business data. However, this could not be further from the truth. Everything needs protection, not just user data. Disaster recover processes should also include backups for operating system layers and applications. This allows users to quickly recover and restore everything.

With so many patches and updates layered into most operating systems, a full rebuild is close to impractical, not to mention risky. This assumes that you can find the optical media, locate the license keys, and apply patches in the right sequence.

Do the right thing and back up your operating system, applications, and critical business data. Taking the time to backup everything now ensures it is there when you need it in the future.

Disaster Recovery Services in Baltimore, Maryland

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses in Baltimore and the surrounding area, businesses like yours, with the expert information technology support they need to not only survive, but thrive. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure, providing you with a peace of mind that is unequalled.

Did you know that 43% of companies that experience major data loss never recover? 51% close within 2 years. Don’t let this happen to you. Pick up the phone, call Working Nets today, and stop playing Russian roulette with your business.

If you have any questions about Disaster Recovery, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Sources:

The 7 deadly sins of backup and recovery

Working Nets
July 10, 2013

Florida Bans Computers and Smartphones…No Seriously!

Tags: , Politics

Florida lawmakers recently voted to ban all Internet cafes that offer slot machine like games in an effort to crack down on illegal gambling. More than 1,000 Internet cafes in the state were shut down immediately. Case closed, right? Well, not quite. Because of poor wording Florida not only banned Internet cafes, they also banned every computer and smartphone in the state.

The ban defines illegal slot machines as any “system or network of devices” that may be used in a game of chance. With wording that broad, the definition can be applied to any number of devices, including computers and smartphones, according to the Miami law firm of Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine.

At least one Internet café owner saw the ambiguous wording as an opportunity. Consuelo Zapata, owner of Miami-Dade’s Incredible Investments, LLC, an Internet café that provides online services to migrant workers, is suing the state of Florida, claiming the new ban to be unconstitutional and passed “in a frenzy fueled by distorted judgment in the wake of a scandal that included the Lieutenant Governor’s resignation.”

“As the bulwark of a limited constitution against legislative encroachments, this Court must declare the 2013 amendments to sections 849.094 and 849.16, Florida Statutes, to be unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable.”

If you have any questions about our blog, “Florida Bans Computers and Smartphones…No Seriously!,” please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Sources:

Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers, Smart Phones In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban: Lawsuit Huffington Post

Plaintiff, INCREDIBLE INVESTMENTS, LLC (the “Plaintiff”), through undersigned counsel, sues Defendant, KATHERINE FERNANDEZ RUNDLE, in her capacity as State Attorney (the “Defendant”)

Working Nets
July 3, 2013

Why You Need a Disaster Recovery Plan

Tags: , IT Tips Baltimore

“Disaster recovery: it is an expense my company can do without. It is not that important.” That is, unfortunately, the opinion of 41% of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB), according to the “2011 SMB Disaster Preparedness Survey.” Even worse, 50% of respondents did not have a disaster recovery plan in place. Of those businesses that did have a plan in place, 80% did not have a reliable backup solution.

Does your business have a disaster recovery plan in place? If not, why?

Why You Need a Disaster Recovery Plan

  1. In the past two years, more than 50% of businesses experienced an unforeseen interruption to normal, everyday business, causing 81% of these businesses to close for one or more days.
  2. Every week 140,000 hard drives crash in the United States.
  3. 31% of PC users have lost all of their files due to events beyond their control.
  4. According to a study conducted by Gartner in 2004, downtime cost an average of $42,000 an hour. In 2012, a study conducted by Aberdeen reported that this figure had ballooned to between $98,000 and $138,000 an hour.
  5. 40% of small businesses affected by a disaster will never reopen, according to research from the Insurance Institute.
  6. 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster.
  7. Still, 90% of SMBs spend less than 8 hours over the course of a month planning or managing their business continuity plans, according to analysts from Hughes Marketing Group.
  8. 34% of companies fail to test their tape backups, and of those that do, 77% have found tape backup failures.
  9. Companies that do not resume operations within ten days of a disaster are not likely to survive.
  10. The survival rate for companies without a disaster recovery plan is less than 10%. 90% of businesses that lose data as the result of a disaster are forced to close within two years.

“Disaster recovery: it is an expense my company can do without. It is not that important.” Do you still feel that way now?

Disaster Recovery Services from Working Nets in Baltimore, Maryland

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses, like yours, with expert information technology support they needed. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure!

If you have any questions about Disaster Recovery, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Working Nets
June 28, 2013

Benefits of Outsourced IT Services

Tags: , Computer Security Baltimore, IT industry, IT services

If you are reading this blog, the smart money says that you, like many small business owners today, are faced with a difficult IT challenge that you are unsure how to address. This problem may be beyond the capabilities of your current IT staff, or your company might not actually have dedicated IT personnel to begin with. In either situation, there are many reasons why you might wish to hire another company to manage your IT services. Luckily, we have decided to save you some time by listing a few of the benefits of outsourced IT services below:

  • Affordability: You might think it would be more expensive to outsource your IT needs, but you can actually save money through outsourcing. When you turn to an IT professional such as Working Nets, you get exactly what you pay for. There is no need to interview and hire each employee and provide him or her with benefits, promotion opportunities, or other incentives. Instead, you pay a comparatively cheaper fee to have another company to employ the best people it can and handle whatever IT services you need, ranging from email services, to disaster recovery, to virus protection.

  • Expertise: IT companies specialize in fulfilling your IT needs. You spend enough of your time trying to run your company already. Why waste even a fraction of that time on managing your IT services when an outside company can address everything you need? Companies like Working Nets ensure they select the very best from a pool of highly talented applicants to tackle even the toughest of IT problems you might have. We then are able to apply our expertise to creating IT solutions tailored to whatever issue you may be having.

  • Disaster recovery: Have you ever heard the expression “Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it”? Although it normally applies to jackets, it can also apply to disaster recovery services. One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing IT services is the ability to backup your important data at an external location. An unfortunate downside to our technologically-dependant world is that even our best technology can fail us at the worst of times. By storing your data with Working Nets you ensure that your data is kept secure and regularly tested to prevent failure.

 

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses, like yours, with expert information technology support they needed. We provide many services, including systems setup and support, data security, disaster recovery, computer network analysis, equipment purchase consulting, network design and configuration, general troubleshooting, and spyware and virus protection. We are standing by to help you on any issue you may have!

 

If you have any questions about the benefits of outsourced IT services, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Working Nets
June 19, 2013

Disaster Recovery Horror Story #7: Lighting can Strike Twice…Sort of

Tags: , , IT Tips Baltimore

We have heard all of the excuses before: “Disaster recovery is not important,” or “I can’t afford disaster recovery.” Not important? Can’t afford it? Did you know that 43% of companies that experience major data loss never recover? 51% close within 2 years. Not important? Stop making excuses and get with the times. You need a proper disaster recovery plan in place or you risk losing EVERYTHING if disaster strikes. Are you willing to take that gamble?

Disaster Recovery Horror Story #7: Lighting can Strike Twice…Sort of

Sometimes, even when you think you are doing everything right, something still goes wrong. And in the case study we are about to tell you, something goes terribly wrong…twice! The company did everything right. They backed up their data, tapes were stored offsite, and a restore was scheduled every 6 months. Everything was running smoothly. Then disaster struck.

Lighting struck the building, burning the computer building to the ground. Fortunately, the company’s insurance took care of the recovery costs, providing new servers, a generator, and a mobile building to house them in. All that was left was the backup tapes. A courier was dispatched and the tapes were on route. Then lighting struck again (figuratively).

The courier was in an accident en route to deliver the backup tapes. The courier was okay, but the backup tapes were not, crushed under the wheels of another vehicle. Fortunately, the company had other tapes, but they were a few days old.

They never did fully recover all of their lost data.

Disaster Recovery Services from Working Nets in Baltimore, Maryland

At Working Nets, we were founded to provide small businesses, like yours, with expert information technology support they needed. Our disaster recovery services help ensure your vital business data is kept safe and secure!

If you have any questions about Disaster Recovery, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Working Nets
June 14, 2013

Disaster Recovery Horror Story #6: Failed Backups Almost Ruined Toy Story 2

Tags: , , IT industry

The lack of a proper Disaster Recovery plan can affect anyone, not just small mom-and-pop stores or IT companies. Poor disaster recovery can even affect Woody, Buzz, and the rest of those lovable toys from the Pixar movie Toy Story.

Disaster Recovery Horror Story #6: Failed Backups Almost Ruined Toy Story 2

“[Larry Cutler] was in that directory and happened to be talking about installing a fix to Woody or Woody’s hat. He looked at the directory and it had like 40 files, and he looked again and it had four files,” said Oren Jacob, former Chief Technical Officer of Pixar. “Then we saw sequences start to vanish as well and we were like, ‘Oh my god.’ I grabbed the phone…‘unplug the machine!’”

Jacob recounts that disastrous day when someone executed an incorrect command on the servers where all the movie’s files were stored. Two months and hundreds of hours of work was deleted in a matter of seconds.

  1. The good news: Pixar had a backup system in place.
  2. The bad news: The backups were not continuously tested and had been failing for a month prior to the fateful day when the movie was deleted.

Fortunately, like most Pixar movies, this story has a happy ending. By a stroke of luck, Supervising Technical Director Galyn Susman had been working on the film at home and had the entire movie stored on her personal computer.

“She and I just stood up and walked out, back to her Volvo, drove across the bridge, got the machine, got some blankets, I hugged it with seatbelts, across the back seat,” said Jacob. “Drove at like 35 with blinking lights on, hoping to get a police escort. No cops saw us, so it didn’t help us.”

“Eight people met us with a plywood sheet out in the parking lot and, like a sedan carrying the Pharaoh, walked it into the machine room,” added Jacob.

Disaster Recovery Services from Working Nets in Baltimore, Maryland

If it can happen to a big company like Pixar, it can happen to you. This is why it is so important to have a disaster recovery plan in place. This is why you should trust the IT professionals at Working Nets. We were founded to provide small businesses, like yours, with expert information technology support they needed.

Our disaster recovery services to help assure that your vital business data is kept safe and secure!

If you have any questions about Disaster Recovery, please contact Working Nets by calling (443) 992-7394 or visit WorkingNets.com today! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Source:

How Pixar’s Toy Story 2 was deleted twice, once by technology and again for its own good