February 2012 Newsletter

Disaster Preparedness eGuide

Disasters happen. When they do, business will suffer! When you hear “disaster,” you probably think of extreme weather such as earthquakes or hurricanes. But the term disaster also refers to many common occurrences such as malware attacks, network failures, accidents, and theft.

In this article we summarize the crucial issues emphasized in a valuable 22-page eGuide from Microsoft titled, “Disasters Happen. Is Your Business Ready?” The eGuide is organized into two main topics to prepare for disaster: Technology Strategy, and Business Strategy.

Technology Strategy

Explore Cloud-Based Software and Infrastructure Solutions: These typically deliver large-company technology for a low per-user fee without having to invest in hardware or system maintenance.

Replicate Your Hard Drive: This creates an image of your drive so your computer can be restored to its pre-disaster condition without reinstalling the operating system and all applications.

Consider On-line Backup: Maintaining a copy of your data files and folders to an online backup service ensures availability.

Encrypt Files and Folders: To prevent sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands, consider using encryption on systems containing sensitive data.

Keep Technology Updated: Keeping your technology updated ensures your software is less vulnerable to malware attacks.

Business Strategy

Understand Your Insurance Policy: It is important that you are aware of what your coverage is and the steps you need to initiate a claim.

Internal Communication: Decide what needs to be said in case of disaster and who will communicate it to employees.

External Communication: Maintain a list of all external stakeholders and their contact information so you can communicate with them when facing a disaster.
Managing Financial Obligations: Ensure your financial data is backed up and accessible in a usable format.

Interested in obtaining your own copy of Microsoft’s eGuide that contains a checklist and worksheet? Simply email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the words “Microsoft eGuide” in the Subject line.

Ace This Month’s Quiz and Win $20!

Q: What can a BDR solution do for your business?

A: Protect the office buiding from fire
B: Reduce downtime from server failure
C: Deliver uninterrupted power
D: All of the above

Yes!! You could win a $20 gift card to Chipotle! Submit the correct answer to Amanda Tevis at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by February 29, 2012.

Congratulations to our January Winner Chris Marcoux with M&T Bank!

Are You a Google Apps User or Administrator?

VIDEO TUTORIALS
Google maintains an online archive of presentations and webinars it has conducted on a wide variety of topics. If you know that your Google Apps subscription can do more than you’re using, check this out.

The Website
The Website where Google maintains a link to its webinar archive can be found here: http://whatsnew.googleapps.com/whatsnew-webinars-archive

Couple of Webinars You May Find of Value
Aug 2011 (Email: Security, Return Receipt)
Nov 2011 (Migration for Microsoft Exchange)

Need help acquiring or implementing Google Apps? Email us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

How To Remove Page Info From Printed Pages

Printing Tips: Internet Explorer 7

By default browsers will add the date, page number and URL to any page printed from the Internet. Luckily it’s pretty easy to fix, just pick your browser and follow the instructions below.

There’s a small image of a printer, click that and go to “Page Setup…”. Below is a screenshot showing the button you’re looking for.
Go to “File”, “Page Setup…”, then erase the text in the “Headers and Footers text boxes.
(The default for header is &w&bPage &p of &P and for footer &u&b&d if you need to put it back later. IE’s default margins are 0.75 inches.)
Click the “OK” button and you’re done.

Three Sources for Finding Great Clip Art

Best Way to Upgrade Vista to Windows 7

Lincoln Spector of PC World Magazine exposes the best way to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7.

You have two basic options: an Upgrade, or a Custom one.

Of the two a Custom install is by far the best way to go and gives you a clean copy of Windows 7. After the installation, you will have to recreate your user accounts, reinstall all of your applications and utilities, and change settings. That consumes time, but not as much as you'd likely spend tracking down problems with a Update install.

Before you do a Custom install, collect everything you need to reinstall your programs. Gather the CDs and DVDs. For the programs you downloaded, make sure you have license numbers.

Next, just to be safe, create an image backup of your hard drive. You'll need an external hard drive, and some image backup software. Macrium Reflect and EASEUS Todo Backup are both easy, dependable, and free. Either one will do.

Then boot from the upgrade DVD and do the install. When you're done, create your user accounts and reinstall your software. You'll find your data files, and all of the other files from your Vista installation, in the C:\Windows.old folder. Obviously, you'll want to move your documents, music, and other data files into their appropriate Windows 7 Library folders. The final step is a simply a matter of dragging and dropping.

Five Ways to Protect Your Email at Work

Joseph Fieber of PC World magazine, advises on the five ways to protect work email account from viruses and phishing links.

1. Use a Password: Your password is the first and most important line of defense in protecting your email. This keeps your email secure and unexposed from prying eyes.

2. Have a Secure Password: Having a secure password is critical for email that can be accessed remotely. By using a password that's complex, containing at least eight characters that mix letters and numbers and include capitalization and symbols, guessing or cracking your password becomes dramatically harder.

3. Use HTTPS: When using Web-based email systems, use the secure HTTPS method, which encrypts your data as it travels across the Internet, whenever possible to make it harder for your data to be intercepted.

4. Avoid Attachments: Be careful what you do with your email, especially when opening attachments. Since they can contain viruses and malware, only open those that you were already expecting.

5. Escape Phishing Attacks: Avoid clicking links in email messages, even those that appear to be from within your own company. Instead use a bookmark you already have or type in an address by hand for a site you wish to visit.

Greatest PC Mysteries—Solved!

Modern PCs are certainly marvels of technology--and yet for all their advances, computers still do crazy, inexplicable things.

In the pages of PC World magazine, Rick Broida gets down to some of the mindbogglers of the PC universe--and solves them for you.

Where did my downloaded files go? Why can't I find them?

Your browser chooses where downloads go, but you can control the process.

Why won't Windows allow me to delete a certain file?

If Windows refuses to delete a file or folder, some application or process is accessing it.

Why can't I send out a particular file attachment through e-mail?

The file is probably too large. Check out free services that let you work around file-size restrictions.

Does it matter whether I ‘Safely Remove' devices?

Absolutely: If you ignore Windows' requests to "Safely Remove" your storage media, you could end up with corrupted files, unreadable media, or both.

Is it absolutely necessary to update Windows?

Yes! You should definitely apply Windows updates for security reasons, but you can take a few steps to cut down Windows' nagging.

How did I end up with QuickTime on my PC, and do I need to keep it?

This media-playback software comes bundled with iTunes and installs along with it.

I hear beeps when I turn on my PC. What do they mean?

Those beeps come from the BIOS (a piece of software built into the motherboard).

Replacing an Old PC?

Be sure to plan the replacement by identifying the software applications and data files that must be available on the new system. This will need to be done before you’ll be able to get rid of the old one.

Here are several key issues you will want to keep in mind when upgrading an old PC:

Use an automated tool to create an inventory of all the software on the old computer. This will help to remind you of software applications that you do not use frequently, but must have running on the new system.
Communicate with your software vendors to ensure the versions you have are compatible with the operating system you have on your new computer. Do note that you may need to upgrade your software versions. You may need to upgrade the software versions on the old PC, if recommended by vendor, so the old computer can deliver software data in a format compatible with the new version of software you may need to install on the new computer. This is particularly important when working with database applications, such as accounting and/or practice management software applications.
Keep your old computer available for several weeks after the new one has been setup in case something important was missed during the migration.

Testimonial

“Hari Patel, our designated RCare™ technician, went directly into my computer remotely and cleaned it up like crazy while I worked at another computer. He went over some of what was done and showed me maintenance tips for the future. The whole thing took only 45 minutes and my speed improved by 75%, where before it would take a full minute to open an email. He linked us to a webpage where we bought memory and now I couldn’t be happier with the speed of my computer.”

Marilyn Stancill
Professional Bookkeeper/Payroll Specialist
Axxis Financial Services

Would a Server Crash DISRUPT Business?

BDR To The Rescue

If your business CANNOT continue to deliver services to its clients when your network server is down, your server is mission critical and can benefit from being cloned.

Examples of mission critical servers are those hosting e-commerce sites, those running line-of-business applications, and those running functions critical to business needs.

BDR Appliances replicate servers in real-time and allow a business to bring them up in an hour or less to take over all the functions of the failed server. They ensure business continuity in case of a disaster.

We can help you assess if a BDR (Backup & Disaster Recovery) Appliance makes sense for your business.

FREE BDR ASSESSMENT!

Interested in discovering whether a BDR Applicnace might benefit your business? Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 703-466-0382 for details and to request a no-obligation assessment.