The Ekaru Technology Advisor Vol 4-1 January 2004
Welcome to this month's issue! Ekaru's mission is to provide technology information and support to help you manage and grow your business!
Another "Worm" on the loose!
There is yet another worm infecting the Internet with mass emails: "myDoom", also known as "Novarg" by anti-virus makers. Watch out for emails with subject lines such as "Test", "Status", or "Un-deliverable". Some companies are being flooded with thousands of messages. If an attachment is opened, the worm scans for email addresses on the system, and then uses variations of the addresses to send more bogus messages. So far it doesn't look like it affects data on infected computers, but the Internet is being flooded with infected email.
In general, you should always follow these precautions:
- Make sure you have the latest anti-virus updates installed on your computer. For Norton users, check "System Status" and make sure "Virus Definitions" are up to date.
- Do not open attachments from people you don't know.
- Delete suspicious mail without opening it. Turn off "preview" in Outlook also.
Backups- Lose your data? You'll never make this mistake again!
We meet with a lot of business owners, and we're always impressed when we see small businesses following solid back-up procedures. Unfortunately, many businesses don't, and are at risk. Some people mistakenly think that re-creating data just isn't a big deal. Don't be fooled - losing data is a disaster, and we've seen it happen.
There are a lot of great options for performing back-ups, and you don't necessarily need any expensive equipment. Backups can be made to tape (20-40G storage), CD (720M storage), portable hard drive (20G storage), or even by subscription service over the web. In the most simple case, you can copy files to another system on the network, which at least creates a redundant copy. A backup should be made with any change to your data, either daily or weekly. Financial data should be backed up every time you enter new data. Incremental backups can be run daily, and full backups can be run less frequently.
Remember to back up all data, and don't forget your email files, which are stored separately on your computer (not in "my documents"). Keep original copies of software, licenses, and documentation, in case you ever need to re-install them. Also, consider taking the backup file off site for safe storage.
Most important, you need the discipline to keep up to date with backups. A clear company policy, and automated back-ups when appropriate are recommended. You can get a lot of protection with a very simple approach, so don't procrastinate!
Finally, to learn more about advanced features of System Restore in Windows XP, which is much more extensive than previous operating systems, visit the Microsoft TechNet web site. Thanks to Tony Anzelmo of Anzelmo Associates for sending us this link.
Wireless Networks: A word of caution!
Wireless networks are great! You can get a small-office or home-office network up and running without costly wiring. You also have the freedom to work at your desk or in your conference room whenever you choose. Networking hardware is so inexpensive today that everyone can afford a network.
A few words of caution! Did you know that if your network is not properly configured ANYONE can get on your network to read files, copy files, or destroy files? Think of the impact to your business!
Alarmingly, just about every week we get called into a business as part of our free assessment offer to check-out a wireless network, and we find a network that's not properly secured. Almost a third are completely unprotected!
If you have a wireless network you must:
- Use password protection and change the default password (too many people know what the defaults are!)
- Enable WEP encryption. This scrambles communications.
- Turn off the SSID. This is what "broadcasts" your network identification.
2004 Technology Workshop Series: Technology Tip: Rule of Thumb: If your computer is three years old - don't upgrade it, replace it. Upcoming events: Do you have suggestions for future Newsletter topics? Send us an email!. We want to write about what's important to you! Click here to read past issues.
Sincerely,
We are proud to announce that Comcast is sponsoring the 2004 Ekaru Technology Workshop Series. These workshops are designed to help you get more from the technology you already have, and introduce you to the new technologies you need to know about. If you missed last week's workshop: "Get More from QuickBooks!" in collaboration with Cindy Sechrest of Sechrest and Associates, CPAs in Acton, MA, contact us and we'll send you a copy of the slides. New web collaboration technologies make it easy for you to access your QuickBooks securely over the Internet, and collaborate with your bookkeeper and accountant. Upcoming workshops will cover building a customer database, basic web site editing techniques, computer/network security, and getting more from Microsoft Office. If you have a suggestion for a workshop topic, let us know!
The economy is getting brighter and many small business owners are now asking us about making improvements to their technology. A common question is whether or not to invest in upgrading a system. Our advice is that after a system hits the 3-year-old point, it's simply a lot cheaper to replace it rather than trying to upgrade it. You'll get a much faster processor and a lot more disk space for less than you paid for your existing system.
Ann Westerheim of Ekaru will be a guest panelist at a Women in Technology International event in Boston, February 4: Branding for Techies. For more information, visit the WITI website: www.witi.com.
Enjoy Winter! Go Skiing!
Team Ekaru
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