Ekaru - Newsletter

The Ekaru Technology Advisor Vol 5-1 January 2005

Welcome to this month's issue! Ekaru's mission is to provide technology advice and on-site technical support to help you manage and grow your business! Best Wishes for a Great 2005!

Alternative Web Browsers - Beyond Internet Explorer!
A lot of people have asked us recently about alternatives to Internet Explorer. With ever-increasing Spyware problems and other security threats, some of the alternative browsers have picked up a lot of momentum:

The browsers getting the most attention include:

Mozilla Firefox - Very popular! During the summer, they reported 200,000 daily downloads! www.mozilla.org
Safari - MAC default browser
NetCaptor - from Stilesoft (based on Internet Explorer)
Opera - Opera Software in Norway

These browsers are not just for super-techies! A few years ago, the browser wars were declared over: Internet Explorer won, and Netscape lost. But now its all starting again - there's a real browser battle!

The reason for all this attention is that Internet Explorer has many documented security loopholes. Up to 90% of US computers contain some form of Spyware. Every few months there is a major announcement of a new security threat - such as the Blaster worm last year.

If you've noticed any of these symptoms, there's a good chance you have a problem:

Slow computer
Pop-up ads
Home page is changed

The impact is severe, and many people are ready for a change!

Identity-Theft is the worst case problem - with key-logging, hackers can get control of critical personal information from your system.
"Zombie" machines - Spammers infiltrate computers and blast out Spam from legitimate email accounts - possibly 40%* of spam is sent by Zombie Machines (*Sophos estimate)
Time and Money - Several hours of engineering time can be required to completely restore systems - usually several passes with different Spyware removal tools. A complete rebuild may be in order. If people don't have backup and original licenses, this is problematic!

The US Government is starting to give Big attention to computer security problems:

US CERT - Computer Emergency Readiness Team - Recommends:
- Keep patches up to date
- Do not follow un-solicited links
- Disable Active-X (but could make some programs not run) - (Client-side program)
- Move to a different web browser! - a surprising recommendation to appear on a government web site!
US House of Representatives - Recently passed Anti-Spyware legislation making it illegal to get onto someone's system without their permission.

The main reason people are looking at alternative browsers is for increased security, but there are also several other benefits:

FASTER - 3x faster page loading
Tabbed browsing - easier to manage viewing multiple pages without opening a lot of windows - instant back-and-forth
More efficient clean-up of cache, history, cookies
Integrated Google search
Pop-up blocker
RSS - Really Simple Syndication
Better management of bookmarks
Opera has a zoom-in feature

Of course, there's a downside to consider as well:

In some cases, for example Mozilla, you're dealing with a product that's not fully released - perhaps not suitable for mission-critical business applications.
Some ASP (Application Service Provider) apps won't work because they are optimized for Internet Explorer!

And there's a Big Question: Since Microsoft has 95% of browser market share - how significant are the security loopholes compared to the fact that hackers simply want to target the market leader?

Here's what can you do:

Consider an alternate browser - but test it first!
Keep operating system up to date - patches, updates
Keep a password on your computer - who else is using it!
Used to be spyware just came from intential downloads with unintended extra stuff. Now there are "drive-by" web sites. Watch out for HTML email!
Company policies! Document and enforce computer security policies in your company!
Home/Office shared usage - get a separate system for kids
Consider - Read email in plain text - Tools/Options/Preferences, e-Mail options, "Read all standard mail in plain text"
Us a Pop-up blocker
Run Anti-spyware tools (Anti-virus doesn't protect you, in general). These tools look for suspicious pieces of code and compares them to known culprits. Some options include: Ad-aware by Lavasoft, Spysweeper by Webroot and Spybot Search and Destroy

Technology Workshop
Mark your Calendars: e-Marketing that Works. Guest Speaker: Michael Katz, Chief Penguin of Blue Penguin Development (Yes! That's his real title!) - March 2 at 12noon. The workshop series is sponsored in part by Comcast, and offered in collaboration with the Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce. More details will be posted on Ekaru's web site over the next week. Send us an email if you're interested in receiving a program invitation.

Technology Tip: Check out VoIP!
If you thought voice over IP (VoIP) was just for techies - its time to take another look! - You've probably heard the Vonage (www.vonage.com) TV commercial with the funny tune. VoIP is now a robust, commercial grade product with 911 and 411 service. Using your existing Broadband Internet Connection, you can save a lot of money on your phone bills. The set-up is easy: get a Linksys phone adaptor at your favorite computer store (or call us) and activate it on line. The service can be used to call or receive calls from any phone. Big changes are ahead for how we think about voice, video, and data!

Ekaru in the News!

Google Me Not:
Search engines hold onto information for years. Here's how to make sure your company's private data stays off the Web
Pool & Spa News - January 17, 2005

The Direct Route
Some Manufacturers Skip the Channel - Should You Too?
Processor - January 14, 2005

The Web:
Browser Wars are Flaring Up Again
The Washington Times - January 12, 2005

Was this newsletter helpful to you? If so, forward it to a friend or colleague! 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.

Stay Warm - Go Skiing!

Sincerely,
Team Ekaru

Introductory Technology Assessment Over 170 local small businesses have chosen Ekaru to manage their computers and networks. We offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation to get started. We'll visit your office, review your network, and make recommendations. Call us toll-free at 866-463-5278 x1 or email us to schedule a no-obligation assessment.

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