Technology Advisor Blog

Have you ever tried opening a file and found that it opened up in an unexpected program?  Recently, I installed a new PDF editor so I could do more than just view a PDF.  I didn't need the full capabilities of Adobe Acrobat, so I opted for a lower cost program which could do most of what I needed to do, which included just basic edits.  After installing this program, I received a PDF file in an email, and when I opened it, instead of seeing the file in Adobe Reader, it opened in the new program.  It opened fine, but when just reading a PDF, I didn't want to see all the menus for editing a file.  I had inadvertently changed the "File Association" and didn't know it.  This also commonly happens with media files.  We get a few calls about this now and then, and figured it would be useful to post some instructions on how to handle this.

Have you ever been waiting for an important email and stuck filtering through your entire cluttered Inbox to check for it repeatedly until it arrives?  With Ekaru cloud-based Exchange mail, you can set up a Text Message notification so you'll see when the important email arrives without needing to constantly check your Inbox.  

It's that time of year - time for planning.  You may have already completed your yearly plan in the Fall, but if you're like many small businesses, you're wearing many hats and even though January has passed, it's still planning season.

The annual list of the worst passwords for 2014 has been posted.  Last year, there were over three million leaked passwords.  One of the interesting by-products of these leaks is the list of the top passwords.  SplashData posted their list of the top-25 (and therefore, worst!) passwords.  If you see any of your passwords on this list, change it!

Recently one of our clients got a system infected with a virus and worried about whether or not they needed to report it.  First, it IS possible to get a virus even though you're doing everything right, such as maintaining up-to-date anti virus protection, firewall protection, and security patch updates.  But in most cases, although viruses can create a lot of damage and disruption, no data is exposed to the wrong hands.

With remote working and team collaboration now commonplace, employees demand anytime, anywhere access to their work files.  When the workplace lacks these tools, employees take productivity into their own hands using their personal mobile devices and free or low cost consumer grade productivity apps to get stuff done.  What they may not know is that these devices and consumer grade solutions typically lack the rigid security requirements that businesses demand and therefore are unintentionally introducing risk into the workplace.  In order to minimize risk and maintain a secure environment, you need to standardize and develop use policies around data access.  A good place to start is to standardize on your file sync and share solution.  Let us help you make that transition easily and securely.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued an alert for Windows Server 2003 (TA14-310A).   Microsoft is ending support for the Windows 2003 Operating System on July 14, 2015. After this time you will no longer receive security patch updates to protect against viruses, malware and other security threats.  There will also no longer be any software updates or technical support available from Microsoft after this time.