Technology Advisor Blog

It seems there's always a new computer threat to watch out for, and the most recent breach in the news is really scary.  Dutch Certificate Authority (CA), DigiNotar, was recently hacked and the result is that fake SSL security certificates were issued.  This is the Internet equivalent of impersonating a police officer.  We're all taught to be careful on the web and a look for an https (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) connection so we know we're safe when transmitting data.  But when the certificate itself is fake, we can easily be fooled.

When your computer is running s-l-o-w, and work is piling up, we can all relate to how annoying it is!  Before you give up, here are a few things that you can check to help things get faster.

If you enjoy the convenience of being able to quickly access your recent items (Word files, Excel files, etc) without needing to open the application first or find the files in your folders, you can have a link to all of them right in your start menu.

One of the big benefits of keeping your technology current is that routine tasks get a LOT easier.  One prime example is adding a printer.

If you've mastered the basics of the Microsoft Office suite, one of the next things to try is using the programs together.  For example, if you're preparing a report in Microsoft Word, it's easy to insert an Excel spreadsheet.

You may want to think twice before you leave your valuable electronics in your car on a hot day.  If you take your portable devices in the car with you, keep in mind that your car will get MUCH hotter than the outside temperature when you park it on a hot sunny day.  iPhones and iPADs have operating temperature ranges of 32-95 degrees F, and a safe storage range of only up to 113 degrees F.   Blackberry's and hard drives generally have operating ranges up to 122 degrees F, and digital camera specs typically call for storage below 120 degrees F.

Thanks to all our clients who returned survey cards this Spring. In a tradition we started last year, we're donating socks to Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program (www.bhchp.org) for all the cards we received.  This year, we'll be sending 112 pairs of socks. 

Free public Wi-Fi networks are popping up everywhere - at the airport, Starbucks, your local music school...  These networks are a big convenience, but you should be aware of your security settings so you don't put your computer and data at risk.  When you connect to a network, there may be a firewall protecting you from the outside world and everyone else on the Internet, but when you connect to a local network, you're basically putting your trust in that network and everyone else on it - not a good idea in public!  In addition to file sharing, many of these wireless hot spots are unencrypted to make it easy for people to connect, but this could leave you vulnerable to malicious users in the coffee shop who could monitor your keystrokes!

One of the questions we hear a lot is:  "Can I get the new version of Office if the rest of the people in my business use an older version?  How will I be able to share files?"

Although email typically has a layer of security protection in the form of a password, users need to be aware that emails sent "in the clear" (not encrypted), CAN be intercepted and read by other parties using available tools.