I have spent the last few days getting the Teklogic website and blog moved over to a new virtual-hosted server platform. I wanted to get the blog and the site running off of the same server for many reasons. The new URL for the blog is http://teklogic.net/tekblog.
The Teklogic website is getting a total overhaul as well - more to come on this...Exciting times at Teklogic indeed!
We live in a time where there is information coming at us from all angles in the form of E-Newsletters, Television Media, Websites, Radio etc, etc... With all of this information out there, where do we find the time to get anything done?
As you can probably imagine, in the ever-changing world of computer technology, there are SO many sources of information out there. One tool I use to keep all of this information in one place so that I can sanely manage it -is to use something called an aggregator. An aggregator basically compiles information from many sources and gives you one interface with which to go through said information -as opposed to visiting each source. The news / information provider "syndicates" their content through RSS or Really Simple Syndication. You have almost surely seen the RSS icon
somewhere before. This icon is telling you that the information provider offers syndication of the content so that you can use an aggregator of some kind to view this information.
An aggregator can save untold amounts of time considering the amount of time you spend looking at newspapers, Magazines, watching the news or reading web articles. My aggregating service of choice is called Bloglines. Using this service I can be at any computer, anywhere and read up on the content I have chosen. I have just over 80 blogs that I monitor using this service allowing me to stay virtually plugged in to all of the information I need to keep up with. There are other aggregators that will display headline information on your cell phone, your screen saver or even your computer desktop Wallpaper.
Here are some interesting Syndication sources to get you started:
-Wavy TV10 Virginia
-Newsweek Feeds
-New York Times Feeds
-Wired Magazine
-Technical Trenches - This Blog
-Yahoo! News
Happy aggregating!
-Justin
Update 03/10/09: Check out the Lifehacker blog for an aggregator showdown...
One way that a recession can benefit the customer is that it forces businesses to becomes more "customer focused". That is - companies with good, sound customer service practices and principals tend to retain and even attract customers. You might say that a recession separates the "healthy" companies with good processes from the overwhelmed companies with poor, inefficient (and often non-existent) processes.
Declining quality of customer service is a phenomenon I see with almost all technology-related service companies. With big companies like Dell, HP and Microsoft offshoreing much of their "level 1 & 2" support, the language barrier becomes a real and frustrating issue. Nothing is more unnerving than talking with a support representative which you can barely understand. Another thing I see more and more is a 24/48 Hour+ response time to support inquiries on a voicemail system. By the time you hear from these people, you have forgotten what the issue was in the first place. What happened to calling and actually speaking with a human or e-mailing support and getting a human response?
As I drive around I cant help but taking a mental note about all of the small businesses I see. Every one of these companies uses technology in some way; every one of these companies requires help with their computers. The truth is that there are many people who do know something about computers but administering a business computer network professionally just isin't about fixing it when its broken - its about a proactive, preventative approach. Being able to service the needs of a small company requires knowledge in many aspects of computing - such as Servers, Remote Access, Redundancy, Disaster Recovery, Firewalls and a number of other complex technologies. Finding a company that can do all of this well, provides quick response times, stellar customer service and is local, can be very tricky - especially in hard economic times. Most technology companies are drowning just trying to stay alive.
Something we have focused on extensively at Teklogic is our internal processes. We are constantly striving to become as efficient as possible while delivering a very quick response time and a superior customer service experience to those doing business with us. We have many systems that help us to streamline and automate our service delivery process. This allows Teklogic to be very agile as a small business technology services company. We invite anyone to experience the difference - you'll be glad you did...
Often I am asked what people do with their old, unwanted computers and computer equipment. Unfortunately most people just chuck them in the trash can. Computers are filled with lead-based solder that can be harmful to ground water, as well as numerous plastic and silicon parts that aren't biodegradable. According to the EPA, consumer electronics may be at fault for 40 percent of the lead found in landfills. The fact is that computers, despite their much smaller size, are actually much more toxic to the environment than an old car, which tends to be mostly scrap metal.
When considering what to do with old machines that have been laying around, first consider the information contained in that system. You probably want to have a professional securely wipe the information.
Your first option is to donate your PCs to a local school, or non-profit organization. Several are set up across the country to rescue old computer equipment and give them new life in classrooms in need of computers. Recycles.org and DigitalAid are two organizations that accept computer equipment and distribute them to schools and non-profit groups. For something local in Hampton Roads I suggest The Arc of the Virginia Peninsula located in Hampton. For a small fee they can dispose of and wipe the data from your machines. Machines worthy of being re-purposed will be. It ends up being about $10 for your average desktop computer.
Most of the larger computer manufacturers are offering businesses a way to discard their computers without harming the environment. Most notably at Hewlett-Packard and Dell, programs have been set up to recover key components for recycling and prepare the equipment for proper disposal. HP and Dell go through computers' for chips and other parts that can be re-used, melted down to make new parts, or otherwise recycled.
In this day and age with everyone concerned about being green, donating or recycling your computer is a great option!
The Internet began revealing its dangerous side more than a decade ago. As one veteran business analyst remarked, "Personal information on the Internet started turning into asbestos, becoming highly toxic. People started discovering a lot of it around."
Identity theft emerged, of course, and began ruining lives. Now, the analyst notes, "There are more obligations than ever to report an 'asbestos spill' and more consequences if you don't."
So today, we know better than to put our customers, employees, and others at risk because of sloppy practices with personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data.
Or do we?
A sizable number of U.S. small businesses still do not have privacy policies, or have ones too vague to be of any value. Meanwhile, companies of all sizes continue to scrimp on data security, or allow poorly trained employees easy access to sensitive information. Data breaches such as these compiled by the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse are now legendary.
'Do unto others how you'd want them to do unto you'
If you run a small business, you likely handle some PII, even if it is simply the e-mail addresses you collect for newsletter distribution.
You owe it to your customers and employees to protect them from ID theft, scams, spam, fraud, and other toxic by-products of the Internet. And you owe it to your company and business partners to follow best practices, and the law, when it comes to collecting and storing sensitive business information.
"It doesn't have to be that complicated. If you think about the data that businesses collect about you, and you do unto others how you would want them to do unto you, you will have [privacy] top of mind," says Carolyn Hodge, vice president of communications for online privacy specialist TRUSTe.
Here are six tips to help you be smart and responsible when it comes to privacy.
1. Take inventory of the personal information you collect and store. Privacy analysts recommend compiling a written inventory of the PII you collect. PII generally includes names and contact information, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and the like. For example, does your Web site use cookies to capture info about who visits your site?
Know that any contracts and agreements you have with other businesses, and any trade secrets of other businesses that you may possess, also constitute sensitive information. Failure to protect such information could violate insider trading laws, among other statutes.
For more help, see this guide and tutorial from the Federal Trade Commission.
2. Analyze how safely you use and store this data. Believe it or not, many small businesses are known to store private information on their customer-facing Web sites, which could easily be hacked. Many others allow employees unfettered access to such data. Still others are nonchalant about sending spreadsheets containing PII unencrypted over the Internet via e-mail.
Store private information on password-protected internal sites, and limit employee access to only those with a legitimate need to know, experts recommend. If you must send PII or other sensitive information via the Internet, encrypt it through password-protected ZIP files, encrypted e-mail, or S/MIME, PGP, and similar applications. Don't make it easy for hackers by scrimping on data security.
3. Make sure you're complying with industry or federal laws. Strong privacy policies and practices may be mandatory if your business is governed by certain government or industry regulations. Here is a look at some of the statutes governing the privacy of information:
If necessary, companies such as WeComply, a Mt. Kisco, N.Y., concern, develop training programs for businesses on how to comply with federal laws regulating privacy.
4. Post a privacy policy that is clear and comprehensive. A handful of states have their own privacy laws that are stronger than the federal laws, including California. Its Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003 requires all online businesses that collect personal information from California residents to post a privacy policy on their Web site(s) and to comply with their policies.
Yes, you need a policy, even if it is not required by law. Today's more discerning Internet consumer demands it, experts agree. "Simply having a privacy policy link on your site builds trust and confidence," writes Jeff Finkelstein of Boulder, Colo., in his Customer Paradigm newsletter. Conversely, consumers may be suspicious of businesses that don’t clearly display their policy.
What should you include in your policy? Essentially, what PII you collect, use, and share in your business. Here are some key elements to disclose:
Your policy need not be lengthy — large conglomerates may have privacy policies of 10 pages or longer, but a small business doesn't need that. Conversely, some small businesses offer vague statements amounting to a single paragraph or two, says TRUSTe's Hodge. Shoot for a page or less of clearly written text, and make the link visible on your site. (For more tips on how to write a privacy policy, download this PDF from TRUSTe.)
5. Have your policy reviewed by an attorney or by a privacy seal program. It's wise to get an outside opinion on your privacy policy, either from an attorney or privacy expert. Another option is using an online privacy service such as TRUSTe or BBBOnline.
The advantage of using a service such as TRUSTe or BBBOnline is that if you meet their privacy policy requirements, you are awarded a seal to display on your site — which may boost the confidence and trust of your customers.
"The Web privacy seal is one of [TRUSTe's] most popular products," says Hodge. A privacy seal may be most beneficial to small e-tailers with little or no name recognition outside their hometown or region.
TRUSTe has partnered with buySAFE to bond purchase transactions and to supply privacy policies to small online retailers with monthly sales of $1 million or less. The buySAFE program runs $240 a year.
6. If you have employees, make sure their personal information is protected too. It's easy to overlook employee data, as most privacy policies deal strictly with the interests of customers and clients. But with today's increasing use of laptops, mobile devices, and social-networking applications as marketing tools, employee privacy is also in danger.
The nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse offers this guide to preventing ID theft through responsible information-handling practices in the workplace.
One disturbing trend: An increasing number of ID theft cases have been traced back to dishonest employees obtaining sensitive information about fellow employees and customers and providing it to identity thieves. Take note of two best practices in the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse guide: (1) Do background checks on anyone you hire and (2) restrict data access to employees with a legitimate need to know.
(from Monte Enbysk: http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/ResourceCenter/expertadvice/startingabusiness/Get_serious_about_privacy)
If you are a student, or are the parent of a student and need Microsoft Office, you are able to get it at a 91% discount through a Microsoft program called "The Ultimate Steal". You basically provide some information about your educational institution and Microsoft gives you Word, Excel, Groove, Publisher, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook, InfoPath, OneNote and Microsoft Accounting Express for just under $60.00. I'd say that's quite a deal, if you are eligible, its well worth it.
More information here: http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx
For many people, the transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista was a rough one. Others refused to make the move altogether either because of the negative publicity it received or a software / hardware incompatibility of some kind.
Originally, it was planned that Windows codename "Blackcomb" (a.k.a Windows 7) was to be the successor to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, but there were some development delays and Microsoft decided on an interim release of Windows. They named this interim release codename "Longhorn" - or as we know it, Windows Vista. Due at least in-part to the many changes to the nomenclature, the interface and the addition of a security feature coined "User Account Control" (UAC for short), Windows Vista flopped hard, leaving many users very unhappy.
Windows Codename "Blackcomb" was renamed to "Vienna" in early 2006 and then again to "Windows 7" in 2007. In 2008, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would be the official name of the new version of the Windows operating system. The Windows 7 beta is now available for public download. From the reviews I have been reading, performance - which was a big issue for adopters of Windows Vista - has greatly improved, already surpassing Windows XP and Windows Vista in the Beta phase.
A comprehensive list of new "features" available in Windows 7 can be reviewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_7
Microsoft has also created a blog for those following the development of Windows 7, entitled "Engineering Windows 7". There is a lot of good information here for those who are interested.
As far as a release date, Microsoft has not said anything official - but people are speculating that this release is due for RTM (Release to Manufacturing) before the close of 2009. For the uninitiated, the release cycle works like this:
(from: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/01/30/our-next-engineering-milestone.aspx)
In conclusion, I am looking forward to many of the much needed improvements offered by Windows 7, but I am also aware that the cutting edge can often times be the bleeding edge - as such, I will be patient with any "production" deployments of the new Operating System and remain leery of any hype surrounding its release.
Now I just love this. This RFC (Request for Comment) states the 12 fundamental networking truths. This stuff is hilarious in a "so-true" kind of way.
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
The truths described in this memo result from extensive study over an extended period of time by many people, some of whom did not intend to contribute to this work. The editor merely has collected these truths, and would like to thank the networking community for originally illuminating these truths.
This Request for Comments (RFC) provides information about the fundamental truths underlying all networking. These truths apply to networking in general, and are not limited to TCP/IP, the Internet, or any other subset of the networking community.
(1) It Has To Work.
(2) No matter how hard you push and no matter what the priority, you can't increase the speed of light.(2a) (corollary). No matter how hard you try, you can't make a baby in much less than 9 months. Trying to speed this up *might* make it slower, but it won't make it happen any quicker.(3) With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead.
(4) Some things in life can never be fully appreciated nor understood unless experienced firsthand. Some things in networking can never be fully understood by someone who neither builds commercial networking equipment nor runs an operational network.
(5) It is always possible to agglutinate multiple separate problems into a single complex interdependent solution. In most cases this is a bad idea.
(6) It is easier to move a problem around (for example, by moving the problem to a different part of the overall network architecture) than it is to solve it.(6a) (corollary). It is always possible to add another level of indirection.(7) It is always something(7a) (corollary). Good, Fast, Cheap: Pick any two (you can't have all three).(8) It is more complicated than you think.
(9) For all resources, whatever it is, you need more.(9a) (corollary) Every networking problem always takes longer to solve than it seems like it should.(10) One size never fits all.
(11) Every old idea will be proposed again with a different name and a different presentation, regardless of whether it works.(11a) (corollary). See rule 6a.(12) In protocol design, perfection has been reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
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Towards the end of the year we usually spend some time going through our various client's systems' checking and double-checking on things. I was doing some check-ups and found a Windows 2000 Server that had an uptime of 427 days!!! That is, the server has been online, without a reboot for this duration!
(Below is the actual screen shot from this server)
This struck me as exceptional as I rarely see Windows servers with this kind of uptime due to security patching and routine updating. This server is a dedicated line of business server that is supported by the respective software vendor. I think the record uptime I have ever seen is something like 3 years from an old Novell v3.12 box. This is impressive indeed for a Windows 2000 machine - think I'll leave this one alone. I would feel bad to make this server start at square 1 again! Its a geek thing, I know...
This got me looking around:
http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/trench/241.html
Happy New Year!
Technically,
-Justin Carter-
On November 11th 2008 Microsoft released an advisory (MS08-068) detailing a vulnerability present in all currently supported versions of Internet Explorer - including beta versions of IE8. The exploitation technique is referred to as "SMB Reflection". There have been widespread reports of active exploitation of this vulnerability via Internet Explorer - including reports that the UK Postal Service's website had been compromised, thusly compromising all of its visitors.
Sadly, the technique was first demonstrated in 2001 at @tlantacon, a hacker convention. Microsoft was aware of the vulnerability but there were so many mitigating factors and patching it would have broken backwards compatibility with specific applications, they decided to leave it unpatched. This recently released patch essentially further mitigates the vulnerability without truly "fixing" it. As this article is not meant as a technical dissertation on the vulnerability, if you want more technical information about this vulnerability and the recent patch, I suggest this article.
At Teklogic, we developed scripts to deploy this patch to our client base the day it was released. If you have an unpatched home PC, or know someone that does, you should get on over to Windows Update and ensure your system is up-to-date with the latest patches and Service Packs.
This is just more fodder for all of the Mozilla Firefox zealots. Although the now, very mature, browsing software has not been without its own issues lately - just proving that the only absolutely "secure" system is one that is unplugged and not in use.
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