mcs

Windows 7 End Of Life (EOL)

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 17:02:51 GMT

What you need to know about having Windows 7 PC's in your business

Microsoft will not support older operating system forever, so they have to cut off support and updates at some point. The is referred to and a products End Of Life.

Windows 7 was released on July 22, 2009 and will reach EOL on January 14, 2020.

Read more directly from Microsoft here: Windows 7 EOL

What does this mean to your business if you still have PC's with Windows 7?

I recommend upgrading or replacing all PC's with Windows 7. The reason is simple: With all the threats out there today, you want the most up to date and secure operating system!

You have 2 options:

Option 1: Old PC with Windows 7

This is pretty easy. If the PC is old and has Windows 7, let's get you a brand new, faster PC with the latest operating system.

Option 2: Not so old PC with Windows 7

If the PC is not that old and the hardware meets the Windows 10 requirements (and I am sure it does as the requirements are very low), then upgrading to Windows 10 will save you money.

Windows 10 Home is $140
Windows 10 Pro is $200

You have to do something! I would not recommend running a business with an operating system that is not supported and updated.

Call or e-mail with questions or if you want to get a quote or setup a review of what you have today!

Thanks,

Tony

Data Backup: Is your data protected?

Mon, 18 Jun 2018 05:00:00 GMT

It's best to know for sure...

These days everyone is using a computer. Everyone has a digital camera. You probably have both. If you store your precious memories on your computer and have no backup, your data is at risk. As a computer guy, people call me when they have a problem. Most of the time, if they are calling me, it’s too late.

No one ever calls me and says “How do I protect my data before my hard drive dies?”

These days it is very easy to protect your data. You can use an inexpensive external hard drive to store your backups. External hard drives have come down in price so much that it’s silly not to have one on the home or business.

The process and price is different for Home and Business users.

Home Users (Your operating system is Windows)

I shop at www.amazon.com for my stuff. They have great pricing and fast shipping.

An external hard drive can hold 1 TB (that is a lot!) of data for under $99! With this device you can backup ALL your important data and not have to worry if it’s safe. 1TB External Hard Drive – $100 (at the time this article was written)
You can take it one step further and couple this external hard drive with image software to create an entire image of your computer. Images are great because they contain and exact copy of your hard drive and if anything happens, a simple restore gets your system right back to the day you took the image.
I use Acronis True Image Home and it works great. Acronis True Image Home is $50 (at the time this article was written)
For under $150, you can protect all your data and ensure you won’t have to call me or anyone else when your hard drive crashes.

Business Users (Your operating system is Windows Server)

An external hard drive can hold 1 TB (that is a lot!) of data for $99! With this device you can backup ALL your important data and not have to worry if it’s safe. 1TB External Hard Drive – $100 (at the time this article was written)
You can take it one step further and couple this external hard drive with image software to create an entire image of your computer. Images are great because they contain and exact copy of your hard drive and if anything happens, a simple restore gets your system right back to the day you took the image.
I use Acronis True Image Server and it works great. Acronis Backup for Windows Servers – $850 (at the time this article was written)
For under $1000, you can protect all your data and ensure you won’t have to call me or anyone else when your hard drive crashes.

Contact me to review your Disaster Recovery Plan.

Tony

Can I prevent users from going to certain websites?

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Yes, Yes you can...

My clients have been asking me for years if there is a good solution to prevent users from going to certain websites on the Internet. There has always been software available but it was expensive and hard to manage. Now I have found a great solution that works great and is cheap.

How about free?

Most people in your office do their job and do not waste company time and money by surfing the Internet right? OK, now wake up from dreamland and think about what is really going on while you are not watching. 2 major problems with not filtering Internet access for your users. (There are so many more but let’s focus on these two!)

Wasted Time - With the popularity of Social Networking sites (MySpace, Facebook and Twitter) your employees are wasting more time than ever. If you are on Facebook, then you know how much time can be spent looking at other people’s profiles and pictures. Social Networking sites are awesome but only on personal time – not the company’s dime.
Virus and spyware sites – A simple Google search can return a page full of Virus and Spyware infested websites. One click on the wrong website and you are calling your computer consultant (me!) out to fix it. That costs money and does not need to happen. This solution helps block known infested websites so you can prevent issues before they start.

OpenDNS is a free service, so there is no monthly fee. You simply pay a one-time $300 fee for the setup and customization. After setup and customization, your users and your computer systems will be protected.

You choose your level of protection:

High: Protects against all adult-related sites, illegal activity, social networking sites, video sharing sites, and general time-wasters.
Moderate: Protects against all adult-related sites and illegal activity.
Low: Protects against pornography and phishing.
Minimal: Protects against phishing attacks.

Contact me today to get your network configured to use this great solution.

Tony

What does WWW stand for again?

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 15:44:30 GMT

WWW used to be an acronym for World Wide Web. Not anymore! WWW now stands for Wild Wild West.

That is my take on what has happened to the Internet or the World Wide Web.

I call it the Wild Wild West because just like back in the old days of the American Frontier, anything goes.

Back in the Wild Wild West there were often no laws and what few laws were on the books often did not get enforced. The Internet has become an updated version of a lawless, dangerous place where others are constantly trying to take your money and take advantage of you.

This is unbelievable! However, it is the reality that we live in right now with the Internet.

As a reminder MCS recommends:

Never click on links from an e-mail that was sent from someone you don’t know.
Be cautious of strange links in an e-mail that claims to be from someone you do know.
Don’t be tricked by e-mail claiming to be from FedEX, UPS, Bank of America, etc…
NEVER click on advertisements on webpages and NEVER install anything on your computer without checking with your IT guy first.
Try not to search google.com and start clicking on random webpages, you never know what will pop up.
While surfing the Internet, if a message pops up saying: “Your computer is infected! Click here to clean it!!” Don’t believe it and don’t get tricked into installing software you do not want.
These days, don’t believe ANYTHING without first assuming someone is trying to scam you or trick you.

I tell my clients to go into ANYTHING and EVERYTHING assuming the person is lying and trying to scam you. Phone calls to your home and business, salespeople knocking at your door, e-mails sent to you, text messages sent to your phone – anything these days can be a scam. If you assume everything is a scam at first and go into every situation with your guard up, then you have a better chance of defending yourself against would be scammers.

This may seem a little extreme – perfect! That is the way you need to think from now on. Once your guard is up, then start to check on things and see if it is legitimate. If you change your mind and start approaching every encounter (e-mail, knock on door, phone call, text messages, etc…) like it's suspect, then you will put yourself back in control and not get taken advantage of.

Hope this helps, and stay safe out there!

Tony

Why do I have to worry about security? I am just a small business.

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 05:00:00 GMT

Some clients that I support think that they don’t have to worry about security because they are a small business.

I have one question for them: Do you think a hacker knows the difference between your small business and some enormous company? The answer is no.

Let’s face it, there are bad people out there. I don’t know what makes a person hack into a business and steal or delete their important data. I don’t care why they do it. It’s my job to make sure they cannot. These days there are simple things every business on the Internet should have in place to make sure they are protected.

You need to have a good router/firewall
Your router/firewall needs to be properly configured
Your wireless access points need to be locked down so not just anyone can get on
You employees should not have Administrator level access to their computers
Every computer in your network should have a good Antivirus program that gets automatic updates
Your servers and workstations, should have the latest Windows Updates
Every user account on your network should have a password
When you access your system remotely, you should have a strong password

This all sounds pretty obvious and you think you are safe but do you know for sure? If not, e-mail me and I will setup and appointment to perform a security audit on your systems.

That way you will know for sure.

Tony

I use the free e-mail address that my ISP gave me, is that ok?

Thu, 14 Aug 2014 05:00:00 GMT

No, no it's not...

You have Internet access right? In St. Louis, you have 2 options: Charter Cable or AT&T UVerse. These are the two heavy hitters in our area. If you use one of these Internet Service Providers (ISP) then you may know that each of them provide you with a free e-mail address when you sign up. Think twice before you start using this free e-mail address! Once you start passing that address out to your friends and family and have been using if for a few years, it’s going to be hard to change if you ever need to.

The main reason the ISP’s provide you with a free e-mail address on their domain is they know you will start using that address and it will be hard for you to let it go. You will be tethered to their service for years.

Example: If you order Charter Internet Service today for $55/month, they will come to your home, install everything and provide you with an e-mail address. Let’s say your new e-mail address is: name@charterinternet.com .

You start using that address – now fast forward 2 years later… All your friends have that address, you signed up with your bank, your credit cards, your kids teacher has that address, everything revolves around that address. If someone told you that you needed to change your e-mail address, it would be a lot of work to say the least. Ok, so now AT&T offers the same or better service for half the price. Can you take advantage of the new lower pricing and switch? Not if you want to keep your e-mail address. If you cancel Charter, they will delete your e-mail address and you will get a new one with AT&T. See how you are stuck? Don’t let yourself get stuck.

This is what you can do, get your own domain name and host your own e-mail. Business or personal use – no problem. POP3 or Hosted Exchange – no problem.

Ask me about how to get your own domain name and break the chains of your ISP!

Tony or tony@pcstl.com <– I did!

What is a strong password and why do I need one?

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 05:00:00 GMT

If you are not convinced you should be using a strong password for your e-mail, consider this: If a hacker can guess your password, he can ruin your life.

With access to your e-mail account, the hacker can do “research” on your life. Who you talk to. What you say. What you buy. Where you go. That hacker can also setup online accounts in your name. With the information that a hacker can get from your sent items folder, they could possibly open a credit card in your name and ruin your credit history.

Am I trying to scare you – yes I am. I want you, your family and your credit history to be safe. That is why you should always use a strong password. A strong password is a password that contains at least 1 character from each of the following:

lower case
UPPERCASE
Symbol – !@#$%^&*()_+
Number – 1234567890

But wait, there’s more...

A strong password must also follow these simple rules:
Do not use a word that can be found in the dictionary
Do not use your children’s or pets names
Do not give your password to anyone (except your IT support person)
Change your password on a regular basis

You have to protect yourself when online, start with a good, strong password.

Tony

Run things past me, that’s what I am here for.

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I am a consultant. That is what I do!

This is my full time job and I have been working with computers for over 20 years. Yet some of my clients (who I have been working with for years) still go out and buy a computer at Sam’s Club or order a printer online without consulting me first.

They think they have found a good deal. They buy a computer at Sam’s and only after they get it back to the office they realize the Operating System is Windows Home Edition and it will not join their domain. They buy printers from some website and only after they call me to hook it up they realize it does not have a network card and now it’s more difficult to share it so everyone in the office can use it. Business does not stop because you didn’t get a network card in your printer. It’s not the end of the world. However, us small businesses need to maximize the technology we purchase. We need to get the most from our computer systems and everything that costs us money.

So do us both a favor and e-mail me before you purchase you next computer or printer. I will tell you exactly what model number to purchase so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Tony

Windows Updates, Do I need them?

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: When technology companies release a product such as Windows or Windows Server, they know that it’s not a finished product. A product such as an Operating System will be installed and used by millions of people in the world. It will be installed on thousands of different types of computers. No company, not even Microsoft can foresee security threats that have not been invented or created yet.

For this reason, Microsoft made Windows update-able. If a previously unknown vulnerability is uncovered, Microsoft will release a hot fix to fix the problem and keep your system secure. Microsoft has an automatic process for this, it’s called Windows Update.

All your workstations and servers should have the latest Windows Updates. This will ensure you are protected from the latest threats out on the Internet.

Tony

Keeping your computer systems clean: why is it so important?

Sun, 16 May 2010 05:00:00 GMT

No one really thinks about the dust!

It is generally recommended that computers get cleaned every 12 months (6 months for dusty/dirty environments). Without such cleanings, sensitive parts within the computer become susceptible to irreparable damage that may lead to loss of data, down time, and expensive part replacement. Servers, workstations, printers and network equipment all generate heat. To keep themselves cool, they are equipped with fans that suck cool air into the system and force warm air out. Unfortunately, as the equipment draws in that cool air it also brings with it all kinds of dust and small bits of office paper. After about 9-12 months in a typical office, the systems have a build-up of dust bunnies clogged the internal fans that prevent proper cooling. This is extremely hard on processors and hard drives, devices that already run hot.

Depending on such variables as whether the actual cleaning can take place at its workstation without disrupting your work environment, unforeseen preventative measures, and the number of components in a workstation to be cleaned, the average workstation will take between 20 to 30 minutes to thoroughly clean and screen for pending issues. Please keep in mind that the cost associated with doing your entire place of business will be FAR LESS than even one incident that is related to lack of such upkeep. Please get a hold of me as soon as possible to schedule your preventative care. I have a technician that I can deploy at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your business and I look forward to hearing back from you. Please do not wait too long.

Tony