- Weak Passwords.You know you need to have a stronger password, yet “password†is still the #1 password used by computer users. For maximum security, your password should contain numbers and letters, both upper and lowercase combined.
- Lack of Education. Most viruses and spyware are invited by the user; therefore, if you want to make sure your employees don’t download viruses, take the time to educate them on what new viruses are circulating and about common scams.
- Lack of Maintenance. No software is perfect, which means security loop holes will be exploited by hackers the minute they are discovered. That’s why it’s critical to keep your security patches up to date.
- Plug and Surf. Computers are NOT designed “ready to go†out of the box. Before a phone line, ethernet cable or wireless card is anywhere near a new computer, certain security needs to be installed and/or configured. Ideally, this should include virus protection, multiple spyware scanners and a program that runs in the background to prevent malicious software from ever being installed.
- Do It Yourself. Setting up a network, applying proper security measures and downloading and installing software can be tricky. Large companies have IT departments. Small business owners should also ask for advice or even hire help. It’s worth the extra cost.
Who Else Wants To Win A $25 Gift Card?
Take my monthly Trivia Challenge and you could win too!
The Grand Prize Winner of last month’s Trivia Challenge Quiz is [name of winner and town]! They were the first person to correctly answer my quiz question from last month:
According to legend, what did St. Patrick drive out of Ireland?
a-Witches, b- Leprechauns, c-An SUV, d-Snakes
The correct answer is (d) – “Snakes.†Congratulations, [winner name], you’ve won a [25 Gift Card];! Now, here’s this month’s trivia question. The winner will receive a gift card to [NAME OF STORE OR RESTAURANT].
In a 1980 April Fools’ Day hoax, the BBC reported that the iconic Big Ben will undergo a drastic transformation. What was the transformation?
a) Becoming a Swiss watch
b) Double the size of the clock
c) Go digital
Call me right now with your answer! XXX-XXX-XXXX
It’s 4:30 on Friday afternoon when you get the message that a key vendor will not be able to deliver what they promised on time, which will in turn cause YOU to miss a critical deadline for your most important client. Frustrated, you call the vendor, who instantly denies ever being told about the deadline. You know deadlines were discussed but can’t find it in your original written agreement. You then turn to your e-mail only to be forced to dig through hundreds of messages to try and find the e-mail where you conveyed the importance of this project being delivered on time, but you can’t find it because it was deleted.
With the Internet and e-mail providing a free, viral platform for online scammers, hackers and cyber criminals, there’s no doubt that at some point you’ll receive an e-mail hoax. Some are harmless, but many can lead to virus infections, identity theft or worse. Here are some common themes to watch out for:
Here are some interesting facts about Social Security and saving for retirement that we thought you would find interesting as you file your taxes this year.
Building a massive following online is no easy task. But before you give up on your company blog due to the disappointing number of people who read and comment on it, here are 3 reasons to reconsider:
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic.
“To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.†– Farmer’s Almanac
The Story: A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, and they knew when the game was scheduled to finish, so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It seems they even brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.
The old saying, “Pack your own parachute,†comes to mind when I think of data backups or, more specifically, data RECOVERY. However, how many people actually know how to pack their proverbial data backup “parachute†and instead rely on someone else – be it an employee or vendor?
Back in November, the National Labor Relations Board issued a Complaint alleging that an employer illegally terminated an employee who posted disparaging remarks about her supervisor on her personal Facebook page. The posting referred to her supervisor as a “psychiatric patient†and used several vulgarities, which resulted in other employees chiming in (Associated Press, November 2010).