TECHS Tip Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Technology Solutions

Viruses are getting smarter

Online Security, Security, TECHS Talk, TECHS Tip

What would your first thought be seeing the above on your computer, laptop or cellphone? Would you start to wonder “What has my family been looking at?” or “What have I come across browsing the internet by mistake?”

Within the last year we have been seeing an increasing trend in viruses called Ransomware.

‘Ransomware’ is a type of malware/virus that attempts to extort money from a computer user by infecting and taking control of the victim’s computer, cell-phone, or the files or documents stored on it. Typically, the Ransomware will either ‘lock’ the computer to prevent normal usage, or encrypt the documents and files on it to prevent access to the saved data.

The ransom demand will then be displayed, usually either via a text file or as a webpage in the web browser. This type of malware leverages the victim’s surprise, embarrassment and/or fear to push them into paying the ransom demanded. Ransomware may arrive as part of another malware’s payload, or may be delivered by an exploit kit such as Blackhole, which exploits vulnerabilities on the affected computer, device to silently install and execute the malware.

In almost all cases, payment of the ransom still does not restore the computer to normal use. As such, we strongly recommend that no payment be made and give us a call straight away. You may have never heard of this type of virus or even been affected. Prevention is simple, make sure to have up-to-date antivirus (Eset nod antivirus for example). Stay away from unsafe websites (Adult content, kids free game downloads or pirated music, movies or tv shows). Good idea if you have kids is to take interest in what they do online so they and your computers are safe.

Backups are also highly recommended; there was a case in America recently when a police station themselves was hit with another type of randomware that encrypted all computers and network drives, files. Due to this police station having no backup, the police had to pay the ransom (At least the criminals were honest enough to send the police the de-crypt code to unlock the police station pcs !).

Remember we are here to help you regarding any Information Technology issues like viruses or malware. We are but a phone call away.

So if you’re in need of some help with Viruses, or even just some free friendly advice, get in touch with us, 6-370 8093.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help call us on 0800 878 878 or email office@techs.co.nz.

Tracking a Lost or Stolen Mobile Device

Online Security, TECHS Talk, TECHS Tip

You have misplaced your mobile device; your phone or iPad or tablet is gone! Stolen! Lost! TIME TO PANIC! Yes? No, it is not time to panic (yet) as there are several ways to locate your device. If you locate the device and it has been stolen, not lost, ensure you contact the police rather than going to get it yourself.

Do the simple things first. Call your phone, can you find it that way? Someone else can possibly answer the call. Sending your phone a text, especially with a reward offer, can help too. Always apply common sense around meeting people to get your device back. If neither of these work then it’s time to get technical!

Can Android, Windows or Apple help?

Yes they can, by default, Windows, Android and Apple devices have limited capabilities to find your device. If you have not set your device up the standard way these may not work. Also unless your device has a keypad lock enabled anyone who can access your settings can turn these settings off. Apple and Android offer these services more of a way to protect your data on the device than stop/discourage theft, however see ‘Prevention is better than cure’ below. They also work only if the phone is both on and online.

Apple: Apple uses a cloud based service called “Find my iPhone/iPad/Mac”. You must have enabled iCloud and enabled “find my iPhone” on this device before this will work for you. Head over to icloud.com and log in using your Apple ID credentials. Once signed in, you should see your iCloud dashboard with different icons. Click on the “Find My iPhone” icon. From here you can see all your devices and their location. The device can be made to play a sound, in case you lost it down the back of the sofa! You can also activate “Lost Mode” which locks down the device and displays the message of your choice. As a last resort, and this will mean ‘Find my iDevice’ won’t work anymore, you can erase all data too (factory reset).

Android: The Android OS has a service called Android Device Manager (ADM). You must have enabled Location Services to locate your phone and also enabled remote wipe to wipe it. Head over to google.com/android/devicemanager and log in with your Google ID. From there you can see you devices and their locations, if enabled. Each phone will give you the option to ring, lock or (if enabled) as a last resort wipe the device.

Prevention is Better than Cure

As always it is best not to lose it in the first place, but being prepared for the possibility is second best. By default most mobile devices can be found, just ensure the settings are enabled as mentioned above and (for your security) enable some form of lock screen code. There are some apps that you can install now to really help you can recover your device in the future. These apps have anti-theft (and anti-malware in the case of Android) in mind, not just the data protection offered by default. For further help with these applications or any concerns with your mobile device contact us here at Technology Solutions

Android Anti malware and Anti-theft

Avast! Free Mobile Security http://www.avast.com/en-nz/free-mobile-security

ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus http://www.eset.com/us/home/products/mobile-security-android/

Android & Apple Anti-theft only: Lookout https://www.lookout.com/features/ios

So if you’re in need of some help tracking your device, or even just some friendly advice, get in touch with us.

To discuss how Technology Solutions can help your business call on 0800 878 878.

Google Analytics

TECHS Talk, TECHS Tip, Web Design

what is it and how can it help your business?

Google analytics is a service offered by Google to measure and report on visitors to your website. The service can generate detailed statistics and reports to let you make informed decisions about what does and doesn’t on your website. The service is free but there is a premium version available for free.

Google Analytics can track visitors from all referrers, including search engines and social networks, direct visits and referring sites. It also tracks display advertising, pay-per-click networks, email marketing and digital collateral such as links within PDF documents.

So in simple terms you can find out useful information like when people visit your website, how long they spent, what pages are the most visited and how they find your website.

A quick guide to making Google Analytics work for you

In simple terms, Analytics is a free web service provided by Google, although it requires you create an account. You (or your web developer) simply add some code to your website and it will start to track and store all kinds of very useful information about how people find and use your website.

Why is it so helpful to small business?

In the days before the internet, small businesses wishing to entice potential customers into their stores had to rely heavily on traditional advertising, word of mouth and impressive front window displays to lure in passers-by. It is very difficult to measure just how effective each type of advertising is.

Your Website is a new ‘storefront’

Think of your website as your ‘virtual shop-window’ and Google Analytics as an all seeing camera that keeps track of everyone arriving at, wandering around and leaving your store. Google Analytics is split into four key reporting areas; Audience (who is visiting your site), Acquisition (how they are getting to your site), Behaviour (what they are doing on your site) and Conversions (have they completed what you wanted them to), each of which is useful for difference purposes.

What can you learn with Google Analytics?

How visitors found your website (via search engines, social media, or links on other sites etc)

If they are first-time visitors, or returning traffic.

How visitors moved through the site e.g. did they stay a while and read? Did they click on different pages? Did they get bored and leave straight away?

How they accessed the website in the first place e.g. were they on a mobile phone? Or were they doing some online shopping at their work desk when the boss wasn’t looking?

The success (or failure) of key conversion points on your site: i.e. the pages on your website such as ‘newsletter sign up’ or ‘contact form’ where potential customers can ‘convert’ to a lead by entering their details.

For ecommerce sites it can track sales, average order value etc.

In fact, the above is just a small portion of the metrics that Google Analytics allows you to track and interpret across your domain.

In short, Google Analytics allows you to:

Gain invaluable insights into your customer’s behaviour
Examine facts rather than assumptions or guesses.
Confidently make educated decisions on how to make improvements to your website.
So if you’re in need of better information as to how your customers access your website, or even just some friendly advice, get in touch with us.

To discuss how Technology Solutions can help your business call 0800 878 878.

Developing an IT Strategy

Consulting, TECHS Talk, TECHS Tip, Training

Why?

Developing an IT strategy sounds like it’s probably a fair amount of work and perhaps for little tangible benefit in the short term, so why bother? Because having an ad-hoc approach to IT systems means things are not usually as efficient as they could be when planned, we have all probably heard the quote “we don’t plan to fail, but we fail to plan”.

Developing an IT strategy allows for appropriate planning to occur, which helps removes quick decisions when systems fail and you need a replacement PC immediately.

How you arrive at a correct software, hardware, and communications strategy for your organisation can reduce your stress levels, and probably more importantly impact on how effective you can be in meeting customer demands. Selecting an accounting solution in the same manner as buying a dish washer can prove to be dangerous.

Process

Before any strategy can be developed you need to know what systems you currently have in place and where you want (your business) to be in the next one to three years. This means documenting who is using what equipment and then identifying what software and hardware needs to be addressed, and when.

Doing a mini IT audit should identify what age is the current equipment is, what equipment is under warranty, what operating systems are in use and what software systems are in use.

It’s useful to also identify any equipment that is critical to the running of your organisation, what can’t you live without?

In looking at where you need to go it’s good to review what areas of growth you are seeing, review how your IT needs are changing, what areas are not working smoothly or need to be more robust.

Naturally Technology Solutions are able to help discuss and plan this process with you.

Roadmap

Then it’s a process of deciding how you are going to get from A to B. Setting a budget and a time frame to establish the work, do you want to operate while upgrading, say, a workstation every two months or do everything during a quiet period?

Can you implement things gradually to minimise disruption? It’s always better to manage change when it comes to IT, so where possible avoid making lots of change all at once. Equally you don’t want the inconvenience associated with leaving things too late and dealing with a crashed system – especially if you haven’t been diligent with backups. If you can plan things to upgrade your accounting system at a different time to changing your laptops or email systems then most of the time that is going to allow for a smoother transition.

Once you have a plan it also allows you to allocate where existing equipment might go. E.g. if users are upgrading to laptops it might mean a workstation becomes available to be used elsewhere or perhaps even be a hot-spare that can be kept for use in an emergency.

It’s also important to communicate the IT strategy to other decision makers in the organisation, to ensure everyone understands the plans and processes.

Here at Technology Solutions we are here to help and guide our clients to find the best solution that suits the individual budget and direction of the business.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help plan your I.T. needs call us on 0800 878 878

Benefits from using dual monitors

Hardware, TECHS Talk, TECHS Tip

Utilising a second monitor is proven to improve your productivity. First of all what is a dual monitor setup? Computers & laptops these days can support more than one monitor – think of the second (or third) monitors as just a physical extension of your existing screen. If you are moving windows between the monitors as something disappears from one screen it appears on the adjacent screen.

The biggest advantage for anyone is increased productivity.

There have been a number of studies performed over the years that have attempted to calculate the change in productivity from using multiple monitors. According to a study done by Jon Peddie Research, productivity increases by 20 to 30% when using multiple displays.

The Pfeiffer Report from 2005 (testing the impact of large monitors and/or multiple monitors) found that improved productivity could even result in an ROI of thousands of dollars per year.

A study conducted by the University of Utah and NEC found 10% increases in productivity and 20% reduction in errors (plus reduced stress) for test workers that were using multiple monitors.

However, research also shows that productivity gains max out and eventually decline when size becomes too big.

So while the exact amount productivity increases might be up for debate, the fact that productivity increases with dual screens is certain.

Sharing data is easier

It’s rare that we just work with one program open these days – yet we often lack the ability to view more than one program. If you are working from a number of data sources, having the second screen to display content means less moving windows around to access the information that you need.

Work tasks often require comparison, such as comparing different versions of a design, testing in multiple browsers, financial numbers or document revisions. In these situations it’s easier, quicker, and generally more effective to compare side-by-side using two screens rather than flipping back and forth constantly.

It’s Easy

Extending your computer to a second screen is actually easy, although to some people it sounds like it would be more difficult or involved than it really is. If you’ve been wanting to try a dual screen set up but have been putting it off, there’s really no reason not to give it a shot.

Disadvantages

There are some disadvantages of having multiple screens:

Potential for Distractions

Probably the biggest disadvantage to having more than one screen is the added risk of distractions. It’s easy enough to get side-tracked when you’re working with just one screen, and even more so when you add to it. For some people using the second screen to keep email open all the time is a timesaver not having to re-open a window to check on new mail, for others it may be a distraction from the task in hand.

Lack of Desk Space

Unfortunately, the amount of available space of a desk can easily be a hindrance when it comes to getting set up for maximum efficiency.

Conclusion

Remember it’s not about how a second screen (or big screen) can make us work faster, but rather how working on a small screen slows us down. Remember the desktop screen on your laptop (or PC) is a metaphor for your physical desktop. If your desktop was replaced with something the size of an A4 piece of paper how hard would that be to work efficiently? Very.

Can we afford to be slowed down in our work?

Given the lower cost of monitors these days, and the number of hours we are often in front of them the ROI is huge even when taking the lower end of the productivity gains into account.

All these studies demonstrated that using only a single display — especially if it’s a small laptop display — can really be an anchor that drags on your productivity. Using an extra monitor can help you to more quickly and easily do your daily computing tasks.

Beyond this empirical data, the anecdotal benefits of using an extra monitor are legion on the internet.

Finally, people enjoy having an extra monitor: And happy employees are productive employees.

In fact, if you are still sceptical we are so certain that you will benefit from using a second monitor, particularly if you currently only use a laptop screen, that we will come and set one up for you to use for a couple of weeks – if you don’t like it we will take it away. No cost to you. How can you loose with that?

References:

Dell completed a whitepage showing the benefits:

http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/monitors/en/dual_monitors_boost_productivity_whitepaper.pdf

Pfeiffer report

http://www.pfeifferreport.com/Cin_Disp30_Bench_Rep.pdf

So if you’re in need of some help with planning some upgrades, or even just some free friendly advice, get in touch with us, 6-370 8093.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help call us on 0800 878 878 or email office@techs.co.nz.

Facebook Security Settings

Online Security, TECHS Talk, TECHS Tip

The Facebook Settings You Should Check

This year (2013) Facebook have made several changes to it’s privacy policy and your settings, if you haven’t looked at your profile settings lately then now would be a good time to do it.

If you’re like the most of us here, you like to share your social life with a select group of friends and not the rest of the world, there are a few settings you should make sure are in place going forward.

See your profile as others see it

First thing you should do is see how the rest of the world (except your friends) see your profile. Click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of your Facebook page and select Privacy Settings, now click Timeline and Tagging in the left pane, now click View As to the right of Review what other people see on your timeline.

If you’ve limited access to your timeline to friends only, the public will see only your profile and cover photos, a link for contacting you (which you can limit to friends of friends), the people you’re following, and the groups you belong to. A tip here, you can view your timeline as a specific Facebook user, click View as Specific Person at the top of the window and enter the person’s name.

Privacy Settings

You’ll find these as a drop-down option when you click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of your Facebook page on the Web. Here, you can tailor the audience for your posts. You can go back and make all your posts private in this section, access the Activity Log (see the next section), and determine how widely you want to distribute future posts by default.

You can also set who can contact you and how. This is where FB removed the feature “look up my timeline by name”, but you can still control who finds you by searching an email or phone number. We recommend you set these to “Friends” Only, and turn the Do you want other search engines to link to your timeline – Off.

Activity Log

In your activity log, you can view and edit your posts, messages, posts you’ve been tagged in, photos, likes, and comments. You can edit or delete any activity dating back to when you first joined Facebook. You can access your Activity Log via Privacy Settings – Use Activity Log.

Timeline and Tag Settings

After you’ve clicked into your privacy settings, look at the left-hand column for finer grained control of your Timeline and tags. If you want to know who’s tagging you in posts before your name publicly appears on someone’s timeline — and deny them if you choose — make sure the “review posts” setting is turned on. We also recommend you turn on “Review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on Facebook” and that you set “Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded?” to No One.

We hope this helps and if you have any questions about Facebook security, or even just some free friendly advice, get in touch with us, 6-370 8093.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help call us on 0800 878 878

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