On Monday, news reports announced that hackers gained access to several thousand Hotmail accounts through a possible phishing attack. According to the BBC, the list of hacked e-mail addresses also contained information from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Comcast and EarthLink accounts.

“We recently became aware of a phishing scheme through which hackers gained user credentials for web-based mail accounts including a small number of Gmail accounts. As soon as we learned of the attack, we forced password resets on the affected accounts. We will continue to force password resets on additional accounts if we become aware of them,” the Google spokesperson wrote.

Identity theft is a real problem, and this report is just the tip of the iceberg. So how can you make sure your personal information is safe?

Here are a few tips:

1. Never click through any warnings about certificates. That’s a red flag– one you should not ignore.
2. Be very careful when opening unsoliticed attachments and links from any source.
3. Install and regularly update your anti-virus software.

When you think of saving a few bucks, does printing come to mind? Well, perhaps it should.
Printing is a massive cost to small businesses. Here are ways you can save on printing costs:

• Unplug printers. Fine Line Pacific did this one of their bigger machines and cut their printing costs by 1/3 with no reduction in business service.
• Make printers less ‘available’. Responza did this by moving our HP printer into a corner office, away from the team. No one makes the walk and we save trees.
• Document management. Instead of renting out space to hold a warehouse full of documents, why not store it all on a simple disk drive? Could save hundreds, if not thousands.

Do you have any printing tips? Feel free to share them below!

In my last post, I explained why tape backup may not be the best solution. Many business owners still commit to this old standard because, let’s face it, old habits die hard. Change is difficult, especially when that change must implemented by an entire department or business. Ultimately, you need to decide which is better – to sacrifice more time and money just so you can resist change, or to bite the bullet and improve business productivity.
So… if you are ready to consider making the change, what are your options?

Option #1 – Using a CD/DVD

If your data doesn’t change a lot, you can use a CD/DVD recorder to backup your updated files.

Benefits:
• Backups are fairly fast
• Media is compact
• More affordable than tape backups
• Anyone with a CD/DVD drive can access the files

Drawbacks:
• Most people can’t fit a complete backup on a DVD
• It’s difficult to automate backups

Option #2 – External hard drive

Quite possibly the best backup solution. You will, however, need at least two drives so you can cycle one off site.

Benefits:
• Costs as little as 10 cents per GB
• Fast
• Reliable
• Easy to recover

Drawback:
• If you use an external hard drive with USB, the maximum transfer rate for the interface is determined by the other USB devices in use. We recommend using Firewire, since it is faster.

Option #3: Online backup

This is a quick, easy way to backup important data off-site.

Benefits:
• Convenient
• Costs less to setup and run
• Great option if you travel frequently
• No need to purchase or maintain backup hardware

Drawbacks:
• Requires high-speed internet connection.
• Possible cost and speed issues if you need to backup large amounts of data

Of course, this is just a basic overview of your backup options. The best backup solution depends on your business environment and the priorities you set. If you’re not sure what those are, just ask the experts.

If your small business is running Windows SBS 2003 or earlier, your server already has a tape backup built-in. This backup solution used to make sense in the dark ages of computers, way back when floppy drives had enough space to hold your programs. But the dark ages of backup have passed. If you’re using a tape backup for your small business, it’s time to enter the age of backup enlightenment.

What’s wrong with tape backup?

There are several reasons why this old industry standard needs to be buried:

• Buying and maintaining a tape backup requires a significant investment, especially if your business grows.
• A lot of administrative work is required, and that time could be better spent on core business functions.
• Every time you run backup, your computers have to go down. This downtime makes backup inconvenient.
• Tape backup limits your recovery point objective (RPO). For example, if disaster strikes in the afternoon, you lose the entire day’s work.

Even after all this investment and effort, your company data remains vulnerable to disaster. A SearchSecurity survey of 500 IT departments reported that up to 20% of all nightly backups fail to capture all data. Another survey found nearly 40% of IT managers were unable to recover data from a tape when they needed it. One incident alone can cost your company thousands of dollars in downtime and lost data.

Ok, so maybe tape backup isn’t the best solution. Then what is? Well, I’ll leave that for another post…

As for performance, I think Microsoft is going to surprise people. And if you’re working for an enterprise that hasn’t upgraded to Vista because it won’t run acceptably on your existing PCs, you’ll want to look again at Windows 7.
– Paul Thurrott, Supersite for Windows

Small business owners need a no-hassle, secure OS. Windows 7 is just that. Here are 5 benefits you’re sure to enjoy:

1. Improved Wi-Fi connectivity – Say goodbye to those woeful days of sitting in an airport, trying to find a signal. Windows 7’s Virtual Wi-Fi allows you to connect to multiple networks simultaneously, allowing you greater flexibility and easier connectivity.
2. Cut costs with “XP Mode” – All your old software and hardware will work fine thanks to the new compatibility mode in Windows 7. This saves your business the expense of forced upgrades.
3. Improved Security – Bitlocker on Windows 7 makes it easy to encrypt sensitive data on your computer.
4. Energy Efficient – This leaner, more efficient OS saves you money and is better for the environment too.
5. Improved Useability – Of course, we can’t forget the awesome new taskbar in Windows 7. The ability to peek at opened windows just by mousing over the icons works really well and saves you time. You can also quickly access your files with the jump lists.

If you’ve been disappointed by Vista in the past, now is the time for your redemption. Give Windows 7 a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

Do you need to send a text, but don’t want to bother with the charges or hassle of texting with your phone? Well, if you have Outlook on your computer, you’re in luck. Here’s a tip that will save you the time and hassle of having to switch from your computer to your phone.

1. Most cell phone carriers provide e-mail addresses to each cell phone number and support text messaging by e-mail. To figure out the specific formatting your recipient’s carrier uses, click here.
2. Enter the phone number of the recipient, followed by the specific formatting mentioned above. It is recommended that you save the formatting in your Outlook as a contact so that you don’t need to refer back to the list each time you send a new message.
3. Now just compose your text message by clicking “New”, then “Message”. Write the message as you would with any other email, but do keep in mind that most messages have a limited number of characters (160 is common). Also, make sure to remove your signature from the e-mail.
4. Remember that any replies to your text message will come back into your email inbox, not your cell phone.

If you’ve enjoyed this tip, please feel free to pass it on to your friends/coworkers.

This technique is very cool for two reasons:

1. A flash drive is much more responsive than an optical drive since it doesn’t rely on physical moving parts, so the installation procedure will be faster.
2. It provides an easy way to install Microsoft Windows 7 on a system that doesn’t have a DVD drive, such as a netbook.

Before you begin

First, you need to have a USB drive big enough to store the files. I’d recommend at least 4 GB.
You will have to reformat your entire flash drive for this, so make sure all your files are backed up before you begin.
Also, check to make sure your computer can boot from a flash drive. Most newer computers can do this, but it’s always a good idea to check.

Using the DiskPart utility to configure your USB drive

The DiskPart utility allows you to manage disks, partitions, or volumes from within scripts or directly from a command prompt. You’ll use this simple method to configure your USB drive.

Step One

– connect your USB flash drive to a computer.

Step Two

– locate the command prompt shortcut on the Start menu, then right click on it and select the “Run as administrator” command. If you’re running Vista, that annoying little UAC window will pop up. Get rid of it and proceed. You can now launch the DiskPart utility by typing “Diskpart” on the command line. Now, the real fun begins.

Step Three

– locate the flash drive on DiskPart. Type in “List disk” into the command prompt. You can verify which disk # is the flash drive by looking at the size. If you’re still unsure, you can type “List volume”. This will tell you the drive letter as well as the label.

Step Four

– use the “Select Disk” command to shift focus over to the flash drive. For example, if your USB drive is Disk 4, you’ll type in “Select Disk 4″. It should then tell you “Disk 4 is now the selected disk.”

Step Five

– to complete the preparation, you’ll need to format your flash drive. Type “Clean” into the command prompt. This should be quick and painless.

Step Six

– type in “Create partition primary” into the command prompt. Once the partition is created, you should see a success message. The focus should then shift to the new partition. Use the “Active” command to mark the petition as Active. This will allow the BIOS to recognize that yes, you can boot to this new disk. The USB drive is now ready! Type in “Exit” to leave DiskPart and close the command prompt.

Step Seven

– copy the Windows 7 files. This part is easy. Just open Windows Explorer, double click on the Windows 7 DVD, click Ctrl-A to select all the files, then drag them all onto the USB drive icon. Copying the files takes a while, so sit back and relax. You’re almost there.

Step Eight

– to install Windows 7, you’ll need to restart your computer and boot to the USB drive. As your computer is restarting, look for a message during the POST about a particular key, usually Del or F2, that you need to press to enter Setup. Press this key as soon as you see the message. Once you enter the setup, you’ll need to locate and change the boot order. If this sounds too confusing, just ask your IT guy for assistance.

Once you save the changes and restart your computer, installation should be easy. The installation procedure will actually run much quicker than usual off the USB drive.

Virtualization saves money, physical space and helps your business respond more quickly to your IT needs. But that’s not all: virtualization is also a great way to protect your company from natural disasters.

Imagine this: a terrible wind storm hits Seattle, knocking out the power in your office for days. What do you do? If your business runs on virtual servers like VMware, you can walk out the door with VMs in hand, then set up a temporary office anywhere you’d like. You simply cannot find that sort of portability on old school servers.

In the past, disaster recovery plans included duplicates of software and hardware in a remote location. Even in the simplest office, it could cost $10,000 or more to purchase and maintain the environment. Virtualization costs far less, and can typically use 5 to 6 times as many resources on a single machine.

If your small business is running on outdated servers, it may be worth considering a migration to virtual servers instead. Still not sure? Just give us a call or fill our a contact form with your questions. We’d be happy to help.

Have you ever worked hard on a report in Word, only to lose everything with a system crash? Well, don’t give up quite yet. Here are a few ways you may be able to salvage your lost data.

1. Open and Repair – Next time you open up Word, select the file in the Open dialog box, then click on Open and Repair from the drop-down list in the bottom-right corner.
2. Save the file in a different format – sometimes, converting the file to RTF or TXT will cause some of Word’s code to be stripped from the document, which could fix the problem.
3. Try opening the document from another computer – if this works, the problem is with your computer, not the file itself.
4. Check your e-mail – if you sent the document to someone else, you should be able to recover that copy by searching through the Sent folder.
5. Run CHKDSK – this will help you figure out the real source of the problem, and fix it if the issue is at the file system level. Simply click on the Start button and type CHKDSK into the search bar.

If all else fails, you may just have to fork over the cash for a data recovery program.

I’ve had quite a few people comment about how boring it must be to stare at a computer all day. Thankfully, I happen to enjoy staring at my computer (yes, I am a bit of a nerd)… But still, some of the tips in this article really do help when the work day drags:

10 Ways to Stay Sane in Your Cubicle.