<

Lost Revenue/Business due to Snow/Ice and Remote Working for Small Business

 Bad Weather, Broadband, Business Advice, Computers, Internet, Online Software, Remote Working, Security, Software as a Service, Uncategorized  1 Response »
Jan 072010
 

With the snow and ice causing havoc all over the country, the conditions are putting pressure on businesses that are already hard pressed during the current recession. People cannot get to work and are sitting at home doing nothing. Somebody said that there was no point in trying to get in to work as none of the customers or businesses they deal with would be in either.  But there are always many admin and management tasks to do, that you don’t normally have time for, If you could get to the office or If you could get access to your computer systems.

Well you can very easily get remote access to your computer systems and indeed communicate with your work colleagues.

The only thing you require is a Broadband Internet Connection. To access your computer systems you can either;

  • Access your existing computer systems using a secure remote connection such as GoToMyPC. This is a hosted implementation of Citrix, which is a well established system used by many larger businesses to access their systems remotely and can cost as little as €12 per month.
  • The second option is to consider using Software As A Service (SAAS)  for your main systems. SAAS means that your Integrated Accounts System / CRM systems are not installed on a computer in your office but are installed on a secure server in a Data Centre, which you access remotely using a secure connection. Examples in Ireland are Mamut and Eircom SAAS.

To keep in contact with your work colleagues all you require is Skype and you can talk, and if you have a webcam, have video calls for free.

So if you want to make sure that the next period of  bad weather doesn’t bring you business to a halt why not contact me in Glasgorman Computer Services HERE.

P.S. There is also a very strong argument that a small business can dramatically reduce it’s recurring infrastructure costs, regardless of weather etc. , by using technology to implement Remote Working for employees.

Morning After Pill for PC’s ?

 Buying Computers, Security, Virus  No Responses »
Dec 222009
 

Sorry but there is no Morning After Pill for PC’s. So for all those people who receive computers as presents for Christmas, if your PC gets infected with a Computer Virus it is not necessarily an easy job to get rid of the virus and clean up your PC (not to mention the cost of getting somebody to do it for you).

So as they say Prevention is Better than Cure. If your new PC comes with Anti Virus software, then make sure to enable it. If the computer has no Anti Virus software then the VERY FIRST THING you should do when you connect to the Internet is to install Anti Virus software.

Here is a site reviewing the most popular Anti Virus Programs. I personally use Nod32 from ESET but any of the top 10 reviewed would be fine.

Have a great and safe computing time over the holidays.

Practical tips to keep your children safe while on the Internet

 A How to Guide, Child Safety, Children, Computers, Internet, Security  No Responses »
Dec 212009
 

While Glasgorman Computer Services primarily deal with business users, I often get asked questions about how safe the Internet is and as the father of three teenagers I am always very conscious of the risks that the Internet can pose to our children.

One of the biggest risks children face is the approach to and lack of knowledge of parents to the real dangers of the internet. Now don’t get me wrong, I am one of the biggest fans of the internet and all my children go online daily. When used correctly the Internet is a fantastic resource and represents tremendous opportunities for our children into the future, but there are risks and by taking a few simple, common sense steps, we can eliminate a lot of the risks.

For a lot of parents they think their children are safe and secure when they are in the house as opposed to when they are out on the streets, but they fail to realise that via the broadband connection in the house they can potentially be exposed to many more dangers.

Here are some simple precautions that you can take to protect your children;

  • Don’t let your children use the Internet in their bedrooms. If the computer is located in a public space then your children are much less likely to try and access questionable sites.
  • If you have young children, then I would recommended using some parental control software such as Net Nanny. It’s not that ten year olds are going to look up porn on Google, but sometimes an innocent search can produce questionable results.
  • Educate yourself about the Internet. If you feel that all this computer stuff is too complicated then do a course. There are evening computer courses in every town and ECDL courses are widely available.
  • Talk to your children, ask them about BEBO, Facebook, MSN etc.. and get them to show you how it works. Better still get an account for yourself and see first hand how it works.

There are also some good guides and programs in secondary schools that give some Good practical advice like Teen Safe Computing and childwatch.ie

I also came across an article in the Irish Examiner which said that primary way kids are being bullied  is not face to face but is through social networks such as BEBO and Facebook, so it’s in your interest to find out more.

Passwords Are Like Underware!

 Security  No Responses »
Dec 152009
 

Passwords are like underwear….Change yours often.

Passwords are like underwear…. Don’t share them with friends.

Passwords are like underwear….The longer the better.

Passwords are like underwear……Be Mysterious.

Passwords are like underwear……Don’t leave yours lying around.

Came across this at the University of Wyoming. Well worth reading.

The Martians have Landed! (Allien Irish Banks P.L.C , Your ABI CODE CARD is about to expire.)

 Email, Internet, Phishing, Security, Spam/Junk Emails  No Responses »
Dec 042009
 

For all you Extra Terrestrials out there that have an account with Allien Irish Banks please do not respond to emails form the following;

From: Allien Irish Banks P.L.C <account@AllienIrishBanks.ie>

Subject: Your ABI CODE CARD is about to expire.

It is a Phishing attack. ( Note the misspellings.) As we get closer to Christmas these type of scams and phishing attacks are going to increase so beware.

Data Security and Storage in Small Businesses.

 Business Advice, Data Protection, Maintenance, Network, Online Backup, Security, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Nov 272009
 

With all this talk about floods and Disaster Recovery, it has only highlighted one of the key issues facing SME Businesses and that is where and and how securely is your companies data stored. Time and again we come across companies who are only backing up a small proportion of their data and that is not because they are not doing their daily backups, it is because they are unaware of where their data is being stored.

Most small businesses do not have a full time IT person, instead the function is covered as a secondary part of somebodies job description or by their IT Provider who is usually only called when when there is a problem and doesn’t have time to look at the overall systems. As a result for most small businesses, their computer systems have evolved in a haphazard way rather than grown in a planned structured and documented way.

This is not necessarily a problem when you are dealing with a small number of computers, small quantities of data and everything is going fine, however when something goes wrong or a computer breaks down then this can be a real issue. In a well structured small business network, all business data will be stored centrally on a server (or at least on one desktop that is designated as a server). With all the data in one location it is easy to backup and if it comes to it, restore. If one of the desktops gives up the ghost then that’s not a major problem, just go to another PC and access the centrally stored data.

If on the other hand everyone is storing their data on their local hard disk, then it becomes very difficult to co-ordinate backups and make sure that critical data is not lost if there is a failure on an individual PC. It is relatively easy to fix or replace computer hardware and software but nothing can be done if there is no backup for the data.

The second issue when it comes to these unstructured networks is that there is probably very little security for the data and that means that you are failing to meet your obligations under the Data Protection Act.

In the vast majority of cases the solution does not usually cost very much and generally does not require the purchase of new computers. A good computer services company should be able to organise the network using the existing equipment and put an Online Backup solution in place to ensure your data is backed up securely.

If you can establish a relationship with a local Computer Services company who understands your business and can document your systems and some simple procedures, then the time taken to recover from major system failures can be greatly reduced, which can save you money and give you peace of mind.

The final point is that you should view your computer systems the way you view your car. If your car does not get serviced at least once a year then things go wrong a lot more often and you can dramatically reduce it’s life span. Your computer systems are no different. An annual Preventative Maintenance visit can eliminate the majority of issues before the arise.

Safe/Secure Computing for your children.

 Children, Internet, Security  No Responses »
Nov 102009
 

While Glasgorman Computer Services primarily deal with business users, I often get asked questions about how safe the Internet is and as the father of three teenagers I am always very conscious of the risks that the Internet can pose to our children.

One of the biggest risks children face is the approach to and lack of knowledge of parents to the real dangers of the internet. Now don’t get me wrong, I am one of the biggest fans of the internet and all my children go online daily. When used correctly the Internet is a fantastic resource and represents tremendous opportunities for our children into the future, but there are risks and by taking a few simple, common sense steps, we can eliminate a lot of the risks.

For a lot of parents they think their children are safe and secure when they are in the house as opposed to when they are out on the streets, but they fail to realise that via the broadband connection in the house they can potentially be exposed to many more dangers.

Here are some simple precautions that you can take to protect your children;

  • Don’t let your children use the Internet in their bedrooms. If the computer is located in a public space then your children are much less likely to try and access questionable sites.
  • If you have young children, then I would recommended using some parental control software such as Net Nanny. It’s not that ten year olds are going to look up porn on Google, but sometimes an innocent search can produce questionable results.
  • Educate yourself about the Internet. If you feel that all this computer stuff is too complicated then do a course. There are evening computer courses in every town and ECDL courses are widely available.
  • Talk to your children, ask them about BEBO, Facebook, MSN etc.. and get them to show you how it works. Better still get an account for yourself and see first hand how it works.

There are also some good guides and programs in secondary schools that give some Good practical advice like Teen Safe Computing and childwatch.ie

I also came across an article in the Irish Examiner which said that primary way kids are being bullied  is not face to face but is through social networks such as BEBO and Facebook, so it’s in your interest to find out more.

Be Aware, Beat Fraud

 Security  1 Response »
Nov 032009
 

Following on from the Phishing post, I came across this today.

Be Aware, Beat Fraud was launched on Monday. The consumer guide was produced by the Irish Banking Federation, the Irish Payment Services Organisation, An Garda Siochana and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The guide includes the key warning signs that consumers should be on the lookout for and the steps they should take to best protect themselves against fraudsters, including online, card-based, ATM and identity fraud. The guide is available in Garda and PSNI stations as well as in participating bank branches and online at www.ibf.ie/fraudprevention.asp. Technorati Tags: , ,

 Posted by at 12:17
 Newer Entries

The forecast for gorey, Ireland by Wordpress Weather