Business IT Computer Network Blog

Critical Server Patching

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:28:00 +0000

With all the news in recent weeks about computer exploits and network vulnerabilities IT Computer support of New York has started a program to assist businesses. Earlier this week we sent out a notice to our current clients offering our patching service. Patching may not seem like that big of deal but the truth is that most businesses are running outdated servers and are in danger. Often the problem companies have with patching is that it can be a tedious procedure and if it works you are protected and don’t know you were ever in danger. The failure in this thinking is that if you are not patched and protected the damage you sustain can be crippling.
Another concern with patching is that it is not uncommon for a patch to react poorly with certain hardware configurations. For this reason it is important to have a backup in place before applying new system patches. If a business has multiple servers this can become a daunting project. ITCSNY hopes to simplify this by assuring that not only are the most current patches installed but that your systems are running with optimum performance.

While all patches are important some receive priority; such as is the case with the recent MS08-067. Prior to the patch, systems running Windows Server 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003 were in serious danger. Microsoft released the update “out of band” (not on the regular Patch Tuesday) which speaks volumes of the threat the vulnerability posed. While not common this sort of occurrence does happen and if your server is not receiving regular attention then you are easy prey to vulnerabilities.

If you are interested in having ITCSNY handle your critical patching please contact us. ITCSNY also has a service available to install patches on a regular basis. This service schedules the application of critical updates shortly after the patches are issued and we will ensure that all updates are handled smoothly.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Microsoft jumping the Gun with Windows 7?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:39:00 +0000

When Windows Vista was released three years ago it was heralded as the second coming of operating systems but instead it was met almost universally with scorn. Since then, however, many people have begun to adapt and even accept Vista as a viable upgrade from windows XP. It’s not surprising that Microsoft was eager to be done with bad publicity but what IS surprising is that now instead of trying to enhance Vista they are eagerly moving on with Windows 7 for a release in 2009.

The oddness of the announcement really stems from the fact that Microsoft has been running PR damage recovery ads for the last few months. After spending the time and money to try to recover from the initial backlash of the launch it seems strange that they would abandon their product. Even more alarming is that those have adapted to Vista will soon find themselves with the problem of upgrading once again.

As I have mentioned before I have been running Windows Vista on my PC for two years now. While some performance issues do exists Vista has received more negative publicity then is really warranted. I bring this up to give perspective to what I’ve seen of Windows 7. Having spent some time with the beta version, Windows 7 feels more like a polished Windows Vista then a truly new operating system. Windows 7 is noticeably faster and there have user interface improvements but overall the core components remain the same. To this end the product seems like it should have been released as a Service Pack instead of a full-fledged release. In this way Windows 7 seems more like a publicity stunt: release last year’s model with all the kinks worked out to negate all past negative publicity. Whether this is the case or not it will be interesting to see if Microsoft can learn from their mistakes when Windows 7 is released late next year.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Google Chrome

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:17:00 +0000

Chrome Beta 3 arrived recently to the fanfare of Google aficionados but few others. What is Chrome you might ask? Well for the uninitiated its Google’s news web foray; a proprietary internet browser that they had hoped would surpass IE and Firefox in user base. The promise behind Chrome stems primarily from its pedigree. The Google search engine took the world by storm and has grown to become an everyday household term. Google had hoped to do the same for web browsers.

So have they succeeded? Not quite. When the first Chrome Beta was released they held a respectable portion of the market share but since then users have actually dwindled. Currently Google Chrome has now settled into a holding pattern around 0.7 percent browser market share. The biggest problem facing chrome is that there is already a competitor doing what they intend. Within the last five years Firefox has quite literally taken the internet by storm.

As it stands now Chrome is the fastest browser on the market. Chrome is also secure, easy to use and attractive looking. But as for new killer features Chrome has very little to offer. Firefox already has the security, functionality, and higher degree of customization then any other browser on the marketplace. Also, looking at time frame, Firefox overtook Internet Explorer in functionality years ago but did not come close to matching its market share until quite recently. As a secure and reliable platform most people simply don’t see a reason to switch browsers. For this reason it is unlikely that Chrome will make any great leaps in its market share. This is not to say that it is a bad product; just that for most users, there is no reason to upgrade from something that already works.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

iSCSI SAN: a Beneficial Disruptive Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:35:00 +0000

Earlier this year in August IT Computer Support of New York ran an article in our newsletter on the pros and cons of Disruptive Technology. The overall consensus was that while it is important to research a new technology before jumping into a major change it is vital to adapt when the time is right. For the last couple months ITCSNY has been building a greater working partnership with Dell and we believe that it is now that time.

iSCSI SAN technology promises to revolutionize the way network hardware is handled. The Dell EqualLogic virtualized iSCSI SAN is an automated platform that combines easy to use administrative controls with a rapid setup time. Traditional server environments have always been held back by the hardware limitations on the size and versatility of components. If your network server exhausted all of its free space there was little alternative to buying a new piece of hardware and hope to limit downtime.

iSCSI SAN servers offer a liberating alternative to the problems posed by old technology. Whereas traditional servers were stand alone units, iSCSI SAN hardware is modular and easily upgraded. When a company has grown large enough to require a new fileserver upgrading is as simple as purchasing a new iSCSI box and plugging it into your preexisting system. Best of all iSCSI servers are backwards compatible with your current network file servers. The benefit of this is you will be able to keep your network systems up and running while your files are being migrated over to new server environment.

iSCSI SAN technology is poised to disrupt the current hardware hierarchy by offering cheaper more flexible solutions to data storage. All businesses regardless of size can benefit from this disruptive technology. With cheaper hardware, more versatility, and drastically reduced downtime there is no reason NOT to consider an iSCSI solution. If you would to learn more about iSCSI SAN visit our webpage or contact us.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

MS Critical Security Patch MS08-067

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Today Microsoft released a Critical patch for its Server Service Applications. The Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067 update resolves a vulnerability in the MS server service. The vulnerability makes it possible for a worm or Trojan to freely gain access to your systems. Microsoft has released this patch today “out of band” (not on the regular Patch Tuesday) which speaks volumes of the threat this vulnerability poses.

It is absolutely crucial that your network administrator or IT department installs the necessary patch as quickly as possible. Un-patched your system will be completely at the mercy of a custom built worm which could take down server, steal private information, or worse. It is also highly advisable that you patch your system from a reputable source, namely Microsoft. There have been isolated reports of people becoming infected by websites promising quick fixes. If in doubt contact your IT department and let them make the necessary updates.

The systems at the highest risk are Windows Server 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003. Windows Vista requires authorization by default and thus is less vulnerable to a possible attack but should still be checked. If your business runs on any of these operating systems take the steps to patch your systems immediately.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Introducing iSCSI and Live Online Support

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:20:00 +0000

The last month has been an interesting time here at IT Computer Support of New York. As many of you have probably noticed last month we started revitalizing our web presence with a new look and new functionality. As part of this we have been working to bring all of aspects of our company in line with our new Blue 2.0 Design. The goal of all of this has always been to find new and more efficient ways to serve our customers. Bringing this full circle starting this week we will be introducing two new services for new and existing customers.

ITCSNY has worked closely with Dell over the last couple month to become certified iSCSI SAN providers for the state of New York. iSCSI Server Architecture is unique to traditional server technology in the way that it handles expansion and migration. Traditionally, when it came time for a business to upgrade its servers it meant purchasing a whole new larger filer server. The result of this upgrade was a period of downtime that could last hours or even days as all the necessary files were transferred over to the new hardware. For a large and prosperous company this could mean the loss of thousands of dollars in downtime.

iSCSI SAN servers offer a speedy alternative to this problem. Real world tests conducted by ITCSNY has found that in most cases iSCSI SAN server solutions can be fully set up in 15 minutes. Best of all iSCSI SAN technology is backwards compatible with your current server environment meaning your systems can be upgraded without any downtime. Through shortened downtime, plug and play upgradability, and less expensive hardware; upgrading to an iSCSI server solution can easily save your business 40-70% of your tech bill over the course of 5-7 years. With that kind of savings upgrading to an iSCSI server is a true asset to any business. You can expect a more in-depth analysis of iSCSI Server Architecture in the coming weeks.

The second service IT Computer Support of New York is adding will be directly beneficial to our preexisting customers. ITCSNY has always offered live telephone and onsite support but sometimes a situation arises that is not easily solved over the phone but not dire enough to warrant an onsite visit. As an answer to this ITCSNY has developed the Remote Technical Assistance Web Portal. Through this application our clients can share control of their computer work environments with an ITCSNY Technician who will be able to solve their problems fast and efficiently. Live Remote Support is available to all preexisting clients who have an On-Demand Support contract so there is no additional cost to worry about. If you are interested but do not already have an On-Demand Support contract please contact us here.

These are just the first of many improvements lined up for the coming weeks so check back soon. And as always tell us what you think. We love to learn from your feedback on how to improve our services.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Web and Network Safety in a Brave New World

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Not so many years ago the bulk of cybercriminal activity was conducted through email. Would be hackers could target huge percentages of the population with little effort and cause mayhem with very little effort. But as businesses and private users became aware of the danger of email exploits these Cybercriminals were forced to relocate their activity elsewhere. Sadly, a world of possibilities was still available to them in the form web based malware.

Web based vulnerabilities can end in disastrous results for businesses. At the start of 2008 it was reported that on average 4 legitimate websites were being tainted with malicious code ever minute. So bad has the problem become that malware creation packages have been found available on many disreputable websites. Because these vulnerabilities can pop up at any number of sources prevention is better than looking for a cure.

Very simple steps can be taken to make sure that your web experience is secure. The easiest way for attackers to compromise your web experience is by finding holes in your web browser platform. It might seem simple but many people still don’t install regular patches for their web browsers. Upgrading your web browser should be your first line of defense against cybercriminals. Second, just like your browser make your antiviral and security software is up to date; many Virus and Trajan families are updated weekly to bypass new security. Next, be aware of what you download and be sure that it is coming from a reputable source. Phantom down loaders are small bits of code placed on a website that once downloaded will give hackers a back door to download other harmful materials and can often be masked to look like other types of files.

Additional concerns extend over to the network side of things. It’s been reported that 2/3rds of security breaches happen internally as opposed to from someone outside the company. Some months ago I was analyzing a client’s website and happened across a file in their base directory that contained all the passwords needed to access their web server. I quickly notified them and the problem was corrected but had an attacker found this information they could have taken down their entire web presence. Other problems can arise from improperly assigned shared folder permissions that allow access to secure files anywhere on the network. All it takes is one disgruntled user to find these files and it could cost your business thousands.

Knowledge and diligence are your best defense against attackers. Keep up to date and keep track of your network settings and you can ensure that your web and network activity remain secure.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Virtual Commuting

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:32:00 +0000

The growth of technology and widespread availability of broadband connectivity has allowed for an emergent new sector in the American workforce. Web Commuters. The relatively recent development has grown greatly over the last few years and recent studies now reveal that they make up as much as 23% of the American workforce.

Web Commuters are defined as employees who regularly conduct at least a few hours of work a week from home. In the 1980’s and early 90’s commuters were greatly limited in the type of work they could conduct from home but innovations in technology have allowed for this to change. Technologies such as GoToMeetings and Virtual PC applications allow for employees tens or even hundreds of miles away to share information and visual data as easily as if they were sitting in the same room with each other.

Participants of a survey conducted by Citrix Online revealed that 25% of workers travel more than an hour a few times a month to attend a meeting or conference. The numbers grow even higher for employees who travel those distances or further a few times a year. With availability of web conference capabilities these are often wasted expenses and an unnecessary tax on productivity.

Nowhere is this as apparent as in Tech Support industry. A high percentage of Tech problems can be solved quickly and efficiently through virtual connectivity. It is when travel expenses and miscommunication are taken into consideration that prices become bloated and a burden; virtual conferences and alive many of these problems. Additionally, the time these measures can save will free up technicians to help in those cases that require a physical presence. Recently ITCSNY has taken steps to implement systems that will address many of these issues; increasing productivity and service for costumers.

Most businesses have something to gain from Virtual Commuting of some degree but knowing just how much is something for consideration. Choosing the right solution can make all the difference for the productivity of your company. Flexibility, ease of use, and cost efficiency are the keys to finding a system that will work for you. Take steps to educate yourself in the pros and cons of a virtual office and you will experience an increase in productivity and possibly even employee morale. Whether you personally embrace the movement or not Web commuting is growing and will reshape the business environment in America forever.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Happy Birthday Google: 10 Years and Going Strong

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Google marked its 10th anniversary earlier this month and what a decade it has been for them. Google was launched on September 7th 1998 to little fanfare. At the time most people didn’t see the benefit of a new search engine. Everyone had Yahoo and as far as anyone was concerned that was enough. But it didn’t take long for the world to warm to the young search engine.

The simplicity of the search engine combined with the relevance of its returns gave it a foot up above many of its competitors. In December of its first PC Magazine marked their success by naming Google Top Search Engine in their Top 100 websites of 1998. From there Google has gone on to become partnered with many of the largest and most powerful companies in business and entertainment. They have branched out to include email, news services, finance tools, advanced mapping software, and have all but cornered the market on paid web advertising. On July 25th 2008 also made its biggest search engine announcement to date, they were now indexing over 1 trillion unique URLS. The amount of data coursing through their servers had reached a truly remarkable phase.

Today almost all aspects of business are now influenced by the search engine giant in some way. As the number one search engine in America achieving a high ranking in Google is a top priority for any business that wishes to capitalize on the internet. In light of that Search Engine Optimization has grown from small intrigue to a necessity. With 71% of consumers using Google, everyone wants to make sure their website plays nice with the companies search algorithms.

With new innovation created every day and new branches opening around the world Google looks to continue spending its time in the spotlight. With everything they have brought to the stage so far I couldn’t be happier for them.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Archiving Emails for the Good of your Company

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:55:00 +0000

A recent study conducted from GFI Software has revealed that more than half of the small and medium sized businesses in the U.S. have not yet implemented a system of archiving emails. With the majority of business correspondence now taking place via the internet this is a huge disaster waiting to happen.

The reasons behind the shortcomings are as varied as the businesses reporting them. Many businesses claim to be too small to require a system of archiving emails, others state that privacy regulations would be violated, other simply say they don’t have the time or budget to adequately complete a backup. Among others who were polled nearly 30% stated they didn’t think archiving was important or thought that it was handled automatically by the mail server. While in some cases these may be valid points but on the whole this is taking a terrible risk.

There are many reasons for archiving emails. It’s possible that the exchange server could crash; and potentially lose all data saved in email. Related to this, you may wish to reduce the internal strain on your Microsoft Exchange Server. Lastly, human error is the culprit in IT disasters nine times out of ten and email archiving can back up and account for this.

Just as human error accounts for the majority of problems many companies make the mistake of depending on individuals to back up their own email. The small individual assessments and backups individuals make is not sufficient to combat a major complication. It’s far too easy to lose track and time for weeks to go by without any upkeep taking place.

The best way to deal with these problems is through upper management. Appoint an administrator to be in charge of regular backups for all company data. Additionally you may wish to invest in automated backup systems such as described here. If you use a bit of foresight and adequate planning you can divert a possible disaster and improve the performance of your company.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

64 Bits of Windows

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:13:00 +0000

People within the IT world are still reeling from the introduction of Window Vista but already Microsoft is moving ahead with designs for a new “better” operating system. Although the actual specs are long from finalized it is believed that the 7th version of Windows will also be the last to use 32bit architecture. As many know 64 bit operating systems are nothing new, with both Vista and previous versions being offered but the limited hardware drivers have always been their weakness. By forcing the upgrade Microsoft is taking steps to improve overall performance but also open the door to numerous complications.

So what’s the benefit of a 64 bit operating system and why should you care? Well on the whole it comes down to system memory and the ability to process multiple operations at one time. On modern 32bit operating system systems are limited to around 3 gigabytes of memory. It’s important to remember that this is a limit on total memory of your system; so if you have a 500 mb graphics card the maximum amount of physical memory you can use is now only 2.5 gigs. While this may sound like a lot to many readers it is quickly becoming the lowest common denominator in design. When you consider that Windows Vista requires 2 GB of ram by itself to run at optimum levels it’s not hard to see why improvement will soon be needed.

While upgrading will allow new hardware and software capabilities it is still important to understand the headaches the transition period will create. Much like not updating an aging browser is detrimental to design and security not updating an operating system can create the same problems. Currently most hardware manufacturers do not fully support 64 bit operating systems. The reason? It’s not practical to spend half of your operating budget on 5% of your demographic. Even though the newer more powerful systems would be better if people are reluctant to upgrade then there is no reason to make them so. The end result is a vicious cycle of self reinforcing stagnation.

Version 8 of Windows is still a long ways off and jumping on the bandwagon just in the name of progress is never wise; that said there are still things you should do. First and foremost find out what the new operating system(s) will mean for you. Just like with Windows Vista find out if your current hardware will support the upgrade. If it does or even if it doesn’t find out if your company will gain a benefit from the upgrade. Major upgrades should never be taken lightly but a little bit of planning and some guidance from a knowledgeable source can make the whole process far less stressful.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Hazards of not Updating your Web Browser

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:19:00 +0000

The internet is the backbone of modern business and yet the internet browsers that companies use are often the most neglected pieces of software. The complications that can arise from this are both detrimental to production cycles and hazardous to the security of any information sent by the internet. Internet Explorer 6 was released on August 27 2001; seven years later it still holds 24% of the online browser market. This number is still high but has been decreasing steadily over the last six months. With a seven year old program still holding a fourth of the world’s browsers you would think it would mean it was a good product, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

IE6 is the last browser NOT to support a number of features that have become essential to today’s web developers. Businesses are often forced to spend thousands of dollars in man hours to develop hacks for new web projects to ensure that new content is “compatible” with the antiquated browser. IE6 offers no support for PNG alpha transparency, lacks support for pseudo classes, no min-height support, and contains at least seven ways to crash it with one very simple line of code. In plain language this means that you have to work twice as hard to support IE6 and you still end up with an inferior product.

Along with the design limitations, IE6 is also hazardous to your work environment. A number of notable security faults exist within IE6 and more are found all the time. These security holes allow for easy access of Trojans and viruses - even if your system is otherwise protected by an antivirus. Microsoft hasn’t completely abandoned the browser but they have already released IE7. With IE8 on the near horizon, they do not have the time to fully protect a browser that they themselves admit is inferior.

Beyond Internet Explorer there are also alternatives that are superior. Firefox has long taken the internet by storm and with good reason. Along with being more secure and better supported, Firefox is also open sourced to the community. What this allows is for improvements to take place at a far more rapid pace then would ever be possible at Microsoft. Another option and a personal favorite of mine is Opera. While not as widely accepted, Opera is a very stable and safe browser that accomplished everything Firefox does but did so before it was fashionable to do so.

Whatever you choose, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, or Opera, make the upgrade. By taking the initiative you can help make the internet a better and more secure place for everyone.

Update to Internet Explorer 7
Update to Firefox
Update to Opera

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Advertising and Technology in Retrospective

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:24:00 +0000

The advertising has evolved steadily over the last decade with new advances leading to changes in the way that common business is done. Last year nearly 22 billion dollars was spent globally on internet based advertising. 81% of shoppers now claim to research a product or service prior to making a purchase. This change has led to a greater demand in the functionality of websites. 52% of shoppers find new retailers using search engines such as Google and Yahoo. With this in mind it is no wonder that the online market is continuing to expand exponentially every year.

Ten years ago when the internet was first building its foothold traditional means of advertising were still practical and efficient for each year that goes by shows how antiquated these mediums truly are. In the last five years the success of Yellow Pages based advertising has almost completely expired. Now a quick survey of any dump site will reveal that entire layers of Yellow Books make up a high percentage of the landfills. With the speedy access to internet based phone listings the bulky books are simply no longer necessary. Similarly, TV advertising has been destroyed by innovation. The likes of Tivo has removed Television advertising while downloadable content looks to push this even further.

Computer technology continues to increase and so this trend will continue to expand. Already we have e-paper magazines ready to go into production that will make it possible for consumers to pick their content. Books can now be easily downloaded to e-book readers within minutes. Radio stations have been replaced by portable mp3 players and all the while the advertising that once powered industries has been removed and at the digression of the consumer.

In order for businesses to stay on top of changing times they will need to adapt fluid marketing techniques. What works today will not necessarily work tomorrow. to stay on top you need to keep in touch with the changing times, and when necessary, be willing to change.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Infinite Imaging

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:57:00 +0000

During the 2007 TED(Technology Entertainment Design) conference a piece of photosynth software called SeaDragon was announced. The program, which uses images in much the same way as a search engine uses text, was impressive but at the time seemed like a far off pipedream. Focus back on today and that pipedream has been fully realized and the program has launched with a demo.

What makes photosynth so intriguing is that fact that it takes millions of images and creates a multi-dimensional space that you can navigate with ease. Without seeing it action this might be hard to full apprecaiate, but to try and clarify take an image of Notre Dame Cathedral. The imaging software will now cross-reference every other image of Notre Dame Cathedral and align them to the original image. What this does is allow a nearly seamless 3D representation of the cathedral. As long as at least one image exists you will be able to see it. Additionally the technology allows for the storage information unheard of up until now. Imagine a website that features a car image. Under normal web technology what you see is what you get. With Photosynth, however, you will be able to zoom INTO the image and see the detail on the dashboard, or the texture on the seats.

The possible applications for this software are only limited by the imagination and people’s hesitation to adapt. But the fact that this technology is here now, and not something in the works for the future will open eyes to what the web is capable of. In the very near future whole websites could be built around this technology; transporting the 2D limitations of the present into a fully realized 3D environment.

If you would like to try the program for you self view the demo here

Or view the TED Presentation below

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Google and Postini stand against Spam

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:39:00 +0000

The month of July stood out this year as having some of the most malicious Viruses in quite some time. Google, in association with virus and spam filtration program Postini reported that Virus Spam peaked on July 24th with nearly 10 million suspicious emails. Google, which has long kept a watchful eye on the online world, has taken a special interest in the prevention of Spam and Virus attacks for its proprietary email server, Gmail. Google's Postini is actively tracking all potential attacks and any business that uses either Gmail or the Postini spam filter will benefit from their vigilance.

Google reports that the two largest threats in July came in the form of the CNN and UPS viruses. The UPS virus acted as a front for an attack. The email would contain a faux tracking link that when clicked on would bring you to a malicious download location. The CNN Virus had a similar ploy, replicating the look of a legitimate CNN newsletter. Within the newsletter were a number of actual CNN news articles but mixed in were links to malicious download locations.

When it comes to spam and virus protection common sense is the best defense. In this day and age most people know better than to click on attachments from unrecognized locations but the same applies to links within email. Most modern browsers offer the option to read a url link within an email before clicking on it. If the link looks suspicious then simply choose not to click on it. Links that contain an .exe should never be followed. Lastly be suspicious if you receive an email from a source you didn’t sign up for. All unrequested emails are now required to include a physical address and an option to remove you from the mailing list. If an email does not contain these things then it is likely from a suspicious source. If you use email intelligently then you should never fall victim to an email virus attack.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Burnt Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:15:00 +0000

Most web proficient businesses have turned to the allure of paid click advertising at some point during their run of online advertising. When done correctly this can lead to a boost in sales as the prominent search engines; namely Yahoo and Google, go out of their way to promote these techniques. Despite its popularity recent congressional mediation has raised concern over this form of advertising and the two search engines are taking fire because of it.

What many people don’t realize is that both Google and Yahoo use a system of “Cookies” (Small text files) to track all online searches. If a user visits a particular website the browser downloads the small file and remembers every time it is revisited. This is there congress has decided to step in. up until now this had been largely a grey area, but as tracking technologies have continued to improve, and online advertisements are now capable of targeting by city, many wonder if the invasion of privacy has gone too far.

Trying to cut the bad press both Yahoo and Google have recently announced quick fixes to the problem; Making it possible to “opt-out” of cookie downloading for their services. Whether or not this will amount to anything on the greater scheme, or if it’s even warranted, has yet to be seen. What it does mean is that if you are a paid-click advertiser the future looks to be more costly or at the very least less efficient. Ultimately, as the online advertising world changes the importance of pure Search Engine Optimization is going to increase, leaving many to look for new ways to supplement their web presence.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Mozilla looks to the Community

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Among the younger generations of web viewers the Firefox browser developed by Mozilla has already overtaken the market. In an effort to continue this trend Mozilla has announced that it will be looking towards the community of the release of its next generation. Firefox already has a high degree of open source functionality but by putting a call out to the community directly they plan to extend their service even further.

Ultimately the importance of this comes back to web development in general. For years Microsoft Internet Explorer has remained unchallenged in the world internet browsing; to this day they make up 51% of the market. The problem with this is that despite its overall user base Internet Explorer has long been regarded as the worst browser and by far the least friendly system to design web content for. The logic behind how this is even possible comes from the fact that for these years Microsoft has been able to monopolize the market. Every Windows computer ships with Internet Explorer preinstalled and so it’s what the common public uses. When you already have the market cornered there is little need to improve your service. But all this looks to change in the near future.

In the last year Firefox usage on the web has increased from 31.0% to 42%. If this trend continues Microsoft may finally find themselves with no choice but evolve. If Internet Explorer is bought up to the standards of Firefox numerous new design possibilities will arise. Designers will no longer be bottlenecked by an inferior browser. What this means for consumers is a better stronger web environment for everyone.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Paper is Dead Long Live e-Paper!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Well not quite but it’s looking to shake things up a bit. Recently, Esquire Magazine announced that it would be doing something different to celebrate its 75th year. This October when the celebratory issue hits newsstands it will be the first magazine in history to have a moving digital image on the cover. While this might appear gimmicky it does offer up a number of interesting possibilities in the future.

Many people have already long since given up on magazines; they are expensive, filled with ads, and you can find more recent information online. That said there is still something that remains pleasant about the tactile nature of reading a magazine from the comfort of your living room couch. E-paper is still in its infancy but if fully realized could fill the comfort role while removing much of the trouble of the physically printed media.

E-paper, like what will be used on the cover of Esquire later this year is nearly as thin as thick stock paper, light, and has enough give that you can bend it without it breaking. All this is nice but the benefit of the technology comes from storage and updateability. A whole magazine has the capability to be placed in single sheet of e-paper. The benefit of this is that you will no longer have the environmental concerns of magazine dumps. Additionally once you have the one e-paper magazine set up it will be possible to order next month’s issue right to the copy you already have, delivered wirelessly through the internet. All of this on a large easy to read screen that can be rolled up and brought with you anywhere.

Right now the technology isn’t perfect. The magazine cover that will be shipping in October has a very limited power supply of only 90 days. Other companies, such as amazon.com have recently come out with similar technologies such as Kindle that are more reliable but have added heft. Kindle is a “book” that makes use of e-paper technology to store up to 200 novels in a package roughly the size and thickness of a soft cover novel.

Anyway you look at it though it will be interesting to see if e-paper can take hold in the market. If the shortcomings can be rectified the future of paper will be bright indeed.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Business Marketing as a Game

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:15:00 +0000

Most people are familiar with the traditional forms of media advertising; the billboards, the TV advertisements and all forms of web based marketing. Quite recently a new trend has been emerging among advertisers who focus on the 18-34 demographic. Online gaming. This might seem a strange outlet for advertising dollars but recent trends have shown this to be anything but.

In recent years the American games industry has grown to surpass Hollywood as a financial producer and is poised to make even more gains in the coming years. Among the forerunners of this trend is the Blizzard Entertainment title, World of Warcraft, a game that requires a monthly subscription and allows people from around the world to play and quest with each other. Currently World of Warcraft has over ten million subscribers, each one paying $15 a month to play in the online world. What’s this mean? Well for starters this one game generates roughly $150 million dollars; that’s per year. WOW has been running for four years and going strong. Compare that to some of the highest grossing movies, Titanic ($601m) and StarWars (460m) and you can see the public has spoken. They like their games.

Many big name corporations have taken notice of this and started to pursue it. A number of online games have been renting out virtual advertising space as a means of reducing cost. Currently some of the biggest participants that have signed on are Coca-Cola, Comcast's G4TV, Dunkin' Donuts, Universal Music Group and Verizon. Additional advertisers such as Target and Wal-Mart have also shown interest in pursuing online game advertising in the future.

One reason why this form of advertising has picked up is the fact that it’s non conspicuous to viewers. These are not the crudely constructed games of ten or even 5 years ago. Many have come to a point where photo realistically rendered cities and characters are common place. Seeing an advertisement for Coca-Cola on a billboard in a virtual city seems as natural as in a real one.

With more and more companies jumping on board and with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world this is one advertising venue that is unlikely to die down.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

2008 National Regatta

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:43:00 +0000

IT Computer support of New York is proud to sponsor the 2008 Optimist National Regatta. The event, which hosts close to 450 competitors from around the country is being held in Shorefront Park part on Long Island's Great South Bay and allows competitors ranging in age from 8-15 to race for the title. This may seem like a departure for a technical support company but rest assured that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Each competitor will participate in at least 5 races per day over the course of the 5 day regatta. There will be over 11,000 individual elements to score. In the past scoring of the race had to be done manually on the water with thousands entries tallied by hand. This was nightmarish and frustrating endeavor for everyone involved. To help remove some of the stress IT Computer Support of New York has provided wireless capable computers and VPN access to secure servers in the New York office. The benefit of this is that it allows for nearly real-time tracking of the races events and ensures a private secure connection. This is the first time in history that an event of this scale has been monitored in such a manner and with more technology being used in the field than ever before everything is poised to be an event to remember.

Opening ceremonies for the Regatta will commence on Wednesday July 23 and will continue through to the end of the week. If you would like to learn more about ITCSNYs involvement with the race you can read the official press release here. Or if you would like to learn what IT Computer Support can do for your event or gathering contact them on the web at http://www.itcomputersupportnewyork.com/.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Google Monopoly

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:24:00 +0000

As many people already know Google is the king of online search tools; what people may not know is how high above the competition their crown sits. Recent findings based on a sample of 10 million U.S. Internet users states that Google holds a massive 70% hold on all searches in America. Google’s supremacy has been on the rise for quite a few years leaving previous giants like Yahoo and MSN to fall towards obscurity. Yahoo currently setting at only 20% of the market share, has been dropping in popularity at a rate of .3% a month for the past year. Rounding out the top four you have Microsoft with 6% and Ask.com with a 4% of the market share.

What does this mean for you? Well first of roughly 80% of all online business is driven by Organic Searches. Pay-per-click services WILL get you traffic but tests have shown that the majority of web viewers will avoid paid search links purely on the basis that they know people are trying to sell to them. Since most of your customers will find you through an Organic Search and Google holds 70% of the organics search market it is absolutely critical that you website is optimized for Google searches. This is not to say you should ignore optimization for all other browsers; 30% of your possible customers are a lot to just ignore. What it DOES mean is that you should find the best way to appease both search engines.

Search Engine Optimization is becoming a larger and larger part of the business world and with it is an increasing stress to make your website SEO compliant. Through proper optimization it becomes possible to create free advertising for your website and drives customers to you. Google has changed the way business is done on the web and with it changed the world. If you want to be a part of it you will need to embrace the changes.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Backing up

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:40:00 +0000

People have been told for years the importance of backing up the information and critical data from their computer systems. In my experience of working with different businesses and common people most lack even the most basic backup system. Most people make the assumption that if nothing has happened yet then nothing ever will; this is a terribly arrogant position to take and one that can have disastrous repercussions. Another problem is that many people don’t know what their options are.

A true story; less than a year ago I was asked to restore the computer system of a small business to working order. Their main hard drive had crashed and they knew very little about computers but they assured me they had all their files backed up. When I arrived at the location I was handed a box of 56 floppy disks that contained their “valuable” information. Upon inspection I became aware of the fact that not only was this a poor choice of backup but that they hadn’t made a recent back up of anything in nearly six months. Thankfully, with a little bit of effort I was able to pull the information they needed off from their crashed drive but this is not always going to be an option.

There are many different options when it comes to backing up your data. On the basic level you have access to things like external hard drives. The price of these units has come down considerable and it is not possible to purchase them in sizes up to a terabyte for a very reasonable price. This is, however, not a perfect solution for many reasons. First and foremost backing up in this manner requires diligence upon its users. A backup system isn’t worth much if it isn’t used regularly. Additionally, having a physical back up is fine to cope with hardware failure or personal error but what if there is a fire in your building? Or a theft? For this reason it is important to have a backup plan as well.

More thorough and often reliable options are available in the form of new online backup systems. Recently a company that have receiving press offers a service called carbonite . This online service stores a copy of your vital files online and can be set up to automatically backup your files at preset intervals. In this way the individuals of a company are free to go about their business without having to worry about backing up their service.

This again is not perfect but it IS a step in the right direction. When it comes to backing up your files it really comes down to a question. Could your business survive if you lost everything tomorrow? If the answer is no then you owe it to yourself to look into a backup plan to assure the life of your business.

IT Computer Support of New York offers an extensive program for helping you with your back up needs. You would like to get more information in what we can do for you call us for more information at 212-242-2949

Or visit us on the web and see what we can do for you.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

Second Chances: Vista

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Anyone who read my previous entry regarding Windows Vista will already know my opinions of Vista in the work place but that isn’t to say that I am a hater of the OS. Quite the contrary in fact; it might surprise people to learn that on my person home computer I do in fact have Windows Vista Home Premium installed. So now you may be thinking the writer of this blog is a hypocrite but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A home computer that is used for work has the potential to be far different from a pure office based computer.

For starters as anyone who knows me will attest my computer is the one nice thing I own, everything else is just filler. With this in mind my computer clocks in with 2 gigs of ram; an over clocked quad core processor, and a 768 MB graphics card. MY computer runs Vista flawlessly; in fact if you have the hardware Vista can be really nice sleek operating system. But there’s the problem considering the work place.

Anyone who has worked in an office setting will attest that most of the computers are between 2-5 years old and will almost always have 2nd rate components. If you happen to work in a higher end office setting you might fare slightly better but it’s unlikely that there will be more hardware available then you currently need to run programs like Word and Excel. At bare minimum computers running Vista should have 512MB of ram (Memory), but I wouldn’t want to run it on less than a gig (1024MB). As the price of computer technology continues to drop this is becoming more and more possible to accommodate but in an office place with multitudes of computers to consider the price of upgrades can still break the bank.

In related news Microsoft has backed down from its previous position of killing support of XP at the end of June 2008. Now Microsoft has unceremoniously extended support of XP until April 2014. This should give all concerned parties considerable opportunity to plan and upgrade by the new deadline.

If you are considering a possible Vista upgrade and would like assistance with crossover contact It Computer Support of New York and learn what we can do for you.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

The Economics of Computer Tech Support

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:54:00 +0000

With the economic downturn of the American economy many businesses are faced with the problem of cutting cost but keeping quality high. Until recently the tech support branches of American businesses had been largely impervious to the problems faced by the economy. Recent studies, however, have shown that that this might have led many to a false sense of security. With no guaranty that the economy will be picking up in the near future many IT branches have had their income compensations stagnated without an increase in sight.

With the economic problems many companies have been forced to cut expenses’ or cut funding entirely. The result of the cuts is that more and more of the jobs once performed by in-house staff are being moved out of the country by outsourcing. The problem with this is it creates a vicious cycle for the economy. By outsourcing businesses save money and that savings can be passed onto the client but ultimate by removing a worker from the equation the economy is further damaged. If the cycle continues long enough you end up with an even smaller distribution of wealth; after which is becomes difficult to recover.

Perhaps the most troubling repercussion of this trend is the fact that people who would once be happy to take the IT positions in a company are now reluctant to take a chance. Worried that with the possibility of cuts there is little job security to look forward to. With the future uncertain it is hard to say just how the economic situation will play out. It’s possible that the current stagnation is unjustified but until the situation untangles itself it is very likely that many more companies will follow suit.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

SEO: Optimizing for Success

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Keene) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:43:00 +0000

In this day and age a high percentage of the words business is carried out over the web. With the rising cost of fuel and the growing ease of digital distribution this doesn’t look to be going in any direction except for up. With this in mind Search Engine Optimization is going to grow even further in importance and as a business owner, or even a web hobbyist its crucial to understand just how important SEO really is.

In the traditional world of business your appearance and your handshake were two of the most important first steps to gaining a foot in the door. In the digital world appearance still amounts for a lot but having the best looking website in the world isn’t going to matter if no one can find you. Many web design firms offer attractive looking design packages that sparkle and look pretty but most are put together in what I like to call “conveyor belt production”. Instead of taking the time to make sure everything works at an optimum level they take all the parts off the shelf, shove them together, put a new coat of paint on top to hide the seams and shove them out the door with a pretty bow; Enjoy!

The truth is search engine optimization requires as much research and planning as it does application. What works in one industry is not guaranteed to work in another and although there are common trends to follow you need to consider your target market before you head down that path.

You will also see many website promising fast results and 100% web traffic growth. These Black Hat Optimizers do offer a service that works…for a time. The problem is they utilize search engine exploits that gather results usually for about a month. The hitch is that search engine companies know of the exploits and keep a watchful eye out for them. If they catch your website using these techniques you will be blacklisted and after your first month of glory you will be lucky to break the top 40. Not a good place to be.

But if you do your research you can find people that will help your website gain real results. IT Computer Support of New York has time tested experience bringing websites with no search engine listings into the top five. If you feel like your company is losing money because you are not gaining all the online traffic you should be give us a call at 212-242-2949 and we will talk you through ways we believe your website could be improved.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department