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Bits-N-Bytes

Welcome to the IntegrIT Network Solutions "Bits-N-Bytes" newsletter with tips to help you keep your computers and network running efficiently. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, manage and opt-out links are provided at the bottom of the newsletter. This will not impact your other email alerts. 

We're here, ready to help you fully control and manage your IT systems so that you can focus on growing your business, increasing sales, and meeting your goals. It's easy to reach us!

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We will contact you within 24 hours or less. Happy Computing! 

IntegrIT Network Solutions, Inc., Bringing Integrity and IT Together™

Common Vulnerabilities in Many Common Applications Still Exploited by Hackers

The continued exploit of many vulnerable applications that have been fixed by vendors for over a year highlight the need to keep software updated with the latest versions and patches.

A new report released by security firm M86 Security reveals a trend toward more sophisticated forms of malware in taking advantage of vulnerabilities in common software applications and developing techniques to avoid detection.

In M86’s report, among the applications commonly exploited are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Adobe Reader. Another vector for malware that hackers have been using recently is Java and Adobe’s Flash—which are installed on many PCs, often as plug-ins to most browsers.

Although the vulnerabilities in these applications have been identified and patched for over a year, failure to keep up with the latest updates have made many systems still vulnerable to attack. Our customers taking advantage of our Managed Security need not worry, since we make sure our customers’ systems are patched as soon as updates become available. Find out more about our Security Offerings today.

Contact us at 425-787-0193 or info@integrit-network.com to discuss how to move from "worry" to "worry free".

Happy Computing from IntegrIT Network Solutions, Inc.!

CLOUD COMPUTER SERIES - PART 4

This is my final article in the Cloud Computing series. I too have learned a lot while doing my research in preparing for each article. As the old saying goes, “If you want to know how much you know about a topic, teach it!” In my case, write about it.

The number one concern I hear from small business owners when the subject of “the cloud” comes up is, "How safe is my company’s and clients’ data?" So I thought it would be appropriate to end the series addressing this question. Let’s take a look.

Can We Trust the Cloud?

A few weeks back, Google broke the story about a major cyber attack against their internal systems. During Google’s ongoing investigation they found at least 20 other large corporations were targeted; U.S. Congressional and industry sources suggest at least 34. The repercussions of this attack on large computer systems has created waves across the computer industry to the top levels of government, with demands for an explanation being made from the White House.

What You Can Do:

From the first computer virus in 1971  and into the foreseeable future, the reality is we can never be complacent about computer security. This means establishing and maintaining best security practices all the way to keeping your Facebook account secure. Some good ways to keep your computer secure include:

• Always keep your Windows or Mac computer updated with the latest security updates.

• Use a modern, high-quality anti-virus software and ensure it is kept updated. Use secure, proven browser software when accessing the internet.

• Practice common sense while browsing, avoid web sites you do not know or trust. Visiting web sites or using P2P file sharing software that promise “free” illicit content such as commercial software, music, movies or adult material may expose your computer to dangerous malware. This includes smart phones.

• Back up your data regularly

• Maintain physical security of your equipment, especially with portable devices such as a laptop computer, smart phone or PDA. Password-protect and encrypt your data where applicable.

• Use a good password and do not share it with others. Change your password if you suspect unauthorized persons might know it.

To find out more about the benefits of cloud computing and how it can make sense for your company, contact IntegrIT Network Solutions at 425-787-0193 or click HERE to send us an email now.

About the Author: Larry Owens is President and Chief Technologist at IntegrIT Network Solutions, Inc. For more information go to www.integrit-network.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Client Spotlight: Mobile Electric Distributors

Every month we choose a customer to be our “Client of the Month.” It’s our way of acknowledging clients and thanking those who support us and our business with referrals and repeat business.

Colleen Hallet, Owner

This month’s featured client of the month is Mobile Electric Distributors. Located in Seattle, Washington, Mobile Electric is a woman owned electrical supplier for all residential, commercial, and industrial needs. They also deal in fluorescent lamp and ballast recycling, custom made temporary power poles, and many more items and services. They specialize in bringing hard to find and obscure electrical items to their customers, as well as ALL your electrical needs.

Here’s what Colleen had to say about IntegrIT Network Solutions: "With the Rest Assured™ Service offering from IntegrIT Network Solutions, Inc., we are finally able to budget our IT expenses without surprises! I would give them an A+++++++! It’s like having our very own IT manager. They just make everything work! The service that you provide takes one worry off of my plate. I can focus on my responsibilities. A quick response. A+ on service!"

To learn more about Mobile Electric Distributors, visit their web site at http://www.mobileelec.com/.

Thank you for being our featured Client of The Month, we appreciate you! As a token of our appreciation we’re sending you a $25 gas gift card!

You might be my next Client Of The Month . . . Watch for your name and picture here!

Microsoft Case Study -- Business Productivity Online Standard Suite

Media Firm Adds Business Value, Avoids $500,000 by Moving Email System Online

Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI) is a leading lifestyle media company, developing popular TV programming such as the Food Network, Home and Garden Television, and related websites and magazines. When parent company E.W. Scripps spun off SNI as a separate company, SNI had to set up its own email messaging system in eight months. To meet the deadline and provide low-cost, high-quality messaging services to its 2,000 employees, SNI subscribed to the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite. SNI migrated all 2,000 mailboxes to Microsoft Exchange Online in just three weekends and obtained a full-featured messaging system for one-third the cost of a partner-hosted solution. In addition to realizing lower capital and operational costs, SNI no longer has to worry about email infrastructure.

Situation

In 2008, media conglomerate and parent company E.W. Scripps, which owns hundreds of TV stations, websites, and publishing ventures, made the strategic decision to spin off SNI as a stand-alone company. SNI needed to give its 2,000 employees the same enterprise-class messaging services that they had enjoyed at the parent firm, namely, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and the Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 messaging and collaboration client.

The SNI IT staff had a very short time in which to build the required infrastructure and limited people resources with which to support it. The IT team also had to guarantee that no interruptions of the email messaging service would occur during the transition, either to the Office Outlook 2007 client or to BlackBerry mobile messaging services that are used by 800 employees.

Solution

As SNI was creating its own IT operation, management realized that certain infrastructure services were better delivered as hosted services “in the cloud”—that is, by third-party providers hosting applications over the Internet through their data centers—rather than running and managing those applications and underlying servers in-house. SNI had moved other applications into the cloud and knew that it would see a significant capital savings by avoiding the purchase of messaging servers, storage, and software licensing.

But there were other advantages. “There are also operational advantages to running software in the cloud,” says Siva Akurati, Director, Strategic Sourcing and Vendor Management Office for Scripps Networks Interactive. “We would reduce maintenance costs, since someone else is managing those servers. We wanted our IT staff to focus on business innovation, not managing messaging servers. Plus, with a hosted email service, we would always be up-to-date on the latest software.”

Move to Online Email
In late 2008, SNI was on the verge of signing an agreement for a partner-hosted email solution—SNI would purchase and own the hardware and software, but a partner would host it—when it learned about the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite. Part of Microsoft Online Services, the Business Productivity Online Standard Suite includes Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, and Microsoft Office Communications Online. Companies subscribe to these online services through partners or directly through Microsoft, and gain instant access to the latest Microsoft messaging and collaboration software.

Quickly Migrate 2,000 Mailboxes
E.W. Scripps had asked SNI to be off of its email network by June 1, 2009, giving the IT team eight months to transfer 2,000 mailboxes to Microsoft Exchange Online. In March 2009, the IT staff launched a three-week pilot program of the online service with about 75 IT staff members. It wanted to evaluate performance, ease of use, and Microsoft service.

Implement Rich Email Services
By subscribing to Microsoft Exchange Online, which is based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, SNI was able to upgrade the company’s messaging infrastructure from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2007—without purchasing a single server or installing and testing any new software. Another big plus was far easier access to email messages for remote workers. “Users don’t have to use VPNs [virtual private networks] to get to their email messages anymore,” Burnett adds. “Many of our employees travel or work from home, and now they can get to their email from any web browser.”

Benefits

By subscribing to Microsoft Exchange Online, SNI was able to deliver not only seamless but improved email service to its 2,000 employees in less than a month. It avoided considerable capital and operational expenses and has outsourced all email-related worries to Microsoft.

Three-Weekend Migration
Using Microsoft Online Services, SNI was able to get a full-featured, enterprise-class messaging system deployed to users in less than 30 days. “By moving to Microsoft Exchange Online, we were able to set up a fully functional messaging environment in just three weekends,” Akurati says. “Transitioning to a traditional outsourced solution usually takes 60 to 90 days, because of steps for testing, training, documenting, sharing knowledge, and other processes, which we completely eliminated with Microsoft Exchange Online.”

Cost Avoidance of $500,000 Annually
SNI also significantly lowered messaging costs—by a factor of three or four—by subscribing to Microsoft Online Services. “The cost of building an on-premises messaging infrastructure from scratch and staffing was twice as high as the cost of Microsoft Online Services, and the cost of going the partner-hosted route was three or four times higher,” Hale says. “By going with Microsoft Online Services, we made a strategic decision to work with Microsoft in building long-term business value, and we avoided $500,000 annually on the cost of an on-premises environment. We also avoided an approximate $475,000 in one-time costs to buy the needed hardware.”

Outsourced Email Worries
Another huge value of Microsoft Online Services to SNI is that the IT staff simply doesn’t have to think about messaging on a day-to-day basis. “We don’t have to lay out a strategic migration plan or budget for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010,” Akurati says. “We are putting no time into it; Microsoft will simply turn it on for us when it’s available. The only thing that we have to worry about is the cultural adoption of new products; Microsoft takes care of the technical issues. Our staff is frMicrosoft Case Study -- Business Productivity Online Standard Suite ur company more competitive and attract more viewers and subscribers.”

Computer Tip of the Month

Wi-Fi hot-spots for checking e-mail and hopping on the Internet can be found in airports, coffee shops, bookstores, and even some fast food restaurants. For the uninitiated, Wi-Fi hot-spots are areas where you can use your wireless laptop to surf the Web and check e-mail.

But have you ever wondered just how safe it is to connect? With the proliferation of hackers, viruses and identity theft at an all time high, you are smart to be concerned. Unfortunately, it is easy for a hacker to set up a Wi-Fi hot-spot to access your laptop, called an "evil twin."

An evil twin is a wireless hot-spot that is used to lure people from a nearby, legitimate hot-spot. For example, when logging in at your favorite coffee shop, you may have inadvertently logged into an evil twin Internet connection set up by the person working on a laptop at the next table.

Just like legitimate sites, evil twins allow you access to the Internet, but in the background they record everything you are typing. Log onto your email, investment website, bank account, or buy something online, and they are recording your keystrokes. You may be asking, "How do I protect myself at Wi-Fi hot-spots?" First you need to make sure the hot-spot is legitimate.

You can do this by asking someone who works at the Wi-Fi location; in fact, some businesses will give you printed instructions that include the hot-spot name. Even here you need to be careful. Many times, in an attempt to make you feel comfortable, the hacker will use an evil twin name that mimics the legitimate hot-spot and, on some occasions, the fake site may even show up at the top of your network list by having a stronger signal than the legitimate site.

The best way to ensure your privacy and safety when on a public "hot-spot" is to never access your banking, investments or e-mail when you are connected. If you only use these sites to surf the web and look up information, you should not have any problems with the bad guys of this world.

If you have questions about keeping your laptop secure when you travel, give our tech support staff a call any time at 1-866-578-6220... they will be more than happy to answer any security questions you have.

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How to Delay Sending a Message in Outlook

There are a lot of reasons you might want to delay sending a message in Outlook. Maybe you want to get all of your “happy birthday” messages for the year written and scheduled. Perhaps you want to make sure a message reaches a recipient in a different time zone at the beginning of their day, even if it’s midnight where you are. Whatever the goal, chances are you’ll need to use this function someday. Here’s how.

In Office 2003 and earlier versions of Outlook, write your message as normal. When you’re finished, go to the Options button on the toolbar. Go to the “Delivery options” segment of the Message Options dialog box that opens. Check the box that says “Do not deliver before” and then use the drop-down messages to select a date and time. Click the Close button when you’re done and hit Send on your message.

The steps are basically the same with Office 2007 and later versions, except that you start by finding the Delay Delivery button on the Options ribbon (see below).

Here’s what the Message Options dialog looks like in Office 2007 for a message scheduled to go out at 9:30am on July 23, 2010.

Now, a note about how Delay Delivery actually works. Depending on what kind of messaging service you use, the message may “live” in a different place until it actually sends.

If you’re using a POP or IMAP setup, the message will sit in your Outlook outbox until the send time arrives. If you have Outlook up and running at the send time, your message will go out as scheduled. If you do not have Outlook running, the message will remain unsent until the next time you start it up.

If you’re on an Exchange server, the message will “live” on the Exchange server until the send time – it doesn’t matter if your own personal Outlook client is open or not. As long as your server is up, the message will send as scheduled.