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August 2014
August 2014
Inside This Issue…
Could The Dog Days Of Summer Be A Threat To Your Business?
How To Ensure The Heat Doesn’t Fry Your Server (And Your Profits!)
With the “dog days” of summer upon us, most business owners are looking for ways to keep their company’s sales and profits HOT, while keeping their IT expenses COOL. But if proper at-tention is not given to your server and network equipment dur-ing the summer, all that heat outside can actually bring your company’s growth to a grinding halt and increase your IT ex-penses significantly. Excess heat can be a big problem for small to mid-sized busi-ness servers, since a server that becomes overheated usually costs more in energy, fails more often and is more likely to crash. For most companies, a server crash can mean hours or days of downtime, unproductive employees, HUGE amounts of stress and thousands of dollars in lost opportunity.
“7 Steps Every Business Owner Must Take To Prevent A Server Crash”
Here are a few simple things you can do to prevent your server and network equipment from overheating and crashing this summer: 1. Tidy up the server room; a neater room will increase air-
flow. 2. Keep the doors to the server room closed and seal off the
space. 3. Make sure cold air reaches all the equipment. 4. Have a redundant A/C that is specifically designed for
computers. 5. Buy a rack enclosure where the cooling is built into the bot-
tom of the rack. 6. Keep the temperature at no more than 77 degrees Fahren-
heit. 7. Consider virtualization or cloud computing so that you are
generating a lower amount of heat in the first place.
Protect your server and computer equipment from frying with our FREE “Beat The Heat” Network Audit. Schedule your “Beat The Heat” Audit today by calling our office at 843-418-4792. Offer Expires 8/31/14.
Are the Dog Days Of Summer A Threat To
Your Business?...Page 1
Student Laptop Buyer’s Guide...Page 2
What Business Owners MUST Know About IT
Support Services And Fees...Page 2
Online Teleprompter...Page 3
6 Things Leaders Forget To Do...Page 3
Computer Freedom … Page 4
Scariest Digital Security Stories … Page 5
Obscure Windows Tools …. Page 6—7
Is Your Website Vulnerable?...Page 8
Silly Summer Stories...Page 8
“As a business owner, you don’t have time to waste on technical and operational issues. That’s where we shine! Call us and put an end to your IT problems finally and forever!” - Lisa Carter, SpartanTec, Inc.
Loris, South Carolina
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective “Insider Tips To Make Your Business Run Faster, Easier And More Profitably”
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
Tip #5: Consider touch screen hybrids. Many Windows 8 devices such as the SurfacePro allow you to use the device as sort of a tablet/laptop hybrid. For kids that grew up on tablets and smartphones, these hybrids make them feel right at home with their new computer and actually make them more efficient.
Tip #6: Mac versus PC. This decision is really up to you and your preferences. Software choices these days allow your student to do just fine with either choice. Choose whichever operating sys-tem your student is used to using and they’ll do just fine.
Still unsure what to buy? Don’t hesitate to give us a call and we’ll be happy to guide you in the right direction. We’re here to help.
August 2014
Student Laptop Buyer’s Guide: Use These 6 Tips When
Buying Your Student’s New Laptop This Fall School is almost back in session. If you’re in the market for pur-chasing a new laptop for one of your children (it seems like anyone from elementary schoolchildren to college graduates need a laptop these days, right?), here are 7 tips to get the most out of your laptop purchase.
Tip #1: Bigger is NOT necessarily better when it comes to lap-tops. If your student is on the go, smaller laptops are going to be your best bet. Go for less than 4 lbs. and either 11” or 13” screen size. The SurfacePro, UltraBook or MacBook Airs are all solid options for most students.
Tip #2: Pay for a good design. A student will be using their lap-top day in and day out. Choose sleek over clunky. Also opt for a design that is made to protect the display and resist wear and tear over the next few years of use.
Tip #3: Buy for the long haul. Think about how long you want your student’s computer to last. Make the mistake of saving a few bucks now for a cheaper processor, lower memory or smaller hard drive and you’ll be regretting that decision when you’re buying another laptop in 2 years instead of 3 or 4.
Tip #4: Go for long battery life… your student will use it! Six hours of battery life is the MINIMUM spec you should pur-chase. If you can get 10+ hours of battery life in your budget, go for it.
The Business Owners’ Guide To IT
Support Services And Fees You will learn: The 3 most common ways IT services companies charge for their services, and the pros and
cons of each approach.
A common billing model that puts ALL THE RISK on you, the customer, when buying IT ser-vices; you’ll learn what it is and why you need to avoid agreeing to it.
Exclusions, hidden fees and other “gotcha” clauses IT companies put in their contracts that you DON’T want to agree to.
How to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting to avoid disappointment, frustra-tion and added costs later on that you didn’t anticipate.
Claim Your FREE Copy Today at www.SpartanTec.com/ITbuyersguide
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
CuePrompter is a free tele-prompter/autocue service. Your browser works like a teleprompt-er—no extra software needed! You can use it for free in both commercial and non-commercial settings! Videos are a great way to get cli-ents to hear what you have to say, whether you post your video on Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+, or whether you e-mail it out to your clients. CuePrompter makes cre-ating those videos so much easi-er—now you don’t have to look down at your notes or memorize your three-minute speech, and the best part of this neat web site? It’s totally free. CuePrompter works well with most operating systems and browsers and allows you to make the text as big as you need it to be. It’s easy to control the speed settings as well as reverse and fast-forward as needed. This handy gadget can be found for FREE at www.CuePrompter.com. Just type in what you want to say, and you’re in business. Now go out and make a video!
August 2014
Quick tips to prevent identity theft
Create unique, strong passwords for all your online accounts: use at least eight
characters, including a mix of letters, numbers, special characters, and upper/
lowercase.
Handle your personally identifiable information (PII) with care, and be careful
who you give it to.
Check your credit reports annually.
Don't carry more cards than necessary.
Use a firewall and anti-virus software to protect your computers and mobile de-
vices.
Shiny New Gadget
Of The Month:
CuePrompter Online Teleprompter
6 THINGS LEADERS FORGET TO DO THAT PUT THEM AT RISK
There’s much to remember to be a successful leader. Sometimes leaders get so busy and engrossed with day-to-day operations that they forget some critical activities. Here are 6 items that need to be on your leadership agenda: 1. Grow a replacement. Your employer can’t promote you until they have someone to replace you. You can’t move up in the organization if you’re the only one who can do that job where you’re at right now. And if you’re the top boss, you can’t let succession planning languish or the fate of your entire organization hangs in the balance. 2. Anticipate problems. Most problems simmer on the back burner before they start to boil over. Like a professional pilot, you’ve got to be scanning all your instruments and the horizon to make sure you don’t get slammed by a potential problem (or at least be completely ready for the problems you can’t avoid). 3. Exploit opportunities. Most leaders know what (and who) is wrong, but they become oblivious to opportunities. Who are the star performers who need recognition and development? What are the great opportunities just waiting to be seized? It isn’t simply positive/negative thinking: it is about being as focused on the good and opportunistic as you are on the bad and problematic. 4. Change before it is necessary. We all know about the power of disruption and its potential to ruin us. Why do we wait until the last moment to change? Why not preempt? Staying successful isn’t based on your ability to change: it is based on your ability to change faster than your competitors, the needs of your customers and the demands of the marketplace. If you have to change just to keep up, you’ve lost whatever competitive advantage you could have enjoyed by changing sooner. 5. Stay relevant. What does it even mean to be relevant? Relevancy is about being closely connected: your colleagues, your customer and vendors, and your marketplace. You are deemed relevant when others believe you affect them and their success, and that therefore you and your work matter. In business, customers make the evaluation as to a firm’s relevance. What are you doing to stay up-to-date and salient about what matters most to those you lead and serve? 6. Take care of themselves. “Taking care of yourself” seems selfish, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why so many leaders neglect to do so. Consider: if you’re going to model the energy you expect from others, give support and lead the way, you need to be at the top of your game, mentally, emotionally and physically. Burned-out leaders burn out followers. The right diet, exercise and rest aren’t luxuries but very real necessities for successful leadership. With so much to do, you need to keep a clear and up-to-date agenda of the truly important things you consistently need to do. To work without an agenda—and to forget to do the 6 things above—puts you at risk as a leader.
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
August 2014
Finally! An Easy Way for You to Lower
Your IT Support Costs While Practically Eliminating
Frustrating Computer
Problems, Error Messages, and Downtime
Announcing Our New Business “SecureCare Computer Freedom” Plan Designed to Lower
Your IT Costs While Making Your Network Run Faster and With Fewer Problems
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
It’s a fact of life: Computers need regular preventative maintenance to run smooth and secure. Ignore your
computer network and you’ll end up with slow, unstable machines that are susceptible to viruses, hackers,
data corruption, data loss, downtime, and general problems that annoy you and your staff. That’s why
we’re so excited to offer our customers a service that will take the work and worry of computer mainte-
nance off their plate.
We call it our Business “SecureCare Computer Freedom” Plan. Under this program, you will get the
basic computer network support you need for one low, fixed monthly rate without any surprises, hidden
costs, or the expense of a full time IT staff! Just look at the benefits:
You’ll eliminate expensive repairs and data recovery costs. Our network monitoring and maintenance
will allow us to see and prevent network problems before they turn into downtime and expensive
repair bills.
As a matter of fact, we guarantee it.
You’ll eliminate expensive trip fees while receiving faster support. Our remote monitoring software
will enable us to access and repair most network problems right from our offices. No more wait-
ing around for a technician to show up!
How does faster performance, fewer error messages, and practically zero downtime sound to you?
Under this program, that is exactly what we’ll deliver. Some parts of your system will degrade in
performance over time, causing them to slow down, hang up, and crash. Under this plan we’ll
make sure your network receives the critical maintenance it needs for maximum speed, perfor-
mance, and reliability.
You will sleep easier knowing the “gremlins at the gate” are being kept out of your network. If you
rely on your computer network for daily operations, it's time to get serious about protecting it
from viruses, hackers, spyware, and even disgruntled employees. Under this plan, we’ll keep
watch.
As your trusted IT service provider, we promise to work with you to minimize risks and support your
security needs.
Call US Right Now 843-418-4792 or
e-mail: [email protected]
August 2014
“93% of companies that lost their data for 10 days or more filed for bankrupty within one year of the disaster, and 50% filed for bankruptcy immediately.” (Source: National Archives and Records Administration in Washington)
8 Scariest digital security stories of 2014 (so far)
Barely halfway through 2014, the year's already poised to become the scariest
yet for digital security.
Bad moon rising
We’ve seen hacks against big-name retailers like eBay, Michael’s, and Neiman Marcus—plus
hotels, online forums, and numerous other websites. The current tally of compromised credit
cards from major breaches is closing in on 5 million, and online accounts?—half a billion.
Heartbleed bleeds the web
This devastating bug threatened to expose usernames and passwords, user data, and even the
SSL keys sites use to securely identify themselves.
TrueCrypt shuts up shop
In May, customers were shocked to be suddenly rerouted from the TrueCrypt encryption soft-
ware's website to the project’s SourceForge page. There, they found this message:
“WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues.”
Breaches, breaches, and more breaches
Michael’s joined eBay in the data breach Hall of Shame, along with AOL, Avast's online fo-
rums, Holiday Inn and Marriott Hotels, and Neiman Marcus. Restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s
La Oops
LaCie announced in April. The hard drive and peripheral storage maker said its online store-
front had endured a whopping year-long data heist.
Ransom goes rampant
Malicious software that threatens to ruin your PC if you don’t pay a certain amount of money
is an old game. In late May, iOS users around the world woke up to find their iDevices locked
via Apple's Find My iPhone service, with hackers demanding money to restore them. Then in
June, security firm ESET found the first example of file-encrypting ransomware on Android. GnuTu Fail In February and March, both Apple and the Linux community were scrambling to fix flaws in their implementations of online security protocols. Pliable crypto-currency Bitcoin security hit a road bump in February: A flaw dubbed “transaction malleability” led to attacks against several Bitcoin exchanges, according to Bitcoin news site Coindesk. Outlook snoop In March, Microsoft ‘fessed that it snooped on the personal email of both a blogger and a for-mer employee, seeking evidence that the employee was leaking proprietary company infor-mation to the blogger. (To its credit, Microsoft revamped its privacy policy after the backlash.) By: Ian Paul
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
Social Media
Follow us and stay connected with us across the web and throughout your day.
http://www.SpartanTec.com/
Tips to Blanket
Your Home or
Small Office
with WiFi
1. Choose the best ac-
cess point location
2. Use the least
crowded WiFi
channels
3. Update your WiFi
router’s firmware
4. Update your WiFi
adapter’s firmware
5. Consider alterna-
tive firmware
6. Reconfigure a cast
off router as a
wireless access
point or repeater
7. Plug your USB
WiFi adapter into
a cradle
8. Upgrade your
WiFi’s antennae
9. Deploy a WiFi
range extender
10. Upgrade to a new
router or wireless
access point.
August 2014
Obscure Windows tools and tricks too powerful to overlook
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
The beauty of Windows lies in its flexibility and depth. In fact, Windows is so deep and flexible that many of us never touch its
more powerful tools, whether from unawareness or sheer forgetfulness. But beneath Internet Explorer and the Start button hides
a universe of tools and tricks that are brimming with potential. GodMode
GodMode is a developer tool that collates the operating system's customization options into a single location, an Easter Egg that
makes it far easier to exert your will over Windows. Just right-click the Windows desktop and select New > Folder. Name it
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} —you can actually switch out "GodMode" for any other name, but
the period and all the info afterwards have to be exact. If you did it right, the folder icon will switch to the Control Panel icon.
Problem Steps Recorder
This tool creates an HTML slideshow of your actions, recording your moves step-by-step so that you can show your IT admin
exactly what you're doing when you run into a problem. To open the Problem Steps Recorder, simply search for psr in the Win-
dows 7 Start menu or Windows 8's Start screen. The tool should pop up and is very straightforward to use.
Windows Reliability Monitor
Your PC may be behaving badly, even if it doesn't appear so outwardly. However, Windows Reliability Monitor shows all prob-
lems that Windows has encountered in a chronological chart, which you can sort and click through for more information on a
day-by-day and case-by-case basis. The tool's especially handy while you're tracking down trouble programs that could be the
cause of weird crashes. To open the Reliability Monitor, open the Control Panel and head to System and Security > Review your
computer's status and resolve issues (under Action Center) > Maintenance > View reliability history (under "Check for solu-
tions to problem reports").
Get a power efficiency report
Windows can give you a detailed report on your laptop's power efficiency, if you know where to look for it. Search for Com-
mand Prompt via the Start menu (Win7) or Start screen (Win8), then right-click on the Command Prompt result and select Run
as administrator. Then enter powercfg -energy -output FolderEnergy_Report.html into the Command Prompt, replacing
"Folder" with a file path to the folder of your choice. Windows will analyze things for a while, then produce the Energy Report,
which you'll be able to read in a browser. It can be a bit technical, but it also includes suggestions for optimizing your notebook's
power performance.
Shake and shrink
Click and hold the title bar of the program you're working in, then shake it back and forth rapidly. All other open windows will
minimize to the task bar, leaving your desktop nice and clutter-free.
Encrypt your files
Encrypting your data is a great way to make sure your files stay safe even if your PC is stolen or hacked. Microsoft's BitLock-
er—built into Windows Vista or 7 Ultimate, Windows Vista or 7 Enterprise, and Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise—can encrypt
your entire drive.
Calibrate your display
Head into the Control Panel again, then select Display. You want the Calibrate color option in the left-hand options pane.
August 2014
Make Windows play nice with high-DPI displays
Super-high-resolution displays are becoming the norm these days. Unfortunately, Windows still suffers from scaling issues with
pixel-packed displays, often making text appear small or blurry. The easiest way to fix this is with Windows’ global scaling op-
tions, which you can find by opening the Control Panel and heading to Display > Custom Sizing Options. Here, you can change
scaling by a percentage or via a tool that resembles a ruler. The Display page also offers scaling options for text alone.
Schedule tasks to automate your digital life
Task Scheduler helps you set schedules for running specific Windows applications, such as backups or a maintenance tool like
CCleaner. Task Scheduler also lets you create complex scripts of tasks, which can run in order and at particular times. You can find
it by selecting Schedule tasks when the option appears. Be warned: This powerful tool is designed for power users, complete with
an obscure interface.
Tweak the programs that start at boot
Many of the programs you install run at startup by default, and that's bound to eat up your memory and slow down the boot process
over time. Fortunately, Windows includes tools that lets you manually select which programs are allowed to boot up alongside the
operating system. Windows 8 makes it easy with a helpful Startup tab in the Task Manager. You have to jump through more hoops
in previous versions of the OS. Press Win + R to bring up the Run command, then search for msconfig and open the Startup tab in
the window that opens. Don't kill anything if you're not sure what it does, but feel free to get rid of common offenders like Steam or
iTunes.
Force Windows to show all your drives
Windows' File Explorer won't show any drives that are completely empty by default, which can be a hassle when you're working
with SD cards or flash drives. First, open File Explorer. In Windows 7, press Alt to bring up the top menu, then head to Tools >
Folder Options > View. Under Advanced Settings, uncheck the box next to "Hide empty drives in the Computer folder" and hit OK.
In Windows 8, open File Explorer's View tab and open Options > Change folder and search options. Look for the same option un-
der Advanced Settings. This list of advanced view settings also lets you opt to show hidden files and folders.
Handy hotkeys
Speaking of keyboard shortcuts, here are some lesser-known options.
-Win + (left or right arrow) to pin current window to respective screen edge
-Win + m to minimize all desktop windows
-Win + R to open the run command
-Win + X to open Windows 8's powerful Quick Access Menu
-Alt + Tab to switch between open programs
-Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager
Tailor your taskbar
The basic Windows taskbar works well enough, but it offers a wealth of customization options for power users. Simply right-click
on it and select Properties, then spend some time digging around: You're able to adjust the taskbar's position, auto-hide it if desired,
and add additional toolbars, and more.
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
Obscure Windows tools and tricks too powerful to overlook (cont’d)
How to Grow Strawberries: Farmer Evans was driving his John
Deere tractor along the road with a trailer load of fertilizer. Tim, a little boy of 8, was playing in his yard when he saw the farmer and asked, “What’ve you got in your trailer?”
“Manure,” Farmer Evans replied. “What are you going to do with it?”
asked Tim. “Put it on my strawberries,” an-
swered the farmer. Tim replied, “You ought to come and
eat with us, we put ice cream on our strawberries.”
Young Entrepreneur:
Robert, who was 6 years old, was looking at the ripe red tomatoes grow-ing in Farmer White’s garden. “I’ll give you my 2 pennies for that tomato,” said Robert, pointing to a beautiful, large, ripe fruit hanging on the vine.
“No, I can’t do that,” replied Farmer White. “I can get a dime for a tomato like that one.”
So Robert pointed to a smaller green tomato: “Will you take 2 pennies for that one?' “Oh, yes,” answered the farmer, “I'll give you that one for 2 cents.”
“Okay,” said Robert smiling, sealing the deal by putting the coins in the Farmer White's hand, “I'll collect it in a week's time.”
August 2014
Warning: If You Are Using WordPress For Your Company Website, There Is A 73%
Chance Your Site Is Vulnerable To Be Hacked
Hackers are crazy busy right now, and WordPress websites are their favorite target! So far this year, hackers have broken every record to date. In 2012, there were roughly 192,000 WordPress sites worldwide. In March 2014 alone, a single hacker used 162,000 hacked WordPress websites in just one single attack. A recent study by EnableSecurity concluded that 73% of the 40,000 most popular websites that use WordPress software are vulnerable to attack. WordPress is the most popular blogging and content manage-ment system in the world and powers 1 out of every 5 websites. The main culprit in these vulnerabilities is violating the first rule of WordPress security - not running the most up to date version of Word-Press. In fact, if you’re not running the very latest version of Word-Press, then the chances that your site is vulnerable to any hackers using simple, free automated tools.
Here are 5 quick tips on keeping your WordPress website secure: 1. Always run the very latest version of WordPress. 2. Be conservative in your selection of plugins and themes (and
run the latest versions of these). 3. Make sure every user has their own strong password. 4. Put a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of your website. 5. Force logins and admin access to use HTTPS.
The Lighter Side:
Silly Summer Stories
This month we have two trivia questions.
During which year did Congress pass a bill to make July 4th an official
holiday?
a) 1776 b) 1870 c) 1920 d) 1893
Which of these celebrities was NOT born in August?
a) Michael Jackson b) Lucille Ball c) Bill Clinton d) Taylor Swift
e) Patrick Swayze
The first person to respond with the correct answers to both questions
will receive a gift card.
SpartanTec’s Secure Perspective
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://www.SpartanTec.com
E-mail Us Right Now With Your Answer! [email protected]
Trivia Challenge Quiz
