Quick and Easy Screenshots with the Windows7 Snipping Tool

In the past, people who wanted to take screen shots had several options, none of them great: paid software like Techsmith’s SnagIt, which works well but costs a pretty penny; or Alt+PrintScreen (which captures full screens) or Alt+Shift+PrintScreen (which captures the active window), but require remembering keyboard shortcuts and don’t give you much control.

In this week’s Video QuickTip, we show you how to use Windows 7’s “Snipping Tool” to capture screenshots in a variety of methods. Click the image below to watch.

Anti-Virus Alone is Not Enough

Unfortunately, keeping your computers and network secure isn’t as simple as merely installing an anti-virus (A/V) program. Cyber criminals have multiple potential points of access, and they all need protection. At minimum, this is what you need:

Firewall – A firewall sits between your network and the Internet and is the “doorman” for your infrastructure. Everything that goes in or out of your network passes through the firewall. Properly configured, a firewall keeps your data and sensitive information safely within your network, while keeping unauthorized intruders out.

Spyware scanner and removal tool – Spyware are small applications or cookies that reside on your computer and report on your activities to a third party. Spyware may watch for which websites you visit or what you’re shopping for and may even redirect you to websites you don’t intend to visit. More nefarious versions may log your passwords. Spyware removal tools compare the files on your computer to a long list of known spyware, identify suspicious items, and wipe them from your computer. Like A/V programs, these tools work best only when updated to the most recent list spyware definitions.

Acceptable use policy – Acceptable use policies (AUPs) address the biggest security risk of all—the human sitting in front of the computer. An AUP consists of a set of guidelines and procedures that you and your employees must follow to avoid compromising your network’s security. AUPs may include rules about connecting personal devices such as cell phones or USB drives to the company’s network, protocols for choosing secure passwords, and/or reminders not to inadvertently reveal sensitive information to hackers using social engineering to gain access.

For in-depth advice on employing multiple layers of security to protect your business from hackers, malware, and even accidental disasters, contact CMIT Solutions of Central RI at 401.385.9966.

Using the Google Search Box for More than Just Searching

Let’s face it: Google is everywhere. Much to the chagrin of the company’s trademark attorneys, the name has become synonymous with “search,” but there’s much more you can do with that little rectangle than just search for content.

Here are a few of our favorite tricks:

Check flight status – Enter the name of the airline, the word “flight,” and the flight number, and Google will show you the latest status.

Convert currency – Enter an amount and type of currency, the word “to,” and the currency to which you wish to convert.

Find local time – This search works using natural language. Simply type, “What time is it in X,” with X being the name of a city.

Make a calculation – This one is interesting because Google again uses understanding of natural language to go beyond mere arithmetic.

We’ll have a few more tips next week.

The Five Most Glaring Holes in Small Business IT Security

As an IT service provider to small businesses, we see a few common problems among new clients. Whether it’s because of oversight, lack of knowledge, neglect, or user error, the following five issues keep many small businesses from achieving their full potential or even worse, jeopardize a company’s very existence.

1. Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) – A company’s electronic data is one of its most valuable—and fragile—assets. A shocking number of small businesses either rely on manual backups or just keep their fingers crossed. For maximum protection, a business needs not only an automated backup system (to minimize human error), but also a thoroughly tested and simple-to-implement disaster recovery plan in order to get the business back up and running.
2. Adherence to Security Protocols – Your car alarm won’t give you much protection if you leave your keys on the hood. As with many security systems, the human factor is often one of the weakest links. Poor login management, shared passwords, and other shortcuts leave your computers and network open to threats. Educating your staff about the importance of adhering to security measures (and making sure they do) is of utmost importance.
3. Outdated Equipment – This especially applies to network infrastructure such as routers, switches, and firewalls. Just because a device still works doesn’t mean it is working securely. As security protocols have progressed, especially in the wireless space, manufacturers have had to increase performance to keep up with increasingly complicated encryption schemes. Running older hardware makes you an easier target (and therefore more attractive) for hackers.
4. Unsecured Mobile Devices – Yes, employees love the convenience of accessing their email via a smartphone, but smartphones are also easy to lose (as are laptops and USB drives). What if that device held sensitive information? Or provided a direct path into your corporate server? Again, adherence to proper security protocols is paramount. All devices need to be protected with robust, regularly changing passwords, and all employees need to understand and adhere to a written “acceptable use” policy.
5. Lack of Cohesive IT Strategy – Most companies expand their IT infrastructure as their business grows. As such, they often find themselves with a patchwork system. Smart business owners see IT as a strategic business asset, not just a necessary evil. Investing in a coherent, well-designed IT infrastructure not only provides security and increased performance, but also does good things for your bottom line.

Break Out of the Box with These PowerPoint Alternatives

Tired of the same old boring PowerPoint templates? Want to create a presentation that will really engage your audience? Take these PowerPoint alternatives for a free test drive.

Google Docs Presentation – This app bears a striking resemblance to PowerPoint, but it’s web-based, which means it’s easily shareable and conducive to collaboration among your team members. Importing your existing PowerPoint slides is a snap, too. Many users will find embedding web content into a presentation far more intuitive with this app than with PowerPoint. It also appears to be more stable than PowerPoint when handling video content. And it’s completely free-of-charge.

SlideRocket –SlideRocket also incorporates a slide-based approach to organizing presentations, but offers oh-so-much more, including an integrated library of media assets, automated Flickr searches, and the ability to embed real-time information (e.g., a Twitter or RSS feed, which are also searchable). Most intriguingly, SlideRocket offers analytics (unfortunately, only with the paid version) that track how users interact with your presentations, such as how long they spend on each slide and which ones get viewed multiple times. You can also embed forms or polls into the presentation to gather info from your audience. Free for the “Lite” version.

Prezi – Prezi gained almost overnight fame after James Geary used it in his “Mixing Mind and Metaphor” presentation at the 2009 TEDGlobal conference in Oxford. It dispenses with PowerPoint’s slide-based approach, instead utilizing flowing, zooming, spinning, motion-based depictions for a rich, immersive experience. Check out this video for a concrete example. Prezi works great on the iPad too, supporting drag-to-pan and pinch-to-zoom gestures. The basic web-based version is free, and the desktop version comes with a 30-day free trial.

Cloud Concerns: Scalability

Cloud computing offers several benefits in terms of scalability. Since businesses lease space and bandwidth on hardware owned by the cloud provider (a model known as “Infrastructure as a Service” or IaaS) rather than having to buy hardware outright, companies need only lease the amount of resources necessary to satisfy their immediate needs. They no longer have to buy a top-of-the-line server in hopes of maximum future-proofing only to use 10% of the machine’s processing power.

This pay-as-you-go model moves the expense of computing hardware from the capital expenditure column of the ledger to the operating expenditure category. No more purchasing expensive hardware to meet the needs of where your company might (or might not) be three years from now. Instead, the company pays a stable and predictable monthly fee to the IaaS provider.

This simple and inexpensive scalability extends to storage and RAM upgrades. An increase in disk space or processing power is just a phone call away.

Been wanting to try out a new software application, but don’t want to purchase an expensive license before you know it’s the best one for your needs? Many providers of top business productivity apps either already have a cloud-based version of their software or will soon. Several offer free trial periods, but if that’s not enough, you’ll still most likely only pay a monthly fee, not a full upfront purchase price.

With cloud’s almost limitless scalability, rapid provisioning, and pay-as-you-go model, leveraging the latest and greatest technology for your company no longer requires huge up-front costs, allowing small businesses to access tools previously available only to corporations with substantial IT budgets.

Did you miss last week’s webinar on Small Business and the Cloud? Click here to download and listen to it or any previous webinars from the CMIT Webinar Archive.

Are you still in a fog about the Cloud?

What is it?  Cloud computing refers to the access of computational resources on demand via a computer network. Those resources include computing power, software, data access, storage services, and more. The main benefit of the cloud is convenient, secure access to all your data and applications anywhere you have an Internet connection. Have you ever used Google Docs? Or stored photos on sites like Flickr or Photobucket? Then you’re already using the cloud.

The Four Flavors of Clouds Several varieties of clouds exist, each with their own features and purposes.

Public Cloud – A public cloud’s infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by a cloud services provider.

Private Cloud – The infrastructure of a private cloud is operated solely for an organization. Sometimes, the organization manages the cloud directly. Other times, a third-party handles operations, in which case it’s referred to as a Hosted Private Cloud. A private cloud may exist either on-premises or off.

Community Cloud – A community cloud’s infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). Like private clouds, it may be managed by the organizations or a third-party and may exist on-premises or off-premises. Examples include Google Gov cloud and clouds for educational institutions.

Hybrid Cloud – Finally, a hybrid cloud consists of two or more clouds (private, public, or community) that remain separate entities but are bound together by a standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds). Hybrid clouds exist for purposes of handling high traffic, load balancing, intensive processing, and more.

This is Part 1 in a series of QuickTips about Cloud Computing. Stay tuned for more information on how the Cloud might benefit your business.

 

Got Questions About the Cloud?
Attend our free educational Cloud webinar on Thursday, May 26th, 2011 at 2 pm Eastern. We work with thousands of small businesses, many of whom are beginning to ask questions about what real benefits the Cloud offers and what to look for in a provider. Join us May 26th as we uncover the important factors to consider.

Protecting Your Business Finances from Cyber Attack

A recent report indicates that small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) are increasingly targeted by cyber criminals due to the perception that SMBs employ less robust IT security measures than large corporations. Though the SMBs generally have less money in their accounts than larger companies, they also tend to have more money than individuals, making it a still-attractive target for hackers. Compounding the problem, the proliferation of easy to use hacking toolkits allows even novice cyber criminals to do what was once limited to highly skilled hackers.

One common toolkit installs a small piece of malware on an unwitting machine that silently logs usernames and passwords. Once obtained, the hacker cleans out the victim’s bank account—something that has meant the end for more than a few small businesses.

To ensure protection, SMB owners need to implement strict security practices. Install security software that is regularly and automatically updated to defend against new viruses and other malware. Do this for each and every machine.

Explain to your employees the importance of following security procedures. After all, their job may very well depend upon it. Many users view security procedures as an annoyance rather than a vital safety measure. Also, explain to your employees what is and what is not appropriate use of company computers.

Thumb drives in particular expose your company network to risk. If an employee has an infected machine at home, the malware could easily copy itself to a thumb drive, which could then infect the company network without having to compromise the firewall or escape email antivirus scanning.

Dedicate one machine to the task of online banking. Set the security software’s settings to maximum, and don’t use that computer for surfing the Web or reading email. Disconnect it from the Internet completely when it’s not in use and configure it to perform frequent, automatic system scans.

The most important measure, however, is to have the necessary safeguards in place before a breach occurs. Even the best security software out there can’t help you much after the fact.

Getting the Most Out of Your Laptop Battery

Want to get the longest performance out of your laptop battery? Use these tips to conserve battery power when you’re on the go.

• If you’re not using the Internet, turn off Wi-Fi (consult your owner’s manual for detailed instructions on how to do this). Your laptop constantly searches for new networks when Wi-Fi is on, resulting in unnecessary power usage.
• Dim your screen a notch or two (again, consult your owner’s manual). The display and hard drive are two of the most power-hungry components of your laptop, and dimming the screen even a little bit can have a dramatic affect on power consumption.
• Make sure your power management settings (Control Panel? All Control Panel Options? Power Options? Select A Power Plan, in Windows 7) are set to “Power Saver” mode. You can customize the settings to auto-dim your screen or put the machine to sleep even sooner than the default time.

Laptop batteries are often pricey and have a limited lifespan. Proper maintenance will help extend its useful life.

• Periodically remove the battery from your laptop and clean the contact terminals (both the ones on the battery and the ones on the computer) with a cotton swap moistened with rubbing alcohol.
• If you have a fairly new laptop, it most likely uses a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. Li-ion batteries do not suffer from performance degradation due to partial discharges (i.e., before the battery’s power indicator goes all the way down), so charge the battery every chance you get, even if you’ve only used a little bit of its power. Never let a Li-ion battery fully discharge.
• If you have an older computer (3+ years, but check your documentation to be sure), it might run on a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery. These batteries need to be fully discharged and recharged every few months. To discharge your battery, simply unplug the machine, adjust the power management settings (see above) so that it won’t go to sleep, hibernate, or otherwise power down, and let it run. Play a DVD from the optical drive to hasten the process, if you wish. After it’s completely drained, charge it fully.
• Keep your machine properly ventilated. Don’t let clothing, dust, or other debris block the cooling vents on the chassis. A hot machine runs less-efficiently, demanding more from the battery and shortening its operational lifespan.

Shortened Battery Life May Surprise New Smartphone Users

We received an email from a client yesterday who recently purchased his first smartphone. Although pleased with the many great features of his new device, its short battery life compared to that of his previous phones was of concern and he asked our opinion on purchasing an extended battery. Buying an extended life battery is always an option, but before adding another expense to an already expensive device, we offered the following explanation and advice:

Charge it! Unlike your old phone, you should get in the habit of charging your smartphone nightly. Taking photos, surfing the web and checking email requires a lot of battery power, which is why you notice the new phone using more battery than your previous ones. If you were using it as a phone only and did not use the internet or have email set up, you probably could go days without charging.

Here are a few steps you can take to improve your battery life:

• Check the backlighting on your phone. The brightest setting takes the most energy. You can experiment with changing the brightness and set it to the lowest level at which you have no trouble seeing the screen.
• Turn off Geolocation/GPS tracking. You can always turn this setting back on if you need to use your phone as a GPS or when using an application that requires geolocation awareness. When you are at home or sitting in your office, having the location services turned on will needlessly drain your battery.
• Turn off the Bluetooth connection if you are not using it.
• Be sure to close an application when you are finished with it to prevent it from running inadvertently in the background.  Smartphones allow you to have multiple applications running at the same time. This is a handy feature, but if you forget you’ve left something running in the background, you may find yourself with a low battery depending on the application.

So, give these tips a try and take a few days to see how your battery life responds. You could always go ahead and buy that battery, but it is probably not necessary. If you plan on travelling and know you will be away from a power source for long periods of time, the extended battery would probably be a good investment, but the typical smartphone user does not need it.