Barely a month after a Google engineer disclosed a critical vulnerability in Windows XP, hackers have taken launched an attack on vulnerable machines.

On June 10, a Google engineer disclosed a security flaw in Windows XP’s Help Center, which can potentially allow hackers to search and retrieve sensitive information from vulnerable PCs, and even turn them into “zombies:”machines that follow the commands of a remote master to perhaps download more malware or send out spam.

Recently, reports have come out that the first real exploit has emerged, with Microsoft reporting that over 10,000 Windows XP systems have already been subjected to attack. The systems attacked are based not only in the US, but also in Russia, Portugal, Germany, and Brazil.

A patch from Microsoft is not expected until July 13, but workarounds exist to contain the threat, such as disabling the HCP protocol. Customers of our Managed Security services running Windows XP are assured of immediate support once the patch is rolled out, but in the meantime can take advantage of our assistance to secure systems through other means.

If you’re on one of our Managed Services plans don’t worry – you’re protected. If you’re not sure contact us to find out how we can protect your systems and network from this and other dangerous attacks.

The recent fever over the FIFA World Cup made unsuspecting victims an easy target for malware makers, spammes, and scammers using the sport as a means to spread nefarious software or lure users into money-making scams.

It seems the entire world was in the grip of the 2010 FIFA World Cup fever as several countries vied for football supremacy in South Africa. Unfortunately, malware makers, spammers, and scammers capitalized on the fever as well, using references to the event as a means to spread nefarious software or lure unsuspecting users into money-making scams.

Some of the threats included 419-style scams, lures selling fake tickets, even fake products and business opportunities related to the World Cup. One particular ploy involved a couple of websites selling a bogus filter to cancel out the sound of noisy “Vuvuzela” trumpets in TV broadcasts. Scammers had even used legitimate websites to sell them—such as eBay and other auction sites.

Several spammers used sophisticated techniques to confuse SPAM filters by using tools to automatically scrape the text from hundreds of websites (including news sites) and using them to spray random bits of this text into their messages. Another new development that was seen were targeted attacks on top executives of international manufacturing companies and government agencies.

With the 2010 World Cup behind us, what does this mean to us now? Everyone should always be on guard against websites, links, or messages that seem too good to be true (because most likely they are), but understanding that scammers and spammers especially thrive during popular events helps everyone to be on extra high alert.

 Summertime is different from the rest of the year. It’s hotter, of course, but there are many other ways that summer is different: Kids are out of school, days are longer, we wear different clothes and shoes. Work schedules usually change in the summer - depending on the type of work you do, it may be busier or slower than normal. Most people take vacations in summertime, so we travel more, visit family, see new places, try out new things. Leisure activities change too, as concerts move outdoors, grills get fired up, we spend more time biking, swimming, gardening, and mowing the yard.

Despite these changes to our routine, most of us have no trouble adjusting to summer. We see it coming months in advance, we make preparations and plans, we even look forward to it. Perhaps this is because it is cyclical. We have been through the changes many times before in our lives, and we know what to expect. But even so, every summer is different. There are unexpected or infrequent events, like hurricanes, or the summer Olympics. There are things that happen in different stages of our lives, like weddings, or sending the kids away to camp.

Adjusting to change is a life skill that we all need to exercise. In today’s world, change is always accelerating. There is even a theory that the rate of change is increasing so fast that it will go “off the charts” in about the year 2045, leading to a “technological singularity” (www.singularity.org).

In our lifetimes we have seen entire industries come and go. My grandfather ran a livery stable in the early 1900’s - does anyone even remember what a livery stable is these days? Phone booths and typewriters have all but disappeared; newspapers and gasoline-powered cars are next. Travel agents, free-lance musicians, and telephone operators are being replaced by automated systems. In the meantime, we’ve watched cell phones and computers take off, and we’re just now witnessing the birth of the iPad. What’s next - valet robots, synthetic replacement body parts, computer implants?

Apart from technology, we’ve seen huge social and economic changes. Wealth and consumerism have blossomed, but at the same time we have the economic crisis, unemployment, social inequity, and shifts in the global geo-political situation, along with ever-growing population and ever-declining natural resources. In addition, we all undergo huge life changes as time passes: in employment, marital status, children, finances, health, aging, and hopefully wisdom.

Why can’t we apply the lessons of seasonal change to all areas of life? We prepare and look forward to Summer, because we know it is coming. The same goes for Winter. But if we can come to understand and accept that all kinds of other changes will happen, as sure as Spring, throughout our lives, then we can be ready. We can prepare for them also, and even learn to anticipate and enjoy.

Today, education never stops. We must always be learning new technologies. In our work lives, we must be ready to switch gears and take on different tasks, as our employers’ needs change. We should even be thinking ahead to changing occupations, as society evolves and industries fade. Think of your career, not in terms of developing expertise in a particular field or skill, but as mastering Change Management. Learn to handle not only life’s ups and downs, but also its reversals and detours - then you’ll be ready for the inevitable future. And remember, as you put the sunscreen on this summer, that you already have plenty of practice!

Implementing a client-server network and maintaining it with Managed Services can help small to medium-sized businesses prevent data loss events, which lead 43 percent of such businesses to close within two years.

According to DriveSavers data recovery service, 43 percent of companies that lose data in a disaster never reopen, and 90 percent are out of business within two years. How can you prevent data loss—without the hassle and expense of staying on top of the latest technology and continually monitoring backups? Consider a client-server network combined with Managed Services.

With client-server networks, computers and other devices called clients are connected to a centralized computer called a server. The server stores information in a central location, and shares it with the clients on the network.

Why is this a better setup for data loss prevention than the traditional peer-to-peer network, in which computers are connected directly to other computers?

First, because peer-to-peer networks have no centralized security safeguards, anyone connected to the network can gain access to all of the devices on the network, making it easy to lose data through malicious acts by hackers and viruses.

Second, because peer-to-peer networks don’t share information in a centralized loca­tion, if one device on the network fails, all the data stored on that device is lost. This makes it easy to lose data through hardware and software failures.

With a client-server network, you address both of these potential problems. Security software can be installed centrally, ensuring that everyone on the network has the most up-to-date protection. At the same time, access to data that might be lost through malicious acts can be controlled, with different access levels given to different users. It’s also easy to back up (and retrieve, if necessary) data because it’s stored in a centralized location.

The only remaining problem is that maintaining a client-server network requires you to stay on top of the latest technology, monitor backups, and troubleshoot problems—and that can take the resources of a dedicated IT staff.

If you don’t have such an IT staff, or if you’d prefer your IT staff to work on revenue-producing projects, you may want to consider Managed Services. With Managed Services, an IT company monitors your network to ensure security is high and data is backed up regularly. If a problem occurs, it’s addressed quickly, with data retored almost before you know it’s missing.

The best news: Your support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying to address problems as they arise—but your network’s safety will be significantly higher.

Are you getting a “USB device not recognized” error for a USB mouse, keyboard, or other USB device? Already tried normal fixes, such as uninstalling and reinstalling the driver, but it’s still not working? A possible solution may surprise you.
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Work no longer has to be a place your employees go at a certain time. Learn what technologies can enable your employees to get more done from any location, any time.

Lately there has been a trend among companies, no matter what size and maturity, toward the use of so-called “virtual” teams. Driven perhaps by rising office and energy costs, maturity of computing and network technologies, talent scarcity, or simply the opportunity to realize increased efficiency,  this has resulted in the adoption of flexible work arrangements for some employees including flexible time and working from home – or even from remote locations in different time zones.

Along with this trend has come the need to support this new way of working. A wealth of options exists—from virtual team spaces and online collaborative tools to more advanced communication devices such as smartphones and tablets. Here are a few examples.

For teams working at the same time but from different locations:

• Conferencing applications—via telephone or video
• Shared workspaces and whiteboards
• Instant messaging
• Wireless communication devices

For teams working at different times but in the same place:

• Team rooms
• Intranets

For teams working at different times and from different places:

• Extranets
• Virtual Private Networks
• E-mail/Groupware
• Message boards
• Blogs and knowledgebase tools

With the right tools, work can happen any time and from any place. Interested? Get in touch with us and find out more.

Let’s say you’ve started lusting for a 3-D television.

Never mind that when you get to the store to sample 3-D TV, you discover that World Cup soccer in 3-D may not grab you like a scene from the 3-D animated film “Monsters vs. Aliens.” The soccer match seems disappointingly flat in its wide shots. “Monsters vs. Aliens” immerses you in its animated antics.

You’ve just learned a basic lesson of 3-D: It isn’t all the same.

But when it’s good, it’s very good. It sucks you in. It’s in your face, you’re in its face. Or so it seems. No wonder you’re picturing one of these sleek, wide-screen beauties in your own living room.

That’s what visitors to the Sony 3-D Experience at CBS’ consumer research center in Las Vegas are saying, according to preliminary polling results. Two-thirds of the visitors to this exhibition at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino say their next TV will be 3-D-capable, reported David Poltrack, president of CBS Vision.

Maybe much of the public is pre-sold by now. “3-D is a form of content that people not only like, but are willing to pay a significant premium at the box office for,” Poltrack said.

“We’ve very fortunate that ‘Avatar’ was done so well and was such a big hit,” said Dan Schinasi, senior marketing manager for HDTV product planning in Samsung’s Visual Display Product Group.

“That 3-D theater experience captivated millions of people and made them realize, ‘There’s a new dimension that I’ve been missing,’” Schinasi said. “The result is, they’re saying, ‘I want to experience that at home.’”

In these early months of 3-D-mania, jolted by the December release of “Avatar,” a growing number of manufacturers (including Samsung, Panasonic and Sony) are wooing you with mirror-thin 3-D models whose screens stretch 40 inches and beyond, and whose price tags start at about $1700.

Granted, you can’t yet frolic with the Na’vi in your home in 3-D; only a 2-D edition of “Avatar” is currently for sale. But ESPN is airing 3-D sports events (including World Cup soccer). DirecTV has just flipped the switch on a trio of 3-D channels. And Discovery says its 3-D channel, in partnership with Sony and IMAX, will debut early next year.  Headed to the marketplace by year-end will be dozens of 3-D movies, games and other home videos viewable with 3-D-ready Blu-ray and PlayStation players.

Meanwhile, some 3-D TVs boast an additional feature that converts any 2-D show to 3-D, at least in a limited version that offers a measure of interior depth, although nothing will leap out at you into the foreground. For now, “true 3-D” on-air content will mostly be sports, nature programming, concerts and other special events. Where it goes after that will depend on several as-yet-unanswerable questions.

What do you think ? Will you stick with your TV or go 3D?

BusinessDictionary.com defines a hidden cost as “Expense not normally included in the purchase price of an equipment or machine, such as for maintenance, supplies, training, and upgrades” and typical computer service is wracked with them. Lots of these types of expenses can pop-up in the form of unexpected computer problems that lead to major downtime. And, as many businesses know, time is money. If your systems are down, that means you are paying your whole staff for an entire day with little productivity.

That is why many small businesses are switching to a fixed-price model of I.T. services (often called “managed services”) where the focus is on preventing issues from happening, rather than reacting to the problems as they come up. While paying by the hour may seem cheaper on the surface, the cost of being down far out-weighs the potentially higher investment of preventing issues.

To find out if your company is at risk for downtime, call for our FREE report: “What Every Small Business Owner Must Know About Protecting Their Company’s Critical Data And Computer Systems” 702-869-3636

Client-server networks can help employees perform 20 percent more revenue-producing tasks. For small to medium businesses that may not be able to afford a dedicated IT staff, outsourcing may be the most cost-effective means of installing and maintaining such a network.

You’re probably aware of the benefits of a client-server network—but are you prepared to handle the maintenance? If not, you may want to consider Managed Services.

According to a Forbes study, client-server networks help small businesses extend their geographic reach, find new customers, and increase revenues while maintaining or decreasing costs—and as a result, employees at small businesses using client-server networks perform 20 percent more revenue-producing tasks.

However, installing and maintaining such a network isn’t easy. It requires you to stay on top of the latest technology, monitor backups, and troubleshoot problems.

The traditional method of installing and maintaining a client-server network is to hire a staff of IT professionals to do the work, but this may not be realistic for small or even mid-sized businesses not be able to afford a dedicated IT staff.

Outsourcing may be a cost-effective way to solve this problem. If you want to outsource, you could hire an IT company to set up your client-server network, then wait for the network to break down before calling the IT company to perform the repair.

Or, you could consider Managed Services. With Managed Services, an IT company monitors your network to ensure performance and troubleshoot problems before they get out of hand. And in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, you’ll have qualified professionals on call to come to the rescue. Moreover, your support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying for reactive support—but your network’s performance and reliability will be significantly higher.

So why spend time and money running a network when both can be better spent running your business? Consider Managed Services for you client-server network maintenance.

On Monday, Consumer Reports, America’s trusted source of product reviews, said it would not recommend the iPhone 4 because of a hardware flaw with its antenna that sometimes resulted in dropped calls. The independent consumer magazine also cast doubt on Apple’s recent explanation that a software bug had caused the widely reported problem. Apple did not return requests for comment.

Consumer Reports did not slap the iPhone 4 with a “don’t buy” warning, which it sometimes issues for shoddy or unsafe products. But it said that because of the design flaw, it would not recommend it as it did the previous version of the iPhone, the 3GS.

The next question is, Will any of Apple’s customers even care?

The various versions of the iPhone have been panned a number of times for myriad problems, real or perceived: slow network, cracked screens, dropped calls and no support for a popular Web video format. But iPhone sales have surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts and helped make Apple the most valuable company in the technology industry.

And despite early reports of problems with the iPhone 4 antenna, Apple sold 1.7 million units in just three days, making it the best-selling new technology gadget in Apple’s history.

“It’s iconic, it’s cool, it’s the ‘it’ device and people want it,” said A. M. Sacconaghi Jr., an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Company.

Still Mr. Sacconaghi and other analysts said Apple could eventually suffer from the bad publicity it had received over the antenna problems and for its seemingly contradictory responses.

Apple has promoted the iPhone 4’s innovative design, including its antenna, which is built into a steel band that encases the phone.

After users reported problems with signal strength and dropped calls when they touched the lower-left portion of the phone, however, Apple suggested that consumers hold the phone differently or use one of many bumpers to insulate the antenna. It also said that all phones suffered from similar problems when they were cradled a certain way.

These comments were widely laughed at in gadget blogs.

A week later, Apple said it had found that because of a longstanding software bug, the iPhone 4, and its predecessors, often overstated signal strength. The company promised a fix soon.

In a blog post on Monday, Consumer Reports challenged those explanations.

Michael Gikas, a senior editor for electronics, said engineers performed a series of tests on three iPhone 4 handsets in a lab. They found that when a person touched the lower left portion of the antenna, signal strength “can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you’re in an area with a weak signal,” Mr. Gikas wrote.

Consumer Reports also said that it had tested other smartphones that ran on AT&T’s network, including the Palm Pre and the iPhone 3GS, and that none had the same problem.

Mr. Gikas also wrote, “Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4’s signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software.”

The review from Consumer Reports, which has eight million paying subscribers, comes 10 days after the magazine played down the problems with the iPhone 4 antenna. But in an interview, Mr. Gikas said the earlier report had been based on first impressions, not thorough testing.

Mr. Gikas said the problem with signal strength could be fixed by insulating the antenna with a bumper or even a piece of duct tape. And he said that the phone, as many happy users have reported, is better than earlier iPhones on multiple levels.

“The iPhone 3GS was always recommended. The iPhone 4 isn’t, even though it scores higher on a number of areas,” he said. “We think either Apple should supply free cases for the phone or come up with another solution. That’s why we are not recommending the iPhone 4.”

In comments posted on sites across the Web, dozens of iPhone 4 users dismissed the findings as unimportant.

But other consumers said the problems with the iPhone 4 and Apple’s response gave them pause.

“I’ll buy it the day Apple fixes it,” said Bruce Namerow, the owner of a Web consulting company based in Washington. “I don’t see how they can sell a phone that you can’t hold any which way you want. That to me is unbelievable.”