[this article is from our Small and Medium Sized Enterprise website.]

If there is one thing most small businesses can agree on – it’s that time equals money. Small business owners are in a position where they have to be a jack-of-all-trades, often spending most of their day wearing different hats. This is the nature of the small business and while expected is not always the best way use of time.

In order for a small business to be successful and remain competitive in an industry, there must be designated time for the owner to focus on growing and building the business. In many cases small businesses fail as a result of being unable to handle emergencies or other situations that are simply beyond the control and expertise of the owner.

Any business that relies on technology, which covers almost every business operating today, can benefit from managed services. Managed services providers understand that not every business has the ability to pay for an internal IT department which can be very expensive yet necessary to ensure all aspects of technology are supported. Without this backup, many small businesses find themselves in a position where they have to foot a very expensive bill to recover from a disaster or emergency. In other situations, using out-of-date or ineffective technology is simply a waste of both time and money on the part of the small business.

Here are ways small businesses can make the most of their time and money by hiring a managed services provider, like Nerds On Site.

Focus on running the business – One of the major benefits of outsourcing your technology needs to a company like Nerds On Site is that you as a business owner and your employees can focus 100% on their individual duties to keep the business moving in the right direction. This is the most valuable use of time for all parties involved, instead of hours or even days lost when trying to deal with technological issues that in-house employees are not trained to handle.

We can offer expert advise – there are many small businesses that simply do not know what they need to improve the functionality of their business. The old adage, “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” does not apply in all cases. By consulting with a managed services provider, you may discover areas of your business which can be improved that you previously thought were working “just fine”. Expert advice may be able to help you improve the efficiency of your business while positioning you better within the industry.

Support when you need it – Managed Services providers are not only there in the event of an emergency or recovery but also provide monitoring, which can invaluable in preventing problems before they can impact your business.

It is important for every small business to carefully examine their technical needs in order to see what services will be most beneficial to the company. Nerds On Site can offer services that not only reduce technology costs over time, but also improves functionality, which in turn saves time. When this balance is achieved, a small business is in the perfect position to thrive and grow

A post over on the ESET Threat Blog explores what it means – the good and the bad – of having every website you visit share information with Facebook and other social networking websites. In exchange, making it very easy to share content and engage with friends and those websites – but at what cost?

“So you browse your favorite restaurant review site and settle on a great Mediterranean restaurant, and “magically” a variety of preferences get fed back to your Facebook profile, to be shared, re-shared and re-shared, ricocheting around the internet to form purportedly value-added experiences elsewhere you visit. That’s great news if you want your preferences bounced around, giving websites and apps information that could possibly provide a more personalized experience wherever you visit. It’s also bad – trying to protect maddeningly automatic Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and preference sprawl, all at the speed of light.

There is a macro trend flooding the interwebs that almost EXPECTS users’ information to be fed and cross-fed elsewhere online. When I signed up on pinterest.com, it expected (and indeed required) me to provide Facebook or Twitter logins, so the ooze of my information back and forth begins, in order to give me customized output based on it.”

Definitely something to keep in mind as we continue to immerse ourselves in an internet that is becoming more social by the day. It’s important to be aware and pay attention to how each website will use the information we have provided them, and how they will use that information. Some websites automatically post to our Facebook and Twitter profiles, so if you don’t want that to happen, carefully check your account settings on that website. If there is a website that you no longer wish to have access to your Social Media accounts, be sure to disallow them in your account preferences as well.

Dell recently launched a VoIP product – Dell Voice (powered by Fongo), and it’s only available in Canada (for now). Some might say this in direct response to Google Voice, which is only offered in the United States.

According to an article on datajournal.com:

“New users can get a randomly assigned local number upon registration, or pay $25 to have their existing phone number transferred. The service includes free incoming calls, with calls between Dell Voice members also costing you nothing. The Verge reports that while free calling to select Canadian cities is available, calls to other parts of Canada will face a $.04 connection charge.”

Similar to another VoIP provider, Skype, it’s currently available for Android, iOS and Windows (Desktop), and Blackberry as soon as next month.

As long as you’re calling another Dell Voice user, you won’t get charged. They provide you with  a local phone number that’ll let you call to most cities in Canada, and includes caller ID, voice-mail, 911 service and long-distance calling for no additional charge.

Dell answers many of the Frequently Asked Questions on the Dell Voice website.

The application can be used on WiFi networks and on cellular data networks (3G, 4G). In some cases, it is being used to completely replace a monthly cell phone plan.

“[It] Turned my old iPhone with no mobile plan into a free wifi phone with a local number,” noted a user in a comment on the iTunes App Store page. “Very excited for the BB app! This app works great!”

UPDATE: If you want to use Dell Voice on your Windows-based computer, do NOT sign up for the account using your iPhone. Instead, sign up using the Desktop application, then you’ll be able to use it on Windows and your iPhone.

[this post is from Scott Ledyard, a Nerd in Cincinnati, Ohio]

How often have we seen one of these: The “Send Error Report” option after a program crash?

This one after a clear case of a bug in a newly installed XP instance with a newly installed Adobe Reader X. After attempting to print, instead of the Print dialog popping up we got the standard Microsoft Windows popup message:

“Adobe Reader has encountered a problem and needs to close. … Please tell Microsoft about this problem. ”

But instead of getting nothing, we got the prized “Click here” to find out more and, voila, we were provided with an ACTUAL SOLUTION! The MS page linked to an Adobe page with a patch for Reader X.

After a restart, all was well. Thanks Microsoft!

[this post is from Barry Ball, a Nerd in Woodstock, Canada]

Most of us are likely familiar with the phone scams where people pretend to be from Microsoft or whoever and try to talk the user into letting them connect remotely to their computer.

I witnessed a new twist on this recently.  While I was working on a system, Skype started ringing.  It was a prerecorded message saying their computer protection had expired, and telling them to go to a website to renew the protection.  I assured my client this is a scam, and blocked future calls from the same caller (though I expect them to use many names).

Software and other support companies will NOT contact you this way. If you receive this kind of message, trust your instincts. If it feels suspicious, then it is. Ignore the message, delete the voicemail, and block the caller.

[this is an excerpt from a previous post by David Redekop going into much more detail on why securing your network is important.]

“I actually personally met a successful business person this week (let’s call him Bill) who admittedly didn’t care if his network was breached, until I pointed out the dangers (and I’m sure there are more):

• His network and Internet access could be used by a criminal to carry out criminal activities while Bill will carry responsibility as his Internet connection was used.
• Casual sniffing of his activities online can be captured and in a short while enough data can be gathered to steal his identity or anyone’s identity using his network.
• Any equipment that hosts data of any sort is much more vulnerable to attacks “from the inside” when your network is widely accessible.”

Why would anyone want to access your network? The better question is: why would you give them the opportunity and put your data and personal information at risk?

[this post is from Dennis Houseknecht, a Nerd in West Virginia]

At least most internet users are becoming more wary of phishing email messages. The attackers are countering by increasing the sophistication their attacks and by targeting them to the interests of specific individuals.

Here is an article about malware that is written specifically to steal Microsoft Office documents. Imagine the information hackers might tap into if ALL your business Word document and Excel spreadsheets were harvested. The primary delivery vehicle has been bogus email messages claiming to be from FedEx, but we are sure to see others. Companies who regularly receive FedEx shipments would be likely victims.

Here is another article describing how targeted attacks are aimed at gamers, government employees, and small businesses.

Opening links in emails can be very dangerous. You can never trust a link to take you to what it says. All modern browsers will reveal the actual “target” of the link of you hover over it with the mouse. This does not work for shortened URLs, though. You can see where those actually point by pasting them into the expander window on a site like Long URL. There are also browser plugins that will expand shortened URLs.

The point of this event is to encourage families to work together to stay safe online.

“Whether you are 5, 40 or 75 years old,” states SaferInternetDay.org, “whether you use the internet once a month or several times a day – each person has something different to bring to the table that can help shape our online experiences and our understanding of online competences and safety. We all have a role to play in ensuring that every child is safe online.”

“Today our offline and online worlds are strongly connected, from families communicating via webcam with relatives and friends abroad to children doing their homework online. The online world is a unique arena where people of all ages can learn together and from each other, especially regarding online safety. Tech savvy youngsters can teach their elders how to use new technologies, while grandparents can draw on their life experiences to advise younger generations on how to stay safe online, as they discover the digital world together.”

photo credit: www.marchofdimesph.com

This past weekend, we had another very successful Jail & Bail fund raiser for the March of Dimes! In total, over $174,000 in one day for healthy babies!

A huge thank you to everyone that donated, and for the continued support, and to everyone that came to Port Huron to help – including the Nerds – John Harbarenko, Nathan Wood, Peter Vankampen, Horatiu Baltat, Arthur and Melody Wiebe!

A special thanks goes out to Reid Armstrong for help on the website, and to Jason Quinn and John Lecik for organizing and executing everything to perfection!

We also held a 5 store Fill the Beetle to Feed the People during the Jail & Bail and FILLED all 5 to benefit the Hunter Hospitality House!
What an awesome display of our International Teamwork to help a small community! On behalf of Nerds On Site, the March of Dimes, and the town of Port Huron, we thank you all!!

If you didn’t get a chance to donate yesterday to the March of Dimes, you can still donate for the next week or so. The link is directly to the Nerds On Site team donation page.

[this post is from Dennis Houseknecht, a Nerd in West Virgina]

According to a recent study from Cisco:

“After the 2010 cybercrime turning point, when spam levels started to decline for the first time, this trend continued throughout 2011, a trend, according to analysts, can be explained mainly by several key botnet takedowns throughout the last two years. However, the number of vulnerabilities increased; there are fewer widespread attacks but greater numbers of smaller, more focused attacks.”

- The “good news”: there has been a significant reduction in unsolicited bulk spam
- The “bad news”: because cyber criminals have figured out that the ROI on bulk spam has gone down as users, especially business users, become more aware. The trend is now TARGETED spam – which provides a greater ROI for criminals. Targeted attacks are more dangerous and are INCREASING.
- The “more bad news”: Younger employees have a more cavalier attitude toward IT policies – 7 out of 10 “frequently ignore IT policies”.
- The “the worse news”: 1 out of 4 of these young employees is a victim of identity theft before the age of 30. That is a stunning statistic, and one that should get the attention of employers.

You can read more in this Business Day article.

You can read the Business Day article at: http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/markets/companies-and-market/32587-mass-spam-declines-targeted-attacks-on-the-rise-cisco-warns