2009 February « wendy gauntt’s tech zest

Archive for February, 2009

Reduce spam – don’t be a zombie

Published February 28, 2009 Computers , Email , Servers Leave a Comment
Tags: firewall, hacker, nigerian, spam, trojan, viagra, virus, zombie

spam1 Every year spam becomes a bigger issue. People ask me why…surely no one’s falling for the Nigerian scams, right? No one really buys generic viagra from strangers?

Actually, they do. And if 0.0001% of all spam receives a response – that’s 1 in a million – those spammers make millions.

Sadly, the costs of sending all those emails are next to nothing. Spammers use hackers, trojan horses, and viruses to take over “zombie” computers. All the email is routed through these unwitting accomplice PCs and servers. So they send millions, they receive a small but steady flow of responses, and they get rich.

Think this isn’t for real? One time we were talking to a prospective client about their email issues. When we got on their server, we found a dozen spammers connected, with 4,000 emails queued up and ready to send. We booted them off, only to have another dozen reappear within minutes. Until a better firewall could be put into place, there was little to do but disconnect Internet access.

It’s not limited to servers either. We brought in a client PC that had been infected by a virus. While we were working on it, someone accidentally connected it to our Internet connection, and it sent so much spam our very own email was temporarily blacklisted. Legitimate emails sent to clients and prospects bounced until we got that corrected.

The solution? It’s all about security. If you thought a robber was casing the neighborhood, you’d check the alarm system, your deadbolt, your window locks…do the same thing with your computer network. Make sure you’ve got a business-class firewall, anti-virus protection on every single machine, and intrusion detection if you can afford it.

Keep in mind, robbers can break into even the best protected homes if there’s reason; likewise, hackers can break into any network if they really want. Just be sure you haven’t left the front door wide open.

Not sure if your current IT guy has you covered? Have an independent third party run an external scan. If they can get in, so can the spammers.

eBay and Craiglist for business

Published February 20, 2009 E-commerce , Productivity Leave a Comment
Tags: auction, business supplies, classified ads, craigslist, ebay, garage sale

Millions have bought and sold online using popular services such as eBay and Craigslist, but have you ever tried these for your business?

eBay is basically a huge auction site, with goods available internationally. Some items are one-time purchases from individuals; others are regularly featured items from vendors who use eBay as their storefront.

Craigslist, by contrast, has a regional focus and is much more like the online equivalent of a block-wide yard sale or your newspaper’s classified ads.

Both sites can be valuable resources for business purchases. Commodity items, for example, may be featured regularly by certain vendors at a much lower price than you’d normally find. Or you might find someone who specializes in close-outs. I have a friend who regularly picks up envelopes for direct mail, and he will get unbelievable on brightly colored envelopes that just weren’t popular that particular season. He gets a deal and his mailers stand out.

You can buy new, too. I’m currently trying to pick up a stack paper cutter to allow us a few more options on in-house desktop publishing. I’ve found the model I want, brand new, is offered regularly – in fact there’s a seller who puts up nearly one each day. It’s not urgent, so I’m being patient. My hope is that one of these days I’ll be able to get it at a steal of a deal.

Need large scale industrial equipment too heavy to ship? Check out Craigslist to see if anyone in your area is ready to part with their stuff, or search on eBay using the regional search feature.

By the same token, if you are swapping out business equipment – anything from machinery to computers to office furniture – you can sell it on either of these sites and recoup some of your costs.

Both sites offer email alerts, so you can find out when something you want comes available.

Naturally, “caveat emptor” applies on both these sites – as a buyer, you must beware of the deal that sounds too good to be true. While most sellers are simply trying to make a few bucks, there are scammers out there who will take as much as they can get. eBay’s feedback system helps you vet sellers before you buy; with Craigslist, check out your purchases carefully before handing over any money, and read their scam-prevention tips.

Get smart: go to MIT for FREE!

Published February 17, 2009 General , Personal , Productivity Leave a Comment
Tags: business school, mit, online education, opencourseware, sloan, university

Wish you had the time and money to expand your education? MIT introduced the OpenCourseWare initiative in 2002 as a way to share quality educational programs online. They have nearly 2000 courses available, including dozens of business classes from MIT’s prestigious Sloan School of Management.

These courses contain everything from reading lists and discussion topics to homework assignments and exams. Some even offer audio or video of the lectures.

Want to understand the numbers better? Try class 15.501, Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting. Frustrated over people problems? Check out 15.660, Strategic HR Management. Sales not where you want? Take a look at 15.810, Marketing Management…or 15.818, Pricing…or 15.821, Listening to the Customer.

MIT has opened up the OpenCourseWare initiative to other institutions as well, through the OpenCourseWare Consortium. There are already over 200 organizations participating, and that number is sure to grow.

You can find MIT’s online catalog here; to see all OCW classes from hundreds of universities across the globe, check out the OpenCourseWare Consortium (look for the “find courses” button on the home page).

It may not be quite the same as attending in person, but you still get world-class educational materials developed by world-class professors, and you can’t beat the price.

Cut energy costs with green computing

Published February 13, 2009 Computers , Green Technology 2 Comments
Tags: Computers, crt, data center, energy-saving, green, lcd, power management, sleep mode, ups

Even if you don’t care about the environment, you can save energy – and money – by thinking green. Data centers spend so much of their budget on energy that they are now one of the biggest proponents of eco-friendly technology. When you run thousands of servers round the clock, even small improvements add up fast.

How about the average small business? Electricity costs for a dozen computers and a server or two can easily run into thousands of dollars each year. By using power management and a few extra tricks, you can drop your energy use dramatically.

Here are five energy saving tips that anyone can put in place:

Adjust your computer’s power management: allow it to shut off your display, stop the hard drive, and go into sleep mode after it’s been inactive for a short period of time.
Upgrade your equipment: LCD monitors require half the energy of a CRT monitor, and laptops – if appropriate – are far more energy efficient than desktop models.
Try dimming your monitor for additional savings. You may even find it’s easier on the eyes.
Unplug chargers when not in use, or get a power strip you can easily switch off. All those gadget chargers draw power regardless of whether you actually have the gadget hooked up.
Only use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on equipment that needs it, like your computer and monitor, and check out new models that are smart enough to know when your computer is turned off so it can shut down power to peripherals that aren’t in use.

Even if you don’t run a green business, these simple changes will net you the kind of green you are sure to love: more cold hard cash.

Nonprofits: spend less on tech, more on your mission

Published February 10, 2009 Basics , General , Software Leave a Comment
Tags: 501c3, associations, foundations, nonprofits, political, religious, social services, techsoup

Are you involved with a great non-profit organization? Make sure they know that they can get special deals on computer software and hardware. Many organizations waste thousands of dollars each year because they aren’t aware of the special programs available just for them!

Techsoup.org is a fantastic resource because they bring major vendors together in one place to offer the best deals around for 501(c)3 organizations. Many major vendors, including Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, Symantec, and Intuit, offer products at unbelievable discounts, often a fraction of the normal retail price.

There are rules to follow, and not everyone qualifies. Political and religious organizations are typically excluded.

However, even if Techsoup doesn’t work out, you’re not out of luck. Check with the vendors directly, or call major distributors like CDW to see if they can offer specialized assistance. CDW, for example, has an entire division dedicated to non-profits, with customized solutions to meet the needs of associations, foundations, religious groups, and social services.

Another tip: if your network support provider has strong vendor relationships, they can often negotiate special deals directly with the vendors for system upgrades.

Because non-profits are on a fixed budget, predictable expenses are critical. To prevent budget overruns, keep equipment under warranty and look for providers who offer true fixed-price maintenance plans. Don’t waste money repairing old, outdated equipment; instead, plan regular upgrades and, if possible, time these to warranty expirations.

Why you should call your internet service provider every year

Published February 6, 2009 Basics , General , Servers Leave a Comment
Tags: cable modem, dsl, dynamic t1, internet service provider, isp, mpls, multi-protocol label switching, static t1, t1

broadband2 When did you last speak with your internet service provider (ISP)? Most people “set it and forget it.” Did you know this could be costing you money?

We use cable for our office internet. It was expensive that first year, although far less than a T1 connection, so it seemed like a good deal at the time. I called a year later, halfway into a 2-year contract, and got the price cut in half for the exact same service. Nine months later, another call netted me triple the speed AND cable TV for a few dollars less each month.

We’ve run into clients on old DSL plans that have them paying 3-4 times the going rate for tortoise-like speeds. A single phone call gets them faster speeds at a fraction of the price.

And if you have a T1, you can almost certainly pay less or get more for your money. Compared to an integrated T1, in place in many small businesses today, dynamic T1s give you tremendous flexibility, splitting phone and data as needed instead of cutting the connection in half. The phone gets priority, but if no one’s talking, you get the entire T1 for your data. That means faster uploads and downloads.

Do you have multiple locations, maybe a point-to-point T1? Check out MPLS (multi-protocol label switching). This technology simplifies management of network traffic, which means your most important applications get priority, and you get better network performance.