I once went to an office where everyone had to shut down their systems when someone wanted to print. Just before someone would send a job to the printer they'd call out "everyone shut down, I'm going to print".
Everyone would save their work, shut down their computers and march outside for a smoke or coffee. The guy doing the print job would do it, restart his computer and wander out to join the others. They'd all tromp back to the office ten minutes later.
This was costing the owner a $100,000 a year. He thought it was normal.
While the computer industry likes to pretend their equipment can be setup with a few clicks, it isn’t true.
This is why getting a trusted tech in to set equipment up properly is essential. All too often the office guru, kid from the computer superstore or the boss’s niece who knows something about computers sets it up and gets it wrong.
One of the advantages of having a regular tech looking after your system is they know how your system is set up. A good tech will have documented the system and will have a good idea of how the equipment will fit in to your existing network and business.
If you do insist on setting up your own systems then at least have a cup of coffee and the read the manual before you start. It might save you and your computer tech a lot of expense and heartache later.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Small Business IT mistake 4: Not getting a regular tech
Imagine owning a car and never checking the tyres, oil or water while ignoring any flashing lights on your dashboard.
Then imagine, when it breaks down, you desperately flick through the yellow pages to find the cheapest mechanic that can fix it immediately.
That's what the vast majority of businesses do with their computer systems.
Like the mechanic, a computer tech is a tradesman. When you call a tradesman out to a crisis it means you are up for a big bill. Whether it's cars, plumbing or computers, it's best to pick up a problem early than before a disaster happens.
Finding a tech can be a problem, though; there's few barriers to anyone who knows something about computers, and a few that don’t, putting up a sign saying "I'm a computer tech". Many of these people can barely be trusted with the family computer let alone the systems that keep your business running.
The first step in finding a good support organisation is to ask around. Your accountant, contractors and clients might know some names. Word of mouth is always the best reference.
Next, you need to know how big they are. The single man operator is often very good. But they are going to struggle supporting you and a dozen other customers.
Ideally a small support company will have at least four techs. This gives them a range of skills and they won’t have to rely on one or two people to service you.
Once you've found a support company with a number of staff you need to look at their pricing; "the no fix, no fee" and the "no call out fee" guys are firmly aimed at the consumer market. Their services are based on fixing comparatively small problems. You want to be avoiding problems, not having someone rush out to fix them when you can.
The hourly rate itself is a warning sign. A professional tech support outfit simply cannot provide quality services, employ decent staff and make a profit at under a $100 an hour. $150 is probably closer to a realistic rate when dealing with server support and network issues.
You should also remember that good techs cost. An experienced computer guy charging $150 an hour will often fix a problem in the first hour that the inexperienced $25 an hour tech will take two days to fix, if at all.
The support company should offer a support plan or retainer. This support plan will include documenting the system, monitoring its performance and regular inspections.
It's important to emphasise how critical support plans are. It's a win for both the tech and the customer. The customer gets regular maintenance done while the tech company has regular jobs that allows them to plan their cash and work flows.
One absolute no-no is buying on the recommendations your local computer superstore. The big box movers aim squarely at the home market. The stock at the computer superstore is rarely designed for business use and, even if it was, the staff couldn't support it.
Just as an aside, some businesses make the mistake of not only buying from the local computer superstore but also hiring one of the shop assistants to help them with setup. This almost always turns to tears.
Your IT investments are important to your business, so it's important they are looked after by someone who knows what they are doing.
Then imagine, when it breaks down, you desperately flick through the yellow pages to find the cheapest mechanic that can fix it immediately.
That's what the vast majority of businesses do with their computer systems.
Like the mechanic, a computer tech is a tradesman. When you call a tradesman out to a crisis it means you are up for a big bill. Whether it's cars, plumbing or computers, it's best to pick up a problem early than before a disaster happens.
Finding a tech can be a problem, though; there's few barriers to anyone who knows something about computers, and a few that don’t, putting up a sign saying "I'm a computer tech". Many of these people can barely be trusted with the family computer let alone the systems that keep your business running.
The first step in finding a good support organisation is to ask around. Your accountant, contractors and clients might know some names. Word of mouth is always the best reference.
Next, you need to know how big they are. The single man operator is often very good. But they are going to struggle supporting you and a dozen other customers.
Ideally a small support company will have at least four techs. This gives them a range of skills and they won’t have to rely on one or two people to service you.
Once you've found a support company with a number of staff you need to look at their pricing; "the no fix, no fee" and the "no call out fee" guys are firmly aimed at the consumer market. Their services are based on fixing comparatively small problems. You want to be avoiding problems, not having someone rush out to fix them when you can.
The hourly rate itself is a warning sign. A professional tech support outfit simply cannot provide quality services, employ decent staff and make a profit at under a $100 an hour. $150 is probably closer to a realistic rate when dealing with server support and network issues.
You should also remember that good techs cost. An experienced computer guy charging $150 an hour will often fix a problem in the first hour that the inexperienced $25 an hour tech will take two days to fix, if at all.
The support company should offer a support plan or retainer. This support plan will include documenting the system, monitoring its performance and regular inspections.
It's important to emphasise how critical support plans are. It's a win for both the tech and the customer. The customer gets regular maintenance done while the tech company has regular jobs that allows them to plan their cash and work flows.
One absolute no-no is buying on the recommendations your local computer superstore. The big box movers aim squarely at the home market. The stock at the computer superstore is rarely designed for business use and, even if it was, the staff couldn't support it.
Just as an aside, some businesses make the mistake of not only buying from the local computer superstore but also hiring one of the shop assistants to help them with setup. This almost always turns to tears.
Your IT investments are important to your business, so it's important they are looked after by someone who knows what they are doing.
Small Business IT mistake 3: Buying bad equipment
Just as frustrating as old equipment for the tech guru or IT guy is bad equipment. By bad equipment, I mean cheap kit that isn't up to the job.
The problems with bad equipment are numerous; they won't last as long, the warranties will be poor, the after sales support will be awful and they will have lots of downtime.
Probably the biggest trap is buying consumer equipment. Not only are business needs different to households but the driving factor in consumer IT is price. Consumer equipment often doesn't have features that businesses need.
You should also keep in mind the local computer superstore aims squarely at the home market. The stock at the computer superstore is rarely designed for business use and even if it was, the staff couldn't support it.
Price is the killer for any home or business IT purchase. You pay peanuts, you'll get something even monkeys won't use. Because the IT industry knows price is so important to much of their market, they sell some very poorly specced product to meet price points.
Strangely though even if you pay a lot, you don't necessarily get what you pay for either. Some expensive products are as disappointing as the cheap stuff. This is why it's important to do your research.
Of course, research is time consuming and there are still plenty of traps awaiting the inexperience player. That's why you should find a trusted advisor to help you with your IT purchases.
The problems with bad equipment are numerous; they won't last as long, the warranties will be poor, the after sales support will be awful and they will have lots of downtime.
Probably the biggest trap is buying consumer equipment. Not only are business needs different to households but the driving factor in consumer IT is price. Consumer equipment often doesn't have features that businesses need.
You should also keep in mind the local computer superstore aims squarely at the home market. The stock at the computer superstore is rarely designed for business use and even if it was, the staff couldn't support it.
Price is the killer for any home or business IT purchase. You pay peanuts, you'll get something even monkeys won't use. Because the IT industry knows price is so important to much of their market, they sell some very poorly specced product to meet price points.
Strangely though even if you pay a lot, you don't necessarily get what you pay for either. Some expensive products are as disappointing as the cheap stuff. This is why it's important to do your research.
Of course, research is time consuming and there are still plenty of traps awaiting the inexperience player. That's why you should find a trusted advisor to help you with your IT purchases.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Small Business IT mistake 2: Old Equipment
The most common small business mistake we see is old equipment. The office struggles with a bunch of decrepit pentium IIIs running Windows ME, crashing regularly and taking five times as long to do a job.
It's quite understandable for a business owner to hold onto old kit. IT equipment is a major capital cost and upgrading computers always involves money, time and pain.
But that cost and time is worth it. Slow old computers are a false economy. The whole idea of computers is help people do their jobs better and quicker.
One of the worst clients I had was a food distributor that had a terrible old machine. Every afternoon he received emails from his clients with the next day's orders. Almost every day his machine would crash.
In one year he spent over two thousand dollars in unnecessary support costs. What's more, he lost a number of days orders. I would guess that one dodgy computer cost him ten of thousands in lost orders and disaffected customers.
Saying "the computer is down" is one of the worst possible images your staff can give customers. It looks shoddy and unprofessional.
Ten years ago customers might have nodded sagely and accepted "the computer done it" as an excuse. Today they won't, they’ll take their business elsewhere.
Five year old equipment is the limit. Older than five years and computers become unreliable. Once past that five year limit the odds are high that you'll see hard drives, power supplies and motherboards failing.
One of the strangest attitudes I see in home and small business IT is the owner knows their systems are old and decrepit. But they are waiting for the Next Big Thing™.
The problem in the computer industry is there will always be a Next Big Thing™. When this big thing arrives there will be another coming soon after.
Often a business finds itself rushed into replacing the old computers when one gives up the ghost, or they find the new printer or software just won't work with the older equipment.
This is when businesses make the next mistake; they grab the first thing they see when they need the new computer, they either pay too much for substandard equipment or buy on price and suffer the consequences.
It's quite understandable for a business owner to hold onto old kit. IT equipment is a major capital cost and upgrading computers always involves money, time and pain.
But that cost and time is worth it. Slow old computers are a false economy. The whole idea of computers is help people do their jobs better and quicker.
One of the worst clients I had was a food distributor that had a terrible old machine. Every afternoon he received emails from his clients with the next day's orders. Almost every day his machine would crash.
In one year he spent over two thousand dollars in unnecessary support costs. What's more, he lost a number of days orders. I would guess that one dodgy computer cost him ten of thousands in lost orders and disaffected customers.
Saying "the computer is down" is one of the worst possible images your staff can give customers. It looks shoddy and unprofessional.
Ten years ago customers might have nodded sagely and accepted "the computer done it" as an excuse. Today they won't, they’ll take their business elsewhere.
Five year old equipment is the limit. Older than five years and computers become unreliable. Once past that five year limit the odds are high that you'll see hard drives, power supplies and motherboards failing.
One of the strangest attitudes I see in home and small business IT is the owner knows their systems are old and decrepit. But they are waiting for the Next Big Thing™.
The problem in the computer industry is there will always be a Next Big Thing™. When this big thing arrives there will be another coming soon after.
Often a business finds itself rushed into replacing the old computers when one gives up the ghost, or they find the new printer or software just won't work with the older equipment.
This is when businesses make the next mistake; they grab the first thing they see when they need the new computer, they either pay too much for substandard equipment or buy on price and suffer the consequences.
$4000 dollars a year to support a laptop?
Infoworld reports that a Microsoft and Wipro study shows the annual cost of a Windows Vista laptop is only $3,802, while XP costs $4,407.
Let me repeat those figures.
Three thousand, eight hundred and two dollars compared to four thousand, four hundred and seven dollars.
That's per year.
Someone's kidding themselves. If I gave a client those numbers they'd go back to using abacuses, pilot pigeons and carbon paper.
There's no doubt the figures are fudged. 55% of the number comes from indirect cost and all but 5% is "User labor: Primarily self support and time spent learning to use IT systems".
The study also assumes all users have full admin rights. I suspect this actually understates the $635 per year direct support costs for XP in the study. Users screwing their machines through installing spyware and filesharing programs is a huge issue which seems to be a much smaller problem with Vista.
What interests me from a quick reading of the WIPRO study is that the savings seem to be mainly in the direct setup costs. This would be consistent with improved management tools for both Vista and Server 2003.
So while it is probably true rollout costs are cheaper for a properly kitted enterprise it means Vista's value proposition for home and small business users is dubious at best.
The other interesting point is the user labor number remains unchanged. This indicates businesses should be investing more in training and Microsoft's changes to the Vista and Office 2007 user interface hasn't helped those who use MS products for a living.
I'm not sure releasing figures like this will help Microsoft convince customers to upgrade. The idea of a laptop costing 4,000 per year is going to scare a lot of computer and business owners away from.
Let me repeat those figures.
Three thousand, eight hundred and two dollars compared to four thousand, four hundred and seven dollars.
That's per year.
Someone's kidding themselves. If I gave a client those numbers they'd go back to using abacuses, pilot pigeons and carbon paper.
There's no doubt the figures are fudged. 55% of the number comes from indirect cost and all but 5% is "User labor: Primarily self support and time spent learning to use IT systems".
The study also assumes all users have full admin rights. I suspect this actually understates the $635 per year direct support costs for XP in the study. Users screwing their machines through installing spyware and filesharing programs is a huge issue which seems to be a much smaller problem with Vista.
What interests me from a quick reading of the WIPRO study is that the savings seem to be mainly in the direct setup costs. This would be consistent with improved management tools for both Vista and Server 2003.
So while it is probably true rollout costs are cheaper for a properly kitted enterprise it means Vista's value proposition for home and small business users is dubious at best.
The other interesting point is the user labor number remains unchanged. This indicates businesses should be investing more in training and Microsoft's changes to the Vista and Office 2007 user interface hasn't helped those who use MS products for a living.
I'm not sure releasing figures like this will help Microsoft convince customers to upgrade. The idea of a laptop costing 4,000 per year is going to scare a lot of computer and business owners away from.
Dodgy hardware
Brother's problems with their multifunction printers as reported in today's Sydney Morning Herald don't surprise anyone in the industry.
We haven't recommended Brother for years. Their printers have been flakey and the software that controls the multifunction units has been dreadful and buggy.
From a tech's point of view, these sort of problems are the worst. The client expects you to be able to fix them, but you can't do anything about an "error 41".
In the worst case, you've come out on a "no fix, no fee" basis. You can't fix it, so you don't get paid. It's another reason why I'm dubious about doing jobs with this guarantee.
The quotes from the techs are instructive. My guess is some of these guys spent a lot of non chargeable time on these problems.
The lesson here for a customer is to do your research before buying. Have a look at the models on the market and which ones meet your needs. Then fire up the search engine of your choice and type in the model name with the word "problem" at the end.
That way, you go fully informed into the market and hopefully will avoid a dog. It also means your computer tech will love you too.
We haven't recommended Brother for years. Their printers have been flakey and the software that controls the multifunction units has been dreadful and buggy.
From a tech's point of view, these sort of problems are the worst. The client expects you to be able to fix them, but you can't do anything about an "error 41".
In the worst case, you've come out on a "no fix, no fee" basis. You can't fix it, so you don't get paid. It's another reason why I'm dubious about doing jobs with this guarantee.
The quotes from the techs are instructive. My guess is some of these guys spent a lot of non chargeable time on these problems.
The lesson here for a customer is to do your research before buying. Have a look at the models on the market and which ones meet your needs. Then fire up the search engine of your choice and type in the model name with the word "problem" at the end.
That way, you go fully informed into the market and hopefully will avoid a dog. It also means your computer tech will love you too.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Small Business IT mistake 1: Torturing the office guru.
This is the first of our top ten small business mistakes. As part of the 2007 NSW Small Business Week I'll be posting these mistakes over the next few days.
None of the ten are in any particular order; every business is different so these mistakes affect businesses in different ways. The first we look at is putting too much on the office guru.
a. The mainstay of small business computing is the office guru. It’s rare to find an office that doesn’t have one. To a point, this is good for the business as there's always someone who can fix a password problem or clear a printer jam.
The guru’s usually the ideal employee; they are industrious, take initiative and get irritated when they can’t do their job. Usually they've become the guru because the computer systems got in their way.
So the office manager, bookkeeper or secretary becomes the designated guru. Now everyone in the office comes to them to fix paper jams, recover lost files and figure out how to insert pictures into powerpoint documents.
Your business will come to depend upon them. They are cheap, reliable and often your best employees. They are also the only one that knows how to avoid paper jams on the cranky Laserjet 4L you bought in 1996.
But they are still the office manager, bookkeeper or secretary. They have to do their main job as well as the IT.
Eventually the guru gets fed up. They are doing two jobs and only being paid for one. What's more, the IT support role is a demanding, time consuming and often thankless.
While most gurus become disaffected others become protective; the system is their baby. They’ve had to care for it, nurture it and sometimes resuscitate it. They've raised it from a tantrum throwing toddler to somewhat stable adulthood, although prone to strange episodes.
For the small business owner, it's usually a losing proposition; you end up losing good staff and you have a computer network that doesn't work well.
The smaller the business is, the worse the problem becomes. In the worst case, when the owner is the guru, the entire business suffers as the owner is fluffing around with the computers while the business drifts.
The solution for the business is to respect your employees and your IT investment. Get a proper tech to look after the system.
Usually when the tech arrives, they find the biggest problem is old equipment. Most guru run networks are lumbered with ancient systems. That's the topic of our next post.
None of the ten are in any particular order; every business is different so these mistakes affect businesses in different ways. The first we look at is putting too much on the office guru.
a. The mainstay of small business computing is the office guru. It’s rare to find an office that doesn’t have one. To a point, this is good for the business as there's always someone who can fix a password problem or clear a printer jam.
The guru’s usually the ideal employee; they are industrious, take initiative and get irritated when they can’t do their job. Usually they've become the guru because the computer systems got in their way.
So the office manager, bookkeeper or secretary becomes the designated guru. Now everyone in the office comes to them to fix paper jams, recover lost files and figure out how to insert pictures into powerpoint documents.
Your business will come to depend upon them. They are cheap, reliable and often your best employees. They are also the only one that knows how to avoid paper jams on the cranky Laserjet 4L you bought in 1996.
But they are still the office manager, bookkeeper or secretary. They have to do their main job as well as the IT.
Eventually the guru gets fed up. They are doing two jobs and only being paid for one. What's more, the IT support role is a demanding, time consuming and often thankless.
While most gurus become disaffected others become protective; the system is their baby. They’ve had to care for it, nurture it and sometimes resuscitate it. They've raised it from a tantrum throwing toddler to somewhat stable adulthood, although prone to strange episodes.
For the small business owner, it's usually a losing proposition; you end up losing good staff and you have a computer network that doesn't work well.
The smaller the business is, the worse the problem becomes. In the worst case, when the owner is the guru, the entire business suffers as the owner is fluffing around with the computers while the business drifts.
The solution for the business is to respect your employees and your IT investment. Get a proper tech to look after the system.
Usually when the tech arrives, they find the biggest problem is old equipment. Most guru run networks are lumbered with ancient systems. That's the topic of our next post.
The top ten small business IT mistakes
As part of NSW Small Business Week I'll be giving a talk in Parramatta and another in the Sydney CBD on how businesses can make more from their IT investment.
Over the next week, I'll be putting the top ten mistakes here and on the PC Rescue website.
Over the next week, I'll be putting the top ten mistakes here and on the PC Rescue website.
False bargains on the net
In the days before eBay took off I used to go to computer auctions looking for bargains. I quickly learned that the combination of technology and auctions is pretty dangerous for most bidders; they are first dazzled by the tech and then caught up in the excitement of bidding.
The worst example I came across was a room full of 386 laptops (this was 1998). I wasn't going to bid for those things, but I mentioned to the other computer tech I was there with that I'd be surprised if they sold for ten bucks. He made a bet they would sell for fifty.
He won. The things sold for $150 a piece. I'm sure the mugs thought they were getting a good deal.
Another auction I went to was a for a shop clearing excess stock. While talking to a mate, a lady interrupted and asked "what would be a good price for these systems?"
My response was if you don't know what these are worth you shouldn't be here.
At least back then people had to make the effort to get to an auction. These days of eBay and Grays Online mean that anyone with an Internet connection can make a bid. Which increases the ratio of dills prepared to overbid on junk dramatically.
The Bleeding Edge blog has a description of how people get themselves caught. Today the Sydney Morning Herald reports on 1500 complaints the state government has received from upset online buyers.
I've no doubt a lot of those 1500 are legitimate ripoffs, but I'll bet there's a large proportion where the buyers didn't read the description like the example in the Bleeding Edge article or were just looking for the cheapest deal.
Searching for the cheapest deal is where people get stung. The days of exceptions bargains falling off virtual trees online ceased years ago.
The old saying "if something seems too good to be true then it probably is" applies just as much to the net as anywhere else.
The worst example I came across was a room full of 386 laptops (this was 1998). I wasn't going to bid for those things, but I mentioned to the other computer tech I was there with that I'd be surprised if they sold for ten bucks. He made a bet they would sell for fifty.
He won. The things sold for $150 a piece. I'm sure the mugs thought they were getting a good deal.
Another auction I went to was a for a shop clearing excess stock. While talking to a mate, a lady interrupted and asked "what would be a good price for these systems?"
My response was if you don't know what these are worth you shouldn't be here.
At least back then people had to make the effort to get to an auction. These days of eBay and Grays Online mean that anyone with an Internet connection can make a bid. Which increases the ratio of dills prepared to overbid on junk dramatically.
The Bleeding Edge blog has a description of how people get themselves caught. Today the Sydney Morning Herald reports on 1500 complaints the state government has received from upset online buyers.
I've no doubt a lot of those 1500 are legitimate ripoffs, but I'll bet there's a large proportion where the buyers didn't read the description like the example in the Bleeding Edge article or were just looking for the cheapest deal.
Searching for the cheapest deal is where people get stung. The days of exceptions bargains falling off virtual trees online ceased years ago.
The old saying "if something seems too good to be true then it probably is" applies just as much to the net as anywhere else.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Will Sony ever learn
Another rootkit debacle hits Sony. This time software bundled with USB memory sticks.
What on Earth are these guys thinking? Why do they find it necessary to hide this stuff?
From a tech's point of view, this sort of thing is a nightmare. It really makes our job difficult when these things go wrong.
And go wrong they do. In this case the user could find themselves locked out of their own data.
Once again, we see vendors adding unnecessary complexity to systems. What they don't seem to understand is the more complex you make things, the more likely they are to break.
Sony, like many other hardware and software companies, need to get people that understand that simplicity is the key to keeping computer customers happy.
What on Earth are these guys thinking? Why do they find it necessary to hide this stuff?
From a tech's point of view, this sort of thing is a nightmare. It really makes our job difficult when these things go wrong.
And go wrong they do. In this case the user could find themselves locked out of their own data.
Once again, we see vendors adding unnecessary complexity to systems. What they don't seem to understand is the more complex you make things, the more likely they are to break.
Sony, like many other hardware and software companies, need to get people that understand that simplicity is the key to keeping computer customers happy.
Monday, September 03, 2007
The limitations of web 2.0
The PayPal payment outage this weekend is the latest of a number of online systems falling over. Last week we saw the Microsoft Genuine Advantage system fall over and before that Skype.
The problem with these services failing is they have a terrible impact on people who depend upon them. This is the major reason why I discourage businesses from relying on online services.
One of the worries I have is that IT and web businesses don't fully understand customer service. The PayPal outage is a good example; "sorry, we have no idea; come back later."
I never cease to be amazed at how companies like PayPal can't stick a simple message on their website and keep their customer service people in the loop that there is a problem, what the problem is and how long it's expected to continue.
To add to the problem, the Internet itself is not wholly reliable for the average home or small business user; outages are still more common than they should be.
Until we have a much higher level of reliability and responsibility from vendors, it's very difficult to recommend Web 2.0 applications to businesses.
The problem with these services failing is they have a terrible impact on people who depend upon them. This is the major reason why I discourage businesses from relying on online services.
One of the worries I have is that IT and web businesses don't fully understand customer service. The PayPal outage is a good example; "sorry, we have no idea; come back later."
I never cease to be amazed at how companies like PayPal can't stick a simple message on their website and keep their customer service people in the loop that there is a problem, what the problem is and how long it's expected to continue.
To add to the problem, the Internet itself is not wholly reliable for the average home or small business user; outages are still more common than they should be.
Until we have a much higher level of reliability and responsibility from vendors, it's very difficult to recommend Web 2.0 applications to businesses.
Weekend show 2 September 2007
The September weekend show was our first spot with Simon Marnie for months. We had a look at the new iMacs and looked at the pros and cons of switching to a Mac.
We had quite a few callers on the Mac vs PC topic including Margaret who had reluctantly switched to Windows a few years back because of incompatibilities with her accounting software.
Of the eight callers we got through, three were having hardware problems, which is unusually high.
I'll have a rundown on the show on the PC Rescue website in a few days time.
We had quite a few callers on the Mac vs PC topic including Margaret who had reluctantly switched to Windows a few years back because of incompatibilities with her accounting software.
Of the eight callers we got through, three were having hardware problems, which is unusually high.
I'll have a rundown on the show on the PC Rescue website in a few days time.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
ABC Nightlife 31 August, 2007
August's Nightlife spot was less than successful given we had communications problems between the Sydney Tardis and Tony's Perth Studio.
We covered the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week and the Netalert free webfilters.
The full show is available at the Nightlife website. We'll also have a rundown and answers to listener's queries on the PC Rescue site tomorrow.
We covered the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week and the Netalert free webfilters.
The full show is available at the Nightlife website. We'll also have a rundown and answers to listener's queries on the PC Rescue site tomorrow.
Friday, August 31, 2007
A million hijacked computers
A gang infecting blogs with malware is estimated to have infected a million PCs over the last eight months.
That number is not surprising and just goes to show how bad the security issues are on Windows systems.
I can't emphasise how important it is to run computers in Limited User mode.
Or get a Mac.
That number is not surprising and just goes to show how bad the security issues are on Windows systems.
I can't emphasise how important it is to run computers in Limited User mode.
Or get a Mac.
The heartbreak of lost data
Megan Bowen's story of losing her family photos and videos to a housebreaker is a reminder of how data is far more valuable than hardware and why you need to guard the backups.
The sad thing for the Bowen family is they had burned CDs with the photos, but these were in a laptop case that was stolen as well.
It's important to do backups because theft is the only way you can lose data; your hard drive might fail, you may accidentally delete it or a fire might destroy your computer.
Fires, theft and floods often also destroy backups. That's why we recommend keeping a copy off site. Ideally we'd recommend having at least two backups and rotating them so one is by the computer and another is somewhere else.
Backup software's always a major issue. For home and small business users, we recommend using the Microsoft Synctoy. For larger businesses there's all manner of software that can be used.
Regardless of what you use, we'd recommend checking the backup on a regular basis to make sure everything is being backed up. One of the most stressful and heartbreaking parts of working as a computer tech is when you find a backup has failed.
The sad thing for the Bowen family is they had burned CDs with the photos, but these were in a laptop case that was stolen as well.
It's important to do backups because theft is the only way you can lose data; your hard drive might fail, you may accidentally delete it or a fire might destroy your computer.
Fires, theft and floods often also destroy backups. That's why we recommend keeping a copy off site. Ideally we'd recommend having at least two backups and rotating them so one is by the computer and another is somewhere else.
Backup software's always a major issue. For home and small business users, we recommend using the Microsoft Synctoy. For larger businesses there's all manner of software that can be used.
Regardless of what you use, we'd recommend checking the backup on a regular basis to make sure everything is being backed up. One of the most stressful and heartbreaking parts of working as a computer tech is when you find a backup has failed.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Monster.com mess
As we enter National Identity Fraud Awareness Week, the story of Monster.com's security breach just seems to get worse.
What amazes me is just how little coverage this is getting in the media. This story is huge with not only millions of accounts at risk, but the company seems to have no idea of how many accounts have been compromised.
Even more disturbing is how this scam works, it relies on infected machines running software that logs onto to Monster's database, looks up candidate details and sends the results to spammers and phishers who then use the addresses to spread more spam and malware.
What really concerns me is that I've received a few of these type of emails purporting to be from Seek and MyCareer. I'm wondering if the same scam is at work on these sites as well.
What amazes me is just how little coverage this is getting in the media. This story is huge with not only millions of accounts at risk, but the company seems to have no idea of how many accounts have been compromised.
Even more disturbing is how this scam works, it relies on infected machines running software that logs onto to Monster's database, looks up candidate details and sends the results to spammers and phishers who then use the addresses to spread more spam and malware.
What really concerns me is that I've received a few of these type of emails purporting to be from Seek and MyCareer. I'm wondering if the same scam is at work on these sites as well.
Dodgy cheques and laser printers
On the techno-fraud front, the Consumerist has an article on the surge in fake bank cheques due to high quality laser printers.
Given fake cheques are a favourite trick of Ebay and 419 fraudsters, it's really important not to trust cheques unless they have come from someone you know.
It also pays to be very cautious of foreign cheques. It can take quite a while for a cheque drawn on a foreign bank to be cleared. If you've sent goods or given money to people based on one of these cheques you might be in for a nasty surprise a month or two down the track.
Personally, I'd be very reluctant to accept any cheque drawn on an institution I've never heard of. If I did, I'd be making doubly sure it had cleared before acting on it.
Given fake cheques are a favourite trick of Ebay and 419 fraudsters, it's really important not to trust cheques unless they have come from someone you know.
It also pays to be very cautious of foreign cheques. It can take quite a while for a cheque drawn on a foreign bank to be cleared. If you've sent goods or given money to people based on one of these cheques you might be in for a nasty surprise a month or two down the track.
Personally, I'd be very reluctant to accept any cheque drawn on an institution I've never heard of. If I did, I'd be making doubly sure it had cleared before acting on it.
Vista Service Pack 1 Beta
The announcement the first Vista Service Pack is about be released in beta is welcome news.
Experienced Microsoft customers know that waiting for the first service pack is a really good idea with a new MS operating system so the release of SP1 will spark the so far lacklustre sales of Vista.
What should be emphasised is that non-techy users shouldn't go within miles of a beta release. The computer industry is unique in this practice of releasing products that might not work so the general population can test.
It's akin to the motor industry giving away a new model car for testing, figuring that they'll save on the cost of crash test dummies.
Would you accept a free car on the basis that the brakes might fail, the airbags might kill the passengers and the whole thing might randomly burst into flames? Well that's what a beta release is.
To be fair to Microsoft they aren't making this available through mass market channels, it will only be available through the MS Developers Network and Technet.
We should also point out that at least MS beta test their major releases rather than using paying customers as crash test dummies which I'm convinced certain anti-virus companies do.
It's good MS are working on the Vista service pack, now we have to ask is where is the XP service pack three? The thing is two years overdue and it's becoming an embarrassment.
Experienced Microsoft customers know that waiting for the first service pack is a really good idea with a new MS operating system so the release of SP1 will spark the so far lacklustre sales of Vista.
What should be emphasised is that non-techy users shouldn't go within miles of a beta release. The computer industry is unique in this practice of releasing products that might not work so the general population can test.
It's akin to the motor industry giving away a new model car for testing, figuring that they'll save on the cost of crash test dummies.
Would you accept a free car on the basis that the brakes might fail, the airbags might kill the passengers and the whole thing might randomly burst into flames? Well that's what a beta release is.
To be fair to Microsoft they aren't making this available through mass market channels, it will only be available through the MS Developers Network and Technet.
We should also point out that at least MS beta test their major releases rather than using paying customers as crash test dummies which I'm convinced certain anti-virus companies do.
It's good MS are working on the Vista service pack, now we have to ask is where is the XP service pack three? The thing is two years overdue and it's becoming an embarrassment.
Appreciating your tech
One of the more saddening parts of being a computer tech is how little your skills are really appreciated.
A good example was yesterday, the first job had been locked out of her computer. The fix for this is usually quite easy and it only took twenty minutes to reset the admin password. When that was fixed she asked to setup a new profile which took another half hour.
So the total time was an hour. Her response?
I didn't expect it to be that expensive?
I mean, FFS! Thanks lady for the appreciation.
In the afternoon I did another job, this was for a client I hadn't seen for years. It took me ninety minutes to fix the spyware infection that had crippled her wireless connection.
Her thanks?
I hope I don't have to see again.
Gee lady, thanks.
One of my staff told me yesterday about the client who thought the three hour job he did on Monday should have been simple to fix in half an hour. It reminds me of the Dilbert principle that anything you don't understand must be simple to do.
On a related topic referring to yesterday's rant about Symantec I was delighted to note the first client's computer was almost new and the Norton, which was supplied with the computer, was defective.
Just to prove it's not just Norton, the afternoon job had a fully subscribed and up to date McAfee Internet security suite which had let a number of spyware packages on and allowed them to damage the TCP/IP stack.
Dealing with ungrateful customers and incompetent software vendors is why it makes this industry such a challenge.
If you really want to cultivate a good relationship with a computer tech, don't whine about the bill, time or insult them if they've done a good job.
A good example was yesterday, the first job had been locked out of her computer. The fix for this is usually quite easy and it only took twenty minutes to reset the admin password. When that was fixed she asked to setup a new profile which took another half hour.
So the total time was an hour. Her response?
I didn't expect it to be that expensive?
I mean, FFS! Thanks lady for the appreciation.
In the afternoon I did another job, this was for a client I hadn't seen for years. It took me ninety minutes to fix the spyware infection that had crippled her wireless connection.
Her thanks?
I hope I don't have to see again.
Gee lady, thanks.
One of my staff told me yesterday about the client who thought the three hour job he did on Monday should have been simple to fix in half an hour. It reminds me of the Dilbert principle that anything you don't understand must be simple to do.
On a related topic referring to yesterday's rant about Symantec I was delighted to note the first client's computer was almost new and the Norton, which was supplied with the computer, was defective.
Just to prove it's not just Norton, the afternoon job had a fully subscribed and up to date McAfee Internet security suite which had let a number of spyware packages on and allowed them to damage the TCP/IP stack.
Dealing with ungrateful customers and incompetent software vendors is why it makes this industry such a challenge.
If you really want to cultivate a good relationship with a computer tech, don't whine about the bill, time or insult them if they've done a good job.
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