A few years later (end of 2002) there was an article in PC Magazine that asked “Are Tablet PCs the Next Big Thing?” The author was optimistic at that time, but here we are, over 8 years later and we are just (hopefully) getting there.

Are we there yet?

I don’t know, but I have high hopes because I received notification that my ASUS Eee Slate has shipped from Amazon. In addition to hoping it meets my goal of replacing my work laptop, I want to evaluate it to determine where it makes sense for L5 Solutions small business customers. I plan to use blog entries to provide some insight into the latter.

Why I waited for the ASUS Slate

I needed something that could do more than just allow me to play games, surf the internet, and watch video. I needed a business computer. Since most of our business applications are Windows based, I needed a machine that would run standard Windows. Also, I wanted speed, handwritten note taking ability, decent size, and expandability.I will provide more information on my experience in future posts. If you are looking to buy or see the specs, check it out at Amazon. When I ordered mine on March 22^nd, it said out of stock, but it ended up shipping April 7^th. So don’t hesitate to get in line if you want it.

ASUS Eee Slate EP121

So what are businesses and home computer users to do if just visiting a legitimate website has the potential of infecting your computer?  The first step is to make sure each computer has an anti-virus program installed and updated, such as AVG Internet Security 2011 – 20% off!, with the most recent threat definitions to hopefully block the infection from installing on the computer.  With that in mind, it is usually a good idea to run an anti-spyware program, such as Spybot Search and Destroy, along with an anti-virus program.  Again, the spyware detection program must be updated with the current version and most recent threat definitions to combat the latest threats on the Internet.

So the next issues becomes, what happens if you do everything you’re supposed to: run updated anti-virus, run updated -anti-spyware, go to only “safe” websites, etc… and you still get a virus on your computer.  It is always best to save your data (hopefully you already have a good backup of your computer data) and re-install your computer’s operating system, like WindowsXP, Windows7, etc.  For many reason, I know it is not always feasible or realistic to reinstall Windows if your computer is infected.  In that case you should try to restore your computer to an earlier time, before your computer was infected.  In Windows it is called system restore and does not restore your computer’s data to an earlier time, but restores the underlying settings, in the registry, to the way they were before the virus.

There is too much to write about removing viruses, which is why it is much more important to spend time on blocking them before the infect your computer.  Just like grandma used to say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Take the few minutes necessary to install and setup your antivirus and other security programs to automatically update and protect your computer in the hope you don’t need to spend many hours removing the virus or reinstalling your system.

The technology side should be easy, at least from my standpoint.  Implement a proven backup and disaster recovery process to securely protect your data.  By that, I mean you need to have a stable server or platform to store your current data.  Next, your current working data needs to be backed up to another stable device onsite with large storage capacity to not only recover current data but also archived data in the event you need to restore files from a long while back.  The last point in the process is to securely transfer and store the backup data at an offsite location.  This last part of the process is the true disaster recovery preparedness in any good business plan.  If your current location is fully or partially lost, for example in a fire, you can recover data from the offsite location and resume business in a relatively short period of time.

The business side of a backup and disaster recovery plan should be equally as simple.  However, in reality, nothing is as easy at it seems.  Backup software and hardware devices require resources, not only money to purchase the applications and servers but also time to research, implement and test. The failure of so many businesses to address their data backup and recovery need lies with the disproportionately low value they place on their servers and computer systems that store their company data.  Every business, regardless of industry, is reliant on their computers to perform daily business operations.  With my previous statement, I am continually amazed at how many companies have inadequate or no backup plan or process in place.

For instance,

• many companies do not review what data is backed up.  The consequence of this is usually discovered when they attempt to recover a needed file and it is not there because the data they need was never part of the backup routine.
• many companies do not test their backups.  This is the most often frequent issue with backups I’ve seen with desperate companies. Many businesses still use notoriously unreliable tapes for backup because that is what has always been used in the past.  Did you know tapes have failure rates often cited at over 50%?
• many do not backup data offsite.  Offsite or online data storage used to be very expensive, but that is not the case anymore.  There are still places that charge $3-$5 per GB of offsite data storage but that is no longer the norm.  If your data is only available on the server or system and a drive close to that same location, a small event may destroy both instances of your data, both your current and backup storage.  For example, power events, like lightning strikes or power surges are the most common event to destroy data and water damage such as a water pipe breaking or sprinklers are close behind.

What are the results if a business tackles both the technology and business side of safely securing their company data for any event?  Easy, their data is always available to them. Their data is recoverable whether they accidentally deleted a file and need to recover it from yesterday , or a mail server crashes and all their documented correspondence is gone until they quickly recover from their onsite backup, or better yet run a virtual mail server off their backup device until their mail server is restored.  And in the rare event of a true disaster, their data is immediately available online, fully encrypted, from any Internet connection. Additionally, a new backup server, fully loaded with images of their servers to run virtual machines, is overnighted to any location.

Are you interested in comprehensive and secure backup and disaster recovery options?  Contact us for proven data backup solutions.

I’m often asked which smartphone is best for small business users.  My gut response from dealing with pretty much every make and model of mobile phone and smartphone is the Apple iPhone.

With that said, there is often a better answer for small business users than simply stating the iPhone is best.  If you are a small business owner or sales person traveling far from major metropolitan areas, the accompanying and mandatory AT&T mobile service may not be the best fit for you due to smaller coverage areas outside big cities and major highways.  If AT&T’s coverage is a deal breaker, then I suggest going with Verizon and one of their smartphone options.  I’ve managed, configured and used Droid phones and am not a big fan of the size of the devices.  There are other smaller, and less expensive mobile device options that will serve the same purpose and more easily fit into your pocket.  I’m several sentences into an opinion on choosing a mobile phone for small business and have nary a mention of the ubiquitous Blackberry; the crown jewel of enterprise business users and the leader of the free world.  I am not a big fan of Blackberry devices.  However, I do see many successful business owners and companies using Blackberries who all love them.  And that is really where the gut reaction of my first sentence could be completely wrong for a particular user.  If you “grew up” on a “Crackberry” then that is likely the best mobile device for you.

As a side note for Blackberry users: If you’ve always wanted the experience of the Blackberry Enterprise Server that large organizations use but didn’t know how or didn’t want to pay for the data plans and licensing you’ve got another option now.  Blackberry offers another option, Blackberry Professional & Express Server.  Get real-time synchronization of mail, calendar and contacts to your company’s Microsoft Exchange mail server.  Here is the best part, though, you do not need the upgraded and more expensive BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) data plan anymore for all the advanced sync features.  On top of that, the new Blackberry Server option is FREE.  Correct, 100% free licensing for the server and user licenses.  If you want more information on how to sync your Blackberry to your Exchange mail server with no license fees or upgraded data plans just let us know.

If you are open to change and are not put-off by the AT&T iPhone data plans, then I strongly recommend opting for an iPhone.  It does not need to be an iPhone 4 or even the iPhone 3GS.  The iPhone 3G and the newer ones mentioned all provide a large screen to more easily read emails, pdfs, web pages, view pictures, follow the built-in map function and GPS and obviously has a whole truckload of available apps.  Oddly enough, as cool as the multitude of iPhone applications are, and as entertaining as so many apps can be, there are actually many useful iPhone apps available to grow your small business and allow you to be more productive and effective in your daily work.  But, alas, that is for another post.  Cheers.

Again, to add the weather widget to your Droid’s home screen press and hold in an empty area on your screen and be sure you have empty space on your main screen for the widget to display.

I hope that helps a few Droid users and some computer techs too.  Enjoy.

So I’ll highlight another route that cyber criminals take in an attempt to steal your identity during the holiday season, shipping confirmation emails that appear to come from FedEx, UPS or the USPS.  Again, with many gifts shipped from homes and business along with increased online purchases, identity thieves send out spam emails asking you to verify sipping information with your credit card or ask for personal information to receive and confirm packages.  If you ever receive a request online to confirm any account or personal information, you should open a new browser window and type in the sites address, such as www.fedex.com, and then proceed or call their customer service department.

If you think just because  a link in an email says it it from fedex or goes to bankofamerica.com look out.  In my original example of the Bank of America Alert, there is a link to update your account info, but the link actually goes to awilmer.net not bankofamerica.com.  It really is difficult to differentiate between valid emails and phising scams aimed at stealing your identity and personal information.  Remember though that banks, credit card companies and other valid companies will not request personal, account or credit card info by email.

Here is the Bank of America Alerts email for reference:

Dear Bank of America Customer,

This email was sent by the bank of america server to verify your e-mail address. You must complete this process by clicking on the link below and entering your account information . This is done for your protection , because some of our members no longer have access to their online access and we must verify it. To verify your e-mail address and access your bank account, click on the link below.

Update Info  (http://www.awilmer.net/inc/scurepdat/index.html)

Please fill in the required information.
This is required for us to continue to offer you a safe and risk free environment .

Thank you
Accounts Management

Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC Privacy Promise Terms & Conditions
Copyright © 2009

• Compare Windows 7 editions.
  

  Windows 7 Home Premium

  Windows 7 Professional

  Windows 7 Ultimate

Some good news on Windows 7 are the new features Microsoft piled in to the new OS.  One example is the Direct Access VPN connection to Windows Server 2008 R2 systems.  Instead of dedicating a VPN device to handle the encrypted tunnel, if IT admins implement IPv6 and IPsec (IP security) machines, such as remote offices and remote laptops, can connect directly as if there were inside the office on the company network.

Another point to note is the enhanced power management options for systems running Windows 7.  Microsoft and others are touting between $50+ – $107 energy savings per computer each year.  That justifies the upgrade cost of the license and install time for many tech managers.

There are also several more security enhancements included in Windows 7 such as BitLocker for USB thumb drive encryption, AppLocker to disable programs and DNSSec extensions which many security researchers agree is the next large scale vulnerability to computers and networkds.

With all the hype and bad press form Vista, it appears Microsoft may have overcome the past failings and developed a solid business computing platform.  The big question though is still, will large enterprises and small business adopt the new OS and drive the migration from XP to the new Windows 7?

Print screen from your iPhone:

• To take screenshot on your iPhone hold down lock/off button on top of phone & click the home key; saves it to your camera roll.

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How to print from your iPhone:

• Here are some limited options to send items to a printer directly from an iPhone or iPod, along with options to print to shared printers on a MAC and how to run applications on a PC or MAC that enable printing from your iPhone.

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MacWorld’s iPhone section provides some more good help and tips for your iPhone.

These are just some of our business technology tweets, follow us for more Indianapolis business consulting news and advice.

If you have some more tips please let us know or send us your questions to utilize your iPhone within business.

Microsoft missed out on an entire generation of business computer upgrades due to poor performance and poor press on Windows Vista.  I don’t think there can be a better time than now for Apple to focus its sights on business computing.  I like to focus on attorneys and law firms when dealing with emerging business computing issues because they are considered one of the top technology power users.  With a substantial portion of the legal industry moving towards full digital use, lawyers and legal professionals are an obvious barometer for future business computing trends.

Apple still faces that catch 22 scenario that has plagued them for decades; how do you enter a market to run many business applications that are developed exclusively for Windows.  If you never gain a foothold into business computing then software developers will not write applications compatible to run on Macs.  In kind, if you only have a few compatible applications for business that run on Macs how can you gain a significant market share of business computing to be a viable alternative to Windows?  A simple illustration of this point is provided in two of the most prevalent legal profession and law office software applications, LexisNexis’ PCLaw and Amicus Attorney.  Neither of these products are compatible with Apple’s Mac OS.

Another point on Apple’s penetration into the computing market as a whole, is a recent article stating many students are passing on Macs for smaller and less expensive netbooks.  Academia has always been an Apple stronghold and their chance to gain future customers after those students moved into the business sector.

What percentage of Macs do you have at your business?

Linkedin

Twitter

Facebook

Oddly, the recession has driven some new restrictions and also offered more incentive to follow those policies on social networking sites.  Law firms are increasingly competing for fewer resources from clients and cannot afford a public relations flap to hinder their prospects.  Additionally, attorneys and other legal professionals find it is not a good time to test their firm’s policy on social media posts and profiles.

We’ve seen a large number of businesses without any such policy or restrictions on social media sites, but more and more Indianapolis businesses are finding it necessary to address the issue before an incident arises.

What is your company’s stance on social media sites?