Information Security Hot Tips for PC’s & Small Business November 14, 2009
Posted by Kelly Brady in : Information Security, Small Business Technology , add a commentIn my experience, most information security breaches are not caused by lack of elaborate, expensive security software, hardware and consultants. More often than not, they are caused by a simple failure to create and maintain a basic (and nearly free) security foundation.
Get the latest software patches
Always download the latest critical and security related updates from Microsoft, Apple, Firefox, Adobe etc.; as well as seek updates for other major applications you use.
Use a (Commercial) Anti-Virus Solution
Use a commercial anti-virus solution and make sure it is receiving daily updates (I just don’t trust freebies). Make sure it is performing real-time scanning and periodic full PC/hard drive scanning. Many business editions of commercial anti-virus products allow employees to run a free copy of the product at home.
Separate Physical Firewall
Add a layer of defense with a separate physical firewall in addition to your PC’s built-in firewall. Example brands: Linksys, Netgear, Sonicwall (for small businesses). For most businesses, a $79 Linksys or Netgear router/firewall is really not sufficient, but still better than nothing.
Test your firewall for free
Visit GRC’s website and find Shield’s UP, a fast, free service that will perform some basic firewall tests from the outside world…see what a hacker sees.
Encrypt Sensitive and Portable Data
Encrypt sensitive data on laptops and portable/USB drives. Look into PGP, McAfee Safeboot, Checkpoint. Also look at Bitlocker/Bitlocker-To-Go which comes with Vista & Windows 7 Ultimate & Enterprise editions.
Don’t Warn Your Friends!
Don’t warn your friends about a “particularly dangerous” virus that they need to be careful about. They should always be vigilent. If you feel the need to do this, you are probably a victim of a virus hoax and are propagating it! Thousands of new viruses and hoaxes come out each month…your friends don’t want to receive an email from you for about each one.
Phishing and Email-based Trickery
Avoid “phishing attempts” and other email-based exploits; antivirus and firewalls may not protect you.
- Be suspicious of urgent emails requesting personal information
- Don’t click on links or fill in forms found in an email. Type the company’s known web address directly into the web browser
- don’t open or click on email attachments; if you are sure they are legit, save them to your computer first and scan them with your antivirus software before opening
- Microsoft (and other companies) will not send you an “important patch” via email. Delete these messages.
Seriously, Don’t Use Weak Passwords
Don’t use weak passwords – you’d be surprised how easy they are to guess or crack (remember Sarah Palin’s Yahoo Account?)
- Don’t write passwords on post-in notes
- Don’t use the word “password” as your password
- Don’t use a word from the dictionary
- Create long, complex passwords that include some mix of upper & lowercase letters, numbers & symbols
- Have nothing in your password that can be found out about you on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace etc.
- The best password is somewhat random but easy to remember. Example: 4phun*CALLme
Actively Test Your Security
How do you know you are secure, if you don’t test your security in some way? There are lots of tools out there; many are free. A good one for small businesses is the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA 2.1). There are also more comprehensive services out there, such as the Qualys vulnerability scanning service. These services can be pricy, but most will perform an initial or basic test for free as an incentive to sign up for their service.
Have “offline” backups of critical information
If you compute long enough, you will probably have a virus, malware or system failure that will cause loss of data. There just sin’t any excuse for making copies of important information. Keep it offline – on a powered of hard drive, DVD-R, USB etc so that it is protected from an outbreak.
Clever Microsoft Server Bundles for Small Businesses November 10, 2009
Posted by Kelly Brady in : Small Business Technology, Technology Solutions , add a commentMicrosoft has some lesser-known editions of their core Windows server offerings, packaged and priced for small businesses that range from 1 to 300 users. These products are less expensive than buying traditional full server editions, and come with additional administrative features that reduce the cost of ownership. These special offerings are either preinstalled or relatively easy to install, and are tightly integrated “out of the box”.
Windows Home Server is targeted to home users with multiple PCs in their home. However, many SOHO businesses with 10 or less PC’s find it a cost-effective way to have basic server technologies, with the bonus of a very effective backup solution for their PC’s.
Windows Server Foundation is an entry-level server for small businesses with up to 15 users. Foundation is inexpensive, easy-to-deploy and will allow small businesses to run most common business applications, as well as share information securely and access their data while traveling.
Windows Small Business Server 2008 (SBS) is an all-in-one server solution that provides many of the features typically available only in larger companies. These features include Microsoft Exchange email, internal websites, remote access, support for mobile devices, file & printer sharing and backup for up to 75 users. The Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium edition contains everything in the standard edition, plus the right to install a 2nd server running the Microsoft SQL database.
Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (EBS) is an integrated three-server solutions designed for mid-sized businesses of up to 300 users. Powered by Windows Server 2008 technology, Windows Essential Business Server 2008 combines software for management, messaging, and security into one integrated server solution that is designed to dramatically reduce IT complexity and improve efficiency across the business. The Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Premium edition contains everything in the standard edition, plus the right to install an additional server running the Microsoft SQL database.
Comparison of Microsoft Servers for Small Businesses
| Max. users | # of Servers | Database | Remote Access | Server Backup | ||
| Home | 10 | 1 | Y | |||
| Foundation | 15 | 1 | Y | Y | ||
| SBS Standard | 75 | 1 | Y | Y | Y | |
| SBS Premium | 75 | 2 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| EBS Standard | 300 | 3 | Y | Y | Y | |
| EBS Premium | 300 | 4 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Curious Fitness Product at the Microsoft Store November 5, 2009
Posted by Kelly Brady in : Gadgets and Gizmos, Technology for aging , 2commentsWhile visiting the new Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, Arizona, I was curious to see what accessories made the shelves, thinking Microsoft carefully selected products for the limited space available. A device called a ‘Fitbit’ caught my eye; at first I thought it was a Bluetooth headset. Then I noticed the words “Wireless Personal Trainer”.
What is the FitBit Wireless Personal Trainer?
The Fitbit is a small wearable pedometer/accelerometer that records how many steps you take in a day. The unit can even be worn on an included wristband while you sleep to log how effectively and how long you sleep. It wirelessly sync’s itself to your PC and the Internet every 15 minutes using the included USB charger/wireless receiver. Battery charge is excellent – I have been wearing it daily for two weeks and still have 35% charge left.
Easy to use and setup
I’m not going to provide a complete product review here – there are several others you can read such as one on engadget (although I don’t agree with some of the author’s conclusions). However, I think that this is a really nice product that is very easy to use and learn. You can push a button on the front of the device to see how many steps, miles or calories burned, as well as a graphical effort scale. You can also hold this button down to activate and deactivate the nighttime “record my sleep patterns” mode. The unit automatically resets the counter at midnight so there is virtually no user-required management of the unit – just wear it! It actually comes with almost no instructions – see the following photo for the instructions included in the package:
Fitbit's Instruction Manual
To be fair, there is a full and detailed user’s guide on the Fitbit website.
The are no activation fees or monthly charges to upload data and access the website. The website is very simple to use and actually has a lot of features including food logging, calorie tracking etc:
FitBit, Sportbrain and Venture Capital
I think it is significant that Fitbit made it into the Microsoft Store; they are not the first company to market a digital, computer & internet linked fitness device built around a pedometer function. Both Fitbit and several similar products have attracted venture capital recently and years ago. Has the Wii and Wii Fit created a new frontier of health & fitness technology that can attract venture capital even in this market? In 2004/2005 I was a member of the Center for Aging Services Technology (CAST) Commission, headed by Eric Dishman, a senior researcher at Intel Labs. Erik was studying technology applications for Alzheimer’s, and showed up for a meeting wearing his “Sportbrain” activity monitor/pedometer. He often referred to in during presentations as a simple example of how technology can impact health in a non-invasive, even positive ways. Erik would illustrate that a product like Sportbrain, which appeals to all ages (particularly the young, active culture) could get funding, but that products designed for aging & seniors could not – there was a stigma to aging even though the market for these products was rapidly increasing due to the baby boomer retirement wave.
I decided then not to buy a Sportbrain. They charged a monthly fee and the company had recently come out of bankruptcy. Even now, Sportbrain products are hard to find and the website and product line are confusing. Visiting their website you’ll have trouble determining what they sell, which model to buy, what it does, and how to use it. Their product has not evolved, and still does not sync wirelessly.
Sportbrain and Fitbit clearly approach their market differently. Sportbrain as a company seems to have stagnated. They certainly are not showing up in high-profile places like the Microsoft Store, Sports Authority, Dick’s Sports etc. Unlike Sportbrain, Fitbit comes across with a simple and clean appearance for their product and website. They invite direct communication with staff via forums, have a Flickr photostream, a blog and of course, they Tweet. There probably is a clever name for these new era entrepreneurial startups that embrace social media, open their doors and are not afraid to share the behind-the-scenes activity.
Now I need to go take a walk…Fitbit tells me I’ve only reached 7% of my goal of 10,000 steps today…