Yes, the software giant headed by one of the world’s wealthiest men is an easy target for bashing whenever we’re faced with issues involving our Windows based personal computers.  How many times have you exclaimed or heard someone exclaim in frustration, “Windows SUCKS!” whenever a computer runs into a problem?  It is probably a pretty frequent occurrence – I know in my line of work I hear it constantly.  The complaints that Microsoft can’t make a decent operating system.  The complaints that Windows just doesn’t work right.  The complaints that Windows crashes all the time….

I know a number of people that have sworn off Windows based PC’s and moved to Apple – adopting both their standard desktop O/S and their newer mobile device O/S as the base for all of their personal computing.  Unfortunately what I also hear are the complaints about these platforms as well.  Every piece of technology has its own list of pro’s and con’s.

Trust us, a hammer doesn't fix it...

The one thing that the now gadget champion Apple does get right and always has is the basic principle of – software runs better on good hardware.  In recent years, Apple has moved away from their old Motorola based RISC processing hardware sets to more industry standard and PC-friendly Intel processing platforms.  Yet, they still build their products on a more robust and sturdy hardware set and charge a premium for it.  Honestly, is their operating system and software set worth the $1799.00 starting price tag for a 15-inch MacBook Pro?  Not for the software alone – no it is not.  But they base their software ALWAYS on a robust, high-end hardware set.  Not just the latest names, but actually good, quality hardware.

Is that laptop with all the bells and whistles that you got on sale for $299.00 at your local big box store built on a robust, high-end hardware set?  If you think it is, I have some magic beans you might be interested in…

So if you’re not running Windows on good hardware, can you definitely say for certain that Windows itself is what is failing you, or could it be any one of the thousands of complex chips, devices or resident applications that have to run within Windows, dependent on that same hardware, that might be failing you and causing those blue screens?  Should Microsoft really be responsible for making their operating systems to ensure they work with every piece of hardware that comes pressed together by $.12 per day workers in Asian 3rd world countries?

I say no.

After all, Windows XP Pro has been running on my IBM ThinkPad for 4-years now and daily, I have no complaints about how my laptop works.  My desktop in my office runs constantly and is rebooted less than once every other week and is error free daily.  Solid hardware = good O/S performance.  Windows is Windows regardless of the PC you put it on; the hardware makes a huge difference.

Why are graphics workstations so expensive?  Because they are based on some of the must rugged and well made hardware in the industry.  Why do they need to be?  Because multimedia application for video, audio and graphics editing are brutes when it comes to system resources.  High-memory allocation and repetitive tasks that tax the hardware even more than the operating system.  This is the same reason Apple systems are lauded as being ideal for graphics professionals.

Getting the picture?  No pun intended, of course.

So the next time your computer blue-screens, before you start cursing Microsoft Windows as being the ruination of all things computing, think about the computer you’re actually using.  And if it was a discount special from your local big-box store, remember your current feeling of frustration the next time you go out to buy a new computer.

You don’t have to spend $1799.00 just to get quality – but if you spent $299.00 I can assure you, you got the level of quality you paid for.

The Easiest Target is a post from: @ Blog

Apple products have long touted that they are more secure. Times are changing...

It this report from thenexweb.com (link), the explore some of the recent security threats to Mac users, Safari users (the default web browser on Apple Mac O/S), what users should be aware of and how to remove the latest threat.

As in Windows platforms, many of these malware infections have the primary purpose of scaring users into handing over credit card information as well as tricking them in to potentially exposing other personal information.

We feel it is necessary to once again remind all users that if an application you don’t recognize shows up on your computer, take action immediately. Do not ever enter credit card information into an application or website unless you have initiated the transaction with a trusted vendor online.

This is only the beginning for Mac users. The long held belief is that Apple products are safer, more secure and don’t get viruses. However, a lot of that is due in part to their past lack of market saturation. Apple has started to cut into Microsoft’s heavy penetration into the desktop O/S market, and with that as their popularity in this market segment increases so will the number of threats specifically targeting Apple’s products.

Mac Users, Beware. is a post from: @ Blog

How do you make sure you're protected online?

Last week, Epsilon, a Dallas, Texas based company that handles mass-email marketing and communications for some of the world’s largest banks and corporations, sent out a notification and press release explaining that they had experienced a security breech into their customer database which exposed millions of personal records to a unauthorized entity.  Many of you may have already received notifications from the companies you work with on a daily basis explaining this issue. 

Although these companies send out very nice and calming notifications with verbiage such as:

“We have been informed by Epsilon Interactive, a vendor based in Dallas, Texas, that files containing your email address were accessed by unauthorized entry into their computer system. Epsilon helps us send you emails about products and services that may be of interest to you.

We want to assure you that (financial institution) has never provided Epsilon with financial information about you. For your security, however, we wanted to call this matter to your attention. We ask that you remain alert to any unusual or suspicious emails.” 

This was not a very finite event.  Although Epsilon is downplaying it stating it was only email addresses and names, and they only exposed 2% of all of their records, realize that Epsilon handles marketing information on a massive scale for companies such as: 

1800-Flowers
Best Buy
Capitol One
Chase
CitiBank
Hilton Honors
JP Morgan
Marriott Rewards
US Bank
Walgreens

And that is just a small sample of the dozens of their clients that were affected.

Or should I say, of their clients’ clients that are affected?  Ultimately this lands on each and every one of us that has done business with these companies and provided our names and email addresses in the course of doing business with them. 

What does this mean for you?

Obviously, first and foremost this means your security online has been compromised.  Perhaps not in a way that directly can lead to identity theft, but as an end result, it is a possibility.  Expect increased spam, phishing emails and virus attacks as a result of this.

At best you’ll get a letter acknowledging there was a problem – neither Epsilon nor their clients are offering any solutions or remediation and seem to be doing nothing more than analyzing the scope of the damage.  In essence, they are making this your problem to deal with as they work at fixing the security issue that caused the exposure.

Your security, as always, is your responsibility!

What should you do?

Epsilon and their clients can assure you all they want that nothing really important was stolen – just your name and email address – but for those that stole the information, you can bet their intentions are to get as much personal information as they can.

Act with extra caution when clicking links in emails or opening any emails from unrecognized sources.  If you receive and email from someone you know that looks suspicious but you’re not sure, pick up the phone and call them to verify what it is, or simply send an email to their address in return (not a reply!) asking them what it is and if they did indeed send it.

Be sure you are using a good quality desktop security software that offers aggressive spam and phishing filtering, web threat prevention and proactive internet security features – and make sure you keep it updated and the subscription active!  Our recommendation is Trend Micro Internet Security.  It is a lightweight but robust security platform that you can trust.

Change your passwords.  According to Epsilon passwords weren’t stolen, but do you really want to take the chance that they’re 100% accurate regarding that?  Besides, most of us use the same passwords for email, bank accounts, on-line shopping, etc. and our email address is almost always our login ID.  If the bad guys can get one of your passwords either through a phishing scam or Trojan download, it could expose much more than just your email address to them.

And as always, if you have questions call us.  We are indeed concerned about your security and are more than willing to answer your questions or inspect any suspicious emails you receive.  If you already suspect you may have a Trojan, spyware or other malware on your system, bring it in to us for our flat-rate PC Tune-Up service.  We’ll diagnose any issues your system may have and make security recommendations to keep you safe.

If you’re concerned about your network security or have multiple systems, schedule an on-site appointment with one of our technicians and we’ll come to you!

Remember, security is your responsibility – trust the professionals to make sure YOU are as secure as you need to be!

Security Alert is a post from: @ Blog