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“As a business owner, I know you don’t have time to waste on technical and
operational issues. That’s where we shine! Call us and put an end to your IT problems finally and forever!”
- Michael Mellott, XPERTECHS
Volume II, Issue 2 February, 2009
Inside This Issue...How Secure Is Your Laptop? Read This And Surf Safely .......................... Page 1
Longer Lasting Laptops .. Page 2
Beat This Trivia Question And You Could Win Free Movie Tickets! ....................... Page 2
How Secure Is Your Data? Four Simple Things You Should Do NOW .......... Page 3
If You Don’t WIKI Yet, Maybe You Should. Find Out How .............. Page 4
If Only Life Were More Like A Computer! ........ Page 4
perText“Insider Tips To Make Your Business Run
Faster, Easier, And More Profitably”
How To Keep Your Laptop Secure When Using Public Wi-Fi Hotspots
Theyareeverywherethesedays.Wi-Fihotspotsforcheckinge-mailandhoppingontheInternetcanbefoundinairports,coffeeshops,bookstores,andevenmostfastfoodjoints.Fortheuninitiated,Wi-FihotspotsareareaswhereyoucanuseyourwirelesslaptoptosurftheWebandchecke-mail.Buthaveyoueverwondered,justhowsafeisittoconnect?Withtheproliferationofhackers,virusesandidentitytheftatanalltimehigh,youaresmarttobeconcerned.Unfortunately,itiseasyforahackertosetupaWi-Fispottoaccessyourlaptop,calledan“eviltwin.”Aneviltwinisawirelesshot-spotthatisusedtolurepeoplefromanear-by,legitimatehotspot.Forexample,whenlogginginatyourfavoritecoffeeshop,youmayhaveinadvertentlyloggedintoaneviltwinInternetconnectionsetupbythepersonworkingonalaptopatthenexttable.Justlikelegitimatesites,eviltwinsallowyouaccesstotheInternet,butintheback-groundtheyrecordevery-thingyouaretyping.Logontoyouremail,investmentwebsite,bankaccount,orbuysomethingonline,andtheyarerecordingyourkeystrokes.
Youmaybeasking,“HowdoIprotectmyselfatWi-Fihotspots?”Firstyouneedtomakesurethehotspotislegitimate.YoucandothisbyaskingsomeonewhoworksattheWi-Filocation;infactsomebusinesseswillgiveyouprintedinstructionsthatincludethehotspotname.Evenhereyouneedtobecareful.Manytimes,inanattempttomakeyoufeelcomfortable,thehackerwilluseaneviltwinnamethatmimicsthelegitimatehotspotand,onsomeoccasions,thefakesitemayevenshowupatthetopofyournet-worklistbyhavingastrongersignalthanthelegitimatesite.
Thebestprotectionyoucanhaveisconnectingviayourcompany’sVPN(virtualprivatenetwork).AVPNprotectsyouronlineinformationbyencryptingyourdataandactivityevenifyou’reconnectedthroughaneviltwin.Ifyoudon’thaveaVPN,thebestprotectionistosurfthenet,butnevertypeinpassword,creditcard,socialsecurity,bankaccount,orothersensitiveinforma-tionwhenconnectedtoapublicWi-Fihotspot.
Get More Free Tips, Tools, and Services At My Web Site:www.xpercare.com
Tip: Do you want an easy way to securely access your network and the Internet from anywhere? Call us today at (410) 884-0225 about setting up a VPN for your office!
“I am sure you’ll appreciate our new policy”
Get More Free Tips, Tools, and Services At My Web Site:www.xpercare.com
Better Batteries For Your Laptop
One President ShortBarackObamaisthe44thPresidentoftheUnitedStates,buthowisitthatonly43menhaveoccupiedtheoffice?GroverClevelandwaselectedfortwonon-consecutivetermsandiscountedtwice,asour22ndand24thPresident.
Foreign Born PresidentsEightPresidentswerebornBritishsubjects:Washington,J.Adams,Jefferson,Madison,Monroe,J.Q.Adams,Jackson,andW.Harrison.Anexceptionto“naturalborn”sta-tuswasincludedinArticle2oftheconstitution.
Born In The USAJohnTylerwasthefirstPresidentbornafterratificationoftheconsti-tution(1790).
No CollegeNinePresidentsneverattendedcollege:Washington,Jackson,VanBuren,Taylor,Fillmore,Lincoln,A.Johnson,Cleveland,andTruman.ReligionThemostcommonreligiousaffiliationamongPresidentshasbeenEpiscopalian,followedbyPresbyterian.
Presidential AgeTheoldestPresidentinauguratedwasReagan(age69);theyoungestwasKennedy(age43).TheodoreRoosevelt,however,wastheyoung-estmantobecomePresident(42)whenhesucceededMcKinley,whohadbeenassassinated.
Presidential FactsFor President's Day
February 20th
“Who Wants Four FREE Movie Tickets?”Take my monthly Trivia Challenge and you could win too!
TheGrandPrizeWinneroflastmonth’sTriviaChallengeQuizis…drumrollplease:HarrySantucci!Hewasthefirstpersontocorrectlyanswermyquizquestion…
Which State has more tornadoes per square mile than any other?
a)Kansas b)Arkansas c)Florida d)TexasThe Answer was "C", Florida
Congratulations,Harry!Now…let’smoveontothismonth’striviaquestionfor 4 Movie Tickets…
How many children did U.S. President John Tyler father?
a)Eight b)Eleven c)Fifteen d)Seventeen
Callmerightnowwithyouranswer!(410)884-0225ORgotoourwebsite!www.xpercare.com/Trivia
HewlettPackardrecentlyannouncedthereleaseofaunique,fast-charginglaptopbatterythatwilllastatleastthreeyearswithoutanydegradationinperformance.ThebatteryisnowofferedasanoptionwithselectHPlaptopsandwillbeofferedasaretro-fitduringthesecondhalfof2009.
Thebatterywasdevelopedbyalong-time,originalequipmentmanufacturer,Boston-Power,andwillbeofferedbyHPunderthe“Enviro”nameplate.
Thebatterycanbechargedto80percentofcapacityin30minutes,whichcouldbeusefulforthosewhoonlyhavealimitedamountoftimenearanelectricaloutlet,andwillgo1,000chargesbeforethebattery’scapacitybeginsdegrading.Fortherecord,that’sachargeadayforthreeyears,soitshouldlasttheaveragelifeofabusinesslaptop.
Mostcurrentlaptopbatteriesdegradeafter300chargeslastingonaveragejust2years.Longerlifemeansmoreproductivityandlessbatterylandfillwaste.
The“Enviro”batterytechnologyisalsosaferthanconventionalbatteriesofferedtoday;areliefgivenrecent“firehazard”batteryrecallsfromothermajorlaptopmanufacturers.
Ifyou’relookingtotakeadvantageofthenewestofferingsinequipment,contactusfirst.Bycalling(410) 884-0225,wecanprovideyouwithgreatadviceonproductivitytoolsandmakesureyoudon’tspendmorethanabsolutelynecessary!
Get More Free Tips, Tools, and Services At My Web Site:www.xpercare.com
Client Spotlight: OakLawn LandscapingThismonthwewelcomeGeoffJacksonofOakLawnLandscapingtoourlonglistofcli-ents.OakLawnisafull-servicelandscapingcompanywithofficesinNewWindsorandHighland,MD.Theyoffercompletecommercialandresidentialservicesincluding:fullgroundmaintenance;design/installation;constructionservices;grading/excavating;bulkmulchandfirewood.Give Geoff a call @ 410-635-8480foranylandscapingneedsandtellhimIsentyou.
Storm Season Is Just Around the Corner…Are You Protected?
EventhoughthefirstdayofSpringisnotuntilthe20thofnextmonth,it’snevertooearlytoprepareforthosepop-upstormsthatoccurrandomlyatthistimeofyearoftenresultingineverythingfromicedamagetolighteningfires.Duringthistimeofyearthethreatoffire,flood,severestorms,waterdamagefromofficesprinklers,andeventheftisveryreal.
Oneofthemostvaluableassetsforanycompanyisitsdata.Hardwareandsoftwarecaneasilybereplaced,butacompany’sdatacannot!
Asaremindertoallofourclients,herearesomesimplethingsyoushoulddotomakesureyourcompanyisreadyforanynaturaldisaster.
1. Back Up Your Data Remotely!Everyoneknowsthatdatashouldbebackeduponadailybasis,butmanypeoplestillusein-housetapedrivesthatwillgetdamagedinanaturaldisasterorfire,andcaneasilybestolen.Werecommendbackingupalldatatoanoff-sitelocation,andweofferthisasaservicetoourclients.
2. Use a Quality Surge Protector With Uninterruptible Power Supply Battery.Ahighqualitysurgeprotectorcombinedwithanuninterruptiblepowersupplybatterybackupwillgoalongwayinprotectingsensitiveelectronicequipmentfromsurgesandotherelectronicirregularitiesthatcandestroyyourcomputer’scircuitry.
3. Make Sure Your Servers Are Off The Floor.Ifyourofficegetsflooded,havingyourequipmentoffthefloorwillpreventitfrombeingcompletelydestroyed.Serverrackscanbepurchasedandinstalledveryinexpensively.
4. Have A Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan.Everybusinessshouldhavesometypeofplaninplaceforcontinuedoperationafteradisaster.Wouldpeopleknowwheretogo?Whotocall?Howtologinandaccessdataremotely?Hopefullyyou’llneverneedit,buthavingasimpleplanwillmakeyousleepaloteasi-eratnightknowingyouhaveawaytocontinuetooperatewhendisasterstrikes.
Ifyouneedhelpinanyoftheseareas,giveusacall!Wecannotonlygetyouprepared,butalsobackupandrunningfastintheeventofadisaster.
• Ifyoumessedupyourlife,youcouldpress“Ctrl,Alt,Delete”andstartallover!
• Togetyourdailyexercise,justclickon“run!”
• Ifyouneededabreakfromlife,clickon“suspend.”Hitanykeytocontinuelifewhenready.
• Togetevenwiththeneighbors,turnupthesoundcard.
• To“add/remove”someoneinyourlife,clicksettingsandcontrolpanel.
• Toimproveyourappearance,justadjustthedisplaysettings.
• Iflifegetstoonoisy,turnoffthespeakers.
• Whenyouloseyourcarkeys,click“find.”
• “Help”withthechoresisjustaclickaway.
• Youwouldn’tneedautoinsurance,you’duseyourbootdiskettetorecoverfromacrash.
• Youcouldclickon“send”andthekidswouldgotobedimmediately.
• Tofeellikeanewperson,clickon“refresh.”
• Toundoamistake,clickon“back.”
• Isyourwardrobegettingold?Click“update”.
• Ifyoudon’tlikecleaningthelitterbox,clickon“delete.”
If Only LifeCould Be Like A
Computer!
Get More Free Tips, Tools, and Services At My Web Site:www.xpercare.com
Do You Wiki?WIKIisaHawaiianwordforfast,butinInternetspeakhasbecomea“backronym”for“WhatIKnowIs”.Certainlywe’reallfamiliarwithoneoftheworld’smostpro-lificwikisites,Wikipedia,withmorethan10millionentriesand684millionvisitorseachyear.Butwhyisitsopopularandwhyshouldyoucare? Firstofall,whatisawikianyway?Awikiisapageorcollectionofwebpagesdesignedtoenableanyonewithaccessprivilegestocontributeormodifycontent,usingasimpli-fiedmarkuplanguage.
Wikisareoftenusedtocreatecollaborativewebsitesandtopowercommunitywebsites.Wikipediahasbeenabletomaintainthelatestandbestknowledgebyallowingmillionsofpeoplewithspecificknowledgetocontributetoitsdatabasewithoutlosingcontrol.
Sowhatdoesthishavetodowithyou?Mostbusinessesmaintaininformationaboutcustomersorprojectsinvarioussoftwareformatsinmultipleplaces,makingcollabora-tionnearlyimpossible.Wikisarebeingused
insmallbusinessestoprovideInternetandknowledgemanagementsystems. Wikisprovideacentralrepositorywithacommonlanguageallowingyouandyouremployeestoeasilycontributeto,oraccess,thelatestinformationfromphonenumberstokeysalesstrategiesandeverythinginbetween.
Eventhoughwikisaregenerallycollab-orative,youdon’thavetoshareaccess.Youdon’tevenhavetohaveitontheInternet,andifyoukeepyourwikitoasinglefileyoucaneasilyemailit,putitonawebserver,orshareitviaaUSBthumbdrive.
Thereareseveralprovidersthatofferwikisiteswithvaryingserviceoptionsrangingfromfreetoverylowcostandareeasytousesuchastiddlybackpack.com,jotspot.com,sitground.com,andcourseforum.com.Mostservicesoffervideotutorialsandshouldhaveyouupandrunningquickly.
Byhavingawiki,you’llbemoreefficientbyhavingacentralized,up-to-date,andeasilyaccessibleinformationpoint.
Did You Ever Want To Have Lunch With An IT Specialist? What would you ask? What would you share?
Now’syourchance!Findoutaboutthelatesttools,ideas,productsandguidelines!Askexpertsyourbestquestionsandfindoutabouttheirbestpractices.
XPERTECHSishostinga“LunchandLearn”sessiononFebruary12th.Therearenoformalpresentations,noPowerPointslides,nolaserpointers.ItwilljustbeMichael,Slade,Thomas,andselectedguestsfacilitatingdiscussionsandsharingtheirknowledgeonthetopicsyouselectedasthemostpressing.
Topic: Backup and Disaster Recovery – Are You Protected? When: Thursday, February 12th 11:45 am – 1:15 pmWhere: Greystone Grill – Ellicott City, MD - Complimentary Lunch
SPACE IS LIMITED to the first 12 people who sign up. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Call: (410) 884-0225 or Email: [email protected]
Not ElectedFor2yearsthenationwasrunbyaPresidentandaVicePresidentwhowerenotelectedbythepeo-ple.AfterVicePresidentSpiroT.Agnewresignedin1973,PresidentNixonappointedGeraldFordasVicePresident.Nixonresignedthefollowingyear,whichleftFordasPresident,andFord’sappointedVicePresident,NelsonRockefeller,assecondinline.
HeightThetallestPresidentwasLincolnat6’4”;at5’4”,Madisonwastheshortest.
1849Theyeartheterm“FirstLady”wasfirstused.
SingleJamesBuchananwastheonlyPresidentnevertomarry.
Died In OfficeEightPresidentsdiedinoffice:W.Harrison(afterhavingservedonlyonemonth),Taylor,Lincoln,Garfield,McKinley,Harding,F.Roosevelt,andKennedy.
Runner UpVicePresidentswereoriginallythepresidentialcandidatesreceivingthesecond-largestnumberofelec-toralvotes.Thiswasthepracticeuntiladoptionofthe12thamend-ment(1804).
More Presidential Facts
Doyouhaveanideatomakethisnewsletterbetter?Wouldyouliketosubmitastory,article,ortrivia?We’dlovetohearfromyou!
Kathy Mellott, XPERTECHS
Phone: (410) 884-0225
E-mail: [email protected]
WE WANT YOUR INPUT!