Tag Archives: Protection

It Can Happen to You

Posted by on October 2, 2009 No comments

bangHeadHereMost of the time we don’t miss something until it’s gone.  Some of us may think it will never happen to us.  Many of us have experienced it at least once.  Data loss can happen at any moment.  Hardware failure, viruses, mal-ware, even accidental deletion; all make it easy to find yourself in this situation.  Your database, documents, music, photos, and more are at risk, if you aren’t performing routine backups.  Are you prepared for that possibility?  What will it cost you in time, money, or sanity?  Procrastination is a data killer.  Either way, be prepared!

Here’s the Beatles’ song “Yesterday” with the lyrics changed by someone who lost data that wasn’t backed up.

Yesterday,
All those backups seemed a waste of pay.
Now my database has gone away.
Oh I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
There’s not half the files there used to be,
And there’s a milestone hanging over me
The system crashed so suddenly.

I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say.
Now all my data’s gone and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.

Yesterday,
Need for backup seemed so far away.
Seemed my data were all here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday.

Anonymous

The Digital Divide

Posted by on March 2, 2009 No comments

digital_divide

The digital divide might best be described as the difference between zero and basic to advanced technological familiarity among techies and non-techies and the increasing importance this plays in day to day life.  Evermore it is instrumental to acquire even the most fundamental understanding of technology in the home and workplace, or risk falling seriously behind.

Falling behind technologically can a have some rather concerning ramifications.  At home, it could mean  exploitations via the Internet and personal computer, not having the right software protection in place, out-of-date software, disabled protection, to loss of other personal information or identity theft.

At work, it could mean not knowing how to use productivity suites, Internet, email, various document types or not understanding equipment: computers, desk phones, cell phones, wireless access points, copiers, fax machines and the like.  This leaves you ill prepared for promotions or simply maintaining your foothold on the job.  From the front line staff to upper level management, they struggle with some of these same challenges.

Catch up if you need to, ask for help, self-initiate, take opportunities, make opportunities, take a class, read a book, seek out free online tutorials, do what you need to do to keep up and always push forward.  Because just like anything neglected, this will catch up to you and could possibly stop you dead in your tracks.  Advancing technology waits for no man!  Which side of the digital divide are you standing on?

Know Your Software

Posted by on February 7, 2009 No comments

When Malware Strikes

Nowadays it is more important than ever, to know what protection software you have installed on your PC.  With all the new malware attacks multiplying at an alarming rate, it doesn’t take much to fall victim to one, mistaking it as an update for your existing protection.  These rogue softwares will attempt to fool you into downloading & installing it on your PC or it could even self-install.  You may already have been attacked or know of someone who has been with fraudulent (fake) protection alerts, pop ups, prompts for payment and to run system scans.  Once you run a system scan, the fake program will display false positives.

False positives warn that you’ve been infected with known real threats, even though your PC is not really infected with what is stated.  It’s designed as a scare tactic, to compel you to pay money to make these perceived issues all go away.  The program will then inundate you with pop ups and prompts to pay for the fake protection program, conning you out of your money.

One way to combat such nasty issues is to use one of the best free software programs out there, called Malwarebytes.  An IT Professional friend of mine swears that it’s the best free program to come along in 10 years!  There’s a free version, which is all you need, and a paid version for real-time protection, but I wouldn’t bother.  Free is all you need.  Free.  That sounds good doesn’t it?  Even if you are not currently experiencing PC problems, I’d still highly recommend you to install and run this program once a week minimum as a preventive maintenance practice.  I use it myself, I use it at work, with family and friends.  You won’t regret it!