We have received reports that there has been an increase in CryptoWall infections as of late.
CryptoWall is a ransomware program created by cyber criminals that infects a user’s computer and encrypts their files without their consent. The program then asks the user to pay a fee in order to have their files restored, but provides no guarantee that paying the fee will actually unencrypt their files.
To prevent CryptoWall, avoid opening any attachments on any emails you receive that seem suspicious, since it is easily spread through spam message attachments. Also do not click on any questionable online advertisements you may see, as we have recently learned that online ads can contain CrypoWall.
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Have you ever sent out an email that was too big and got a message back reading: “undeliverable message,” or worse the message just didn’t go through? Do you need to be able to update a file, and have a number of other people access those updates instantly? Would you like to just be able to share a file with someone from a different company? Read on, I have the solution for you.
When email was designed back in 1971, it was set up to send short little snippets of text around. It is sometimes wondered if this primitive form of text messaging should be considered email. Think of how a telegraph works and you pretty much sum up the method that email uses to send stuff around the internet. Fast forward to 2015, and we are looking to do something else: send 13MB PDFs files or 5MB Excel files around. The issue? Email just wasn’t designed for big attachments.
Then there’s the next issue with email, version control. Here’s the story:
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Q: What are fiCloud Mobile Backups?
A: An extra level of protection to make sure you never lose a hard day’s work.
When we decided to build our mobile backup solution, we fist examined the competition. Here’s why our backups are better than theirs:
1. Mozy: The main reason we ruled Mozy out was because when you need to restore your backup, Mozy limits your bandwidth after a period of time. One of our key criteria is speedy recovery when you need it most. Restoring from Mozy ends up feeling like filing up a tanker truck with a garden hose.
2. DropBox: DropBox is very simple and good for home users who are saving noncritical files. But for business, DropBox lacks any type of reporting to confirm backups are actually taking place. It would be impossible to keep track of multiple users and make sure people are getting all their stuff backed up.
3. Carbonite: Similar to Mozy, Carbonite pinches bandwidth, but they do it while uploading your backup. We also found a number of reports stating that users had difficulty downloading back-ups. Too many red flags to consider using for our clients.
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We asked our staff to share some of their gift ideas for this holiday season. Here is what they came up with!
Decker has been having fun with the Instax SHARE Smartphone Wireless Printer. This allows you to “print” photos you take with your phone to instant film. The application lets you add text, frames, etc. to personalize your pictures. Price: $179
~ Decker Chaney
Have you ever wanted to be Captain Kirk from Star Trek? Matthew suggests checking out the Redshirts Deluxe Edition Card Game. Bring your crew of redshirted officers on your away mission along with your fellow Captains. The first person to lose all their Redshirts wins! Fans of Star Trek the Original Series will like the humor in the Redshirts Card Game. Price: $27.99
~ Matthew Davenport
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Most small businesses give new team members an Employee Handbook that outlines everything anyone needs to know about the company. We expect our new hires to read this brick and be ready to pick an insurance plan, a 401K choice, know the company dress code, code of conduct and even what they can and cannot do online. We often include a boring video for safety or sensitivity training.
Many companies are now fast-tracking onboarding into a series of short videos that go through everything they need to know. It’s revolutionizing the new-hire orientation process, and here’s why it’s such a great idea:
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With recent DropBox, Google, Box, and Evernote security breaches, many of our customers are asking: are FREE cloud services secure? Our response is quite simple: only secure enough for your personal information.
What if you only store your less secure information on them? A few years ago I said, sure go for it. Storing your business information on these services is fine as long as you are careful. I WAS WRONG.
Free cloud services can put your business at risk.
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