Raise your hand if you still use a yellow book to look up phone numbers….
No one? Well than what has replaced this staple in our everyday lives? We all know its Google. Google has become more than just a $190B company– It has become a verb synonymous for internet searching. Googling is our go-to method for finding…anything.
When someone googles a business, one of the top 2 results is usually the Google Places Page. This page is available for every business that has been indexed by Google. Brand new businesses may not have one yet. Google Places is the new improved “yellow book listing” for the internet age. This is where people go to find your contact information when they are interested in doing business. But who creates this page and who’s responsible for its accuracy? The answer to both questions is… You do.
continue reading
Today, even industries like trucking rely heavily on strong computer networks.
Recently, a large distributor in Metro Detroit called us for emergency support. All their servers were down and they had a lot of angry customers. We had not worked with this client in the past so we were essentially going in blind.
The AC had broken in the server room days earlier causing overheating and a forced shut down. This problem could have been easily avoided, but no one was monitoring the servers for warning signs.
To compound the problem, the server cluster had not been set up following “best practices” standards. So when the cluster of servers went down, the active directory controller also went down. This turned what would have been a relatively simple fix, into a major outage.
continue reading
Downtown Nashville: Just stopped into the SMART TAN International 2010 indoor tanning industry convention and trade show. The exhibitors’ booths were amazing. Some of them looked like little houses with two stories packed full of tanning goodies.
About three years ago, we built a web application for SMART TAN. We helped them create an online tanning certification system and a web portal for indoor tanning employee training. SMART TAN is consistently a leader in growth and innovation in their industry. Dynamic Edge continues to work with them today — tweaking and improving their web offerings to stay a few leaps ahead of the competition.
continue reading
According to a 2009 Symantec Study, cyber crime is now the most profitable criminal activity– just ahead of drug trafficking.
What are they after? Access to your data. They want account numbers, social security numbers and personal information. Today, these threats come from all over the world. No longer is the average hacker a bored college techie. Now, there are warehouses of children in Russia that are paid cash per SSN harvested. They have the time and motivation to exploit any and all weaknesses in our networks.
The worst part is, there is a weakness in every network that no firewall or virus software can eliminate. The people using it. The number one way criminals gain access to your network is by misleading a user into inviting them in. One wrong click and they have everything they need to rob you blind and destroy your business.
continue reading
Did you know standard small business insurance only covers hardware lost in disasters and considers data an intangible asset? Could you keep your business running with no data? Could you afford to buy new software and sales leads? What are your years of saved files worth?
3 out of 4 Businesses never recover after a disaster strikes. The best way to protect your business is to have a full, offsite backup system. Making sure your data is in two places at once not only protects against hard drive failure, but ensures all your info cannot be lost in one disaster.
The next best way to prevent data loss via disaster is backing up your workstation on a fire and waterproof hard drive. This is not recommended for backing up servers, but for individual machines it’s a good, cost effective solution. You can currently purchase a 2TB ioSafe Solo model for around $400. If you’re running a small, single computer business, this is a great way to protect your data.
continue reading
Russian spies have grabbed the headlines in recent weeks. Eleven have now been captured and are standing trial in New York City. However, another 200 million spies remain at large, and they have managed to infiltrate almost every home and business in America. But these spies are taking much more from us then some political plans. They are taking our identities, our dollars, and our productivity right out from under our noses.
Today cyber-espionage is a threat to every one of us. Spyware programs have been unknowingly installed on 80% of all computers in America. These programs range from benign pop up ads, to software that steals passwords, credit card numbers, and our identities.
continue reading
