I-M Technology

Be More Productive with Windows 7

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:03:32 +0000

Windows 7 represents a significant improvement over prior Windows operating systems. However, if you don’t know how to use this most recent version of Windows properly, you’ll miss out on a number of goodies that’ll help you work more efficiently.

By mastering a few simple tricks, you can get the most out of Windows 7.

If you want to copy images from your computer to a CD or DVD it is now much easier with Windows 7. Double-click the ISO image you want to burn and select the drive that has your blank disc in it. After selecting the “burn” option all you must do is wait!

Finding issues and repairing them is also simple with Windows 7. To do this select the “Control Panel” and select the “troubleshooting” option. This will give you usage of a series of wizards that look for and take care of common OS issues. For example cleaning up adware and removing clutter.

Do younger members of your household install cumbersome software that slows down your computer? This can be easily prevented using the Windows 7 AppLocker feature. This feature only allows your computer to run and install programs that have your pre-approval. You are able to tell AppLocker to only run programs from respectable companies, so if someone is trying to run a program from an unknown publisher AppLocker will prevent it.

Another fantastic aspect is its power efficiency service. This enables you to keep an eye on just how much power your laptop is using. This is often helpful if you are working remotely and have no access to a power source.

WordPress: A Growing Platform

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:54:43 +0000

WordPress was once viewed predominantly as a blogging platform. But it has grown into one of the most popular website publishing tools on the Internet. Tech Crunch recently reported that about one fifth of new domains in the U.S. run on WordPress. And it also might surprise you to learn that one of the most popular publishers in the world uses WordPress.

Here are 7 things you should know about WordPress:

With WordPress there is no need to rebuild your pages eachtime you wish to update your site. Updating your content is fast and easy, as WordPress has dynamic page generation.
You can set up a free subdomain within minutes. You can register at WordPress.com to get a free website (e.g. www.yourname.wordpress.org). This can be great if you don’t have the funds to spend on external hosting and domain services.
The ‘Famous 5 minute install’. For people who have already purchased and are hosting your domain someplace else, WordPress can be installed quickly and easily. And have no anxiety – coding is not necessary.
For individuals with their own domain and hosting account, WordPress has some minimum requirements. Primarily you’ll want to make sure that you have a complying version of PHP and MySQL on your server. The benefits of meeting minimum requirements are that you’ll receive precise WordPress support should there be a dilemma.
Themes are plentiful! Before trying to build your own theme, search to see what other themes have been created and are available.
WordPress has centralized management. Which makes managing your pages, posts, as well as your users easy with WordPress.
WordPress encourages e-commerce. There’s an abundance of plugins that have already been designed that permit you to accept payments, advertise, and more on your website. The straightforward plugin search keeps these options at your fingertips.

Less Then Successful Tech

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:40:27 +0000

We always read about the most popular gadgets on the market. But for every technology that changes our lives you will find something that flops. It’s tough to judge what the general public will take a fancy too, so companies take a risk when they release something. Here we explore a few technologies that fall outside of the “took flight” category.

Famous tech failures

Apple TV: It seems like a great idea—a device that lets users buy TV series and movies from iTunes then stream them on their TVs, computers, and mobile devices. The problem? Besides YouTube, the unit doesn’t allow many non-iTunes options.

Sony Mylo: Mylo came in under the radar that is why you may not remember it. It was a Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device from Sony that allowed individuals to connect to the Internet, send e-mail and it included Skype! It didn’t get much attention as the iPhone and its app store overwhelmed it.

The Segway peters out

Segway PT: The Segway PT scooter had a lot of media hype before its release. It was expected to be wildly successful, that it may even replace cars in metropolitan areas. However, people thought it made them look kind of silly so it never quite caught on. I suppose next to a flashy sports car there is no comparison.

The CueCat doesn’t purr

CueCat: The CueCat was a handheld barcode reader in the shape of a cat. Consumers would use it to scan any barcode and it would navigate them to the company’s website. This didn’t catch on but did it pave the way for QR codes?

Your Small Business and Data Security

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:22:35 +0000

It is easy to fall into the wrong idea that you already have enough safeguards in position to protect your small business. You probably stay up to date with the latest antivirus software, but is that enough? You also probably think that since you’re not a huge corporation, you don’t have to worry about cyber criminals hacking into your system. But here’s the unlucky reality: cyber criminals have upped their game and are starting to target small businesses more and more. Let’s take a closer look to give you a better understanding of the level of danger your business may be under.

Small firms: low-hanging fruit

It might seem obvious, once you think about it, that small businesses make quick and easy targets of cyber attacks. Cyber criminals can launch attacks on small businesses at a faster rate, which greatly enhances the likelihood that they’ll succeed on stealing some valuable information. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your small company doesn’t have valuable information that a hacker may want to steal. The simple act of paying via credit card means that your system must verify the card’s validity. This verification information can include names, addresses, account numbers, and more.

How hackers gain access to your data

How can they get this delicate data? Though you might be protected by software designed to firewall your systems, hackers still have multiple points of entry. Email attachments are a major offender, and openingonly one piece of malware can leave you exposed. In fact, in the first quarter of this year alone, industry experts have detected over six million unique malware programs. Attackers don’t need to be sophisticated to be dangerous: when trying to breach your data security, some hackers have a low-tech approach instead. They may contact your employees directly, and posing as a network administrator, ask for their password to increase security. This is known as “phishing.” While you may believe your workers know better than to fall for such an evident tact, it only takes one lapse in judgment to leave your systems open to attack.

The buck stops with you

Many people think that since credit card companies are usually accountable for any bogus charges that occur from a hacking event, that data security isn’t crucial. While this may be true for a consumer, for a business owner the outcome may be very different. Consumers will hold you responsible personally should their information be stolen. Damage control after an attack can cost a company thousands of dollars and in some cases a single attack can spell the end of business in general.

An ounce of prevention…

Taking extra precautions when it comes to your business’ data security is a very wise move. Continue to update your programs and passwords on a regular basis. Teach your employees good security practices like setting up strong passwords and instructing them to never give out login information or open suspicious emails. Hiring an outside consultant is another great way to ensure your clients’ information. These measures not only give you peace of mind, they tell your clients that you care about keeping them safe.

Ideas for Improving Company Culture: Part 2

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:55:55 +0000

Our previous blog focused on company culture as well as the effect it could have on your brand. Your company’s culture, positive or negative, shows up in your brands reputation. We talked about methods to gauge the cultural health of your organization, but just how do you give your company a cultural transformation?

The first step is to figure out how you want your business to “feel.” Below are a few questions to ask yourself:

What attributes do you value that you want to show up in your company’s culture? Respect, acceptance, originality, fun, etc.?
How can you mirror you company values in its culture?
Who regulates the flow of information? How and what’s distributed to the staff?
How do you reward or inspire employees now, and how would you like to in the future?
Does everybody in the company feel heard? If not, how can you improve this?

These should lead you to more questions. Consider having a brainstorming session with your employees to determine the right solutions for your company. Here are several ideas we came up with:

Suggestion/Thought box – This is an good way to let people to share thoughts and opinions about the current events within the company. The employee could elect to make the suggestion anonymous or not, and any ideas or concerns could be addressed in monthly company gatherings.

Empower employees – Give people control over their jobs by treating them like peers instead of peons. You can accomplish this by being more transparent; don’t just communicate when you have successes, tell them when things aren’t going flawlessly. It will create a team full of mutual support.

Flexible hours – Trusting your employees to get their work done is key. Don’t always hang over or micro-manage them. Trusting your employees to get their jobs done will give you less anxiety, as well as result in the general company culture more respectful.

Dress code – Have a more laid back dress code. It’s incredible what allowing people to express themselves can do for a company’s culture. Think about themed days: silly hat day, Hawaiian shirt day, or anything that gets people thinking imaginatively and brings smiles to the day.

Celebrate – Your company is the sum of everybody in it. Celebrate your team with group activities. For instance, cater lunch for everybody, have a movie or game day, or just throw a party. This can lead to more communication within your team and encourage collaboration.

Below is a list of things that real companies do to incorporate some fun to their culture:

Spontaneous Nerf gun wars
Painting inspirational quotes on the walls
Hitting a loud gong when there is a success to let the whole company know
Foosball tournaments
Lunchtime Yoga
Lunchtime Crafting Club
Monday Mad Libs, whoever wishes to contribute, does, and then the completed Mad Lib is emailed to the company

Positive Effects of a Healthy Company Culture: Part 1

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:01:45 +0000

Strategy is commonly at the forefront of a company’s focus. Strategy is not the only thing that makes a company prosperous. Culture also plays a huge role. The culture of your company affects your branding, your marketing success, and daily operations, all of which directly affect how the world sees your company. The logos of brands like Apple, Google, and Starbucks are recognizable not only because they appear to be everywhere, but also these businesses have strong cultures that shine through their employees, storefronts, and logos. These positive, strong cultures all begin within the walls of their offices.

Why Culture is so Important

A healthy office culture fosters creativity. When employees like the place they work and feel like they are part of the team it can make them challenge themselves in innovative ways. In a workplace in which people feel invisible or stifled they’ll often do the bare minimum required. It is a part of human nature to want to feel valued and important. A company is made of its people so whatever mindset prevails will show up in your brand and the products and service you provide. In the end, nurturing the culture of your workplace is everyone’s responsibility from the CEO to HR.

A healthy culture has many benefits. Take a look at a few and the reasons why they can have such a considerable effect.

Focus – When people are focused on the same goal, that goal is much more easily achieved. Businesses that have a healthy culture, have staff that value the collective goal and genuinely endeavor to reach it. Unhealthy cultures can bring about cynicism because individuals do not feel connected to the goal. Their goal is to simply get through the day.

Cohesion – The foundation of cohesion is strong communication between team members, whether they are facing successes or roadblocks. Strong communication fortifies teamwork and makes operations run more smoothly. In a workplace with an unhealthy culture, people may be nervous to provide feedback about problems that arise or may not care enough to act quickly when issues do arise.

Motivation – It’s simple; motivated people accomplish more. This may seem obvious, but in companies in which the culture is suffering, productivity may also suffer.

Measuring the Cultural Health of Your Company

Cultural health ought to be analyzed regularly. So how do you measure the cultural health of a company? First, look at how people are supervised, are they just given a task with no input or do they have some control over their work? Are repetitive tasks distributed so everyone has the opportunity to be challenged? While some people may never be happy, if you find the overwhelming consensus to be negative it may be time to look at making a few changes in how the business is run to improve the culture and the overall health of the company. Visit again soon to learn some tips on creating a positive work environment.

Simplify Online Invoicing with These Services

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:57:49 +0000

Did you start your business because you love paperwork? Not likely, unless you’re a cpa of course. Probably, you started your business because you love the work, product, or service you sell. As a business owner, however, you can’t disregard the paperwork that comes along with owning your own business. The fiscal side of a business is essential and the proper invoicing of your clients means cash in the bank and happy customers.

Invoicing help online

Fortunately, there are lots of online invoicing services designed to make life easier for the small business owner. By utilizing one of these services, you can quickly — and depending on your clients, automatically — send out your invoices each month. It’s one less task for you to handle. Here is a quick look at some of the better online invoicing services:

A free but powerful invoicing service

Sometimes the word “free” is synonymous with “not very good.” Thankfully, that is not the case with the free system, BillingBoss. Appropriate for most small businesses that need to automatically invoice customers monthly and periodic once-off invoicing, BillingBoss packs a big punch at no cost!

A power tool

AcceptPay isn’t free. It costs $30 a month, but it’s a powerful program. Offered by American Express, AcceptPay works with QuickBooks, will accept online payments, and of course, gives you an array of options in relation to sending out invoices and collecting payments. The $30 expense is a small price to pay for such a impressive online invoicing tool.

Invoicing for the tech-savvy

If you are tech-savvy and understand how to use open source software, BambooInvoice is a great option. This free service is extremely customizable and lives on your in-house servers as opposed to in the cloud. This makes it easy for you to make the program satisfy your company’s exact needs.

The best news for business owners is that these services are only a small sample of the numerous online invoicing services available, most of them free or low-cost. Those business owners who wish to quickly gain control over their invoicing process should check them out.

Microsoft steps up to take part in the war against cyber crimes

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:04:15 +0000

Cyber crimes happen daily, and everyday IT security companies track and record information around these attacks. Microsoft is upping its game and releasing a real-time threat feed to ensure that its fellow partners can study current threats it finds and learn the best steps to proactively take against them.

Microsoft presently has a process in place to take down destructive botnets. Microsoft “swallows” the botnets and permits them to infect accounts that are highly controlled by Microsoft’s team. Once the botnets infect the accounts, Microsoft learns how they work and removes them as a threat.

Microsoft is now able to gather threat information and share it with ISPs, government agencies, private organizations, and CERTs. The outcome of such a move by Microsoft can be dramatic. Analysts point out that while a real-time threat feed won’t lower the quantity of attacks, it can help information security specialists respond to these threats faster. This could limit the amount of damage brought on by these attacks.

Microsoft’s live threat feed may have a much more important impact: It could lead the information security industry to share more data. For too long, companies have hesitated to discuss important security information that they fear could lead to a copycat attack. This is a mistaken belief as cyber criminals are already exchanging information among themselves. It makes sense, therefore, for security professionals to also share real-time information.

The IT industry has for too long regarded the sharing of the details of a cyber attack an invitation for a copycat attack. Hopefully Microsoft’s first small steps toward a more connected IT security force will take root and that sharing data and information is a better choice than secrecy.

Is the Cloud Secure? Part 2

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:49:19 +0000

The cloud can be a great thing for small business owners struggling through tough economic times. Instead of purchasing expensive enterprise software, business owners can save their dollars by accessing powerful computing programs in the cloud, from high-end word processors and project-management tools to spreadsheets and Photoshop alternatives. But, the cloud isn’t perfect, particularly when it comes to security issues. Business owners need to be aware that their documents, presentations, and marketing materials can be damaged when they are stored in the cloud.

Password issues

The most significant security issue that business owners face when it comes to cloud computing happens to also be the biggest security issue that users also face when it comes to computing: passwords which are either too easy to guess or shared too freely.

Selecting a difficult to guess password for data and information in the cloud is a simple way for business owners to protect themselves. Creating a password that has both numbers and letters, and when possible, special characters. Another consideration for business owners is who should have access to these passwords. The more people that have access to passwords the more at risk the data is.

Hacker alert

Hackers, malware, and spyware remain serious issues for cloud environments, just as they are problems that business owners face when logging onto their personal computers each day. What makes this especially scary is that individual business owners have little control over how secure cloud services are. The big names — companies like Microsoft and Google — must supply their own security for the material that business owners store in the cloud.

Common sense protection

There are a couple common-sense practices that will help protect small business owners who choose to store information in the cloud.

First, sensitive data is probably not the best thing to store in the cloud. If your data is so sensitive that a compromise on its security could spell the collapse of your business, think about saving it on a physical computing system and implement a secure back up process that is more controllable.

Secondly, before giving every employee free access to cloud-stored data, think carefully about which employees actually needs access to that information. People are often careful about protecting their laptops and desktop computers from prying eyes; this attitude should be applied to the cloud as well.

Security in the Cloud: Part 1

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:45:21 +0000

The advantages of storing information in the cloud are extensive. Backing up important data, creating more space on your servers, and having your data easily available to your employees are only a few. If you have been considering this route, you most likely have many questions about the security of the cloud. If your company handles sensitive information that belongs to your customers you may need to stay compliant with HIPAA, PCI or Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.

It can be tough to tell if your cloud storage solution adheres to these requirements, as many don’t state in their privacy policies. To help you navigate these difficult waters, let’s look at this topic in greater detail below.

Compliance

Security has always been an important issue and as increasingly more companies use the cloud for storage solutions the question arises: How secure is the cloud? Storing information in the cloud can be very economical, yet the cost for poorly handling customer data can be quite high. If your organization needs to comply with regulations like HIPAA, your main dilemma is what regulations do cloud services abide by.

Who is responsible

Who’s shoulders does the responsibility fall on? There’s no law requiring that cloud service providers divulge the degree of security they maintain. While they probably do have a respectable amount of safety protocols set up, the safest option is to take their privacy policy at face value. In this case, in order to stay in compliance with HIPAA, PCI or Sarbanes-Oxley, cloud computing might not be for you. That said, if your industry does not require tight regulations, then you could take advantage of the benefits cloud-computing offers.

Ultimately, as there is no current law that states that companies must disclose how tight their security is, the responsibility is in your hands. You must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage to determine if it’s suitable for your business.