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Greetings!
Ok, 2009's here. The Browns are done (and I mean done), the holidays are over, and the economy is...well...hey, how 'bout 'dem Cavs?
Ah, well. But standing still? None of us have that luxury. We need to do (ready for it?) more with less (again).
As always, we'd like to help. And by we, I mean all of us here at Simplex-IT. That includes Julie Dvornicky. Julie joined us (Sam, Cary and myself) last month. She'll be working on the Sales and Marketing side of Simplex-IT. Feel free to drop her a note of either welcome or warning (although it's a bit late for that<g>) at JulieD@Simplex-IT.com.
Also, we're introducing a new monthly program we're calling "lunchinars." It's a monthly program where we provide some pizza, salad, pop and an insight into some of the technology you probably already have. It's free (free food!) but we're limiting the attendence to 10 people. Our first one is just in a couple of weeks, so let Julie know if you're interested!
Finally, I've asked everybody here at Simplex-IT to help add value to this newsletter, so there's a new feel to it. Sam gives a quick overview of Bitlocker security, and Cary points out what I think is a tremendously underutilized feature of Vista, ReadyBoost. |
| Free Lunch (and eMail hints)! |
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| Simplex-IT's (First!) Monthly Lunchinar
We invite you to join us for pizza, tech talk and more on Wednesday, January 21st, at 11:30am. It's not a sales pitch!
This month's topic will be:
Organizing your Email - Outlook Tips and Tricks
How to use Outlook's built in features to control your email!
Space is limited (10) so be sure to RSVP by contacting Julie at 234-380-1277.
We hope to see you there!
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| Sam on Extra Strength Data Protection |
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Sam here...
Like many, I use a laptop both at my office and when I'm at a client site. Obviously I have data of my own that is sensitive and possibly client data if I am travelling. What happens if my laptop falls in the hands of another person?
Let me give you a little background on security.
Let's say...I have a laptop containing files, and the permission on those files is set so that only I have access to them. Should my laptop get stolen, the thief won't have my password so they cannot log in and get my files, right? Wrong. All a thief or hacker would have to do is remove the hard drive from my computer, put it in his computer and then give himself permission to my files. It's that easy.
Many companies have developed solutions to this problem but they can range from relatively inexpensive to extremely costly (and they all generally do the same thing, with varying degrees of ease and success). Of course Microsoft has heard the cry and has released their own solution - free of charge - for Windows Vista and the new Server products. It's called BitLocker™.
BitLocker™ encrypts the entire contents of the drive, rather than just certain files or folders.
(C:\ is fully encrypted)
What this means is that a computer cannot even boot without the appropriate key... And if, for example, the thief takes the drive out and puts it in another computer - sorry Charlie -it's unreadable. And this is no weak crypto - this is government strength, practically unbreakable encryption.
This is my key - which must be in a USB port to boot:
And this is what my Boot Up screen looks like if I don't have the key inserted:
Pretty nice, huh? So what does it all mean? Well --- it means "Your Data is Safe with me!™" and it also means that if you need to ensure your laptops are secure whilst not at your facility, BitLocker might be a viable option for you. One last thing - for the astute reader, you might be wondering what would happen if you lost your key. When you encrypt your drive you can place a second (or third) set of keys on other media and store that in a safe place. You also receive a long 48 digit recovery key that you can type in that will decrypt the drive so you can boot. Lose both of those things, though, and your data is as good as toast. Always Paranoid, Sam |
| Julie asks: Is your company prepared for 'what if'? |
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| Happy New Year!
As the newest member of the Simplex-IT group, I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. Having experience in the sales and marketing sector of IT, I came on board in December as a Solutions Specialist and really look forward to learning more about you and your company.
Before I joined Simplex-IT, I researched companies whose IT system had at some point failed and the impact that such an event had on their business. The story that sticks in my mind the most involves a hospital in Boston. As far as they knew, everything was running smoothly until one day a simple switch error caused complete chaos. The hospital's functionality and practices came to a halt and their IT department found themselves back-peddling to find and fix the problem. Rarely do companies realize the impact of such an event until it happens directly to them...and by then, it's simply too late. The IT infrastructure finds itself completely unprepared.
The start of a New Year brings about resolution and change, and from what I've learned, every company, if they don't already, should have a disaster-recovery plan in place. Simplex-IT has performed free Network Health Audits for companies who, although initially felt our visit to be unnecessary, reviewed the pending issues that the audit uncovered and were awakened to the harsh reality of what could have happened had it not been discovered in ample time.
Simplex-IT has a philosophy...we are here as a partner to help you and your IT department keep your business protected and functional. We aren't about sales pitches or IT band-aids. We truly want to help your system maintain and improve its functionality.
Contact me with any questions you may have or even just to introduce yourself! I look forward to networking with you!
Stay well,
Julie Dvornicky
234-380-1277
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| Cary talks about ReadyBoost |
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Introducing ReadyBoost™
Happy New Year All! I thought those of you running Windows Vista might enjoy learning about a simple way to add memory to your system.
Windows ReadyBoost™ brings about a new functionality that introduces a concept in add-on system memory. You can utilize memory devices, such as universal serial bus (USB) flash drives, to improve performance without having to add memory "under the hood." The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache-that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard disk drive.
Configuring ReadyBoost™ is simple. First, plug the thumb drive in your computer. Next, open up Windows Explorer. Right Click on the drive letter of the thumb drive and choose Properties. Click on the ReadyBoost™ tab. Click to "Use this device" and configure how much space of the thumb drive you would like to dedicate to ReadyBoost™.
It's that simple. Please note, that you must have a USB Thumb Drive that is fast enough to support ReadyBoost™. No need to worry if you aren't sure. Windows will tell you if your device isn't fast enough when you select "Use this device".
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| Want to find out about this stuff quicker? |
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2 Blogs from Simplex-IT
In many cases, we post this stuff on our blogs so eager folks don't have to wait for this newsletter. So, don't forget to check out our blogs. One is aimed at more technical topics ( www.Simplex-IT.com/TechBlog). The other is more business-friendly ( www.Simplex-IT.com/BizBlog). |
| Plain Funny #3 |
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| A Trip to the Moon...or was it?
Bob here. Actually Sam pointed this one out to me. But it answers the question, "Did man really go to the moon?"
(hint: The answer is we tried, but the Titanic hit an iceberg on the way)
Click here (yeah, it's safe for work). | |
We'd love to hear feedback about this! Send comments to Bob@Simplex-IT.com, or call us at 234.380.1277!
Sincerely,
Bob Coppedge
Simplex-IT LLC |
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