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Feb2012
In this Issue
Tell Google To Forget You
Upcoming Secant Events
Scareware - A Whole New Breed of Threat
Affordable HD Video Conferencing
Customer Highlight
Collaboration Requires More Than Just a Phone

Did U Know

We are pleased to announce that for the second year in a row, Secant has been named to CRN Tech Elite 250. 

 

CRN 

 

The CRN Tech Elite 250 is a definitive list of solution providers with deep technical expertise and premier certifications in the data center market. The list was developed by CRN editors and is based on the level and depth of technical certifications from EMC,  Cisco, VMware, Citrix, Microsoft, Dell, and  Hewlett-Packard.  

 

practical tip

There's still time to tell Google to forget you...

 

Effective March 1, Google will unify most of its services under a single privacy policy and a single set of tools to aggregate data on each of its customers. When you are signed into Google, they track sites you visit and store that history. This will make the data a commodity for Google advertisers looking for specific behavior patterns.

 

If you're concerned about the data Google has, uncertain what they will do it, and a little worried about anyone else having access, you can still do something about it. 

 

Before March 1 - go delete your Google history!

 

How to get Google to forget you:

  • Log into your Google account.
  • Go to https://google.com/history
  • Click the button marked "Delete all history".
  • Click ok.
  • History should stay off until you reactivate it.
Green Tip

Don't Pollute - Telecommute

The ultimate way to have a greener office is to have less office. By allowing staff to telecommute, you can reduce the amount of office space that needs to be heated and cooled, the number of computers to power and the number of miles employees drive to and from work. 

 

While computers and other electronics draw a lot of power, environmental damage and energy consumption associated with "firing up the old SUV and driving to work" is much greater.

 

Telecommuting also reduces costs for both employers and employees by reducing the spread of contagious diseases.

 

Still need to collaborate with colleagues and customers?   Cisco Collaboration tools helps ensure your staff can always be reached.  LifeSize Video Conferencing solutions can still provide much need face-to-face communications from anywhere.  

 

Let Secant show you how to make telecommuting a cost-effective and green alternative.

     

Event Calendar 

Cisco Collaboration Seminar

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

11:00 AM - 1:30 PM

 

Visual Communications Workshop

Wednesday, March 21, 2102

10:30 AM - 2:00 PM

 

WHERE:

Secant Technologies

Kalamazoo, MI

 

SCAREWARE - A WHOLE NEW BREED OF THREAT

Scareware


Contributed by:  

Ryan Pringnitz, MCTS / ACMT

Secant Service Technician

 

There was a time when reading about a security breach in the Wall Street Journal or other major news outlet was a novelty. But now it's almost a daily occurrence. Security breaches in 2011 affected over 30 million records, the biggest of which included: Sony's cloud services for PlayStation; the breach at email marketing giant Epsilon which affected customers Walt Disney, JPMorgan/Chase, and Best Buy among others; the Anonymous hack at HB Gary Federal.

 

Even as organizations grapple to secure data from existing security vulnerabilities and malware, a whole new breed of threat has recently emerged called "Scareware". Where an annoying pop-up or erratic browser performance might foreshadow a security breach or malware presence, Scareware is dangerously different as it virtually renders a computer inoperable and unable to launch applications.  There are practical steps and precautions to Stop Fake Anti-VirusRead more...

AFFORDABLE HD VIDEO CONFERENCING - NO MYTH

Video_ConferenceCommunications are full of subtleties...a raised eyebrow, whispered side-bar, or insightful reaction. In fact, the most powerful means of communication is visual.  While email has been a reliable business tool for over a decade, it just can't provide the subtleties of face-to-face communications. Video Conferencing is opening up a whole new world of real-time interactions.

 

Once, video conferencing was only a staple of old sci-fi movies, or was found only in high-tech office buildings.  Now, we all see real value in "being in the room" with those we are conversing with, whether for business or letting the kids say hello to their grandparents. 

 

However, traditional videoconferencing isn't quite like being there.  Quality is shaky, video and audio can be spotty, which is fine for a chat with grandma but not ideal for business applications.  HD video conferencing offers another option...one that is readily available and more accessible than ever. With HD displays and IP networks, high quality video conferencing is no longer the dominion of just the Fortune 1000.

 

Every organization needs to communicate every day and immediately.  Video conferencing connects people - on-demand, anywhere, at any time. Team members can stay connected with colleagues and customers, collaborate productively one-on-one or with large groups, and still get "face time" without traveling.  Read more... 

CUSTOMER HIGHLIGHT

Editor's note:  We are pleased to announce a new feature for the Sentinel - Our Customer Highlight which will showcase a Secant client's successes, innovations and inspirations. 

eagletech_logo 

Secant Account Manager Jennifer McGeath says she is always inspired when she meets with Dan Hanson, president of Eagle Technologies GroupDan has a unique intellect, big-picture insight and entrepreneurial savvy.  It's not just what he has to say about business, but what he has accomplished through "practicing what he preaches". 

 

Eagle Technologies Group-A Hanson Company, located in Bridgman, was founded in 1953 as Weldun Tool & Die Company, a "fix-it" shop serving four or five manufacturing clients. Today, they design and build automated assembly and test systems for a global market in a wide range of industries including automotive, pharmaceutical and healthcare, food processing, consumer products, green energy and the military. 

 

Technology has played a major role in the companies' success. In 1979, designs were done with a dozen workers on a drafting board.  What once required a hundred skilled employees can now be done by 3 or 4 on a computer, reducing project time from a year to mere weeks.

 

But new technology was not the key to success. The key was finding ways to incorporate that emerging technology into the products and services customer needed. 

Read more... 

COLLABORATION REQUIRES MORE THAN JUST A PHONE

 

Collaboration

Are you tolerating your aging phone system simply because it "still works", or worse spending time and IT budget to maintain one that is unreliable and limiting?  Can employees reliably be reached on the first try? Can they effectively collaborate with remote employees, partners or customers?  Is your mobile workforce able access to business applications when they need to? 

 

 Like many departments, IT is being asked to deliver savings and a better return on investment. Even with reduced budgets, user requirements such as flexible working, collaboration, video, social media, and user device preferences are becoming increasingly complex.

 

Today, you should demand more from your phone system than just a dial tone.  Are you hesitant to move to IP-based communications because you believe they're only for enterprise organizations with enterprise-level budgets? Have you moved to VoIP but haven't fully leveraged advanced collaboration tools?


Cisco Collaboration solutions can bring your phone, video, conferencing and messaging systems together to integrate business applications and enable employees to communicate and collaborate effectively.  Read more...

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We hope you find The Secant Sentinel Technology Newsletter to be a useful and informative tool.  If you have comments or suggestions on how we can make The Sentinel more valuable to you, please email  [email protected]

 

If you would like additional information on products or services featured here, please email [email protected] or call us at 800-375-4222.