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As a business owner,
I know you don't
have time to waste
on technical and
operational issues.
That's where we shine!
Call us for peace of mind IT solutions!
- Lauren Groff
Groff NetWorks, LLC
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Shocking CBS News Report Reveals Why Your Office Copy Machine Is Actually A Security Time Bomb
This just in: According to a recent CBS news report*, copy and multi-function machines in offices contain a huge, unknown security risk that all businesses must address immediately or face the legal, financial, and PR repercussions of a security breach.
A Surprising Fact About Your Office Copier
Nearly every printer, copier and multi-function machine manufactured after 2002 contains a hard drive that stores the images of every document you've ever copied, faxed, or scanned. These document images stay on that machine's hard drive forever and can quickly and easily be reproduced with a little know-how. Surprisingly, this little fact has not received any press - until now.
A CBS Undercover Investigation
In April of this year, a reporter went undercover to a New Jersey copier warehouse that had over 6,000 used copy machines in stock for resale. This investigation reveals a shocking fact: it's incredibly easy for a person to retrieve and reproduce every single document ever scanned, copied, or faxed through the machines available for resale.
As part of the investigation, the CBS reporter pulled four random machines that were available for sale and purchased them for approximately $300 each. These machines were immediately loaded onto a truck and delivered within two hours to this reporter's office. Using a free application available online, he was able to access the hard drive of each machine and reproduce the documents within 30 minutes. What he uncovered was unbelievable.
Disturbing Facts Revealed By The Investigation
They discovered that one of the machines was formerly owned by the City of Buffalo, New York, Sex Crimes Division. In no time at all, they were able to access over 249,000 documents that passed through that machine, including lists of sex offenders and crime data. Another machine from the Buffalo PD Narcotics Division contained a list of drug raid targets. The third machine was from a construction company. It contained blueprints of buildings, over $40,000 in check copies, as well as pages of pay stubs, names, and the social security numbers of employees.
But the fourth machine was the most disturbing. It was previously owned by a New York health insurance firm and contained over 300 pages of detailed medical records - including drug prescriptions, blood tests, and even a cancer diagnosis - all which blatantly violate the new HIPAA laws.
Know Your Responsibility
Before you trade in, resell or dispose of any office copier, scanner or multi-function machine, you MUST make sure the hard drive is wiped clean of all information as you would any computer in your office. Failure to do so could result in damaging security breaches and identity theft for your company, staff, and customers. This goes DOUBLE if you use your office machines to scan, fax, or copy social security numbers, credit cards, or medical records of any kind.
As always, we are here to assist you with all things digital. If you are getting ready to dispose of or trade in a copier, scanner, fax, or multi-function machine, give us a call at: 518-320-8906. We can make sure your data is forever erased and inaccessible to criminals looking for an easy hit.
*Source: CBS News, April 19, 2010
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Test Drive A NEW Off-site Back-up Service For FREE!
Why are we doing this? First, August is usually a slow(er) month for us, so I'd like to find a way to keep my techs busy. Second, anyone using tape drive back-ups needs to upgrade NOW - no ifs, ands, or buts! This offer will ONLY be good for the first five who respond. (Sorry, no exceptions.)
Call NOW! 518-320-8906.
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Client Corner
"We are very pleased with Groff NetWorks' services. They are friendly, loyal to their clients, and reliable. Their emergency response time is great. They helped us minimize our down-time. "
- Joella Thomson, Office Manager, Carney, Reilly and Gelder
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Who Wants To Win A $15 Stewart's
Gift Card? Take Our Monthly
Trivia Challenge!
The Grand Prize Winner of last month's Trivia Challenge Quiz is (drum roll, please) Donna Kelly, Manager of Office Operations at Saginaw Lumber Sales in Guilderland Center. She was the first person to correctly answer our question below:
Millionaire John D. Rockefeller was noted for handing out what to children he passed in the street?
a) Bubble gum
b) Dimes
c) Comic books
d) Bicycles
The answer is "B": dimes.
Congratulations, Donna! She won a $15 Dunkin' Donuts gift card. Starting this month, the prize will be a $15 Stewart's gift card.
This Month's Trivia:
Who was the first U.S. President born outside of the original 13 colonies?
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) Martin Van Buren
c) Jimmy Carter
d) John Quincy Adams
Email us right now with your answer!
trivia@groffnetworks.com
Please note: One prize per entrant per year. Entrants who have won a trivia contest in the last 12 months are ineligible to compete for prizes. |
Techie Terms Made Simple:
What Is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is simply a term used to describe internet-based applications that are stored and accessed via a web browser instead of a server or computer at your location. Over the last couple of years, there has been a HUGE movement towards companies using "cloud-based" applications because lost data is more easily recovered and remote workers can conveniently access information. As a result, costs for hardware and support are drastically lowered.
One "cloud" application we encourage our clients to consider is
Hosted Exchange. Not only does this give you a tremendous amount of flexibility in accessing your e-mail, but it also lowers the costs of hardware, software, installation, and support DRASTICALLY.
While there are still some fears around hosting critical apps and data off-site, those fears will become a thing of the past as business owners see the bottom-line cost savings of cloud-based computing.
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Shiny New Gadget of the Month:
Snagit By TechSmith
This month's pick is not really a gadget. It's a cool, inexpensive software program you'll easily get addicted to. Snagit is easy-to-use screen capture software that allows you to copy, edit, share and organize images captured off of your computer screen. The more you use Snagit, the more ways you'll find to use it. For example, if you are working with a designer or programmer to develop a web application or web site, Snagit will allow you to capture a screen shot of the web page and add comments, cut and paste sections, add instructions, edit the design, and much more, making your communication much more precise and clear. Creating a user guide or instruction manual? You'll love Snagit because you can capture segments of a computer screen and add comments and instructions right over the area (or document) you are explaining, making even the most complicated processes and software easy to follow. Best of all, you can store these images in various image files (jpeg, png, gif, etc.) and cut and paste them into an e-mail, Word document, web site, etc. Snagit costs $49.95 for a single user license and can be purchased at www.techsmith.com.If you want to try before you buy, you can download a 30-day free trial at the above web site as well. |
Lauren's Corner
Last month, our family grew yet again. My wife's baby sister, Elke, got married! Grace and Satya were flower girls. They wore butterfly wings, white dresses and ballerina slippers. They were so excited. Without further ado, here are some pictures from the wedding (I know that's what you want). Congratulations, Elke and Phil!  From Left: Satya, Grace and Lily (my niece) Photo by Nancy NobleSee more wedding pictures at Nancy's blog |
Watch It...
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
-Frank Outlaw, founder of BI-LO Supermarkets in South Carolina
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