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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, and put an
end to your IT
problems.
- Lauren Groff
Groff NetWorks, LLC
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"The Top 4 Worst High-Tech Habits To Break In 2011"
Admit it; you have some bad habits when it comes to maintaining the security and "health" of the high-tech tools you dearly depend on. Since it's a fresh, new year, we thought it would be appropriate to point out the top 4 bad habits you should work on fixing in 2011.
1) Not backing up your data. Funny how most people start their confession of not backing up their data with the words, "I know it's bad, but..." If you know, then why are you still doing it? There's absolutely no good reason to let this one continue. Call us, and we'll hook you up with a solid back-up plan that will make sure you can be back up and running again FAST.
2) Relying on tape drives to backup your data. This is almost as bad as bad habit #1. Why? Because tape drives have an average failure rate of 100% - and that's not a typo. It's not a matter of "if" but "when" is your tape drive going to fail. Trash 'em and get a better system in place!
3) Using weak passwords. If you've ever used the word "password" as your password, we're talking to you! A good password should contain a combination of numbers and upper and lower case letters.
4) Not installing the latest security patches and software updates. Once a new patch is released by a software vendor, it acts like a green light for hackers who instantly implement viruses and scams to take advantage of those individuals who don't regularly update (patch) their system.
Want help in breaking any of these bad habits? Call us today at 518-320-8906 for a no-obligation, no-pressure consultation on how we can help you break these bad high-tech habits for good!
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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) Rosemary Joralemon, Director of Sales and Marketing at Info Label in Clifton Park. She was the first person to correctly answer our question below:
What is the name of the main newspaper for wizards in Harry Potter's world? a) Words on the Wind b) The Owl c) Daily Prophet d) Wizards Weekly
The answer is "c": Daily Prophet
Congratulations, Rosemary!
She won a $15 Stewart's gift card.
Now, here's your chance to win a $15 Stewart's gift card!
This Month's Trivia:
In the novel Moby Dick, in which American port is the whaling ship Pequod based? a) Nantucketb) Cooperstownc) Mysticd) Boston E-mail 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. |
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January Is National Clean Up Your Computer Month
(Something You'll RUSH To Do Once You Read This Survey
That Reveals Just How Dirty Your Keyboard Is!)
Since there's a holiday or month for just about every cause imaginable, it should come as no surprise that cleaning your PC now has its own official month, awarded by none other than "The Vinegar Institute." But before you dismiss this one, consider this little factoid:
ABC news reported that a study in England revealed that the average office keyboard had bacteria and germ levels up to five times higher than those commonly found on a toilet seat.
The study, headed up by Dr. James Francis, a British microbiologist, took culture samples from 33 office keyboards in London, and compared these samples to swabs taken from toilet seats in the same office buildings, containing nasty germs such as e-coli and staph bacteria. Kinda gives new meaning to the term, "computer virus!" So how do you not only disinfect your keyboard but also get those annoying smudges and fingerprints off your monitor? Here are a few tips:
Ö Turn off the monitor. It's not required, but it makes smudges and smears easier to see.
Ö Use a canister of compressed air to get rid of light dust build-up in your keyboard and screen. Never use a dish rag or paper towel to clean your monitor since they can scratch the screen; and you never want to use water on your keyboard!
Ö Don't use products with ethyl alcohol or ammonia-based products to clean your monitor. Products like Windex can yellow flat-screen or laptop monitors. Instead, use a cleaning product designed for monitors and use a lint-free cloth designed for the job. Note: Each monitor manufacturer has its own special instructions for cleaning so make sure you read what those are before attempting to clean up anything.
Ö Lightly moisten your cloth with rubbing alcohol or cleaning solution to wipe off your mouse or keyboard areas. Never apply the liquid directly to the screen, keyboard or other electronic parts.
Ö A Q-tip dipped in alcohol will quickly clean your keyboard. Just make sure you don't drip the liquid down between the keys.
Free Gift:Refer a potential new client to us during the month of January and get a FREE computer cleaning kit! |
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Please Welcome Our Newest Client:
YWCA of the Greater Capital Region
The YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, located in downtown Troy, was proudly established in 1883. It is the region's largest provider of supportive housing for women and their children. It is not the place where people go to swim and work out; it is the place where women go to regain control of their lives. They house 94 women and their children in their downtown Troy building and another seven families in apartments that YWCA rents in the community. Typically, they house approximately 350 women per year. Some stay for a few weeks; some for many years.
They surround the women they serve with "360 Degrees of Support," a range of services to meet their immediate and long-term needs. They offer supportive housing, job training, and referrals for services such as mental health and substance abuse counseling and advocacy. They also operate an on-site boutique where residents can get free, gently-used professional clothing; a resource center where community members can access the Internet for job searching and benefits research; and a food pantry that is open to all Rensselaer County residents. They, with help from volunteers, cook up a free nutritious community meal every Thursday evening. And, they provide each resident with one vital thing: hope. Supporting your region's local YWCA is a great cause, so we, here at Groff NetWorks, took some time to find out how to get involved by speaking with Gary Ferris, the YWCA's director of fund development. His primary role is to assist the executive director and board in raising funds to support the YWCA's mission, which is this: "The YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, Inc. is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all." Their vision is to build a development office that effectively works with new and existing donors to identify philanthropic opportunities that are consistent with the donors' wishes and the YWCA's mission. This also involves planning and implementing a communications strategy so that the YWCA is better known throughout the community. The best way to support the YWCA is to make a financial contribution. For as little as $31, donors can provide safe and affordable housing for a woman for one night. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for individuals, families, businesses, or community groups to volunteer by mentoring or tutoring women on a regular basis, for example. Or, volunteers might choose to work on a one-time project such as cooking and serving the weekly community meal. To learn more, give Gary a call at: (518) 274-7100, click on www.ywca-gcr.orgor follow the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region on Facebook. Upcoming Events at the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region: Spring 2011: "Stand Against Racism" Rally Summer 2011: Freihofer's Walk Fall 2011: Resourceful Women Awards Luncheon |
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Shiny New Gadget of the Month: HP ePrint
The new HP ePrint lets you print documents and images from virtually any PC or phone simply by e-mailing them to your printer. If you can send an e-mail, you can use ePrint. Here's how it works: One downside is that some documents printed with ePrint may appear different from the original in style, formatting and text flow. For documents that need to be printed with a higher quality (such as legal documents), you might want to go the traditional way of printing directly from your PC. The HP ePrint service is available free of charge with your HP ePrint-enabled printer and doesn't require any special software or smart phone apps to work. First, you assign an email address to your printer and connect it to the Internet through either a wireless or wired connection. To print something, simply send an email containing your document to your printer's address - it's that simple! You can print images, Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and photos. You can view and manage print jobs sent to your printer using your printer Job History that is available on HP's ePrint Center. |
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Lauren's Corner
Have I mentioned how talented my daughters are? Both Grace and Satya are quite the artists.
Here, the artist, Grace, at work:
And, here is a recent masterpiece of all the Disney princesses bringing gifts to place underneath a Christmas tree. From left to right: Jasmine, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel (and that's Ariel's daughter, Melody, beside her), and Snow White. Maybe Grace will be an animator when she grows up...
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