April 2011
In this issue:

HTS Referral Program
The highest compliment you can give us is the referral of a new client. If you know of anyone who could benefit from any of the services we provide your company, please keep us in mind.

Click here to learn how you could earn a $100 American Express gift card in return for you referral!

HTS 2011
Webinar Series
Every month HTS hosts a webinar, bringing in our own and industry experts to introduce and explain tools and solutions that can help your business grow. We want to keep all of our clients well-informed and up-to-date on the latest solutions available to you.

This Month’s Topic:
Disaster Planning – is your business ready?
What’s in it for you? Your data is being backed up, but is your business prepared for a disaster? Does your organization have a plan to keep your business functioning or the ability to recover quickly in the event of an emergency or disaster? If these questions have crossed your mind and your answers are less than ideal, you need to attend this webinar.

Join us on Thursday, May 12th 10 AM when Larry Hedin, HTS VP Sales & Marketing explains the importance of preparing for a disaster and the options that are available to your business.

Bonus: All attendees will receive a Disaster Planning Toolkit which includes:
• Sample Emergency Plan Template
• Emergency Supplies Checklist
• Insurance Discussion Form
• Computer Inventory Form
• Data Protection & Restoration Document

We will also be drawing for a $25 Target Gift Card for those in attendance.

REGISTER HERE!

Did you miss last month’s webinar?
Don’t worry, you can still watch it. Last month we looked at the important features of a website and how you can get started with your own e-Marketing strategy to help drive traffic to your website.  Click here to watch the recording and see all of the webinars we have hosted!

Following up on the Epsilon Security Breach
We sent out a special newsletter earlier this month to make certain that you knew about the serious security breach that had occurred at an on-line marketing company named Epsilon. After we sent out the alert, I received another communication from a company that I interact with on-line to tell me that my email address had been compromised in the same breach. As a result, I’ve been even more vigilant about emails I receive and have decided not to even open a few of them because I couldn’t guarantee the source. It also got me to thinking about my use of passwords. If you’re like me, you use the same password as many places as you can. I do it because I’m getting too old to remember a different password for each site I visit. It’s a habit that I have to change, or at least I need to lengthen and strengthen the complexity of my password. There is a great article below with some pointers that everyone should consider.

My good piece of news to share is that I got a new company laptop a month or so ago with a built-in webcam. Because of the webcam I could enable a special security feature from HP that lets me login through facial recognition. After a little computer training, I now click a button and “look” at my computer. The camera pops up, zooms in on my face and then automatically logs me in. Now my challenge is not to age, gain or lose weight, or change my hairstyle and glasses! Somehow, that seems easier than remembering my new complex password.

Enjoy this month’s newsletter and thanks again for your business. We appreciate you.

Jane Cage, COO

5 Tips for Top-notch Password Security
by Kim Komando
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website

Whether it's a few PCs or hundreds on your network, there's one thing that can separate your system from being compromised: a great password. Why? Hackers want access to anything and everything. If they can guess your user name and password, you might as well have given them your wallet and the keys to your building.

Before we talk about what makes a good password, let's begin with the first of five things to know and practice in using passwords.

10 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Security
used with permission from the Cisco

Small businesses are a growing fan base for Facebook.  Seventy percent of U.S. local small businesses interested in online marketing now use Facebook for marketing, up from 50 percent one year ago, according to a February report by MerchantCircle.  Many businesses consider Facebook their best friend for low-cost brand marketing. Some also enable shopping on their pages, using Storefront, Payvment, or another ecommerce application.

A Cybercriminal Fan Club
Facebook is also a favorite of Internet criminals, says the Cisco 2010 Annual Security Report. It's a big target, with more than 500 million active users. Even CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook account was recently hacked. Facebook does offer its account administrators some privacy tools; it also provides general security tips. The risks to Facebook visitors are widely publicized—the dangers lie in what links people click, what invitations they accept, and what private information they enter.  The risks to Facebook business accounts are not as obvious.   Read on

Have you seen the HP Slate?
Create, edit and review content with the light-weight HP Slate 500 Tablet PC, offering a full-featured Windows-based experience and touch capabilities. Contact HTS to set up a demo of the HP Slate! 

Click Here to see a short video about the "Slate".

The rising cost of gasoline over the past few months makes it necessary for us to apply a fuel surcharge for onsite visits by our engineers. This surcharge will help us offset a portion of the increased expense we face. The charge will be based on the round-trip mileage from our location to yours. The fee is 20 cents per mile based on a gasoline price of $3.50 - $4 per gallon. The fee will increase by 10 cents for each 50 cent increase in the price of gasoline. If/when gas prices drop below $3.50 we will discontinue the surcharge. This fee does NOT apply to clients covered under our Dynamic Care Managed Services.

If you haven’t joined our many satisfied clients using our Managed Services, now may be the time. Remote monitoring, management and remediation of your servers and PCs is faster and more cost-effective than our onsite reactive visits. Ask your salesperson today about the many advantages of our Dynamic Care Plans.

www.heartlandtechnologies.com