by Felicien | Jul 16, 2018 | Education
Want 7 Great Mobile Computing Tips?
Mobile computing is now the new norm. We’re no longer tied to our desktops like we were years ago. Whether you’re traveling or running from meeting to meeting, your laptop and cloud computing can be your best friends. However, mobile computing also creates challenges for us and our businesses. The following are some tips to keep things under control.
Keep A Plug Splitter Handy
If you travel a lot like I do you can find yourself sitting in an airport boarding area waiting longer than you had planned to. I always take this time to be as productive as I can and get work done on my laptop. But there are times when I need to recharge the battery and I can’t find a spare wall plug because others are doing the same.
This is when you need that handy plug splitter. It converts one grounded outlet into three. A 3-outlet splitter is usually rated at 15 amps. You can plug three different devices into it. Just make sure their combined load is less than 15 amps or 1,875 watts.
Always Use A Secure Server
It’s essential that when you send and receive information from your laptop or any mobile device that you know it won’t be intercepted. Public WiFi hotspots don’t ensure your data security. If you must use one be sure it’s connected to a secure server.
Look for a locked padlock icon on your browser. This tells you that you’re using an SSL (secure sockets layer)-encrypted session. You can also check any website you access by looking for “https://” in its address, rather than the usual http://.
Encrypt Your Data And Employ Mobile Device Management
Encrypt the data on your laptop so if it’s stolen, criminals won’t be able to access it. Better yet, ask CCS to implement Remote Management Monitoring and Mobile Device Management on all your computers. Threats can be detected, blocked, and deleted. Your mobile device can be wiped clean if it’s lost or stolen. Otherwise, if someone steals your laptop, they can hack your system, stealing your login and password, then read everything in your files.
Watch Out For Hotel WiFi and DarkHotel
Hotel WiFi is designed for easy access. Just because it’s provided as part of your room charge doesn’t mean that it’s totally private. Typically, public and hotel WiFi don’t utilize WPA (WiFi Protected Access) like you do in your office and home.
Last year, a group of hackers by the name of Darkhotel came out with a new attack, aimed at exploiting hotel WiFi. Their goal was to target business travelers who stay at high-end hotels. They typically use phishing attacks that contain links to Trojan viruses. Lately, they’ve been using the Inexsmar malware and multi-stage Trojans. The DarkHotel criminals have been stealing data for ten years targeting thousands of businesses around the world via WiFi infrastructures in hotels.
Don’t Take All Your Business Data With You
Don’t put more data than necessary on your laptop. Just store what you need. If you carry all your company files with you and you lose your laptop, or a thief steals it, they have all of your company records and client data.
Better yet, ask CCS to set up a hybrid or private cloud for your business. This way everything is stored in a secure data center and you can access it via the Internet with your private credentials (keep these safe too!). You can easily download exactly what you need and upload it when you’ve completed your work.
Use Microsoft Office 365
We can’t say enough about this software. You pay an affordable monthly or yearly subscription based on the number of users and it provides email and communication services, document sharing and collaboration, and so much more. You can work on documents and projects with your teams in real time, and it’s easy because you’re probably already using Microsoft solutions like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You’ll have 24/7 access to all your applications and documents via the Internet. Microsoft takes all the responsibility for reliability and security so you won’t need to worry about this.
Microsoft Office 365 is easy to sign up for, but it’s often a struggle to migrate your existing platforms to it. CCS can help and assist with the transition.
7. Turn Off Your Bluetooth When Traveling
This is always a good idea. Criminals are now accessing the infrared on our phones and laptops to deposit spam, viruses, and steal data like contact information. This is called Bluejacking and Bluesnarfing. Whenever you travel, be sure to disable the infrared port on your laptop and smartphone. Also, configure your Bluetooth device to “nondiscovery mode.” This could pose some inconveniences for you, but it will protect your data and privacy.
by Felicien | Jul 13, 2018 | Education
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by Felicien | Jul 12, 2018 | Education
How Useful Are MSPs?
Managed Service Providers in the field of Information Technology have a more critical role than other business organizations. There are important things to consider when it comes to IT, and these are:
Reliable IT staff-able to conduct routine maintenance such as updating and installing hardware and software.
Availability-sometimes an organization needs a system that can support their business on a 24/7 time basis. Especially if engaged in international business and there is the issue of different time zones. This may call for staff that is able to meet this demand.
Generate Income-ensure that whatever technology you are using in your organization is able to pay you back and not the other way round. This is achieved by simply weighing the available options and making the right choice as to the type of technology most suited to properly run your organization.
Why do you need MSP?
Organizations prefer having in-house IT staff because it is cheaper to have an employee on pay role than hire an IT firm to manage your network. What most entities don’t know is that they could be missing out on better services than just the routine maintenance and updating of software. There is a whole lot more in the tech world, so instead of overwhelming your IT staff and missing out on new developments, the managed service providers do the extra that will boost your business to higher levels. Here are the reasons why you should consider MSPs:
Specialized support: depending on the kind of organization you are running, they custom make for you the most suitable IT system. They are aware of the statutory regulations in your area of expertise and so ensure that your technology is in compliance. Examples of those regulations include: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which is very critical in an organization dealing with Healthcare in the United States of America. Also, the General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR), which is a regulation in European Union law on data protection and privacy for all people within the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). These are just a few of the considerations that an MSP takes into account when managing and maintaining your technology.
Reliable support which provides a 24/7 help desk to deal with client issues. This is basically an IT firm’s work; it is what they specialize in. They give it their all as compared to your organization’s IT staff who would not appreciate being disturbed in the middle of the night just to handle a client issue. It would also be very expensive to try and employ staff who are able to provide services over time.
Security and privacy of client data are guaranteed since the IT staff in the managed service providers are experts who are well equipped and ready to handle issues of a security breach. To top it off, your organization will not have to worry about the legal liabilities that may arise in case a security breach occurs.
System back-up and data recovery are well handled by the MSP because they have the resources to conduct research and come up with mechanisms to deal with network issues such as downtime. Small entities do not have to worry about spending additional resources on top of what is already lost in trying to establish better mechanisms in terms of what should be done in those situations. MSPs will ensure that you get back on your feet as soon as possible in situations where issues like downtime affect your business.
Software updates are as important in IT as regular service on a car. Needless to say, they are a bit complex and time-consuming. MSPs help you to focus on other important things as they update your software in the background. They know which one is best suited for your organization to give you optimum benefits.
It is very expensive trying to hire the services of an IT firm for a specific task or during an emergency. You could save on these expenses if you are relying on a contracted managed service providers. They are reliable and efficient because they understand your business environment and so handle emergencies beforehand by devising workable, tried and trusted mechanisms.
Wrap up
Technology has become an integral part of every organization. The best way to ensure that you are maximizing its benefits is by acquiring and managing the right technology suitable for your organization. That is exactly why you need the managed service providers to do all your IT work. You worry about running your organization while they help you boost your business through IT. The collaboration between your organization and an MSP firm will simply provide you with stability and reliability in your network.
by Felicien | Jul 12, 2018 | Education
If you are a fan of smart devices, then you may already have an Echo device – Amazon’s line of smart speakers that connect to other devices using Amazon’s voice-controlled personal assistant Alexa.
These Alexa-powered speakers from Amazon hit the market first before the likes of Google, Lenovo, and Apple followed suit with their own smart personal assistants. The top products in this space include:
Google Home Smart Assistant
Lenovo’s Smart Assistant
Apple’s HomePod
The Echo from Amazon
These products are taking the market by storm through Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo, the pioneer in this world of smart speakers, remains in command of the largest market share.
Amazon Alexa supports a large number of streaming services – both free and subscription-based on Amazon devices. The voice-controlled app lets you customize practically all the voice commands you use with your speakers and intelligently keeps track of these commands for you.
With Alexa, you can enjoy convenient playback control in your home as you stream music and other media through any number of your Alexa devices. Registering your Alexa device to an Amazon account also allows you to access your Audible library and Amazon Music library automatically, taking your home entertainment to another level of convenience.
What if you have an iPhone home?
Apple devices and services are extremely selective when it comes to pairing and connecting to non-Apple services or devices. So, you may realize that Apple iTunes and Amazon Alexa do not play well together, which begs the question: is my iPhone able to connect with an Amazon Echo device?
The answer is a big YES! So pull up a chair, sit down and we’ll show you how it’s done.
Echo devices are Bluetooth enabled, which means you can control the audio playback on your device by speaking to Alexa. This is to say that you will be able to play and control your Apple music service on Amazon’s smart speakers if iPhone is what you use for your home entertainment.
Using Bluetooth to connect your iPhone to Alexa
You can connect an iPhone to the Amazon product via Bluetooth, giving you the ability to start streaming and control the audio with the following products:
1st or 2nd generation Amazon Echo
2nd gen Echo Dot
Echo Spot
Echo Show
Echo Plus
Initial pairing
The first thing you’ll have to do is get the two devices (your iPhone and the Amazon Echo device) connected.
This entails pairing the iPhone with your Echo device via Bluetooth. To do this, take your iPhone near the Alexa device that you want to pair. On your iPhone, open the Settings app. Navigate to Bluetooth and open it.
Say, “Alexa, pair” to put the Amazon Echo device in Bluetooth Pairing mode. With that command, Alexa should give you an audible acknowledgment that it is searching and confirm when your Echo device is in pairing mode.
Next, you’ll get a notification on your iPhone screen asking if you want to pair or giving you the ability to cancel the pairing request. Tap “Pair” to connect the two devices via Bluetooth.
Alexa should also give you an audible confirmation that it has just connected to [name of your iPhone], adding that now that you’re paired, you should just say “connect my phone” next time you want to reestablish the pairing.
On your Bluetooth screen, the Echo will now show as connected. You can see this by scrolling to Other Devices at the bottom where the particular Echo device appears.
Streaming music and more
Once you have paired your iPhone with Alexa, you can open the Apple Music app and select the specific song or playlist that you want to stream. You should then hear this selection play through your Echo speaker.
You can stream audio from iTunes, Apple Music, Podcasts, and even the Apple TV. You also have the option to play music from any third-party app that has audio, such as AudioBox or Pandora.
Controlling playback and more
Alexa is a voice-controlled app so you will be able to control your playback by simply speaking to it once it is playing.
You can tell the intelligent personal assistant to play, pause, raise and lower the volume, resume, and even skip ahead and back to the contents on that playlist.
You won’t be able, however, to ask Alexa to identify a song for you, nor can you make it play specific songs or other content from your iPhone. If you try asking your Alexa to play specific songs, it will simply break the connection to your iPhone and instead play music from the Amazon music source that you have set as your default choice, such as Amazon Music.
For that kind of command, Apple prefers that you use its own personal assistant Siri, so you’ll need to say “Hey Siri” for that.
Wrap Up
If you’re an iPhone owner and an Echo diehard at the same time, Bluetooth pairing is a great way to start using these amazing devices together. Though it does have its limitations, it still makes listening to your favorite music fun and easy.
by Felicien | Jul 11, 2018 | Education
Why Private Infrastructure Is Better Than Multi-Tenant
Whenever you want to choose an appropriate cloud infrastructure, begin by asking yourself a number of questions. One of the most obvious questions is:
Which is better? Private or public cloud infrastructure?
You definitely need an option that assures you of good performance, affordable costs, strong data security, and flexibility. There are two main options to choose from: a multi-tenant infrastructure and a private infrastructure.
While cost, flexibility, data security, and great performance are important requirements for both options, the big question here is: Do you want to share a cloud infrastructure with others? There are advantages and disadvantages to whichever option you go for.
Multi-tenant cloud infrastructure
Multi-tenant infrastructure is a cloud computing facility that allows a number of customers (tenants) to host their data at the same facility and share computing tools and resources. Two of the most popular multi-tenant cloud infrastructures are Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure. Multi-tenant cloud infrastructure is good for the development of web servers or management of security and compliance needs for big data centers.
Benefits of multi-tenant infrastructure
A pay-as-you-go utility model. This model is designed to ensure that you pay for the resources you use by the hour. This utility model is very convenient and economical especially if you are re-working your development servers frequently.
A self-managed system. The multi-tenant cloud infrastructure is a self-managed system, which means you can manage and store your data in a way that best suits your business. You can also use this infrastructure to set up and manage the details of your server(s).
Shared hardware. Multi-tenant infrastructure is a public cloud, which means that you will be sharing hardware, a network device, and a storage facility with fellow tenants in the infrastructure.
No contracts limiting you to the use of cloud infrastructure. The utility model adopted by multi-tenant clouds charges you by the hour. You only pay for your time on the infrastructure so if you want to shut your server down after an hour or two of use, there’s no contract limiting you from doing so.
Single-tenant Cloud Infrastructure
By definition, a private cloud infrastructure is a cloud hosting service that accommodates a single tenant. The infrastructure has hardware, storage equipment, and a network system dedicated to serving the needs of one tenant. A well-known example of a single tenant hosting service is the Virtual Private Cloud hosting. This is a facility which lets companies access a network on their platform by renting independent hardware slices and establishing a private subnet on the slice.
Unlike public or multi-tenant cloud hosting, private cloud hosting infrastructure does not have utility models that let you pay-as-you-go as you work on their platforms. However, there’s a version of private cloud hosting, Virtual Private Clouds, which have adopted the utility model.
Single-tenant clouds are generally suitable for mid- and large-size organizations because they have advanced flexibility and have attained compliance requirements preferred by large organizations.
Benefits of private cloud infrastructure
Better security: Single tenant clouds enjoy better security and privacy because the whole facility is dedicated to one client. The hardware, storage, and network device can be customized to ensure uttermost performance for the client. There are no risks of another tenant accessing the client’s server data or sharing their data computing tools.
Customizable infrastructure: There’s only one client using the facility so customizing the infrastructure will not affect any party. The hardware, storage, and network device can be customized to give the customer utmost satisfaction.
Hybrid deployments: Hybrid deployments are tweaks that improve a client’s server performance. If the client’s server is required to operate at optimal speeds or run a high-speed application, a custom peripheral hardware can be integrated into the single-tenant cloud to hybrid the dedicated server with a virtual server for increased data processing speeds.
Security compliance: Security compliance is a big deal for large organizations. Sarbanes Oxley, PCI, and HIPAA compliance can be initiated using private cloud deployment because private cloud hosting has a sufficient data storage device, stronger network system, better security and better hardware, all dedicated to one client.
Why private infrastructure is better than multi-tenant cloud infrastructure
Private and shared cloud infrastructure both serve the same general purpose but private infrastructure gives you more independence and more control over the facility and resources. Many organizations, especially large organizations with big data centers don’t fully trust multi-tenant cloud hosting services.
Even though shared cloud hosting has some benefits over private hosting, private hosting is simply viewed as safer and more efficient. Here are general reasons why a private infrastructure would serve your needs better than a multi-tenant cloud infrastructure:
Gives you better security
Allows you uttermost privacy
All resources dedicated to one client
Makes deployment of security compliance easier
Allows for hybrid deployments
Ease of product upgrades
More convenience
Both private and multi-tenant cloud infrastructure has numerous potential advantages for your business, but not all models will give you the same level of satisfaction. The different infrastructure allows for various deployment options with diverse impacts on your organization. When choosing a cloud hosting infrastructure, go for an option that will keep your data safe and secure. Make sure it’s flexible, fast, and affordable. Insist on the level of service your business needs to excel in the marketplace.
If you enjoyed this article, please check these out:
Cybersecurity Risks (Problems/Fixes)
There’s A New Ransomware That Can Access Your Emails In The Cloud!
Is Your Small Business Vulnerable To A Malware Attack?
