Is your Home or Business Network Secure? Follow these tips...

We normally don't think about Security until it is too late. How often do you change your passwords? Are you using a firewall? Is your wireless network protected? Too often we think this only happens to big corporations (which by the way spend huge amounts of cash in Security). The truth is that hackers are out there looking for opportunities, and if you leave an area unsecured, eventually they will hack your PC or network, and either do damage as joke, steal credit card or confidential information, use your e-mail system to send Spam or access illegal content. The next paragraphs will give you a few suggestions on things you can do now.

Passwords:
Researchers have found a way to crack alphanumeric passwords stored on Microsoft Windows computers in just 13 seconds, down from the previous average of 101 seconds. These days anyone can do it. So make sure you use upper case, lower case, special characters (i.e. $^#@*) and make it very long. Also, change them as often as you can (maximum every 3 months). I know it is a hassle, but this will discourage hackers from attempting to use you as a target and go to someone else.

Firewalls:
Most routers come with a built in firewall. This is the most basic type of firewall and can be cracked. But unless you want to spend some money, it should suffice. Just make sure it is enabled and it has the latest firmware.

Wireless Network Security
Enable at least one of the encrypted access to your network. All new wireless routers sold today have at least a couple ways. My recommendation is not to use WEP (old method) but to choose WPA with a long passphrase. New routers also have the option to disable the wireless radio at certain hours of the night or day. You can build a schedule disconnecting the WiFi from 12 midnight until 7 a.m. And if you are leaving for a long trip, disconnect it completely.

Other Recommendations:
Install an anti-virus and anti-spyware. I personally do not like Norton since I have seen it make PCs slow. My recommendation is to install Microsoft Security Essentials. Remember to uninstall other anti-virus first, even if they are demos.
Do not visit illegal sites like warez, porn or other questionable content sites. You heard it!! These sites are full of viruses and spyware that your anti-virus may not detect
Enable User Account Control if you have Windows Vista or Windows 7. You can find this tool by going to the Control Panel and then selecting "User Accounts". If you don't have these Windows versions, upgrade now to Windows 7!!
Install the latest patches on your Operating System. Very often companies like Microsoft will release security updates to close gaps discovered by hackers on how to control or access your PC. Make sure you enable the automatic updates.

These are my recommendations. If you haven't applied some of these, today is a good day to start. Good luck and stay secure (at least your network :).

HTML5 and the Impact to the Cloud

Have you heard about HTML5? HTML is a language for structuring and presenting content on the internet. So, you guessed it... it is the 5th revision to that language. Why should you care? Well, one of the key benefits is to allow a more sophisticated interface for the internet tools. Said what???$$#%# 


In simple terms, do you like playing Farmville, Angry Birds, navigating menus in Gmail, dragging e-mails or content in some pages? Nice, that is the interface we have today for developers to create such fancy tools. HTML5 will improve the interface a lot. It is anticipated to enrich the webpages with movies, audio and graphical content, without having to resort to plugins and external applications.


Check this game made in HMTL5 (note: you need Internet Explorer 9): http://www.pirateslovedaisies.com/

I am excited and have been waiting to see what this will mean to the Cloud or the internet services such as Gmail, VoIP, videoconferencing, etc. (see my other post explaining what is Cloud Computing). For instance, Google is planning to enable offline support for Google Docs via HMTL5. That to me would boost acceptance for the Google Apps service getting more and more popular. Also, since this new language will allow programs to run from the internet browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Chrome) rather than the Operating System (i.e. Windows), that means people will have the same tools available from any device regardless of the type. Speaking from a futuristic lense, a tablet or smartphone will catch-up with a PC.


Imagine watching a movie on the PC, but then you have to run some errands or go to another house. You could pick-up what you were watching from your smartphone or cable-box since they will all be connected and accessing the tools through the browser. For the business, I have already seen many applications moving to a browser interface. For instance the new versions of expense reports, purchasing and report tools, and asset tracking applications are changing from an installable software to a browser type at a very fast speed. It is already increasing efficiency, most particular when rebuilding a PC or recovering from an upgrade. 


Furthermore, the cloud is reducing the need for high-end computing at the user level, and more on the server side. The need for powerful computing has leaned to the hosting servers that display the content, and reducing the need on PCs since the information or instructions are displayed from the browser. HTML5 is a new ground level to carry those instructions from the servers, and display or manipulate the data more elegantly on our side.




Very cool!!!


Update: Check what Pandora is planning to release on HTML5: 
http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/16/pandora-radios-html5-redesign-hands-on/

2nd Update:  Adobe Edge will enable Web designers to create content in HTML5, JavaScript

and CSS, instead of Flash. The new software will  not replace Adobe Flash. Instead, it will

enable developers to create animated Web content on devices that do not run Flash like the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Google Apps Script opens new ways to deliver workf...

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Google Apps Script opens new ways to deliver workf...: "Posted by John Gale, Solution Developer, Appogee Editors note: Guest author John Gale is a developer at Appogee , a Google focused system..."

500 reasons to switch to Google Apps

New and improved Google experience

 You will see an updated look and feel rolling out across Google’s products. These interface changes will also be released to your Google Apps services, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Docs, over the next months. The goal is to give you a more seamless and consistent online experience -- one that works no matter which Google product you’re using or what device you’re using it on.

For now, some of these changes are available on an opt-in/opt-out basis. How can you enable the new interface?

• From Google Apps e-mail, click on Options (top right button or link)
• Select "Mail Settings".
• Click on the "Themes" tab
• Select the "Preview (Dense)" or "Preview" theme.

I have personally installed the new interface on Gmail and I like that it keeps the top bar menu frozen when you scroll up and down, and the menu options are simpler and easier to find. Go ahead and give it a try. 

By the way, you can always revert the changes by going to your previous theme. Good luck.

Want a Faster PC?

Easy tweaks in Windows


The quickest and simplest way to make your PC run faster is to run a few applications already installed by Microsoft. Go to Start - Programs - Accessories and run Disk Clean-up and Defrag. Disk Clean-up will remove temporary files clogging your RAM memory; the 2nd tool will make your Hard Drive read information faster. I also recommend installing anti-spyware programs like SpyBot to remove unwanted applications slowing down your internet connection and RAM memory.


Spending Money (not too much)


The best investment in hardware for a computer is by adding RAM memory and adding a more powerful videocard. Keep in mind that your PC requires specific types and configuration of memory and cards; check with your PC's manufacturer to find out which one your computer is compatible with. If you want to go a step further, move to an SSD drive; this is a recent technology development on hard disk drives that read and write information many times faster compared to regular ol' drives.


Change your Anti-virus


Chances are your current anti-virus is making your PC run slower. I have seen this especially with Norton. What do I recomend? Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0. It won't slow down your PC compared to other programs, and it has a high ranking on terms of effectiveness. Go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/mse.aspx

Google Cloud Connect

Google just released the Google Cloud Connect tool for Microsoft Office. What is it? Google Cloud Connect is a plug-in for Microsoft Office® 2003, 2007, and 2010 that lets you share and edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents simultaneously with other people in your organization. You get the collaboration benefits of Google Docs, while still using Microsoft Office.


This tool brings collaborative multi-person editing to the familiar Microsoft® Office experience. You can share, backup, and simultaneously edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint®, and Excel® documents with coworkers.

How does it work?

• Syncing and sharing documents: Google Cloud Connect tracks, manages, and syncs all changes on your Microsoft Office documents into one updated version for each document. Each document that you sync through Google Cloud Connect gets a unique URL or web address that you can share with collaborators through IM or email. Depending on the privacy setting you’ve selected for the document, other people will be able to click this link and view the document in the browser.
• Collaborating simultaneously on documents: Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office lets you easily share documents with other people. When you add other people as editors to a document, they receive an email letting them know that you've shared a document with them. From there, they can open a link to view the document in the browser, or if they want to make edits, they can download the document and open it in Microsoft Office. When an editor makes changes to a document in Microsoft Office, all changes get synced and appear on your screen.
• Revision history: Using Google Cloud Connect, you can edit a document online and offline. Every time you sync a document, the revisions of a document are stored so you can easily roll back to a previous version. You can go back to any prior revision of a document at any time.

E-mail me at info@liveconnexus.com or visit http://www.liveconnexus.com/officeapps.htm for more information on Google Apps and tools.