Are You STILL Using Outdated Tape Backups?

If your computer network and the data it holds got erased or corrupted because of a virus, hard drive crash, fire, flood or some other random, unforeseen disaster, how confident are you RIGHT NOW that your business could be back up and running again FAST?

If your answer to that is, “I don’t know,” or “I’m not sure,” you are taking a HUGE risk with your company’s most important asset—the data on your network. Just imagine what would happen to your business if you lost your entire client database…

…Lost all accounting documentation and history…Lost all the work files you’ve spent YEARS developing…Lost the work files and documentation you so desperately need to service your customers…

Can you even put a price tag on it? Probably not—yet so many business owners aren’t 100% certain that they could be back up and running after a disaster and are purely hoping that their current tape drive or backup is working and storing a usable copy of their data.

Tape Drives Are The MOST Unreliable, Unsecured Way To Back Up Your Data

All tape drives fail; it’s only a matter of “when,” not “if.” So if being able to get back up and running again in the event of a data-erasing disaster is important, then you need to know about our MNS-CARE Recover-IT Service.

This fool-proof backup service does more than just keep a copy of your files—it provides “continuous data protection” and enables near-instant disaster recovery because it takes a snapshot of your entire network throughout the day, giving you the confidence we could have you back up and running again within HOURS, not days or weeks.

Want to know if your data is REALLY secure and being backed up properly?

For more Technology articles like this one, please visit Myers Network Solutions’ blog HERE.

3 Things You Need To Know About E-mail Marketing Before You Press “Send”

It’s everyone’s favorite application. Since its introduction, it has revolutionized the way we communicate, both personally and professionally. It has had a major impact on how companies market themselves, communicate with vendors, send out press releases, rally employees and alert clients to their latest and greatest promotion. The ease, low-cost, and speed of e-mail in marketing is the biggest reason why our inboxes are overflowing with spam.

In response to the ubiquitous outcry “I hate spam,” governments have crafted regulations surrounding the use of e-mail; and if you are one of the millions of companies using e-mail for marketing, then it’s important that you familiarize yourself with these laws. But the danger doesn’t stop there…

Even if you don’t get caught by the feds for violating the rules of e-mail usage, you can still end up on a blacklist with the major ISPs such as Yahoo!, Gmail, GoDaddy and Earthlink. Once you get blacklisted, you are considered guilty until proven innocent, and ALL the e-mail you send won’t get through, even to people who want to receive it – a consequence that could end up hurting your business more than a fine.

What Are The Basic Guidelines Of E-mail Marketing?

First and foremost, make sure you are only sending e-mail campaigns to people who have solicited (requested) to be on your distribution list. This is called “opting-in” or subscribing, and e-mails sent to these folks are considered “solicited e-mail.” You are perfectly within your rights to send them messages; but if you got their e-mail address by any other means and they did NOT specifically request to be on your list, that’s considered “unsolicited e-mail” or spam. Sending promotional e-mails to people who have not requested them is not only illegal, but annoying…so don’t do it!

Next, make sure you provide directions on how a person can remove themselves from your distribution list in EVERY e-mail. The best place to put this information is at the very bottom of your message. You should also include your full company name and contact information at the bottom so no one can blame you for cloaking your identity—another legal “no-no” of e-mail marketing.

Our #1 Recommendation

Lastly, when sending e-mail out to your marketing list, we recommend using a service such as Constant Contact. These web-based applications will help you manage your e-mail distribution list with automatic opt-out and opt-in tools and will keep your e-mail server off an ISP’s blacklist.

Naturally, you want to make sure the information you are sending is interesting and relevant. No one wants more junk filling up their inbox, so the better you are at marketing, the better your results will be. E-mail is not a magic marketing bullet that will solve all your marketing problems but, used correctly, it can certainly help you reach more customers and build stronger relationships with the people you already do business with.

For more Technology articles like this one, please visit Myers Network Solutions’ blog HERE.

Can Apple Macs Get Viruses?

A very common misconception is that Apple Mac products cannot get viruses. Not true! There is no such thing as a 100% safe computer. Devices running OS X, Windows, Linux, Android or any other operating system are all capable of being infected with a virus or other malware.

However, the likelihood that an Apple Macintosh user gets a virus is much lower than for Windows users. In fact, many Apple users don’t even run any antivirus software on their computers. Whether that is a smart strategy is debated by many IT professionals.

A few of the reasons why Macs don’t get as many viruses as PCs are:
1.  Mac OS X is based on the Unix operating system, which is one of the oldest and most secure operating systems around.
2.  Microsoft Windows is used by many more people, so it’s a bigger and better target. Plus the way that Windows is built makes it easier for viruses to spread across computer networks.
3.  Many of the tools designed to create viruses or malware are written for the Windows operating system.

Windows Threats Even For Macs

Many Mac users find themselves having to use Parallels, BootCamp or other virtual software to run Windows only programs such as Microsoft Publisher. Because these Macs are now running a Windows operating system, they are now susceptible to Windows viruses. In addition, an Apple computer can certainly become a “carrier” of a Windows-based virus. This virus would not infect the Apple machine, but could infect other Windows machines on your network if it were to send that virus via e-mail or across the office computer network.

And Even More Threats…

Any software, plug-in, or other 3rd party add-on that is installed onto any computer that connects to the internet can introduce its own security risks. One of the most common ways that the “bad guys” are able to attack a Mac is through browser applications and browser plug-ins such as Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Java, and others. Just about every Mac user has all three of these plug-ins installed on their computers (and many more). These are a necessary part of business, but do introduce additional security risks for all computers.

The Human Factor

Although Apple Macs are less vulnerable to viruses, they are still operated by flawed humans who can still be the victim of Trojan Horses, phishing, and other online fraud. Your best bet is to keep everyone informed about online security risks in your business, no matter the computer they’re using.

To read more Technology articles like this, please visit Myers Network Solutions’ blog HERE.

Should You Let Employees Bring Their Own Devices To Work?

You might find that some of your employees would prefer to work on their Mac rather than the PC you’ve provided, or use their own computer as a supplemental device. Should you tell them yes and save yourself some money on new PCs? Yes, provided you follow a few simple guidelines.

First and foremost, you need a policy outlined in an agreement the employee signs detailing what the responsibilities and rights are for them and for you. For starters, you should make it clear that the company retains ownership of the DATA on the device, even though the employee owns the actual device. All employers should have a confidentiality agreement in place with their employees anyway, but if your confidential data is on their device, you want to make sure you can retrieve it and/or delete it from their device.

Second, you need to make sure the employee takes care NOT to disable anti-virus software or download viruses. Since the employee owns the device, they will (most likely) take it home and use it for personal web browsing. If their after-hours activities invite viruses into their device, your data can be stolen or the hacker can use their device as an access point to your entire network. Can this happen with work-issued PCs? Yes, but people tend to be more liberal with their own devices than with a work laptop or workstation.

You should also clarify that you have the right to “govern” the data on the device, which means you might also be able to access personal information of theirs. And finally, your agreement must clearly define what happens if the employee leaves or is terminated. They may have downloaded software that you (the company) have paid for. In that case, you’ll need to figure out a way to retrieve the license from their device. We highly recommend you get with a qualified HR professional or attorney regarding these matters to make sure you are complying with all state and federal laws in this manner. Otherwise, you could end up with an ugly lawsuit over the matter.

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