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Archives for the ‘Tech Corner’ Category

If you’ve ever had a computer crash, you know it can be a devastating experience, both for you personally and for your business. Keeping your data backed up is vital. This month we’ll examine a few of the most popular methods of data backup.

Tape Backup

Since the early days of computing, magnetic tape has been used as a medium for data storage. Tape drives have come a long way since the early days when cassettes were used in a tape recorder. Entry-level tape backup drives cost around $1,000 and are often installed as internal devices.

The Good? Tape backups can hold 60 to 600 to 1,600 Gb depending on the drive and the media used. You should use a tape backup if you plan on running large-scale backups (servers or multiple computers) on a regular basis. Purchase several sets of data storage and store a copy off-site, too.

The Bad? Tape backups aren’t the latest greatest technology, and require you to set aside a specific time each day/week to maintain them. There’s also the cost of additional tapes (which need to be replaced on a regular basis).

Online Backups

Most online backup services require you to install a tiny application on your computer that works in the background, looking for new and changed files. When a file is found, it is backed up on a remote server. These services are becoming more and more popular. Mozy.com and Carbonite.com are both popular online backup services. Mozy charges a monthly access fee plus a per-gigabyte surcharge. Carbonite charges an unlimited annual fee.

The Good? The benefit to these services is that data is stored online, therefore eliminating the need for additional equipment on your end. Mostly, these services run in the background and are activated and do their thing on a schedule, so you just need to make sure your computer is on with an Internet connection and your backup will run.

The Bad? If you have massive amounts of data that need backing up, you’re going to spend bandwidth and time uploading. Also, if something does happen and your computer crashes, online backups aren’t as convenient to restore as tape backups, simply because you’ll need to re-download and sync your data from the Internet…which can take hours.

Backup Software

Backup software such as Novosoft’s Handy Backup (handybackup.com) is a software application that runs on your PC to backup specific files and directories to a variety of sources, including network storage, external hard drives, tape backups, CDs/DVDs, and remote FTP servers.

The Good? This is especially helpful if you have only a handful of documents and files to backup. You can use this software in conjunction with a tape or online backup. For example, if you have three computers and a server, use backup software to make sure your individual PCs are backed up to the server, then use the tape or online backup to archive the server.

The Bad? I’ve often found this type of software to be bad when it comes to scheduled backups and any sort of FTP/offsite backups. Because it’s a full, bulky software application and not directly integrated into your operating system, it isn’t as reliable.

Summing up

When choosing a backup service, ensure the provider has a good reputation. You don’t want to back up your data with a provider who isn’t around tomorrow. Think long-term. How frequently do you need a backup? Is the backup a total system backup or just what’s changed since the last one (incremental)?

The bottom line is that if you’re a one-person shop with one computer, online backup is often the way to go. On the other hand, if you’ve got multiple computers, you’re looking at some combination of the above three methods.

Wrapping your head around the data backup process is truly an annoyance, but not nearly as annoying or as devastating as losing all your work and having to try and rebuild.

Wireless networks can extend your network where wired networks can’t easily reach – like outside or throughout your warehouse. Public hotspots can allow you to connect to the Internet when on the road and from your favorite café. In some cities, Wi-Fi also has become an integral part of emergency responder and municipal communications. We’ll assume you know what Wi-Fi is. This month we’ll take a look at how Wi-Fi can help your small business and which security issues should concern you.

Network Devices

Aside from desktop and notebook computers with Wi-Fi adapters, manufacturers are now creating devices for integration into your wireless network. These include Wi-Fi certified printers, scanners, digital cameras and camcorders, televisions, MP3 players, game consoles, PDAs, phones, smartphones and more. (A full list of certified devices is available at wi-fi.org). These devices can help streamline your operations and save you money. A few issues back, I talked about Voice over IP. Now providers like Skype and Vonage sell VoIP cordless phones at affordable costs that operate and connect via Wi-Fi.

The Access Point and Protocol

The base component of your wireless network is your access point. Often bundled with router technology, these devices serve as the bridge between your wired and wireless network. Currently, Wi-Fi uses the 802.11 protocol. The most popular of the 802.11 protocols is 11b, followed by 11g. These devices operate at 2.4 GHz, which is a frequency range shared with many other devices including cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, microwave ovens, etc. The earlier 11a operates at 5 GHz, making it a faster, more reliable connection – but with a shorter range. Newer 11n series devices are capable of using both frequencies simultaneously.

Most access points are omnidirectional, therefore centralizing your placement can increase your coverage area.

Security

Wireless encryption is always important, not only when you’re using a guest network, but for your own internal network as well. Imagine someone sitting outside your warehouse with a high-powered laptop and a packet-sniffing tool, snooping on all the information going around your network. Proper use of encryption can greatly reduce your risk.

Often, companies use an older, depreciated protocol called “Wired Equivalent Privacy” or WEP. An experienced hacker can break WEP keys in about 2 minutes. You’ll want to use at least WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) – which is currently the closest you can get to wired security on a wireless network. You also want to use a randomly generated access key, at the highest level of complexity – containing letters, numbers, and symbols. Your best bet is to use a random key generator (https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm).

Additional measures you can take to protect your network are to incorporate Access Control Lists (ACL) which are programmed on your access point to authenticate only users connecting from approved computers.

Reliability and Privacy

You must be aware that even if you are on a secured network, vulnerabilities exist. Also, interference is also a factor with wireless networks. Remember, you can get 100/1000 Mbps speeds using a wired network, and only 54Mbps on wireless. Therefore, servers (especially those used for financial transactions) should be put on your wired network.

Final Thoughts

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a trade group that owns the trademark to Wi-Fi. The alliance controls the “Wi-Fi Certified” logo which is given to devices that have undergone rigorous testing and have met a number of certification standards. Look for this logo when purchasing Wi-Fi certified devices.
On a related note, I’m often asked for a brand preference and have always been a fan of Linksys routers, switches, and access points. When Linksys was acquired by industry leader Cisco Systems in 2003,
I started using only Linksys (and for higher end applications Cisco) networking equipment.

Wireless Networking is one of the fastest-growing, emerging fields in technology. Keep up to date by visiting the Wi-Fi Alliance at wi-fi.org.

Feel free to ask questions in our eBiz Insider Forum at http://forum.ebizinsider.com.

Normally I recommend and evaluate different hardware or software technologies that can improve your business, but this month I’d like to widen the focus and talk about where we are and where we’re going. As a society, we should be preparing young people to be the computer experts of tomorrow. Are we?

The Present
Bad news – Finding talented designers and programmers isn’t easy. Tinker in HTML or read the latest book on “Photoshop Elements” and people think that they can be a professional web developer. Too often, even college computer science majors aren’t learning the skills needed to program or design for the web’s end-users.

Technology Education
If young people are going to learn about computers, they need the best possible tools and training. Earlier this week I judged a regional web design and programming contest for high school students — for the second year in a row. Twenty teams from different high schools, 100 students, 14 teachers, 5 judges – the event was a big deal for these kids. Some things haven’t changed over the past two years:

• Resources were nowhere near equal between schools. One school used the latest Adobe suite, integrated video in their school’s television studio, and had the school buy a server to run their site. Another school’s programmer designed and programmed the entire site on a shared, public computer using Microsoft Paint and Notepad.

• About one-third of the schools had a specific “Web Design” class, another one-third had only “computer clubs” and the rest had neither.

• There were clear distinctions between those groups who worked as a team or those who had one or two people doing all the work. Teams lost points when they demonstrated
no sense of teamwork or when teams had one person answer all the questions while the others sat with puzzled looks.

• All the finalist/winning teams had self-taught programmers.

Too many schools lack the resources to teach students the skills they need to succeed in a technology-centric economy. In the above contest, even though some schools didn’t provide resources like Photoshop, some teams discovered the free image editing utility GIMP and received extra points for ingenuity.

That’s the good news. These students were eager to learn, and our judging panel was happy to share our resources with them. Some schools will receive prize money and our judges will also record online classes, taking sites apart and putting them together as part of a resource library of free tutorials.

How can you help?
Invest your time speaking at colleges once or twice a semester. As an entrepreneur and an e-business person, you have an advantage over most college professors… you’ve actually been there – done that! You’ll find students who want internships and part-time jobs with your company. Having done this many times, I can tell you it is an extremely rewarding experience. In fact, after last year’s contests, Solid Cactus hired one of the students as a part-time programmer – a Junior in High School!

As you retire old computers, totally wipe them out (for data security) and then restore them to their original out-of-the-box setup using a restore disc. Then donate them to some organization or school that – more often than not – is still running technology slower than the system you’re replacing. I often load on Open Office, AVG Antivirus, and Ad-Aware to give them resources to keep them safe.

The Future
Naturally, Solid Cactus enjoys sponsoring competitions and allowing our staff to serve on these advisory committees or guest lectures. It is great for public relations, but more important, it fulfills our corporate responsibility to prepare the next generation of creative, technology-driven young folks. Hopefully, many will apply to work at Solid Cactus.

That’s the point. You’re not only donating your time and expertise in the young; you’re investing in the future.

This month, we’re going to look at six ways to increase your productivity by beefing up your technology. We’re all busy – so let’s dive right in.

1. Add a monitor or two. Every employee at Solid Cactus has at least two monitors. I can’t tell you how much this increases productivity. It allows you to stop switching between applications constantly. Operating with two windows open at the same time gives you increased fluidity and means you’ll be able to more efficiently multitask and your productivity will increase as a result.

2. Organize your passwords with RoboForm. As e-commerce leaders, you’re going to have multiple passwords you’ll need to remember – your customer database, your e-mail, your online store, your order management system – the list can become daunting. Using a utility such as Roboform Pro (http://roboform.ebizinsider.com) keeps track of your passwords on either your computer or a USB key that goes with you. Your passwords are stored in a secure database and are protected by a “master” password.

3. Get a Smart Phone. All the major wireless phone companies offer fancy phones with PDA capabilities that sync with your e-mail and calendar – from the Blackberry to the iPhone. You’re able to send and receive e-mail and browse the web. Got five or more family members or employees? Look into a group business/shared minutes plan. You don’t all have to be on the data/pda plan to get special family or corporate rates.

4. Add tethering. Before you run out and buy the iPhone, know that it does not allow tethering. Tethering is the ability to connect your wireless phone via a USB cable or Bluetooth to use the “mobile web” network as a modem. This usually costs between $15 and $20 a month extra. Several months back there was a car crash on one of the highways near my house. It was clear I was going to be stuck motionless in a long line of cars for more than an hour. I was able to break out the laptop, tether my phone and get an hour’s work done.

5. Reduce Distractions. One of the easiest ways to increase your productivity is to eliminate the annoying things that keep you from getting your work done. Invest in a quality spam filter like postini.com or move your e-mail hosting to Google Apps (or at least Gmail) to reduce spam. Consider using a third-party call center to manage order entry, order status, inquiries, etc. that may be distracting you from running your business. (More info on this at http://callcenter.solidcactus.com)

6. Draw on the experience of others. Being in business comes with risk. Avoid making mistakes that others have made. Post ideas on forums (such as the Yahoo Store Forums at http://ystoreforums.com or LinkedIn.com answers at http://link.solidcactus.com/linkedin.) eBiz

Whether you sell jewelry, pet supplies, video games, or sexy lingerie – all e-commerce professionals strive for efficiency. By creating a virtual office, you can streamline your operations, and often create new possibilities for your company. This month we’ll look at ways you can use technology to create your virtual office.

Voice Communications We’ve all seen the advertisements for Vonage – for $25-$50 a month you can get yourself a phone line or two that use your Internet connection to get a dialtone. Keep in mind that you’ll need 128k of upload AND download speed for VoIP to work properly, and that using an Internet phone will reduce the bandwidth available to other computers on your network. Do your homework on choosing a provider that offers Quality of Service (QoS) controls.

Look at SoftPhones – special software that allows you to turn your computer into a telephone with the addition of a microphone and speakers. Popular applications such as Yahoo! Messenger, Skype.com and other providers allow for free VoIP communications, as long as all parties are using the same service.

Certainly one of the most attractive and compelling qualities about Voice over IP is the fact that you take your phone number anywhere you have an Internet connection. If you travel, you can literally take your number with you everywhere. Perhaps even better, you can also have staff members all over the country using your same telephone exchange – with the ability to transfer calls as if they were in the next room. This pays the dividend of giving your business a central and ultimately more professional “feel” to customers.

Faxing

For a small business, fax machines are often expensive to maintain – they require toner, paper, a phone line and someone in one place to monitor the machine. Providers like jconnect.com provide a local phone number (or toll free) number that is dual purpose. If a voice caller dials the number, your voice-mail greeting answers. The message is delivered as a .wav or .au file to your inbox. If sending you a fax, the system detects this and delivers the fax to your inbox as .pdf. Sending a fax is simple, using a special client.

E-mail

If you’re using your ISP’s e-mail system (e.g. verizon.net, aol.com, comcast.net) consider using a hosted web-based system. Google Apps (www.google.com/a) and the related gmail.com are popular web-based e-mail clients. Google Mail will interface with Microsoft Outlook and Windows LiveMail easily if you use it, but it will also give you access to your e-mail from virtually any web-browser including mobile web browsers on your cell phone/PDA. Another advantage of the web-based hosting system is that you won’t need to change your e-mail address if you move, outgrow your current ISP, or become dissatisfied with it.

Virtual Meetings

Do you need to meet regularly with clients out of the area, or do you have trouble matching schedules with important people? Consider meeting virtually. For $50 a month Citrix Systems GoToMeeting.com allows you to share your computer’s desktop so you can collaborate on projects. You can also use the conference calling services of FreeConference.com to get everyone on the same line. The calls are toll calls, but if you’re using a VoIP or SoftPhone interface (as outlined above) you aren’t paying those tolls. Almost all VoIP/SoftPhone services have built-in 3-way calling for smaller conferences. In fairness I should admit that meetings can also happen over instant messaging – but gee–tone of voice just doesn’t come across the same when typed!

You don’t have to make the jump all at once. Add features as you become comfortable with them and begin to utilize them. The virtual office can save you time and money and give your potential customers the impression that you are an integrated, sophisticated, fluid business. Those qualities alone make the virtual office worth examining. eBiz

Resources

Voice Communications

• Vonage – http://www.vonage.com
• Skype – http://www.skype.com
• bbtelsys – http://bbtelsys.com
• Yahoo! Voice – http://voice.yahoo.com

Faxing

• JConnect – http://www.jconnect.com (Voice & Fax)
• eFax – http://www.efax.com (Fax Only)

E-mail

• Google Mail – http://www.gmail.com
• Google Apps – http://www.google.com/a *more on this next month*
• Yahoo! Mail – http://mail.yahoo.com
• E-mail to Web – http://www.mail2web.com

Meetings

• GoToMeeting – http://www.gotomeeting.com
• ZohoMeeting - http://meeting.zoho.com
• WebEx – http://www.webex.com
• FreeConference – http://www.freeconference.com

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Visitor Suggestions:

• For anyone running a web site or graphic design team…. 5pmweb.com is a one of the best project management tools I have found online. We use it to manage all our design projects it it’s god send. - Bryan Mull, (Pagoda Media)

A small business owner contacted me recently in a panic. A “hacker” had compromised his web hosting account and used it for “phishing.” His website had been immediately shut down and years of hard work had been lost. Phishing is such a risk to identity theft that if such activity is identified on any of your shared or even dedicated web hosting accounts, most companies will immediately delete your data without notice. This is an ugly, dangerous business and you’d better take it seriously.

How Hackers do it - Phishing is the use of fake websites which hackers establish to try to get you to reveal your username and password. Once they have your info, they attempt to log into your accounts and steal your personal information.

Hackers won’t host this information on their own web servers or websites it would be too easy for them to get caught. Instead, they attempt to discover the username and password of YOUR web hosting accounts. Once they access the information, they set up shop inside of your web hosting, where they establish replicas of popular websites such as Bank of America, Paypal, Washington Mutual, Yahoo!, etc. Then they’ll send out e-mail like the one below.

“Dear PayPal User, Recently we have made new updates to our services. We would like you to log in and see all the new features that are available at http://www.paypal.com.”

The key is, when you click the link for “paypal.com” it will go to something like: “http://www.paypal.com.securityonlinelogin.com” or it will have numbers in the url such as: “http://66.512.412.1/paypal.com/index.htm.”

This website of course is NOT PayPal. Hackers have built this to bilk you.

Protect Yourself! - As a consumer, make sure that ANYWHERE you enter a username or password, that it is positively the website you intend to visit. Don’t be fooled by looks! Remember these keys:

a) Examine the URL at the top of the page. Whatever appears right before the .com/ should be the name of the website you intend to visit.

b) Enable security features on all websites you frequently visit. For example, Bank of America requires you to choose a personal image (Site Key) where you enter your passkey. A Bank of America login page without a personal Site Key is not official. Many companies also allow you to choose an image for authentication.

c) Avoid clicking links within e-mail. If you get a security message from PayPal, instead of clicking the link inside the message, type www.paypal.com into your browser and proceed from there.

d) Run virus protection and a firewall on any computer you use to access the Internet. “Key stroke logging” programs infect your computer when you merely visit unscrupulous websites.

e) Make sure you are in a secure environment. The URL in the browser should have https: in front. Internet Explorer shows a Yellow Lock at the bottom of the screen for IE version 6. In IE version 7, the lock is next to the URL. In Firefox, the lock is at the bottom of the browser page.

f) Avoid P2P software such as music sharing programs.

Beware the “Bots” - Merchants should remember that “automated bots” or scripts are continuously trying to figure out the passwords to your website. Almost every website has the ability for FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to be used. If hackers learn your website’s FTP, they can use your web hosting account info for unscrupulous activity. To prevent this:

a) Change passwords for anything that requires frequent password use.

b) Change passwords whenever people leave your company.

c) Choose STRONG passwords. Use at least 8 characters and include capital letters and numbers (e.g. tY7uXnkZ). Avoid repetitive numbers, letters, or personal information (e.g. phone number or birthday).

d) Check the list of authorized FTP users to your website frequently, and remove access to users which no longer qualify.

e) Run firewall and virus protection on EVERY computer in your organization, even those without Internet access (many viruses are spread on removable media devices such as USB drives).

f) Avoid P2P software such as music sharing programs.

g) Scan your network frequently.

The stakes are high! For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

During the last month, I’ve had the daunting task of moving the offices of one my clients - a small nonprofit community foundation. This was a great opportunity to look at developing a strategic technology plan (STP) for the organization. This month, we’ll look at the components of a good STP and the steps involved in creating one.

1. Define the overall goal of your technology plan. The goal should be a broad organization-wide statement that incorporates the reason for your business and how technology planning will affect this goal.

2. Define your Plan Scope. Information Technology is an ever-expanding field. Figure out what you really need for your business to take the next step in this area. Your scope should include a timeline for implementation and what areas of IT you want to include. Examine computer hardware, software, network hardware, software, Print-Scan-Copy (PSC), Fax technology, PDAs, Smartphones and services such as Internet connectivity.

3. Examine your current technology environment. Before you plan where you’re going, figure out where you are. Examine your hardware (CPUs, Monitors, Servers, Firewall/Switches/Hubs/Wiring, Printers, Phones), software (operating systems, office tools, backup software, antivirus, antispam, antispyware) and services (Internet connection, hosting services, etc.).

4. Determine strategic objectives and initiatives you want to undertake. The goal of your technology plan should have been defined in step one. Now the steps your company takes to reach your goal are your objectives. Some of these include: increasing staff productivity, increasing order fulfillment efficiency, ensure network and PC stability, minimize downtime, standardize software and hardware across the company, automate any tasks possible and ensure security.

5. Prioritize your objectives and list what is needed to achieve them. Don’t get caught up thinking “that’ll never - list it anyway. When you’re done brainstorming, figure out what items from your list fall within the scope of your plan and ensure they will help meet your goal. Create a spreadsheet with columns for cost, probability, timeline, dependencies and what goal/objective it meets.

6. Look for the quick, cheap fixes. Look at your list. Are there any objectives you can meet or action items you can cross off easily? Not only do quick fixes provide you with “instant gratification it can show that your company demands to be on the cutting edge and is constantly working to improve your efficiency and infrastructure!

7. Set a realistic timeline for implementation of other action items. Include best-case and worst-case deadlines. Remember to take into account your cash-flow budget and best time for implementation. For example, you wouldn’t replace all your computers during your peak season.

8. Don’t forget training. As new technologies pop up, make sure you include time in your STP for staff training. Check out Microsoft’s training center at http://tinyurl.com/ybtl37. Most software vendors provide a free online training center. The more comfortable your staff feels with the new technology, the more easily they’ll embrace it.

9. Make your STP a Living Document. Implement it and set a calendar reminder 3, 6, 9, and 12 months down the line to “Check on progress of STP.

9. Have someone else look at it. Remember in school when the teacher had you switch papers with someone else to proof it? Same thing works in IT! Ask someone to go over your plan, pick it apart and offer suggestions. If you need another opinion send your STP to johnd@ebizinsider.com and I’ll be happy to take a look!

TOOLBOX

The following resources may be helpful in developing your strategic technology plan.

Belarc Advisor (belarc.com) is a free software application that runs a diagnostic on a computer, and prints out the exact specifications of the machine, including a hardware profile and a list of installed software.

Verizon Foundation’s Technology Organizational Assessment is a series of questions around networking, hardware, software, staff training, support assessment, etc. Targeted for nonprofit organizations and small businesses, these questions can be a great starting place for your STP. http://foundation.verizon.com/resourcecenter/tsoup_03.shtml

When you develop a strategic technology plan you have serious questions to answer. Take your time. Ask all the right questions the first time and you’ll implement an STP that will last.

If you�ve ever had to purchase software, you�ve probably debated it and then either bitten the bullet or gone without. Software is EXPENSIVE!

However, while companies like Microsoft and Adobe have the majority of market share on software, developers are constantly creating free or inexpensive alternatives that you can download for free and avoid dropping thousands of your hard-earned dollars.

Star Office is a suite, similar to Microsoft Office that includes integrated word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentations. It can also open files from and save files as Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint.

Thunderbird is an integrated reader for e-mail and newsgroups which does almost all of the things Outlook will do, especially when partnered with Lightning Calendar Manager.

Google Apps is a free web-based software suite. Apps includes document management for word processing and spreadsheets (including team-level collaboration), personal and shared calendars, RSS feed reader, and Google�s Gmail e-mail web client. Also, the information is stored totally on the web � so you don�t have to worry about viruses, computer failures, etc. You can always export everything to your personal computer as a backup. A premiere edition with multiple users� accounts and increased storage will cost $50 per user, annually.

AVG Free is an antivirus client that does just that. It detects and cleans viruses on your personal PC. Use in a corporate or office environment will cost about $30 per machine.

Gimp is a free image editing and manipulation program, with many of the functions of Adobe Photoshop.

For editing HTML, CSS, and other text-based languages, PSPad is a great free utility. For about 15% the price of Dreamweaver, you can also get TopStyle Pro for all your mark-up programming needs.

All of these programs are similar to their pricey counterparts and take a little getting used to if you�ve learned the �Microsoft� or �Adobe� way. The benefit � you�ll save a bundle of money so you can afford to take your favorite computer geek out for a nice dinner.

I want to know if you have favorite free (or inexpensive) software utilities you use. E-mail me suggestions to johnd@ebizinsider.com. I�ll check out your suggestion.

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More Resources

• Looking for a program for editing images? Check out Paint.Net
• The website Giveaway of the Day often has expensive utilities available for 24 hours for free. You need to download and activate within the 24 hour period or they won’t work.

You log on to check your e-mail and there it is. �Increase your endowment with this magic formula.� Unfortunately, the magic formula isn�t a mathematical equation and the endowment has nothing to do with your stock portfolio. Congratulations, you�ve been spammed!

Since this article is appearing in �the magazine for e-commerce professionals� let�s assume you not only have an e-mail account, but you use it � A LOT. We�ll examine both sides: (1) reducing the amount of spam in your in-box; and (2) ensuring you as an e-merchant aren�t filtered and blocked as spam.

A Brief History of Spam
The word �spam� first was used to refer to junk e-mail in 1978 by members of bulletin board services and the U.S. Government controlled ARPANet (the predecessor to the Internet). In 2004, the U.S. Congress adopted the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act or �Can Spam� Act, making mass distribution of unsolicited e-mail punishable by heavy fines, imprisonment, or both.

Hormel Foods, which manufactures and sells SPAM luncheon meat doesn�t object to the use of �Spam.� However, the brand name �SPAM� in all caps, is trademarked and the use of the meat can picture or logo are strictly prohibited when referring to e-mail spam.

Reducing the amount of spam in your in-box
Spammers get your e-mail address by a process called �harvesting� where a system combs the internet for e-mail addresses. To prevent being harvested, don�t list your e-mail address on your website. Instead, use a customized contact form that shows you�re reachable, but doesn�t include your e-mail address.

Spam also targets addresses beginning with common phrases like �info,��help,� or �support.� If you must put your e-mail address on your site, create something unique. If you specialize in gardening tools, perhaps john-the-gardener@yoursite.com.

Avoid using your primary e-mail address when you participate in online forums and newsgroups. Also, pay attention to online forms, and be sure to check or uncheck the box associated with �Share my e-mail address with people we think might share your interests� as appropriate.

Use a tool to filter spam into a �Junk Mail� filter. The big e-mail providers (Yahoo, MSN�s Hotmail, Google�s gMail) all provide built in junk filtering and allow you to upgrade your account to a �professional mail� package for advanced customization. If you�re using another provider, check to see if they provide filtering, or use a third-party service like postini.com to do the job.

Send unwanted spam to your ISP�s abuse desk and the Federal Trade Commission by forwarding the message to spam@uce.gov. The FTC uses e-mail stored in this database to pursue law enforcement actions against people who send deceptive spam e-mail.

Spam is a fact of e-commerce life. The better you know your adversary, the better you�ll manage.

Spyware is Internet jargon meaning Advertising Supported Software, or “Adware.” Spyware monitors computer activity and transmits data without your knowledge. This information is usually stored in a database on the infected system. Spyware is not illegal but can create nightmares through poor system performance and annoying pop-up ads.Protect your system with antivirus software such as Symantec or McAfee Anti-Virus. Ad-Aware by Lavasoft is the most popular free software. There is AOL Active Virus Shield and Spybot Search and Destroy. Windows Defender can be downloaded for Windows XP and comes automatically with Windows Vista. These programs are designed to remove adware and spyware from your computer.

Guard Your Network!
Create a company policy on software installation and Internet Explorer settings. Don’t load shareware or freeware on company machines. Block sites sending ad requests from your web browser to the computer’s loop-back address. Add 127.0.0.1 bad_site.com in the host file. The computer’s Internet browser will look at the host file first before sending a DNS request for the ad site content. The result will appear blank in the browser, so no spyware or cookies will be loaded. You can download Gorills Design Studio’s list which has over 17,000 entries.

Other Safeguards:
Firewalls prevent unauthorized system access. IT is the first line of defense in protecting you from attacks of spyware, adware, malware, worms and hackers.

Beware of phishing. This is when you get an official-looking e-mail from a fake company. Do not use a link in your own e-mail that provides personal information.

Security patches close operating system holes.

Use encryption software to protect vital data from prying eyes.