How To Save Hundreds of Dollars And Get More Done Using A VPN

If you’ve ever used an online software like Log Me In or Go To My PC to work from home or from the road, you know what a pain in the neck it can be. It only works about half the time, is usually slow, and you have to pay a fee to use it. But lots of companies these days want their employees to work from home or from the road as a way to cut their costs and get more done. So how do you work from home without the above mentioned hassles?

For less than the cost of a new computer, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) will provide fast, safe and secure access to your data and other network resources from anywhere in the world.

Until recently, only large enterprise organizations could afford to install and maintain a VPN. Today this technology is integrated into firewalls and other unified threat management (UTM) devices, making the VPN affordable to businesses of all sizes.

Which One Do I Use?

Remote control of your office computer is a great solution for those that occasionally find themselves away from the office at a fixed location such as their home. But for business owners and employees who travel a lot and need access via their laptops, remote control may not be the best solution. Typically, these folks need to use a VPN to be able to get work done quickly and seamlessly.

Advantages Of A VPN

The VPN is like a long cable that connects your computer to the office network from anywhere in the world allowing you to use a single computer for all your work. This reduces the capital expense for remote employees and makes it easier for your sales people or other road warriors to get work done. If you have multiple offices, a VPN can connect the office networks together so all employees have “seamless” access to company data they need.

VPN Helps Local Lawyer

While listening to trial testimony, a local lawyer remembered he had case notes from a deposition that would refute the testimony of the witness. Unfortunately, he could not remember the details and the notes and transcript were buried in the case information stored on the server in his office. Using his cellular wireless access card, he was able to connect to the server at his office using the VPN, quickly search for the case notes using the practice management software installed on his laptop, print it on his portable printer, and use it during cross examination.
 
Accounting Firm Hires Remote Talent

A small accounting firm we know found several, talented, potential hires located in nearby states. The candidates didn’t want to move so instead of losing the talent to their competitor, the firm allowed these hires to telecommute. Initially, this required two computers, one at the employee’s home and one in the office for the employee to remote control using Log Me In software. This was expensive to deploy, difficult to maintain and the limitations of remote control annoyed the new employees. If a VPN had been installed, the remote employees would have only needed one computer and could have accessed the data across the VPN just like those working in the office, saving them hundreds of dollars and countless hours of time.

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The Ultimate Small Business Guide To Setting Up A ‘Work From Home’ Connection

Everything you need to know about working remotely. To get your FREE copy, simply call us at

508-992-2541 or download it at:

http://www.thinktechonline.com/free_vpn.htm

Are You Being Too Cheap About Protecting This Aspect Of Your Business?

Think back to the last time your server went down or you weren't able to get e-mail; remember how frustrating that was? Or perhaps you experienced a virus or other data-erasing disaster. Remember how painful that was to resolve?

There are very few business activities that don't heavily rely on your computer network, e-mail and data - and if any of these components stop working, business grinds to a screeching, frustrating halt. And with viruses and hackers becoming more sophisticated (and smart) about accessing your network, you simply cannot afford to NOT monitor the health and security of your network daily.

A network monitoring system is simply a way for a trained professional to watch over your computer network for slow or failing components, security breaches, and alarms that signify trouble is brewing. It can also detect signs that your backup is not working, that you're running out of space on the server, or that a firewall is not functioning properly. Think of it like a security camera watching over your entire network 24/7/365.

So if network monitoring is SO important, why aren't more small businesses INSISTING that their IT person put a system in place? One of the biggest reasons we see is lack of knowledge. The reality is that many businesses DO have their systems monitored for problems; and the bigger and more sophisticated the company, the more critical this becomes. But smaller businesses are often outsourcing their IT support, and unless their computer guy offers this service, they may not even know it exists.

The second reason is complacency; the belief is that, "If it isn't broke, why fix it?" This is akin to saying, "We don't need locks on our doors because we've never had our house burglarized." The reason you HAVE the locks is to prevent your home or office from being robbed - and the reason you have network monitoring is to make sure you DON'T have problems.

Plus, simple monitoring is cheap. For as little as 93 cents per employee per day, you can have a basic monitoring system in place.

Stop Malware Before It Destroys Your Data: 5 Simple Ways To Prevent Damage From Viruses & Spyware

#1. Install Business Grade Anti-Virus Software

The proliferation of free anti-virus applications has enticed many business owners to be penny wise and pound foolish. These programs are lacking several areas of protection vital to keeping a business network secure, and licensing is usually restricted to non-commercial use. We deploy only industrial strength protection products for our Network Headache Eliminator clients. They keep you safe without slowing you down.

#2. Install Real Time Anti-Spyware Protection

Over the last 12 months, spyware has grown from an annoyance to the #1 threat to your data. It is critical that business computers have real time protection (sometimes referred to as active protection) against spyware in addition to virus protection. Unfortunately most real time anti-spyware products conflict with anti-virus software. Our Network Headache Eliminator clients receive the benefit of our extensive testing ensuring they receive maximum protection and compatibility.

#3. Keep Anti-malware Software Updated & Running

Anti-virus and anti-spyware software must be updated every few hours. We monitor each system on our Network Headache Eliminator and push updates as soon as they are available from the software vendor. We also monitor and immediately restart your protection should it be turned off by the user, system error or previously unknown threat.

#4. Don’t Click On Email Links Or Attachments

We cannot say this often enough and this is the #1 reason given when we receive a call complaining about a possible infection. Links in a malicious email don’t send you to the location promised. Instead they redirect you to a malicious website. If you aren’t expecting an email with an attachment, it is likely malicious even if sent from friend.

#5. Use A Hardware Based Firewall Or UTM

Firewalls and Unified Threat Management (UTM) devices are a must for every business network. They are the first line of defense against viruses, spyware, spam and hackers. UTMs can block access to known bad websites and more.

For more ideas on protecting your network call us at

508-992-2541 or send an email to support@thinktechonline.com

Tips For Handling, Storing, and Disposing Of Confidential Documents

In the past 10 years, over 10,000 new regulations have been placed on the books by local, state and federal agencies pertaining to the handling, storage, and disposal of confidential client, patient, and employee documents.

A few examples are:

• SEC Rule 17a-4 Electronic Storage of Broker Dealer Records Graham-Leach-Bliley Act
• Financial Services Modernization Act
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
• DOD 5015.2 Department of Defense 
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) 
• Fair Labor Standards Act  
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Act 
• Payment Card Industry Data Security (PCI DSS) 

No matter how small your business is, you are surely going to be affected by one or more of these new government regulations. Naturally some industries are more regulated, such as financial or medical, but all companies that hold information such as employee social security numbers, credit cards, financial statements (credit applications, bank statements, order forms) fall under these new regulations.

While we cannot cover every single aspect of protecting your company, here are a few tips that will go a long way in making sure you don’t end up fined, sued, or with a bad reputation for not securing your clients information:

• Seek professional help. If you think you are holding confidential information that should be secured, ask a qualified attorney who specializes in data confidentiality in your industry about what you must do to meet new government regulations. 
• Shred all documents that contain confidential information. A good shredder should do a cross cut or diamond cut versus a simple strip shredder to make it more difficult for someone to piece together a shredded document. 
• If you have to keep a copy of contracts or other documents that contain confidential information, contact a high-security document storage facility like Iron Mountain (ironmountain.com) and they will store your documents in a high-security location. 
• Keep a fire-proof safe with a lock and key for employee documents you need to keep onsite. 
• Make sure your offsite backups have 32-bit encryption (ask your provider). Also make sure the facility where the information is stored is under lock and key with security camera and access-controlled security.

How To Secure More Sales And Clients Using FREE Search Engine Marketing

With the economy tanking and businesses looking to cut costs every way possible, it only makes sense that many are focusing more attention on using free social media marketing to fuel sales and new customers. After all, almost everyone uses the Internet to research a company before buying from them; and if you are not coming up in the local searches, you are definitely missing out on a number of potential prospects who are ready to buy what you sell.

While there are dozens—if not hundreds—of strategies for being found online, I believe you have to walk before you run. To that end, here are a few simple, key strategies you can use immediately to improve your search engine ranking locally.

#1: Add yourself to the local search engine pages:

GOOGLE LOCAL
http://local.google.com/

ADD YOUR BUSINESS
http://www.google.com/local/add?hl=en&gl=us

YAHOO LOCAL

http://local.yahoo.com/

ADD YOUR BUSINESS
http://listings.local.yahoo.com/csubmit/index.php

MSN LOCAL
http://local.live.com/

ADD YOUR BUSINESS
http://webapp.localeze.com/bizreg/add.aspx

Other web sites to list yourself include:

• CitySearch.com
• Local.com
• MerchantCircle.com
• Yelp.com

#2. Figure out a handful of “seed” keywords you will focus on.

While many online marketers will tell you to have hundreds if not thousands of keywords, the reality is that there are only a few key search terms people will be looking for.

The goal is to get 10 very well selected TARGET keyword phrases that will be worth the effort. These target keyword phrases should provide enough traffic, a spot on SERPs (search engine results pages) that you can potentially get top ranking in, and will provide the type of targeted traffic you most want.

Use your KEYWORD PHRASES in:

•  Page TITLES 
• Page Headers 
• Sparse bold or italic words  
• Internal linking (Coordinate things so that they match up; linked TEXT must go to a page with the same keywords in the TITLE) 
• External links coming into your site such as Twitter, YouTube videos, your blog (if hosted on an external web site), etc.

Here are a few web sites that will help you determine what keywords you should focus on:

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

http://www.google.com/insights/search/#

#3. Add a blog to your web page and update it with a new article or post at least once a week.

One of the best is WordPress; however, you will need help from a web master to set it up. Another option is to set up a blog at www.Posterous.com or Blogger.com, which you can easily do in a few minutes.

Whatever you choose, make sure you write relevant, keyword dense articles that link back to your main web site.

BLOGGER.COM
https://www.blogger.com/start

WORDPRESS.COM

http://wordpress.com/

POSTEROUS.COM

http://www.posterous.com/

This blog replicates posts to Blogger.com, Tumbler and Twitter. To post something, simply send an email to post@posterous.com and it will instantly update the pages on all sites, as well as embedding photos and videos.

#4. Start Tweeting!

Twitter is nothing more than a mini blog that should be updated daily. The best Tweets include news, jokes, offers and quotes. Try to include at least one keyword in your Tweet.

TWITTER.COM

Create an account here: http://www.twitter.com/

Read Dan Hollings' work on how to use Twitter in your marketing: http://twittinsecrets.com/

Twitter Hacked Again Thanks To Weak, Easy-To-Guess Password

Twitter, the wildly popular social networking site, was hacked and confidential data stolen for a third time this year by someone guessing an employee’s e-mail password.

Today most businesses need access to their company network from across the Internet. Therefore it’s vital to create a strong, impossible-to-guess password to prevent theft of company data.

While everyone complains about having too many passwords, security experts say you only need one if it is strong and kept secret.
It is surprisingly easy to create a strong password. Here’s how:

FREE Report: “How To Create A Strong Password”

Call us at 508 992 2541