Adware: Are Your Business's Computers Secure?

Adware, software dedicated to displaying advertising, can really slow down any business that depends on computers. Adware promoters use some cunning tricks to get you to install their software on your machine. Here's what to look out for.

Adware is, by definition, something reasonable people don't want on their computers. That's why adware can't just come out and ask people to install it. Often, the computer owner is completely unaware of it being installed. But not always.

When adware doesn't want to sneak in through an open window, it will try to trick you into letting it in through the front door. Don't think you could be tricked? Don't be so sure until you've checked out these most common ways people have been tricked into allowing malware to be installed on their machines.


Adware Installation Trick 1: Piggybacking

How it works: malware may come bundled with a legitimate piece of software the user actually wants, such as a game or emoticon. The malware is merely labeled "companion software," without any indication of what it will do.

How to fight it: the fact that adware so often comes bundled with "entertainment" software, most notably the file-swapping program Kazaa, is a very good reason to separate business from personal when it comes to computing. But adware can sometimes comes bundled with non-entertainment software, such as search tools or cracks of legitimate business software. Be very suspicious of any software that comes bundled with other software. Don't installed software that comes bundled with other software unless you know everything that the bundled software does. After all, if the bundled program has anything to do with the program you actually want, why couldn't the software developer just get both programs' functionalities into a single piece of software? Software developers are now very sensitive to malware concerns and will provide a lengthy explanation of just why the bundled software is necessary, in the cases when they actually do need to use bundled software.


Adware Installation Trick 2: Bait and Switch

How it works: since people are getting more and more suspicious of bundled software, the program's developers may simply label it as valuable software, for instance, a browser plugin that supposedly accelerates web browsing (but in reality only shows ads).

How to fight it: again, a suspicious mind is useful in avoiding malware. Ask yourself some questions:

* What will this software actually do? Adware and adware-bundled software often come with very fuzzy claims attached. Sure, it says it will improve your browsing experience, but how? Often, this improved browsing experience just means a browsing experience with more advertising.

* If the software is so great, why is it being given away free? Most commonly, software is only given out free in two cases: if it's OpenSource (designed by a community of developers and not proprietary–OpenSource software is always clearly labeled as such); or simply a come-on for a fuller-featured version of the software. If neither case is true, there's a real chance the software is financed by adware.


Adware Installation Trick 3: Outright Lying

How it works: adware may even be labeled as something else entirely, such as a well-known piece of software or a crucial component of the computer operating system.

How to fight it: this is the trickiest adware of all, and requires extreme caution. You don't want to start deleting any of your program files, much less your system registry entries, unless you're absolutely sure it's malware. Plenty of overzealous parasite hunters have shot their own machines to bits this way. This is one case where you want to be using an anti-spyware program, and preferably a second anti-spyware program to provide a second opinion.


Getting Rid of Adware

Adware is so tricky that trying to uninstall it by yourself could be like a trip into the Matrix. Luckily, there are good anti-spyware programs that tackle adware as well–after all many adware programs are also spyware since they monitor your internet usage.

True, it may feel like adding insult to injury to have to install more software to get rid of software you never meant to install in the first place. But keeping your computer free of adware is just one new cost of doing business.

Hang Up The Phone And Fix Your It Problem Yourself

Information technology (IT) problems can be one of the most frustrating problems facing both homeowners and small business owners. For many, the source of this frustration is problems with the Internet connection. Both homeowners and small business owners rely on their Internet for their daily activities and when there is a problem with their connection it can delay business. They usually do not have a dedicated, onsite IT staff and often have nowhere to turn except the custo...

Information technology (IT) problems can be one of the most frustrating problems facing both homeowners and small business owners. For many, the source of this frustration is problems with the Internet connection. Both homeowners and small business owners rely on their Internet for their daily activities and when there is a problem with their connection it can delay business. They usually do not have a dedicated, onsite IT staff and often have nowhere to turn except the customer service department of their Internet service provider (ISP). Although the customer service department may be knowledgeable and helpful, they are also usually small in number compared to the customers with questions or problems. This can mean minutes or even hours spent on hold waiting to ask a question. Fortunately there is a better solution. With a little bit of education, these same homeowners and small business owners can learn to fix some of the simpler problems so they won’t be put in the position of being reliant on customer service. This article will illustrate some of the common Internet problems and offer suggested solutions for these common problems.

Homeowners and small business owners who depend on email for imperative communications may be troubled by difficulties when email functions aren’t working properly. Before picking up the phone and dialing customer service there are a few things the individual can try for themselves. Not being able to open attachments, receive or send emails are just a few of the common problems.

If an attachment is not opening properly it may mean the user is trying to open the application in an incorrect program. Try opening the document in a text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad. If this doesn’t work contact the individual who sent the email and ask them the application used to create the attachment. If the correct application is available, try saving the attachment and attempting to open it with the, "Open with," option. This is available by right clicking on the file name. An alternative solution would be to set the correct application for the default for the particular file extension. This can be changed through the "File Types" tab of the folder options dialogue box.

Difficulty sending or receiving emails may involve more complex analysis. There are, however, still a few simple things to check before contacting customer service. If both sending and receiving emails are problematic, one of the most common errors is not actually being connected to the Internet. Verify the connection was made and if it is found to not be valid, attempt to reconnect. If sending is not an issue but receiving is, there may be an email with a large attachment attempting to come through. This can be difficult and may create delays in receiving emails. If this problem is suspected, accessing email through a web application may be helpful. The attachment can often be saved to the hard drive through the web application. There may also be problems with sending emails while there are no issues with receiving. If this is the case, it is often useful to verify the user name and password for SMTP authentication is correct. Both the user name and password can be case sensitive.

Viruses are another problem faced by homeowners and small business owners. If a virus is suspected or an email recipient had a virus transmitted from your account, it is possible the computer has been affected by a virus. This may be the result of non-existent virus detection software, virus detection software which has not been updated or a virus which was not recognized by the virus detection software was acquired. If the virus detection software is non-existent or not properly updated, it is time to install a program or update it. This may correct the problem. However, if it is not corrected by the installation or update of a virus detection program, contacting customer service may be required to ensure no further damage is done by the virus.

Not being able to access a particular website is another common problem. If this occurs and other websites are functioning correctly, verify the address is correct. If the correct address is being used, there may be problems with the host server. Wait an hour or so and attempt to access the website again. If no websites are accessible, there may be other problems. Try rebooting the computer and re-establishing the Internet connection. If this does not fix the problem, contact your ISP, they may be having problems which are affecting service for their customers. ISPs often update their voice message to indicate they are aware of the problem so it may not take long to find out if there is an existing problem.

Another common problem accessing websites may be the parental control settings. These settings may deny access to websites with adult or otherwise offensive content. The user can customize these settings to filter or allow access to any type of content they desire. If the user suspects this as the cause of the problem adjustments can be made to this setting in the "Content" tab of the Internet options dialogue box.

Although this list of common Internet problems is by no means conclusive, it does provide the reader with a few of the most common problems and possible fixes for these problems. This can give the homeowner or business owner a few tools for fixing their own problems before spending hours waiting for customer service.

Finding the Best IT Support Services Provider

As the IT sector takes over every unit in the industry be it a bank or any other business organization, every large and small industrial unit has requirement for IT support services. The need for IT support services arises in order to get full technical support to tackle day to day IT problems that the company faces. The IT support services also help dealing with high end technical problems that may threat the loss of important company data.  When a company sets up its IT infrastructure the first thing it does is hires the computer support services in order to install the hardwares and softwares by proper process and get basic technical support
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As the IT sector takes over every unit in the industry be it a bank or any other business organization, every large and small industrial unit has requirement for IT support services. The need for IT support services arises in order to get full technical support to tackle day to day IT problems that the company faces. The IT support services also help dealing with high end technical problems that may threat the loss of important company data.  When a company sets up its IT infrastructure the first thing it does is hires the computer support services in order to install the hardwares and softwares by proper process and get basic technical support.

Today there is no dearth of companies that provide IT support services. But it becomes difficult to select one IT support company that will provide authentic IT support solutions. To know how to find the best IT support service provider, read on!   

There are certain factors that one should keep in mind while selecting IT support service providers online. The things to be noticed about the service provider are:

*    Experience: The first thing you should know about your support service provider is the time period they have been in service. Expertise comes with time thus higher the experience better will be the IT support service and IT solutions provided to meet your business needs.

*    Certification: As the market is full of IT support service providers it becomes important to check certification of your support service provider. Generally IT support services providers are Microsoft Certified. There are other certifications as well. Make sure you hire Support services from an authentic IT support service provider.     

*    Feedbacks: Read the customer feedbacks of the IT support service provider to get an exact estimate regarding the services it has been providing in the past and the satisfaction level of its previous clients. Make a thorough research before you hire IT support services, do not get flowed away with the appreciation the owner does. Reading feedbacks/testimonials is must.   

*    Services Provided: When you hire IT support services check out the complete range of services the service provider is offering. The best IT support service provider is the one who offers complete support services be it installation of hardwares and softwares or tackling other technical problems. The services should have the flexibility to be molded according to your business requirements.


All these factors combined can help you hire the best IT support service provider. Select the one who matches your needs and standards of your technical support requirements.

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Wah saya bener-bener tidak menyangka ternyata antusias rekan-rekan sangat sangat tinggi, saya ucapkan terima kasih yang sebesar-besarnya atas hal tersebut.

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Tapi jangan lupa menghayal saja tidak cukup .. saat ini saya bersama rekan-rekan sedang terus menerus mempersiapkannya, saat ini saya bersama rekan saya sedang membuat sebuah aplikasi ERP (Enterprice Resource Planning), kita sedang giat-giatnya mempelajari beberapa sistem ERP Kelas dunia seperti SAP, ORACLE dan Microsoft Axapta .. sudah hampir 3 tahun kita merancang dan mempersiapkannya hingga saat ini sudah mulai terbentuk wujudnya .. Saat ini di Indonesia khususnya memang banyak sekali perusahaan-perusahaan IT yang bergerak di bidang tersebut .. tapi maaf saja hanya sebagai Implementornya saja atau hanya sebagai SUPIR saja yang membawa para penumpangnnya ..

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Salam hangat bagi rekan-rekan yang akan membantu kita untuk mewujudkan hal tersebut, dan