Recently there has been a big jump in the number of computers
recently infected with the Australian Federal Police Virus.

• The first thing a user knows about this virus is when their computer freezes, with a pop-up on their screen of a photo, taken with their on-board web camera showing their (or their childrens) face, or the home or office environment,  sometimes including a Police logo from what appears to be the Australian Federal Police  and a message.
• The message states that  your computer has been frozen because you have violated a law or visited an illegal website. Common claims made by the scammers are that you have violated laws around privacy, copyright or child pornography. In order to unlock the computer, users are instructed to pay a ’fine’ – usually $100 or $199 – using a prepaid money service. These services involve purchasing a money voucher from a store, which can then be used to make online payments.
• If users pay, the scammers may or may not unlock the computer. Even if users do regain access to their computer, malware may continue to operate so that the scammers can use  personal and financial details to commit fraud.
• Please DO NOT PAY any money to these criminals – this is a scam!

Bring your computer into Computer Troubleshooters to be assessed, cleaned and  tuned-up.

With the introduction of smart phones, our work lives were supposed to become easier. No longer would we have to be at the office to handle something – we could do it on the go! Spend more time at home! Work remotely!

Unfortunately, most of us have become slaves to our inboxes thanks to modern day technology in the workplace.  People email at all hours and expect a reply.  Or worse, the only time we work remotely is when we’re taking a personal or sick day.   So how do we reclaim our sanity?  Start by introducing new communication channels in your office.  With a few new methods – or the one that best fits your company’s culture – you’ll be working more efficiently in no time.

Not every question needs to be emailed:
It’s amazing how rarely we pick up the phone and actually talk to each other anymore. Often, we think emails are the most efficient way to get  an answer, but if you’re not clear in your email, the conversation could go on and on.  Instead, introduce messaging services like Skype or Chat to your workplace.  If HR allows, these services are great for quick questions, phone calls, and even video chats. Because you’re able to see if your co-worker is busy or available, you can shoot them a message and jump on a quick call or chat in seconds.

Project Management:
Ever work on a massive project through email?  No matter how many folders you create, you’re still bound to get lost in all the deadlines, sub-projects, and more.  Instead, introduce project management tools to your clients or co-workers.  These sites allow you to create projects, assign tasks, and generate automatic reminders. Even better, they tend to keep the working conversations on the site and out of your inbox, making your work more efficient and less stressful.  Sound good to you? Check out Basecamp or Desk.

Be efficient:
If you must use email, be sure to use it efficiently.  If your email requires a long explanation, ask yourself, “Would it be better if I just called them or set up a meeting?”  Also, if your email touches on several projects, consider breaking it into separate emails.  While this may seem like you’re flooding the person’s inbox, it should help them to sort through their emails by project and respond appropriately to each in its own thread.  Lastly, avoid emailing an entire team.   Establish a project manager or lead contact to whom you can email your updates.  If your email doesn’t ask each one of the receivers for something specific, it’s unnecessary to them.  Consider leaving them out or CC’ing them when needed.

What other methods have you found useful for cutting down on email fatigue in the work place?  Is it something your workplace deals with?  Or have you even introduced a company policy to alleviate the problem?

Anyone whose job has them on the road a lot knows that working on the go requires completely different materials than working in the office. Gone are the staplers and stamps – working on the go largely means going digital.

So what should you download or purchase to ensure you’re as effective an employee on the go? Check out our list of must-haves.

Get A Calendar That Syncs:
Since you won’t be reporting to the same office every day, you’ll need a calendar that can follow you everywhere. Create a Google or Yahoo Calendar and keep all of your appointments there. Google will email you (if you like) to remind you of an upcoming meeting or assignment. Even better, if you schedule a meeting while on your computer, Google will sync it automatically with your smartphone’s calendar. No need to enter it in twice.

Quit Searching for WiFi:
While coffee shops may be your new best friend, there will undoubtedly be times that you wish you had WiFi – like when you’re in the parking lot at a client’s office and forget to edit a document. Look into purchasing your own hotspot generator. About the size of a credit card stack, you instantly can create your own hotspot to access the Internet– no coffee shop necessary.

Store it on the Cloud:
As much as possible, store your documents on the cloud. This way, no matter where you set up shop that day, you’ll be able to access your files remotely. Great sites for this include Dropbox or even Google Docs, which are both free. With Google Drive, you can share documents and preadsheets.

Fax if You Must:
Depending on your job, you may still need to use a fax machine. Instead of lugging around your own in your new mobile lifestyle, sign up for sites like MyFax.com, which forwards your faxes right to your email presentations with the rest of your team and see their changes instantly.

Have a Tech Resource:
If anything comes up when you’re working on the go, you can feel stranded. Be sure to have tech support on speed dial, like Computer
Troubleshooters. We’ll be there to assist you – no matter where your office is that day.

Mostbusinesses report that they are not properly prepared to combat the risk or to bounce-back in the event they suffer a catastrophic data loss.  There are a number of factors that affect the majority of businesses today and may increase their susceptibility of a data loss:

• Business owners incorrectly assume that quality backup services are too expensive or beyond what they need.
• Businesses are often using out of date technology for their data backup and storage needs and assume that it is working.
• The number of online security threats has increased.
• Many companies are trending towards BYOD- or “bring your own device”- and therefore there is an increasing amount of company and client data stored on employees’ personal laptops, smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, that is likely not protected or backed-up even if the company devices are.

What is the Real Cost of Data Loss to a Business Owner?

According to the Gartner Group 43 percent of companies were immediately put out of business by a major loss of computer records, and another 51 percent permanently closed their doors within two years.  This leaves a mere six percent “survival” rate.

What about a loss that is not catastrophic?  This type of data loss is an expensive problem as well that costs organizations an estimated average of $200 per record affected according to a recent survey by Ponemon Institute, though to some degree the true costs associated with data loss are difficult to measure.

What can be Done to Avoid a Catastrophic Data Loss?
Implementing a data protection program is essential for every organization.  While most business owners recognize that their data files are their livelihood, more than half admit to not having a quality data backup protocol in place.

Here are some tips on what you can start doing today to protect your business:

• Accept the fact that your data is at risk.
  The reality is that computer hard drives, whether on a server, a desktop, or a laptop, will fail.
• Invest now to save money, and your business, later.
  An automated and fully protected backup service starts at about $30 per month (depending on the amount of data being backed up) and provides you with the peace of mind that your data, and your business, are protected. The cost of attempting to recover deleted data, once lost, is significantly more expensive and is estimated that 20 percent of lost data is not recoverable!
• Check the viability of the backed up data regularly.
  Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your backups are being done, whether your company uses a manual or automated backup process.  Also, never assume the data is retrievable. Talk with your Computer Troubleshooter technician about your current backup solution to verify that it is still the best option for your needs.
• Make data protection a company-wide initiative.
  Work with your Computer Troubleshooter technician to develop policies and a plan of action for all employees to follow regarding the proper location and access to company data to ensure that data is being backed up as well.

A proactive approach to protecting your data and establishing a plan for recovery in the event of a loss is smart business.

More than ever, business owners need to squeeze even more productivity out of limited time, staffing and resources. Many small businesses see cloud computing as a way to access advanced technologies that were previously affordable only for larger companies.

A recent survey conducted by CompTIA, a nonprofit IT industry trade association, stated that more than half of micro businesses (one to nine employees) and small businesses (ten to ninety-nine employees) use cloud-based business productivity applications.

Analysts and industry leaders agree that global demand for hosted IT services will continue to expand rapidly as cloud-based solutions offer significant resolutions for organizations of all types and sizes. Can cloud computing services help your business succeed in the marketplace?

Give Your Business a Competitive Edge

Finding the right business tools is an important task. Cloud computing can help your business edge out the competition with reduced costs and enhanced productivity in a number of ways:

• The latest innovations in cloud computing are making business applications even more mobile and collaborative in ways similar to Facebook and Twitter. Consumers expect information in real time and more business applications in the cloud are heading in that direction.
• Accessing specialized computer resources as they are needed enables businesses to quickly deliver quality results with greater affordability. Faster turn-around time can propel you ahead of your competition.
• You can bring your product to market faster and generate higher revenues as customers are able to access the service immediately.
• Cloud computing can enable innovative business initiatives that generate new value propositions and revenue streams. Some companies, such as Spotify, are building entirely new business models solely using cloud services.
• Cloud computing services can help you gain “business agility” with efficient projects that allow your employees to spend their time on work that has a greater potential value to your business.
• Utilizing cloud computing services can enable your business to shift from a capital expense model to an operational expense model. By forgoing long term financial IT commitments, an organization can complete projects more quickly without losing any investment.

Cloud computing might sound over-hyped and tech-heavy, but in reality it’s a rising trend among small business owners.

The IT industry may shout that Cloud Computing is the way of the future and that all businesses should move their IT to the Cloud.  The reality is that any IT solution should be investigated and planned, whether it’s within your office or accessed via the Internet.  So, what factors will you need to consider? The following guidelines address some of the pains that can be experienced with a hurried, unstructured move to Cloud computing.

Identify what you want in the Cloud - Cloud computing doesn’t need to be an ‘all or nothing’ project.  Start with a picture of your current IT setup and the functionality that it gives your business.  If you’re only just starting up, this will be different than if your business is already established with historical information.  Is there something new you want to explore, like email marketing or a prospect database?  This could be perfect for the Cloud. But if you are looking to only move pieces of your existing IT capability, consider any flow-on effects to other systems.  Make sure that a move to the Cloud won’t hinder any future integration opportunities.

Confirm your ongoing costs & savings - Cloud providers will point out the cost savings from using a centrally owned and managed system.  Certainly this may give your business access to IT at a fraction of the cost of owning it yourself. However, can your business handle a cost on an ongoing basis instead of a one-off purchase when you do have the cash to invest?  If there is still a large amount of technology needed in your business, Cloud computing may not significantly decrease your support costs.  Do your homework and know the costs you will be committing to and where the savings will be coming from.

Confirm the flexibility - Cloud solutions can be cut-down versions of the full software, so if you are getting ‘email’ (for example), make sure you know what functionality is included and what isn’t.  How flexible is the hosted system if you want to make changes, like increasing attachment size limits? Are you locked in to what you can change and what you can’t … and are you OK with that?

Prove the Backup & Disaster Recovery plans -Debate rages on whether businesses with their information in the Cloud also need their own local backup. Thoroughly reviewing your provider’s agreement is only the first step.  Ask about their last Disaster Recovery test. Include offsite backup testing reports in your contract. Plan how your business will survive if your Cloud provider fails and ensure your plan is implemented and tested on a regular basis.

Review your Infrastructure - Your Cloud solutions still have to be accessed via your local computers with your internet connection.  If your PC is slow, or if you are significantly increasing your internet usage, then your Cloud application may be slow or unreliable.  Consider your local IT components and plan for any necessary upgrades.  Also consider additional redundancy, like a backup internet connection or spare internet modem, as any failure in your connectivity will have a larger impact.

Ultimately, Cloud computing must deliver increased business benefits or reduce IT costs overall without reducing functionality, unless your business is prepared to make sacrifices to improve your bottom line.  Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooters to cut through the hype and make your Cloud adoption a success.

With today’s smart devices, we take internet connectivity for granted. Now that we’ve untethered ourselves from large, immobile computers, we’re used to accessing websites, social media and emails no matter where we are. So how is “mobile computing” impacted if we travel? Can we expect the same connectivity overseas that we have at home? This varies from country to country and may be expensive if you want to use your own mobile phone. Here’s what to keep in mind when accessing the internet abroad:

Before you go – Set your “out of office” email message before you leave, to notify senders that there may be a delay in your reply. Change your phone’s voicemail greeting as well and leave the details of an alternative contact person. You may even be able to set your voicemail so callers cannot leave a message, if interested. Check with your phone provider in case you need to enable “international roaming” so your phone will work overseas and ask them if they have any arrangements with providers in other countries for preferential rates. Also remember that the governments of countries like Mainland China, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates block access to some internet sites, so additional research prior to travel will be helpful.

When you arrive – Your phone may automatically connect to an available network upon your arrival in a new country. It may be worthwhile to manually choose the provider you prefer to use, as the automatically chosen one will likely not be the most cost effective. It is suggested that you check whether your phone automatically changed to local time, which can alter your calendar entries. You should also confirm the call and data costs of the network you are now using. If the data charges are high, you might want to turn off “mobile data” on your phone and instead rely on WiFi access when it’s available. This should help guard you from large unexpected bills when you return home. Remember that incoming calls and SMS/MMS messages will be charged to your account at international rates and therefore it may be cheaper to buy a local SIM card for calls and other messages. The local tourist information
center will be a helpful resource and will offer SIM cards in most countries.

Be wary of free internet - Watch out for free internet access offers and instead opt to use known, trusted organizations. Internet connections can be monitored to capture login names, passwords and credit card details, particularly if you use their computers instead of your own device. Be careful about websites you visit on shared connections, especially when
accessing your personal information and always take caution to sign out.

Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooters for more advice on internet access overseas and how to get friendly, local support from our network of franchisees in 25 countries.

Microsoft hates to miss out on a viable market.  It is this drive that led to the development of Microsoft Office as a rival to the market share leading Lotus 123 and WordPerfect products. Recently, Microsoft stepped into the tablet arena with software features in Windows 7 ( and now Windows 8 ) that take advantage of touch or pen input. The latest, boldest move though was the announcement of its own tablet device – the Surface.  This month we explore the features to see if it’s a serious iPad alternative.

Touch keyboard cover: Microsoft address one of the biggest limitations of tablet computing directly.  While great for viewing content, on-screen keyboards are not practical for editing or creating significant amounts of text.  The 3mm “Touch Cover” creates a keyboard surface directly on the tablet cover, without additional accessory purchases.  If you prefer the ‘depressed’ nature of a standard keyboard, the “Type Cover” mimics this feel on the Pro model of the Surface and still comes in at a tiny 5mm.

USB ports & Micro SD Card slot: While the iPad relies on WiFi, a cloud service or a cable for transporting information, the Surface supports USB and Micro SD Card storage for your movies, songs and documents.

Built-in kick stand & webcam angle: Yet another standard feature, the built-in kick stand holds the Surface upright while the 22 degree beveled edges sit flat. The webcam has been adjusted for this too, so out of the box you have a device that will record or live stream your room while it sits on your desk.

Windows 8 and Microsoft Office: If you work in a Microsoft environment (particularly in a large corporation), this is a key factor. Once Windows 8 is on your PC, you’ll have the same interface for both of your devices. Until then, you’ll get great document portability with Surface shipping with Office at no extra cost. A great multi-tasking feature is the ability to run two programs (or documents) side by side.

10.6 inch screen: Optimized for movie playback with no black “letterbox” lines, this is nearly an inch bigger than the iPad. Microsoft’s trying to convince consumer that this is an entertainment device as much as it is an extension of the corporate working environment.

It seems the only things missing from the Microsoft Surface are the release date and the pricing, but as soon as we know the details we’ll let you know. So talk to your local Computer Troubleshooter about whether this table is the right device for you, or for any of your technology needs.

If your job has you sitting at a desk or computer all day, you’re probably beginning to feel the effects. And while some may say sitting isn’t strenuous at all, there are certainly pains and aches that a lot of us acquire from our daily desk jobs.
How do you avoid the fatigue, aches, and strains your desk job may be causing you? We have a few useful tips that should have you feeling better.

Eyestrain: If you look at a computer eight hours a day, you need to take care of your eyes. New research shows that people who sit in front of a computer for as little as two hours per day are at risk for Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
So what do you do? Here’s a good rule of thumb: The 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This relieves your eyes. When we’re reading or working at a computer, we tend not to blink as often. This can result in dry eyes. Make a conscious effort to blink more often.

Neck strain: Neck pain, stiffness, tight shoulder pain and upper shoulder tension – call it what you want. It all can be caused by your desk job. So how do you combat it? Become aware of how you’re sitting. Your elbows should be at 90-degree angles to your keyboard. If your shoulders are drooped to reach a low keyboard or they’re raised to reach a high desk, that constant tension could be causing your shoulder pain. Look for a keyboard tray or adjust your seat height to achieve the 90 degrees.
If neck stiffness or pain is the culprit, examine where your screen monitor is. It should be at eye level (or a tad lower) and straight ahead of you. If you’re working at looking at a monitor to the side, you’re going to feel it. Likewise, if you’re constantly tilting your neck up or down to see your screen, those movements add up. Adjust it properly.

Back Aches: A stiff back can ruin anyone’s workday, especially if you have a desk job. As more and more people use laptops over desktops, back pain is becoming especially common. Laptops weren’t initially designed for long-term use, and due to their design, people are often hunched over or seated in improper seating for such long-term work.
So what can you do if you’re suffering from back pain? Make sure that your seat is adjusted properly. You should be seated upright, and your feet should be planted flat on the floor. If they aren’t, look into buying a footstep for yourself.
Also, be sure that your lumbar is supported. Look into an ergonomic chair – especially ones made for computer work with adjustable armrests. You can even opt to sit on a stability ball, which naturally encourages you to sit upright. They’re also great for strengthening your abs while you sit and balance, which will help to strengthen your back muscles.

Lastly, get up and stretch your back every hour. A good rule of thumb is to stretch in the opposite direction of your slouch. So if you’re hunched over, arch your back to stretch those muscles in the opposite direction. Also, stand against a wall and push your shoulder blades back, again stretching those muscles in a new direction.
With these few tips, we hope that your eyes, neck, and back will feel better. No desk job should be painful, so keep these tips in mind and use them in your new daily routine.

Not every question needs to be emailed:
It’s amazing how rarely we pick up the phone and actually talk to each other anymore. Often, we think emails are the most efficient way to get an answer, but if you’re not clear in your email, the conversation could go on and on.  Instead, introduce messaging services like Skype or gChat to your workplace.  If HR allows, these services are great for quick questions, phone calls, and even video chats. Because you’re able to see if your co-worker is busy or available,
you can shoot them a message and jump on a quick call or chat in seconds.