Business IT Blog - Useful tips to make you more productive

Mobile Workforce: Remote Access For Mobile Professionals - Part 3

As a leading Boston area IT Support company we are often are asked to provide a way for our customers to remotely access their network. This is the 3rd part of our 3-part blog on alternative methods of remote access.

Another way to get remote access to your work PC is to install a service such as Logmein (www.logmein.com) or GoToMyPC (www.gotomypc.com).  There are other such services but these are the 2 market leaders.  You simply go to their respective websites and sign up for an account.  Both charge for a full-featured account.  Gotomypc is $19.95/month.  Logmein Pro is $12.20/month.  Both have annual subscriptions with a lower monthly cost.  Both do the same thing and work very similarly.  We prefer logmein.  We use a special version of logmein for IT services companies so we are very familiar with it and can vouch for it being a very solid, robust product that very rarely has problems.  Plus Logmein has a free version that you can use. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the Pro version but it provides remote access, remote printing, and file transfer which are the 3 main features most people need.

Once you sign up for an account you add the computer that you want to remotely access.  To add the computer you install an agent on that computer and that makes that PC accessible via the website.  Thereafter you can log into your account on the website from any computer and remotely access your work PC (where you have the agent installed).  When you are remotely logged in allyour keystrokes and mouse movements are happening on your work computer.  It is just as if you were sitting at your desk.  You can transfer files to and from your computer and you can print from your work PC locally to a printer that is connected to the remote PC.

These services are very easy to install, they are very reliable, they are easy to use, and you will love the flexibility to be able to remotely access your work PC anywhere you can get online.  Forgot that important document at the office?  No need to get back in the car on a rainy night and drive back to the office. Just log in in 5 minutes and grab it.

Of course since you now have setup remote access you really should be sure to use strong passwords (remember use a passphrase not a password).  But you do need 2 passwords to get access - the password to your logmein (or gotomypc) online account and then the password to access your PC.  So as long os you use reasonably strong passphrases these solutions are pretty safe.

If you don't have remote access I encourage you to get it.  It will simplify your life and give you a flexibility that you make you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

 PS. Teamviewer (www.teamviewer.com) is another such solution.  One nice thing about this solution is that either the target or remote PC can be a Mac or a Windows PC. So you can control a PC from a Mac and vice versa.  We've used teamviewer and it seems to work well and is also easy to install and easy to use.

Mobile Workforce: Remote Access for Mobile Professionals - Part 2

As a leading Boston area IT Support company we are often are asked to provide a way for our customers to remotely access their network. This is the 2nd part of our 3 part blog on alternative methods of remote access.

Remote Web Workplace.  Starting with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Microsoft has included a technology called Remote Web Workplace (RWW).  This feature enables users to remotely access their desktop via their web browser.  You have to configure the service on the server and grant remote access permissions.

You'll need to create DNS settings to configure a URL (aka web address) that your employees can enter into their web browser to gain access to the system.  You'll need to map that address to your server within your firewall.  If all that sounds like Greek to you (and you don't speak Greek) then you probably need an IT technician to configure this for you.

But let me say it more simply.  You define a web address such as www.gizmofish.com/remote (don't bother trying it - we don't have that setup).  Your employees enter this into their browser and it takes them to a web page.  They log in using the the same user name and password they use on their PCs in the office.  They then click on a link to "connect to my computer at work", select their computer and log in as if they were sitting at their desk.  Within their browser they will see their office PC desktop and be able to run programs, open documents, print, and access the network just as if they were sitting at their PC in the office.

Pros and Cons

PRO:  RWW is pretty easy to set up and use.  No special software is needed on the remote computer.  And you can centrally control people's remote access permissions.  And it is free if you have a Windows Small Business Server 2003 or 2008.

CON: You will still probably need an IT technician to set it up.  And if it doesn't work you will probably need your IT technician to resolve the issue.  And of course if you do NOT have a server then this solution is a non-starter for you.

On part 3 of this GizmoBlog article we'll discuss more user-driven remote access alternatives that do not require IT intervention to setup and maintain.

Mobility Solutions: Remote Access for Mobile Professionals - Part 1

As a leading Boston area IT Support company  we are often are asked to provide a way for our customers to remotely access their network.  Remote access provides great flexibility to business owners and employees alike.  People can work from on the road, can work from home when needed, can quickly look up information without having to wait until the next business day, and it provides a fall-back in the event that something makes your offices inaccessible (ex. construction, painting, natural disasters).  It also allows you to support more employees without increasing office space.  The flexibility to work at home can be a great incentive when hiring new employees as well.

The good news is that connecting to your network remotely is easier than ever before.  There are many different methods you can use depending upon your needs and preferences.  In this 3 part post we will cover the primary ways that businesses can setup remote access.

1. VPN.  VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.  Setting up a VPN, while easier than it used to be, still requires an IT technician.  Your IT support department or company can configure a router that has VPN capability (GizmoFish prefers Sonicwall routers).  This will provide a link into your internal network from the internet.

Let me explain how this works in principal.  When you are inside your network your computer is attached directly to your network either wirelessly or via an ethernet (AKA network) cable.  This allows you to access the network and any devices or network drives that you are allowed access to.  When you are NOT in the office and you connect via a VPN it is just like you are physically connected to the network (like when you are in the office), but the connection is actually going over the internet.  So you can think of it like there is a really long network cable stretching all the way from your office to your house.

You will need log in credentials to the VPN.  The VPN router checks your credentials and then sets up and manages this virtual "tunnel" between your PC and the network.  The VPN router can manage many of these connection simultaneously so that several people can be connected at the same time.  The router encrypts all the traffic so even if someone were to intercept your traffic to and from the network they could not decipher it and therefore cannot steal any of your sensitive business information. Each user installs VPN software on their remote PC that they uses to log in to the VPN.

Pros and Cons

PRO: VPNs allow centralized control, monitoring, and management of remote access and can allow as many people to have access as your router and your internet bandwidth support.  Once you have purchased the router with an appropriate number of VPN connections (some router charge based on the number of connections) there is no additional cost to allow more remote users. 

CON: End users cannot setup VPNs by themselves -- An IT professional is usually required and VPNs can be tricky to configure and maintain.  So if your VPN connection is not working correctly you usually require IT support to fix it.  Also you must purchase a commercial grade VPN router with VPN licenses and you may need to install and maintain VPN software on everyone's PC that will be used for remote access.  Also while end users can access data over the network, they cannot access applications.  So if you do not have a particular program installed on your remote PC then you cannot run that program even though you may have access to the data.  This limitation is not true with some other remote access technologies that we will cover later in this blog post series.

In subsequent posts we will discuss the other major ways of providing remote access to your network.

Will a Microsoft Windows 7 upgrade really improve your security?

So you've heard some vague notions about "improved security" in Microsoft Windows 7.  As a leading Boston IT support company we get asked this question all the time.  The short answer is YES! But let me give you a few more details so you can understand exactly what Microsoft Windows 7 brings to the table at least from the perspective of a Boston are IT Support company who is responsible for the security of our customers' networks.

As always if you have any questions please feel free to email me at drinaldi at gizmofish.com or call me at 866-MY-GIZMO (866-694-4966) ext. 4.

PS. Don't forget about our Free Windows 7 Seminar on April 22^nd at the Microsoft offices in Waltham.  Click here to register.

More secure, more easily - Microsoft Windows 7 has many security enhancements that not only improve security but also make enhanced security easier to manage (and easier to live with!)

1. Internet Explorer 8 in Microsoft Windows 7 has several new features to make web browsing safer.  Here are a few:
1. InPrivate Browsing lets you surf the web without leaving a trail in Internet Explorer so other can see where you have been surfing.
2. SmartScreen filter protects users against evolving web and social engineering threats by automatically blocking access to malicious websites.
3. XSS filter - The IE8 Cross Site Scripting Filter protects you against a certain type of malicious website content that has become one of the leading online threats.
4. Domain highlighting highlights the root domain of any website your are visiting so you can easily see if the site is a phony phishing site setup to look like a legitimate site such as PayPal, or eBay, or Bank of America
2. Windows Vista introduced BitLocker Drive Encryption.  Some versions of Microsoft Windows 7 have an enhanced version of BitLocker that enables you to easily encrypt portable storage devices like USB flash drives and external hard drives.
3. Windows Defender which protects against Spyware is now built-in to Microsoft Windows 7.  Plus Microsoft Security Essentials, which is a full-featured anti-malware program that protects against viruses, spyware, worms, Trojan horses, and other malware, is available as a free download.
4. Microsoft Windows 7 offers better control over security.  You can adjust how often the computer interrupts you to warn of changes to your computer.  And Windows 7 makes it easier for users to run as non-administrators without hindering their ability to accomplish tasks on the PC.
5. Microsoft Windows 7 has improved backup and restore capabilities.  In addition to a user-friendly user interface, the Microsoft Windows 7 Backup and Restore tool allows you to create complete system image backups so you can restore your entire PC in the event of a catastrophic system crash.

There are other security enhangements Microsoft Windows 7 that help justify an upgrade but for now I'll leave you with these.  Come to our Microsoft Windows 7 seminar on April 22 in Waltham and take a look.  I think you'll agree that Microsoft Windows 7 really does provide better security, while being less intrusive about it that previous versions of Windows.

What Must I Have to do True Mobile Computing? - Part 4

Mobile Computing Security:

Security while traveling is a whole topic in and of itself.  So let me just add these comments for now and we will address mobile computing security more in depth in a later post.

• Keep your laptop with you or clearly in sight at ALL times. Did you know according to a recent study by Dell and the Poneman Institute that up to 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen in U.S. airports each week? And that between 65 and 70 percent of lost laptops are never reclaimed.
• Bring a laptop lock that physically secures your laptop
• Have a strong password. Won't you feel foolish when someone steals your laptop and you tell the boss that your password was "password"?
• Encrypt your laptop hard drive. You may need an IT person to do this for you but it is not very difficult or expensive. And it just requires you to enter an extra password on startup. If someone steals your laptop they cannot read the data on the hard drive without your encryption password. Of course if you make your encryption password or your login password easy to guess/crack then it doesn't matter anyway.
• Consider Computrace which allows you to track a stolen laptop and remotely wipe the hard disk of ALL data.

PS. One last piece of advice regarding email is be sure you know how to access your email from the web (and have done it successfully) before you go.  If you find yourself for whatever reason unable to use your PC or PDA to check or send email you'll feel good knowing that you can log in on any internet-connected PC and check your email.

Thanks for listening.  Hope this was helpful.  As always call or email me with questions, comments, etc.  Road warriors what have I missed?  Come on add some comments and tell me how YOU ensure you can stay productive on the road.  What about any special PDA apps that help you?  Please comment!

 

 

What must I have to do true Mobile Computing? - Part 3

While your laptop and PDA are the core of your mobile computing technology, don't give short shrift to your accessories.  These can make the difference between a pleasant, successful trip and a nightmare of hellish existence!  OK well perhaps "nightmare of hellish existence" is a bit strong.  But you get the point. 

Your Accessories Kit:

• A flash drive of at least 2GB
• An Ethernet cable
• An aircard - This allows your computer to get online using the cell phone network. No more searching for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Anywhere you can get a cell phone signal (digital) you can get online. You will pay an additional $60 or so a month for the aircard service. But for anyone who spends significant time on the road the time and cost savings for not having to hunt around for and pay for Wi-Fi hotspots is well worth it.
• An international adapter if you travel overseas
• Travel mouse (personal choice)
• Spare battery (personal choice - adds weight)
• Printed laminated sheet with all important phone numbers. "But why would I need this?" you ask. "All my numbers are in my trusty PDA." But then of course your battery runs out or you drop it in that mud puddle, or leave it on the plane, etc. etc.... Good old paper doesn't need batteries. Include numbers for:
• Airlines
• Hotel chains
• Top customers
• Travel Agent
• Car services
• Tech Support
• Home numbers for key people (especially if you will be in a different time zone)

Optional depending on nature of your work

• Projector - if you make customer presentations you take out the variable of using their equipment
• Scanner
• Printer - most hotels have a business center and there are Kinko's everywhere so this is less and less needed by road warriors.
• Digital recorder to dictate and send for transcription. You may recall that Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton) used an analog voice recorder to record all his great ideas (he was an "idea man") in the movie Night Shift with Henry Winkler. Perhaps that will inspire you to do likewise? No? Never mind.

Stay tuned for the last in our series of mobile computing technology tips...

What must I have to do true Mobile Computing? - Part 2

Proper Laptop:

Any decent blog of mobile computing tips will start with your laptop (but wait - I started with your PDA in part 1!  oops).  The right laptop for you is a personal choice.  There is no one size fits all.   The main considerations are:

• Weight
• Screen size
• CPU Speed
• Memory (get 4GB if you are buying a new Laptop)
• Most laptops have hard drives that are plenty big enough - hard drive space is rarely an issue anymore

Generally speaking the larger the screen size the heavier the laptop.  So you have to decide which is more important to you.  There is however an exception to this rule.  Most laptop makers offer ultra portable laptops that have large screens yet still weigh around 3 lbs (rather than the 4.5-5lbs of a standard PC).  BUT you will pay at least 60% more for these laptops due to all of the fancy engineering that went into cramming all that technology into such a lightweight chassis.  I will add that these laptops look sleek and have a "Wow factor" that will often impress others.  I'm sure something as superficial as that doesn't matter to any of YOU (ahem) - but I just thought I'd mention it.

One quick note - super portable laptops often have no built-in CD/DVD drive as a way of saving weight.  But if you think you would need one on the road anyway then you will have to lug an external CD/DVD drive with you so the weight savings in moot.

Note I did not discuss "netbooks" here.  These very small and lightweight portable PCs are becoming more popular.  But there are tradeoffs and considerations that are too numerous to go into in this article.

Stay tuned for more mobile computing tips...

What must I have to do true mobile computing? - Part 1

Consultants and salespeople have been road warriors for a long time.  Now more and more white collar professionals such as accountants, finance professionals, and other knowledge workers are finding themselves working at least some of the time out of the office.

So maybe some of you could benefit from some mobile computing advice too. You have to start with the right equipment.   I will address each part of your travel toolkit in its own blog post. Part 1 will discuss your PDA.  Part 2 will discuss your laptop.  Part 3 will discuss the important accessories.  And Part 4 will discuss security and email considerations in.

The main fact that affects all the mobile computing advice I will give you is as follows: The more you carry the more efficiently you can work and the less at risk you are of not being able to accomplish something.  BUT (you knew there was a "but" coming) the more you carry the less mobile you actually become.  Every additional tool takes up space and weight.  So this is the fundamental tradeoff you have to make when deciding what to carry with you.

Your PDA:

I will assume if you are a busy professional and work out of the office with any regularity you will have some kind of PDA rather than just a regular phone.  Whether you have Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Google Android, Palm, or iPhone doesn't really matter.  What matters is:

• You are already setup to send and receive email and synch your contacts and calendar from your PDA. Don't wait until you are in your hotel to call the IT guy for help setting up your PDA so you can check email.
• Your phone plan is appropriate. If you travel will you get high roaming charges? If you go overseas does your phone support the right networks (GSM for Europe for example)? Do you have a plan that has good international calling rates?
• Does your phone provider have good coverage in the areas you need to go?

Stay tuned for more Mobile Computing advice...

Why upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7? -- Part 2

 Good question!  As a leading Boston IT support company we get asked this question all the time.  So here is part 2 of the top reasons why you should seriously consider upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7. 

As I mentioned in my previous post there are so many new features crammed into Windows 7 that I had to split this blog article into 2 separate posts.  So don't feel you have to read everything - just browse and skip to the features that most interest you.  As always if you have any questions please feel free to email me at drinaldi at gizmofish.com or call me at 866-MY-GIZMO (866-694-4966) ext. 4.

PS. Don't forget about our Free Windows 7 Seminar on April 22^nd at the Microsoft offices in Waltham.  Click here to register.

1. "Information at Your Fingertips".  OK this has been a Microsoft catchphrase for a while now.  But with Windows 7 they have really delivered on this concept.
1. Microsoft Windows 7 has introduced libraries.  There are four default libraries: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Video.  All of your documents, music, pictures, and video respectively are in these libraries regardless of their location on your hard drive.  You can view the files contained in a library in various ways. For example, you can view all the files in the Documents library by Author, Date modified, Tag, Type, Name, or Folder. By contrast, files in the Music library can be viewed by Album, Artist, Song, Genre, Rating, or Folder. You can even include items on external or network drives in libraries.  Additionally you can create your own libraries.  This is a powerful new feature that enables you to organize your content by type, or subject, or date, or any other way you choose without regard to its physical location on your hard drive.
2. Searching in the Windows 7 Search bar now brings up files, folders, programs, help articles, and control panel items.  So Search is now an all-purpose tool for finding anything on your PC.  For example: Want to know how to change your screen resolution?  Search on change screen resolution and the control panel tool for changing screen resolution will appear in the search.  With Microsoft Windows 7 Search you can also search SharePoint sites, Web Servers, and Network File Servers.
2. Only Connect! (apologies to E.M. Forster).  I am talking about connecting your PC to things - devices, projectors, 2^nd monitors, etc.  This has generally been a hit or miss affair in Windows with users often needing IT help.  Well Microsoft has made this much more automatic and user friendly. 
1. Devices.  All your connected devices  including printers, keyboards, USB devices, Bluetooth devices, networked devices, wirelessly connected devices, etc. are shown in 1 control panel applet and clicking on any device shows information for that device.
2. Projectors or 2^nd monitors.  The same method works for projectors or 2^nd monitors.  You simply plug the projector or 2^nd monitor into your PC and type projector into the search box and click connect to a projector.  Then you can select how you want your desktop to be displayed.
1. Computer only (This shows your desktop only on your computer screen.)
2. Duplicate (This shows your desktop on both your computer screen and a projector.)
3. Extend (This extends your desktop from your computer screen to a projector.)
4. Projector only (This shows your desktop only on a projector.)

Well there are many other improvements in Microsoft Windows 7 that a Boston area IT Support Company such as ourselves could go on and on about.  But why don't you see for yourself.  Come to our Microsoft Windows 7 presentation and demo on April 22 in Waltham.  You'll get a free breakfast, an opportunity to network with your peers, the opportunity to get your questions answered one-on-one by a Windows 7 expert, and you could be the lucky winner of a brand new laptop with Microsoft Windows 7 and Office 2007.

PS.  Amaze and delight your friends!  Be the hit of the party! Click here to receive our free presentation "42 Cool New Windows 7 Tips and Tricks."

Why Upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7? -- Part 1

Good question!  As a leading Boston IT support company we get asked this question all the time.  So I thought I would tell you the top reasons why we here at GizmoFish are very excited about Microsoft Windows 7.  (Yes, I know -- "excited" about an operating system - embarrassing but true!) 

But Microsoft really HAS stepped up their game with this version of Windows.  Here are the top reasons you should seriously consider upgrading your business to Microsoft Windows 7.  There are so many new features crammed into Windows 7 that I had to split this blog article into 2 separate posts.  So don't feel you have to read everything - just browse and skip to the features that most interest you.  As always if you have any questions please feel free to email me at drinaldi at gizmofish.com or call me at 866-MY-GIZMO (866-694-4966) ext. 4.

PS. Don't forget about our Free Windows 7 Seminar on April 22^nd at the Microsoft offices in Waltham.  Click here to register.

1. Speed, speed, speed.  Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit version) takes full advantage of today's 64-bit CPUs, resulting in significantly faster performance.  "64-bits" refers to the amount of data that the CPU can process.  Older CPUs could only process 32-bits at a time.
2. Everything is easier - Improvements in the user interface greatly simplify everyday tasks.  Let me give you some examples
1. There are all kinds of shortcuts that make it easier to manage multiple windows on your screen.  You can easily make 2 windows line up perfectly side-by-side. Maximizing and minimizing windows happens with 1 click.  You can Aero Peak behind windows to see what is being hidden by the window.  On the taskbar you have thumbnail previews of all open windows and with 1 click you can expand the previews to full-screen.
2. One of the best new Microsoft Windows 7 features is Jump Lists.  You can pin documents, applications, websites, etc. to the taskbar and have then available for immediate opening.  So for example, if you pin several frequently used Word documents to the taskbar you can click on the Word icon and the list of documents in the Jump List will appear.  You can jump directly to the document you want.
3. Sharing your documents on a network was never easier.  You can simply create a HomeGroup and immediately start sharing documents and printers.  The HomeGroup feature is great for setting up a home network, or quickly creating an ad-hoc network to share information with colleagues.  When you create a home group you setup a password and you can give that password to anyone that you want to allow to connect to your HomeGroup.
4. Switching between home, work, and public networks is easier with Windows 7.  For example you can set a default printer for each network so that Windows automatically prints to the correct printer on each network.  Windows also automatically sets the firewall and security settings depending on whether you are connected to a home, work, or public network.  Of course you can override any of these default settings if you so choose.

To be continued...

PS.  The government doesn't want this information let out but we feel the people have a right to know!  Click here to receive our presentation "42 Cool New Windows 7 Tips and Tricks."  But remember if you get caught - you didn't hear it from us...