When you experience these types of problems, you will no doubt need a plan to recover your data. This can be accomplished in a few different ways. The first option is a data recovery technician who comes to your home or place of business. They will analyze the situation, first determining the cause of the hard drive failure. Data recovery is a highly specialized field and have trained computer technicians on staff who know a hard drive upside down and inside out.

A good specialist is one who can come to you nearly anytime you call. A technician who is not reliable should be avoided at all costs, especially when you are looking for a long-term relationship. Specialists that can be there immediately are working hard to show you that they are reliable. When you have a data loss or hard drive failure, time is of the essence and you will want someone who can appreciate that fact.

Software programs are another option available to you. The only downside to these great programs is you need to use them before you have a problem. Once your hard drive has failed, there is simply nothing to install these programs to. The key is to install the software before there is an issue and it will aid you afterwards. Most of these programs protect your data by keeping a separate file accessible even after a disaster.

If you happen to have hard drive failure, viral infection or a natural disaster, there are many ways to retrieve your data. Two of the most common options are data recovery specialists and data recovery programs. If your business is dependent on the information, you will likely want to go with the technician. These computer specialists can retrieve lost files, and even reconstruct your hard drive if necessary. When the issue is hardware related the software program would be little help.

Data recovery is a specialized area of computer repair and, as such, you should always consult a specialist. They are trained to fix most issues and most important they can restore your needed data. Nearly every town or city across America has a data recovery specialist and most times, they are on call 24/7. Their pricing can be extremely reasonable and will come to your home or business in case of an emergency. The bottom line is if you compare a technician with over the counter software data recovery specialist are far better.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Help With Data Recovery

ENHANCE YOUR CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCE!

Great service is what sets us apart from our competitors.

Let us show how our Auto Shop Voice solution has helped Seyfer, Pickering and other local auto shops improve their customer service!

• Use automated greetings and menus allowing your customer to access directions to the shop, a live person, after hours emergency towing and much more!
• Include music on hold or a customized message.
• Wireless handsets and secure Wi-Fi for techs or customers while they wait.
• Improve communication between office personnel and service technicians with built-in intercom functionality or paging horn.
• Integrated video surveillance permitting you to watch the shop or allow customers to watch technicians work.

Save the Date!

Limit: Only 20 seats available

Southeast -  I-25 & Dry Creek

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010

Time: 11:00am – 12:30pm

Cost: FREE

Location:

Cisco Business Center

9155 E. Nichols Ave. #400

Englewood, CO 80112

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~SPECIAL PRIZES FOR ATTENDEES~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• All attendees will receive: $25 gift card to Rodizio Grill or N.Y. Deli News!
• Grand prize drawing: Flip Video Camera!!
• Free Lunch catered by: N.Y. Deli News
• Event sponsored by: North Star Strategic IT & Cisco Systems

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Register for our Cisco Auto Shop Voice Solution Event – Denver

While shopping for a cheap laptop backpack, keep in mind a few parts of the backpack that provide the actual protection. The material used is an important factor. Make sure you find something that won’t wear thin easily or already looks too thin. In other words, make sure when you hold it up to the light that you can’t see through it! Some nylons are meant to carry your lunch in, not your laptop. Materials that are stiff are easily damaged from temperature changes and usage. Choose a soft and pliable material.

Check out the seams and sewing inside the backpack. Make sure they are tight and the threads haven’t run out of line of the material which will cause holes when you have put a little wear and tear on your backpack. Don’t be afraid to turn it inside out and inspect it right there at the establishment.  The seams are the life of your backpack.

Another factor in choosing an affordable backpack for your laptop is the straps. The straps need to be sewn on tightly. Again, pull on them hard and see if they give any. Look for frayed nylons. Fraying around stitches will eventually cause the strap to loosen and come apart. You don’t want to be riding down the highway on your motorbike and have your laptop go sliding out to be a bump in the road for oncoming traffic!

Padding inside the pack is another protective measure you’ll want to look for in buying an affordable cheap laptop backpack for your laptop.  Make sure you’ll be able to sit down your backpack and not damage anything for lack of a cushioning between it and the surface. Some backpacks are made of thick enough material that the padding may not be necessary, but a little cushioning would be the best choice.

Zippers are a part of a backpack that are important because they, too, can fall apart at the seams. Make sure the sewing on the attaching material of the zipper is tight. Do the pull and tug test. Another feature to look at is that there are two pulls that meet and that can be locked with a zipper padlock and that the zipper moves easily back and forth.

Go online and shop for a deal on an affordable laptop backpack or visit your local electronics dealer.  Remember, the more you shop around, the better deal you are most likely to find. Make sure any purchase you make comes with a guarantee.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Protect Your Laptop With an Affordable Cheap Laptop Backpack

North Star Strategic IT – Your Denver IT  Support company

Anti-phishing software works by searching for any phishing content that may exist in an email.  It is normally used as a complementary service to your email service in the form of a toolbar.  This toolbar will display the real name of any website you visit and any fake websites phishers tend to use.

This software offers a backup defense for blocking phishing attacks and sites that might have been clever enough to get through your browser’s built in protection.  Here are a few of them:

Earthlink Toolbar Scamblocker

• Earthlink provides a free toolbar for your browser that includes a Scamblocker, which is used to protect you from phishing scams and pop ups.
• It works by warning you if you attempt to connect with a page that is on Earthlinks blacklist of fake sites.
• It analyzes every site you visit and display the security rating of the web page on the toolbar.

Earthlink’s Scamblocker can be downloaded at this link:
http://www.earthlink.net/software/free/toolbar/

Netcraft Anti-phishing Toolbar

• Netcraft is provides a tight knit community where when one person reports a phishing email, the listed URL is blocked for all Netcraft members.
• By displaying the website’s hosting location, it helps expose fraudulent URLs.  For example, if your bank is located in the U.S. and the hosting location is listed as Poland, it is most likely a scam.
• The toolbar will also detect URLs that use certain letters or characters to deceive.

The Netcraft Anti-phishing Toolbar can be downloaded at this link:
http://toolbar.netcraft.com/

North Star Strategic IT – Your Denver IT  Support company

TrustWatch Toolbar

• Trust Watch offers a free toolbar designed to protect you from phishing attacks, identity theft, and internet fraud.
• It performs checks in real-time to inform you if the website you are attempting to visit has been verified by a legitimate third-party organization, and whether or not it is safe to send personal information through the site.
• It is equivalent to performing a credit check.

The TrustWatch Toolbar can be downloaded at this link:
http://toolbar.trustwatch.com/

Stopzilla Anti-Spyware 5.0

• Stopzilla is an ant-spyware program that detects and prevents phishing attacks, popup ads, spyware, adware, and any other form of malicious applications, as well as hijack protection.

Stopzilla can be downloaded at this link:
http://www.stopzilla.com/

Spybot – Search and Destroy

• Sybot Search and Destroy is a free to use anti-spyware program.
• The largest benefit of this program is that it will write-protect all of your computer’s host files, which is the main target of phishing spyware.

Spybot can be downloaded at this link:
http://www.safer-networking.org

Webroot’s Phish net

• Phish Net uses a dynamic blacklist that aids in protecting phishing attacks.
• It works by storing personal data (eg. Credit card numbers, bank accounts, etc.), and alerting you as to whether or not it is a trusted site when you attempt to enter personal information.
• It will also alert you to any redirects that may have happened during the transmission of your data, as well as make sure the site has an encrypted connection before transmission.

Webroot’s Phish net can be downloaded at this link:
http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/

North Star Strategic IT – Your Denver IT  Support company

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Denver IT Support: Anti-phishing Software

What is an anti-spam filter?
This refers to a special program used for detecting and blocking dangerous emails. It looks for words and phrases or other things that may indicate an email is spam. It is based on the assumption that email containing certain details is spam.

It also has the capacity to remember which email addresses have previously send spam and block these. Mail from approved sources is delivered without question. These are referred to black lists and white lists. The anti-spam filter updates these lists. If the software perceives an email to be spam, it is added to the black list. If the user checks the email as safe it will be taken off the black list and treated as a trusted address in the future or white listed. The filter catches most email with unwanted adult content or pornography, referred to as “sporm.”

What to Look for in Anti-Spam Filter Software

You need to think about some other features you may find important:

• Make sure the anti-spam filter you purchase will work with your email client. This software will not necessarily work with all email providers.
• Make sure you will be able to use the software after you buy it. Some software programs are difficult to understand and use. If you buy an anti-spam filter you cannot use, you will be wasting your time and money.
• You should be able to set your own preferences in the program for your email filtering. You need to be able to choose options for what you want to block and what to allow in your inbox.
• It is good to get one that allows you to create your own white list. This will ensure you will receive all email you wish to allow without any problems. You would not want an important email to be blocked or even deleted.
• The anti-spam filter software should download and install with no problems. You may need to register the software before use or download additional updates before using it.

It is a good idea to buy a program that has some user reviews or other assurance that it is stable and fully developed. Look on the packaging for the latest release date. You may not want to buy a product that is still in the beta testing stage.

Spam email is a nuisance and time consuming to delete. It can also be very dangerous to your computer. You can protect yourself and your PC by purchasing the anti-spam software that is best for you and your email provider.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

How to Choose Anti-spam Filter Software

Everyone knows that it is a good idea to back up data on your computer every so often, however did you know you should check that backup? It will compound your frustration to find out what you thought was adequately backed up is not functioning correctly when you need it most.

Data loss can happen to anyone, even the most perceptive computer user or business can experience this problem. The problem is people tend to think their computer is perfect and that is not the case. After an extended period, your hard drive can malfunction or crash leaving you with a blank screen and severe data loss.

This is not the end of the world however; there is data recovery to help you out. Data recovery can retrieve files, information or anything else you have stored on your system over the years.

Most likely to recover your data you will be required to send your hard drive off to a company or individual that specializes in the field. First, they will run tests to determine what happened and how much damage has been done, this will tell them what they must do to recover your data.

Expect the process to take about a week, give or take a few days, depending on what happened. You should also be aware that the cost could quickly rise depending on the service you use. Generally speaking, the more experience the company has at recovering lost data the more you can expect to spend.

If you can afford them this is the best route you can take because, the more experience they have, the more likely they are to be able to recover your lost files and data. That does not mean that a cheaper service cannot be helpful, nevertheless if you are a company with highly sensitive information that you must recover you will want the best assistance money can buy.

In a case where the hard drive is not a total loss data recovery companies can rebuild your hard drive. If your hard drive is totally fried, it may be able to be rebuilt but it will take an extreme amount of time. Either way data recovery technicians can usually find a way to recover your lost data.

No matter who you are, you will likely suffer a hard drive crash or failure that leads to lost data. When it occurs, try not to get bent out of shape and upset. Be prepared and expect these things to happen.

Data can normally be retrieved, but you should still create back up files on a regular basis just to remain safe. That way should the worse occur you could continue to work with the data you saved while your hard drive is being fixed.

Store your important information and files on a CD using a burner or writer. This is the simplest and cheapest way to back up your data or files and will keep you prepared for the worst-case scenario. Now if your hard drive quits on you unexpectedly you will be prepared.

Prepared individuals will sleep like a baby if and when their hard drive crashes. Preparation is a great plan even if nothing ever happens to your hard drive. Computers are constantly changing and getting better, but that does not mean they are infallible.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Losing Your Mind with Data Recovery

Identity thieves use high tech methods to find ways of defrauding innocent people. They come up with telephone scams, internet website scams, email scams and other ingenious plans, like taking photos of your card with a cell phone camera. When times are hard, these same thieves could resort to less sophisticated ways of stealing.

Consumers have become smarter in order to outsmart identity thieves. You read articles and booklets on how to protect yourself from these criminals. That includes shredding mail, being careful when shopping online, paying bills online and getting an annual credit report. Using reputable identity protection programs also helps you stay safe from the prying eyes of others.

You should be in the clear now, right? Think again. When people are faced with losing their homes and the ability to provide for their families, all sorts of ideas fill their heads. It isn’t just the chic criminal you need to watch out for but the desperate identity thief as well.

Who are they?
They could be anyone: your next door neighbor, a relative down on his or her luck, a coworker or someone you wouldn’t even suspect like a professional doctor or lawyer. And, the regular purse snatcher or carjacker falls into this category as well. A poor economy brings out the violent thief as well.

It sounds like a scene from The X-Files but “trust no one.” You can protect your identity by being street smart and savvy in your dealings with other people. Resist the urge to order items over the telephone at work or in a public area. You might think you are whispering but someone is hearing you.

Still follow the same precautions that you did when identity thieves swiped purses and wallets to get their information:

1. Don’t leave your purse in the car or your mail on the seat in full view. Lock your car doors even in your own driveway.
2. Use ATM machines at banks and during the day. At night, thieves can assault you for your card, money and your car.
3. Be aware of your surroundings. It is harder for a thief to sneak up on you if you are looking them right in the eye.
4. Don’t give out any personal or financial information over the telephone for any reason.

Identity thieves are still active in these tough economic times and they are returning to some tried and true methods to get your information. Protect yourself in every way so you don’t become a victim.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Identity Theft and the Economy

This process usually involves selecting a mass mailing service with a high rate of successful email deliveries, and lower ‘bounce rate.’ This service then sends a designated amount of emails promoting your product or service to random email account holders, and some of the recipients may become potential customers to your company.

However, this might be too much of a risk to take since, inspite of their claims, these services may not actually possess an extensive number of valid email addresses, hence the deliverability problem, which means that even if your mass mailing service provider sends the predetermined number of emails, the chances that they will reach potential customers or generate interest are extremely low.

Instead, you might want to follow an alternative internet marketing solution that allows you direct contact with your clientele as well as potential customers through a few simple steps that you yourself can carry out without having to go through an intermediary service.

Start by selecting a target group, or a particular set of customers who have a specific need for the product or service that you offer, and make sure your marketing techniques appeal to them.

You can lay the foundation for a symbiotic relationship between you and your customers by winning their interest and trust in your business through sales and adequate after sale service. Once you have an established set of customers, you can begin the wider publicity process.

Email deliverability, however, continues to be a hindrance even if you decide to handle the marketing process yourself, since you may be faced with innumerable spam blocking software in attempting to interact with existing clients as well as new ones. To get around this problem, consider setting up a private mailing network, which provides you with a way of blocking out spam while simultaneously having the opportunity to interact directly with your customers through the internet.

Make use of your mailing list of your customer base, as well as the database of your registered online customers and provide your valued customers with personalized email accounts within your existing domain. You can also design the mailing accounts to bear your business domain name so that your business becomes an obvious part of their online identity. This account can then be used by your customers for all purposes. Employ specialized help to carry out the function of linking up your network to whichever email server you customer uses. This simplifies matters a lot for your customers since they can now receive their personal emails directly from their default email service.

This will also allow you to have the added advantage of having exclusive and uninterrupted access to these email accounts, and the option of contacting your customers anytime you need.

Adopt these straightforward steps to help eliminate the uncertainty regarding email deliverability that comes with employing mass mailing services.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

Take Control of the Email Deliverability Problem

Bandwidth
Spam costs everyone valuable internet bandwidth that is used for spam instead of legitimate business or personal use. Bandwidth is the rate at which data is transmitted, particularly the amount that can be transmitted in a specific amount of time. The lower bandwidth rate, the slower information travels.

Think of it as a traffic jam on a major highway, the more spam there is the more delays there are in the transmission of important business information. Internet service providers must then increase bandwidth to handle the larger volume. This is not free and you can guess where the additional cost will end up – on your internet bill.

Viruses, Worms and Malware
Viruses have become commonplace and devastating. Spammers will include viruses and malicious software in the messages they send out disguised as attachments. Some of these viruses will silently install on your machine and give the hacker any vital information stored in your system. Identity theft is perpetrated many times this way.

Viruses are also created with the single purpose of destroying property. Consumer reports recently studied the cost of damage that has been done to computers in this manner. The cost is over eight billion dollars worldwide in the past two years alone. This number does not include costs of anti-spam and virus software that consumers have felt compelled to purchase.

Productivity
While spam is irritating, it also eats up your valuable time just filtering through it to find your real email among all the spam. For businesses that receive hundreds or thousands of important emails daily, the cost in productivity is substantial. Spam calculators, like the one available at cmsconnect.com, estimate the lost time to be nearly 50 hours per employee and almost $1000 per person per year. That is a significant amount of money and time.

Lost Messages and Data
Spam blockers and filters that are supposed to be protecting us from the bad emails often grab legitimate correspondence as well. Even one lost important email from a client or supplier can cost money and relationships.

Identity Theft
The latest in the long line of schemes to bilk you out of your money are phishing frauds. Phishing uses what looks like an official email from a company you do business with. The message will be worded in such a way that the spammer hopes you will input your personal information, thereby allowing them the opportunity to steal your identity and more. This scheme alone has wound up costing victims billions of dollars.

Spam has become a drain on society, at least from an economic and productive standpoint. Everyone but the spammer is paying an extreme amount of money for his or her actions.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

The Costs of Spam

Spammers use a technique known as “harvesting,” where they collect your email address from legitimate websites like USENET, chat rooms, message boards, AOL profile pages, and special interest group postings. They are sites you have visited and filled out a request info form leaving your contact information or ecommerce sites where you have placed orders.

Technology has aided in the creation of the spambot, which is the spammers ticket to getting your email address. Spambots harvest your information from these websites by sending out feelers that scan every page of the site, collecting any text containing the “@” symbol. They then compile the list of emails into a database that has the capability to send bulk emails, in turn sending out mass spam mail. Spammers also sell the harvested emails to other spammers, further spreading your email and its spam intake. Think of it as a bad form of networking, you tell 3 people who tell 3 people and so on.

Most websites are now requiring you to register with them before you can place an order or receive certain information from them. The thing to worry about here is that some sites are not as careful with your email as you would like them to be. Newsgroups are your biggest concern when it comes to letting your email address “slip” through the cracks and into the spammer’s hands. Most of these newsgroups do not worry themselves with hiding your email address, thus leaving your email address exposed and vulnerable to spammers. You will also have to worry about the websites that deliberately sell your information.

Spammers also use a method that targets a particular domain. They just guess and make up any possible combination of email addresses based on a domain name, such as @YourDomain.com.  They take the mailing list of the addresses they have made up and send out the spam. The most vulnerable to this technique are corporate emails, because they have the distinct format of @BusinessName.com. Even though a large portion of these spam mails bounce, spammers don’t really care because they send out millions of spam mails daily. This leaves a small portion of spam to get through, which is enough for the spammer. This method is known as the brute force spam attack, and it is easy to see why.

A great defense against this is to make it as difficult as possible for the feelers to collect your email.  When you fill out the register form replace the “@” symbol with “at.” This makes it more difficult to find your email since the spambots are looking for the “@” symbol. The best defense is to display your email as an image rather than text, making it even more difficult.

Provided by Jim Horton - North Star Strategic IT
Your Denver source for IT computer support, network consulting and planning, voice over IP (VoIP) solutions, and so much more. Cisco Partner - VoIP and Unified Communications Microsoft Partner - Small Business Server Specialists Schedule time with one of our highly qualified network technology specialists

How Spammers Get Your Email Address