Archive for July, 2012


Public Wi-Fi not as secure as you think

Posted on: July 13th, 2012

Wi-Fi has become ubiquitous, it’s hard to go somewhere and not be able to connect or detect a network. With the large number devices that can both broadcast and receive Wi-Fi, many with no or basic level security, security of your data and device can be an issue when you’re out of the office and connecting to these networks.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself while connecting to, or using, Wi-Fi devices when you’re out of the office.

Be aware of the purpose of Wi-Fi It’s important to remember the main idea of Wi-Fi. Many people think that Wi-Fi is a secure way to access the Internet. While 99% of the time, it’s secure enough, the underlying concept of Wi-Fi is that it’s meant to be convenient before anything else. Because of this, security often isn’t as important to device manufacturers.

Unsecure at your own risk It’s a high probability that you’ve connected to an unsecure or open Wi-Fi network - no password needed to connect - before. It may be tempting to connect to open networks but you should be aware that data transmitted over the network can be stolen relatively easy. A sophisticated hacker can easily see connected devices and access them.

Think of it this way: many small businesses encourage their employees to put documents or files into a shared folder on a computer that anyone connected to the network can access. If some of these files are on a laptop you take out of the office, and no file sharing restrictions have been set, they will be shared with users of any network you connect to. If that network is unsecure, your files are fair game whether you like it or not.

It’s a good idea to connect to public networks that require passwords when possible, as they tend to be more secure. Many public networks have a legal disclaimer stating network use and security. It pays to read these before connecting.

Turn Wi-Fi off We don’t mean you should turn your Wi-Fi off permanently, rather, when you’re not using your device, or are connected to another network, e.g., mobile data, turn your Wi-Fi connection off. If you have Wi-Fi on while connected to another network, your device can and will actively search for networks to connect to and often connect to an unsecure network, unintentionally exposing your information.

Use HTTPS when possible HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). In layman's terms this is a website that has been built with security of user’s data in mind. Many popular websites have a HTTPS version that can be accessed by typing in https://www.sitename.com. Using HTTPS makes websites a lot harder to hack, and it’s a good idea to get into the habit of using them when on a public network or connected to Wi-Fi outside of the office.

Use data not public hotspots Hotspots are public Wi-Fi connections usually provided by a company e.g., many coffee shops have Wi-Fi, this is a hotspot. These can be unsafe, so it’s much better to invest in a data connection for your device, or a mobile Internet stick, which are considerably safer as the data is encrypted before it’s transferred from the cell tower to your device.

Use a VPN A Virtual Private Network - VPN - connects multiple computers in different locations to the same network via the Internet. Many companies use this to connect and share data with satellite offices, as the data is encrypted and secure. The main benefit to VPNs is that you can connect to a public Wi-Fi network, and transfer data securely using the network’s bandwidth. Many businesses use some form of VPN, which makes it easy for you to keep your business data secure while out of the office.

There are also VPNs that allow you to securely access the Internet via a public Wi-Fi connection, while encrypting all data sent and making your computer anonymous. It’s recommended that if you’re out of the office a lot, to look into a VPN and follow these other tips. If you’re interested, we may have a solution for you, so please contact us.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Google calms sweet tooth with Jelly Bean

Posted on: July 11th, 2012

If there’s one thing smartphone users love, it’s updates to a newer version of their operating system. In late June Google announced the next incremental update to their Android operating system, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Amid cheers from the attendees at Google’s I/O conference, the new features of Jelly Bean were introduced.

Here’s an overview of Jelly Bean’s new features.

  1. Location based help. Google aims to make your phone smarter with this feature. Using location services like GPS, your phone will update you with relevant information. For example, you’re going to a meeting, using your phone’s GPS, your phone will keep you up-to-date with traffic reports and suggest quicker roots. This could be a useful service for users who have to travel a lot.
  2. Faster interface. Dubbed Project Butter, Google touts an update to the user interface that makes it “smooth as butter.” Essentially using your phone will be a smoother and faster experience compared with older versions. They even noted that less battery power will be used due to a new feature that guesses where you’ll click next.
  3. More intuitive home screen. The home screen - the place where all your icons are - has had a bit of an adjustment as well. Previously, you had to make space for new apps and widgets. With Jelly Bean you place one on your screen, and the others will be rearranged so it can fit. Beyond that, If you don’t want an app on your screen, simply flick it off.
  4. Voice search engine. One of the most promising smartphone features of the past few years is using your voice to interact with your phone. Apple popularized the trend with Siri, now Google has introduced a similar service, and improved it. When you search for something, the result will be returned in a card, swiping to the right will show the full search result. Beyond that, you’ll also be able to use your voice for typing, even if you’re offline.
  5. Better notifications. Notifications on the Android have been upgraded, with more information and live updates being introduced. Receive an email, pull down the notification page and be able to reply to it directly, no need to open the mail app. Another cool feature is with the calendar notification. If you’re running late, bring up the notification and email all attendees a canned response, all without opening calendar or email.
These are just a few of the new features that will be introduced with Jelly Bean. Businesses who use Android as their mobile OS will no doubt see some value in the upgrades. The most notable is a better user experience that could make employees happier with their devices and therefore, more productive.

Google noted it should be available by OTA (Over The Air) updates for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom sometime in the middle of July, and for other phones by the end of 2012. If you’d like to learn more about how an Android device will fit into your organization, please call us.

Update: As of July 10, 2012, Jelly Bean has entered Open Source, which means it’s finished and phone companies and developers can access it to begin to modify it to meet their needs.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

iPad app replaces your old POS

Posted on: July 6th, 2012

The Apple iPad is one of the most important technological devices of the decade, with many small businesses adopting it for daily use. As the platform matures, app developers are starting to introduce apps specifically for small businesses. One such app turns the standard iPad into a point of sale (POS) system, allowing you to replace your clunky old register while being able to accept mobile payments.

The system is called Square and is a series of apps that turn your iPad into a point of sale system, similar to standard touch screen point of sale systems already in use by many small businesses.

How Square works There are essentially three different aspects to the Square system. The central aspect is the iPad app called Square Register. You, the shop owner, install the app and begin by adding your inventory. You set the price, sales tax and the category the item belongs in. When a customer wants to buy something, your employee selects the item and starts the transaction. As you can connect both a printer and cash drawer to the system, it works just like any other point of sale system.

The second aspect of the Square system is the card reader. The vast majority of customers prefer to use debit, credit or ATM cards instead of cash. For these situations, Square provides a card reader that plugs into the iPad’s headphone jack. Simply swipe the card through the reader, as you would with normal systems. What’s cool about this is the card reader also works on Android and iPhones, which makes the system portable.

The third aspect is rewards. Using Square Register you can set up a rewards program for return customers, while providing them with yet another way to pay. The client downloads the Pay with Square app, links their credit card to the app and is able to open a tab with you. When they buy something, you can bill their account directly. When they use the app to pay for something, the reward program is updated and they receive a receipt by email or SMS.

What’s the catch? While Square sounds like a viable system, and is a theoretically great idea, there are some things you should be aware of. First, merchants pay a flat transaction fee of 2.75% each time a card is swiped. If you manually enter a payment, or if a customer uses cash, the fee is slightly higher. While this may seem a bit steep, the upside to it is there’s no monthly fee or commitment. you just pay the flat fee.

The other thing to be aware of is Square does put holds on transactions of over USD $1,000 if the credit card information is keyed in, this is a weekly limit. In other words, if an employee manually enters a credit card number for a purchase of $1,500, $500 will be held by Square for 30 days. This isn’t ideal for businesses that manually enter credit card numbers.

This system is a good option for the small business owner looking to replace their current point of sale system, while at the same time integrating the iPad into their business environment. This is also a good option for a company looking to mobilize their business. If you have any more questions about Square or other similar options for the iPad please contact us.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Stop! Time to backup your Android tablet

Posted on: July 5th, 2012

The tablet computer, a cross between a computer and a smartphone, is arguably of the most important new age device. One of the most popular tablet operating systems is Android with a wide variety of tablets available from a number of different manufacturers. While there are many different Android tablets, there is one thing all users should be doing, backing it up.

Here’s three different methods you can use to backup your Android tablet.

Method 1: built-in backup If your tablet is running Android OS 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), you can backup tablet settings and application data to Google’s servers by opening Settings, scrolling down toPersonal and selecting Backup & reset. If you can’t find Personal, open Settings and scroll down to Privacy. In both windows, select Backup my data. Your data will be stored on Google’s servers and if you select Automatic Restore, your tablet will automatically restore data when you instruct it to do so e.g., during a factory reset.

Method 2: use a third party app For many, the built-in backup is enough, but, there are some users who want a more robust option, or would prefer to backup their data onto a hard drive. To do so, you can use a third party app like MyBackup Pro, which allows you to backup both applications and data. The data is stored on your tablets SD card, or on a server. When you need to restore your device, reinstall the application and press Restore. This option is also referred to as local backup.

Method 3: cloud backup If you’re not too picky about your applications, but are more worried about documents you could back them up using a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox. These services sync with your tablet and will store important documents in the cloud, giving you access regardless of the device you’re using. To use these apps, first install them and then go to Settings followed by Accounts and sync. Tap the program name to be given upload options.

It’s recommended to, at the very least, use method 1. For maximum effectiveness, use a combination of all three. If you’re unsure of which method you should be using for the Android tablets in your company, please contact us, we can help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Perfect headings and TOC for the win

Posted on: July 4th, 2012

When using an office suite like Microsoft Word to produce a longer document, small business owners have some great features at their disposal to make professional documents. One of the keys to a professional looking document is that it needs to be properly formatted. many professional reports use a format that includes a Table of Contents (TOC) and headings.

Here’s how you can add and modify headings to your document and have Word create a Table of Contents for you.

Assign headings Many users will just bold titles and change the size of each heading to denote different levels of heading i.e., main headings are bold with a 16 point font, subheadings are bold with 14 point font and text is 12 point font. It’s recommended that you do this while writing the report so you can keep track of what’s what in your report.

When you’ve finished the report and have your headings and subheadings in place, it’s time to apply a heading style to them. First highlight your top level headings (not the main title of the report, but the headings for the main sections). On the Home tab, locate Styles and select Heading 1.

For second level headings, or subheadings, highlight and apply Heading 2. Subheadings thereafter follow the same structure. The reason for doing this is that it will help Word create a TOC that’s properly structured and has links that will take a user to the section when clicked.

If the headline styles Word applies don’t appeal to you, you can change it by going to the Styles group, pressing the grey arrow so the drop down menu opens. Right-click on the heading style you’d like to change and select Modify. You can also hit Ctrl-Shift-S. A window will open which allows you to customize the heading. Press Ok and Word will automatically change all headings that have that style. Note: changes made to a heading style will be saved.

Build a Table of Contents Once you’ve assigned styles to headlines and modified them to meet your needs, you can get Word to insert/build a TOC. First select where you’d like it to go, and make a little space - one blank line above and below should be enough. Click References from the menu at the top of the window, and select Table of Contents. Pick the format you’d like and Word will create the TOC for you.

It’s generally a good idea to apply the heading styles and Table of Contents after you’ve finished the document. If you do need to make changes to the document, you’ll need to update the TOC by right-clicking anywhere on it and selecting Update.

A consistently formatted document goes a long way in impressing external investors or parties, in fact, many now expect a readable document. If your company produces sloppily formatted documents that are hard to read, you could risk losing business. If you would like to learn more about Microsoft Word or other Microsoft Office products, please contact us.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.