Do You Have A Social Media Policy?

Do You Have A Social Media Policy?

 

If you haven't got around to creating a Social Media Policy for your employees, or, if you haven't reviewed your policy for more than a year, then now would be a good time to start.

Social media is growing by leaps and bounds. You can't ignore it, you can't control it, and you can't just let it happen naturally. Social media is getting more complex, pervasive, and not giving your employees direction could end up being dangerous to your brand.

Your employees are your best brand advocates. Make it easy and non-threatening for them to talk about your business on the social web by providing simple guidelines for them to follow. You can find an excellent directory of well-known company social media and blogging policies HERE on About.com. You can benchmark your own polices against what you find in order to develop, or enhance, your own business' guidelines.

Here are a few tips:

1. Adhere to the Code of Business Conduct and the policies set out in your employee manuals. Now is a good time to review policies with your employees.
2. Employees are responsible for their actions. Anything an employee posts that can potentially tarnish the Company's image will ultimately be their responsibility. Use common sense, social media is not where and employee should deal with complaints.
3. Let subject matter experts respond to negative posts. If you see something online, point it out to the person or group in charge of social media. (You do have someone in charge of social media, don't you?)
4. Be conscious when mixing your business and personal lives. Everything posted on line is public, and you can't take it back.
5. All employees who wish to officially represent your company online should be certified and trained.
6. Fully disclose your affiliation with your company, be transparent.
7. When in doubt, do not post
8. Give credit where credit is due and don't violate other's rights, copyrights and trademarks
9. Remember that your local posts have global significance, what you post today will be seen by other cultures on the other side of the world tomorrow. Different cultures have different ideas of what is acceptable behaviour.
10. Know that the Internet is permanent. Once information is published online it is essentially part of a global permanent record, even if you delete it. The Internet "remembers" everything.

Article thanks to Kim Fletcher

Intel Envisions the Rise of an entirely new kind of laptop, the Ultrabook

Ultrabooks are the future of mobile computing, according to Intel. The company says thin, lightweight notebook computers from manufacturers like Apple, Lenovo and Acer are on the way, and they're going to take a huge chunk of the laptop market. An Ultrabook, according to Intel, features long battery life, a thin profile, no optical drive and, of course, specially designed Intel processors.

Intel has unveiled details of its plans for the breed of super-thin, rapid-on, tablet-like laptops which it calls "Ultrabooks".

The computer chip giant expects Ultrabooks to take over 40 percent of the laptop market within six to nine months. The new super-thin laptops run on Intel's Sandy Bridge processor. The models will include a new edition of the Apple MacBook Air, the Samsung Series 9, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 and the Asus UX21. Ultrabooks will begin shipping as early as this year's holiday season.

New features, which could launch Ultrabooks as a new subset of PCs, include Smart Connect and Rapid Start Ideal features for a small business owner or manager.

Smart Connect, according to Intel, is a new form of updating which can reload sites such as Twitter and Facebook and will function even if the computer is in sleep mode.

Rapid Start takes advantage of on-board flash memory to speed up start-up times to mere seconds. Even if the computer is off and without a battery, it will still recall the programs and data which were open when it was turned off.

Ultrabooks share an extremely thin profile, variants of these instant-on technologies, long battery life, lack of an optical drive and use of the Sandy Bridge processor, according to Intel. The company projects Ultrabooks will sell for under $1,000.

Should you really trust the cloud with your valuable data?

Cloud computing is the latest hottest thing right now, but should you really trust Microsoft, Google, Amazon, or anyone else with your valuable data?

Okay, I am declaring it right here, right now: 2011 is the Year of the Cloud. This buzz word “cloud” is wielded by just about any company that sells a server or an operating system these days. But what exactly are they talking about? What does “cloud” mean and should you trust companies like Microsoft, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, et al when they say the can save you money and keep your data safe?

My approach to technology has always been if something comes along that makes sense and makes my clients lives easier, I will encourage them to adopt it as soon as it is practical. However, the people selling cloud computing and other web-based services have yet to completely convince me the merits of their products and services outweigh the liabilities. Sure the cost savings is there, and the obvious practical benefits are clear, but the risks, oh the risks.

I understand the potential of these services and I am willing to entertain the idea, but there are so many questions unanswered, or worse, glossed over. Just in the past month or so we’ve seen examples of security breakdowns and outages that were very costly for companies that had placed their critical functions in the cloud. (Google, Amazon)

Earlier this week, Deb Shinder discussed Microsoft Azure, which is the company’s “cloud services” platform. The striking thing about the post, and the discussion that followed it, was the confounding way Microsoft has presented the product. Much of the discussion reflected confusion, uncertainty, and mistrust about security, up time, and benefits. And these are my fellow IT professionals expressing those concerns! No as IT professionals we’re usually pretty excited about “new and shiny” so for us to resist there really must be a legitimate worry.

Is it any wonder that a survey by The Small Business Authority shows that 71% of small business owners had never heard of cloud computing? For those of us in information technology that number may seem staggering since we have been talking about the general concept for years, but it shows that the companies selling cloud services have not been communicating effectively with my clients, the small businesses.

All of this uncertainty needs to be addressed before we get the mass adoption of cloud computing services that many are predicting. And the first uncertainty that needs to be addressed is trust.
So I am asking them, Should we trust cloud computing services? Can I be assured that your data is safe in these systems? And, I’d be happy to share my opinion with you as an IT professional, and tell you, can you (should you) trust these services?

If you’re looking for more details on cloud computing services I’d be happy to discuss.

Mac's Getting Viruses? I'm afraid so.

For years, Mac owners have watched Windows users struggle with viruses and spyware. Mac owners laughed at Windows users. Apple even released commercials to this effect. You see, Macs were free from the malware, spyware and viruses that have plagued Windows users.

Note that I used past tense. Those days are over. If you own a Mac, you are now being targeted by the online miscreants and criminals.

There is no magical feature that makes Macs impervious to online threats.

Malware developers have traditionally targeted Windows purely for economic reasons. Windows is the dominant operating system. There are more people using Windows than Macs. A virus written for Windows will affect more machines, which means greater profits. With such a small Market share, it didn't make sense to develop viruses for a computer less than 10% of the world was using.

Back in 2008, a researcher made an interesting prediction: Attackers would target the Mac when its market share reached 16 percent. The Mac's market share is currently around 16 percent in the United States and Canada. Lo and behold, we're starting to see malware targeting Macs.

Criminals have released a kit for creating malware that targets Mac OS X. MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity are the first programs to come out of this kit. But they certainly won't be the last.

In fact, just yesterday, the MacDefender creators released a variant called MacGuard.

MacDefender is the first example of rogueware to appear on a Mac. Rogueware, or scareware, is fake antivirus that claims your computer is infected. These programs have been affecting Windows users for years.

Clicking a malicious Web link can infect your machine with MacDefender. Hackers like using links that look like popular news stories. They also push infected images in Google's Image Search.

Clicking a bad link or photo takes you to a malicious website. Clicking any link on the site downloads MacDefender.

There are some ways you can stay safe. Only click on links from legitimate websites. If you find yourself on a suspicious-looking site, leave without clicking anything.

Apple's Mac computers are a brilliant blend of style and function. If you're in the market for a new computer, definitely consider one. But keep me mind the advantage that Mac's used to have over PC's of being virus and spyware free no longer applies, it's a fair playing field now. See Last weeks article for more great Mac Vs. PC in the business world discussion.

Are Mac's for Business Too?

A small business client recently asked: Are macs a cost-effective way to go for my business needs? What are the pros and cons?

My Answer has been pretty consistent for years, even as new Macs hit the market and new Operating Systems offer ever more features our go to answer is still the old reliable, it depends.

To a great extent, it depends on the size and type of business, but I can give you a few general pros and cons.

Macs typically cost more upfront, but can save in maintenance costs because they aren’t susceptible to most malicious software attacks like viruses and spyware.

Like Windows PCs, they work with well with Microsoft Office Applications and even Microsoft Exchange email server. They run most standard productivity software, like Microsoft Office, and can access most online business sites and services.

The one caveat is that there aren't any "mainstream" accounting applications for Mac, sure there are some, but you won't find the big guys (the ones your BookKeeper and Accountant already know).

There are also many niche business applications that are written for Windows only that you just can't get on a Mac.

You can overcome this by running Windows on a Mac for the occasional program. But if your business would best operate using software that is only for Windows, you’d likely be better off with a Windows machine.

In Short the Mac does have it's advantages especially for those in the graphic arts, music arts or video production fields, but even the best graphic designers I know, still have  a PC sitting in a corner somewhere for email and accounting.

Next Week, What about iPad for business?

Watch out for fake virus alerts

Rogue security software, also known as "scareware," is software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure users into participating in fraudulent transactions.

How does rogue security software get on my computer?

Rogue security software designers create legitimate looking pop-up windows that advertise security update software. These windows might appear on your screen while you surf the web.
The "updates" or "alerts" in the pop-up windows call for you to take some sort of action, such as clicking to install the software, accept recommended updates, or remove unwanted viruses or spyware. When you click, the rogue security software downloads to your computer.
Rogue security software might also appear in the list of search results when you are searching for trustworthy antispyware software, so it is important to protect your computer.

What does rogue security software do?

Rogue security software might report a virus, even though your computer is actually clean. The software might also fail to report viruses when your computer is infected. Inversely, sometimes, when you download rogue security software, it will install a virus or other malicious software on your computer so that the software has something to detect.
Some rogue security software might also:

• Lure you into a fraudulent transaction (for example, upgrading to a non-existent paid version of a program).
• Use social engineering to steal your personal information.
• Install malware that can go undetected as it steals your data.
• Launch pop-up windows with false or misleading alerts.
• Slow your computer or corrupt files.
• Disable Windows updates or disable updates to legitimate antivirus software.
• Prevent you from visiting antivirus vendor websites.

Rogue security software might also attempt to spoof the Microsoft security update process. Here's an example of rogue security software that's disguised as a Microsoft alert but that doesn't come from Microsoft.

Example of a warning from a rogue security program known as AntivirusXP.
For more information about this threat, including analysis, prevention and recovery, see the Trojan:Win32/Antivirusxp entry in the Microsoft Malware Protection Center encyclopedia.
Here is the legitimate Microsoft Windows Security Center:

Screenshot of legitimate Microsoft Windows Security Center.

To help protect yourself from rogue security software:

• Install a firewall and keep it turned on.
• Use automatic updating to keep your operating system and software up to date.
• Install antivirus and antispyware software such as Microsoft Security Essentials and keep it updated. For links to other antivirus programs that work with Microsoft, see Microsoft Help and Support List of Antivirus Vendors.
• If your antivirus software does not include antispyware software, you should install a separate antispyware program such as Windows Defender and keep it updated. (Windows Defender is available as a free download for Windows XP and is included in Windows Vista.)
• Use caution when you click links in email or on social networking websites.
• Use a standard user account instead of an administrator account.
• Familiarize yourself with common phishing scams.

If you think you might have rogue security software on your computer disconnect yourself from the internet immediately and give us a call at Outhouse IT, the longer it's on your PC uninhibited with internet access the more harm it can do.

Give us a call 905-366-8234

Newest online scam are "tainted" images

Never let it be said that scammers aren't innovative. The latest scam to come across the web are "tainted" images from a Google Images search. 

What happens is that certain images on click will redirect you to sites you didn't want to go to in order to sell you something you didn't want, or in more extreme instances leading to what's known as "scareware" sites to try and scam you into installing malicious software on your computer.

The next time you perform an image search, be cautious because it will take time for Google to index the bad stuff and filter it out appropriately.Of course, a good anti-virus will protect you in most cases, but it's still better not to travel down the dangerous path if it can be avoided!

Social media marketing for Disaster Restoration Contractors

Scott Kendall of The Technology Coach has been invited to speak at the Disaster Restoration Contractors annual conference in Toronto may 12th

Scott's popular talk on Social media advertising is always a hit, full of real world practical advice for small business owners on making the most of small business marketing budgets through the use of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.



All restoration industry professionals
Insurance Professionals
Environmental Engineers
Abatement Contractors
General Contractors wanting to learn more about the industry
Carpet Cleaners wanting to learn more about Water Damage

The top 3 reasons to attend the DRC Show: Network:

Join hundreds of industry professionals at Canada’s only Restoration Show.

DRC Sessions that are tailored for all:

Track O – Owners and Managers
Track M – Marketing & Sales
Track T – Technical
Track C – Contents
Track T1 & T2 – Technical
Track D – Commercial Drying

Great Line up of Exhibitors including our Green Aisle:

What other show allows you to stay up to date on restoration products, equipment and services all under one roof? The DRC Show has become the Primary Purchasing Show for restoration contractors so come prepared to save!

This easter Protect Your Electronics From Dust Bunny Infestation!

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the upcoming Easter egg hunt which was tradition for the family. As the adults prepared lunch in the kitchen, the children scampered about in the yard. Sounds of glee filled the air as they innocently ran around, everyone happy as can be. All while unaware of the impending Attack of the Evil Easter Dust Bunnies!

Dust bunnies are small clumps of dust that form under furniture and in corners that are not cleaned regularly. They are made of hair, lint, dead skin, spider web, dust, and sometimes light rubbish and debris, and are held together by static electricity and felt-like entanglement.

This special report on the effect of dust on electronics reveals some startling facts. It discusses how dust can block vents or insulate components internally to cause overheating of some of the higher power PC components like the CPU which can go up nearly 30o F. It can also create problems with mechanical components, like fans and optical drives.Worst of all it can collect on hard drive connectors and components causing overheating and data loss!

Test show that the temperature increases due to a build-up of dust causing an increase in temperature can lead to complete and abrupt failure.

The keyboard and mouse are also affected by dust. Though these are easy to replace items, their
reliability can degrade rapidly when infused with dust. Stuck keys and “sticky” mouse operation are most frustrating to operators and can create both errors and productivity loss.


Slowing things down, reducing your computer lifespan and generally causing freezing, crashing and other annoying and unproductive technology problems. Damn those bunnies!

Dust can cause irreversible harm to computer electronics and its associated electromechanical components. Without protection from dust, serious computer errors, loss of information, or complete failure can result.

So this spring, as you're thinking of cleaning the garage, the attic or the office, think also of your technology and give us a call, we'd be happy to complete a on-site system tuneup at your office and ensure you're running in tip top shape!

Two Ways Old Technology Hurts Your Business. Get Rid Of It As Soon As You Can

I can appreciate that with all the challenges you face as a small business owner, the idea of holding on to what works, for as long as it keeps working, seems to be a good one. After all, why shouldn’t you keep that ten year old printer?

You can still get ink for it online at that specialty dealer in buffal, and it prints just fine. Or how about that 8 year old laptop, sure it’s not quite as fast as some of the newer models but it gets the job done right?

The powers that be in the tech world are ever pushing new advancements to drive sales and profits and you don’t want to contribute to this vicious cycle! I empathize with you. I too like to squeeze the last drop of productivity out of the things which I have invested. But lets consider some of the potential downside to holding on to technology too long.

Reliability: The cold hard truth is that things are designed to last for only a certain range of time. We have all come to know the term “built in obsolescence”. This is not to say that you can’t push these limits, but once you start down this road you are rolling the dice on uptime and overall performance. If any of these devices are involved with “mission critical” functions within your organization than you may be taking a risk without the appropriate level of reward in return. Most tech related devices have a lifespan of three to five years. If you take this into consideration ahead of time it is possible to budget for the necessary upgrades instead of having to face a crisis.

Productivity: This is a huge area of discussion because it is often difficult to measure. In the section above I mention “Mission Critical” functions. So, for example, we can look at a File or Email Server that is past its prime of 3 years. In the fourth year there are sporadic performance issues that ultimately lead to the need for replacement. If this results in a server down scenario then it is easy to count the number of hours that productivity has been halted. What is more difficult to measure is the loss of time and productivity during the periods when the server was not operating at peak efficiency. These losses could be the result of slower speeds, frequent need for techs to reboot server, email outages, etc.

When we look at productivity issues for “Non Mission Critical” machines we find similar problems. I am consistently amazed to discover the inventive and ingenious methods workers employ in an effort to overcome technical stumbling blocks to complete their job functions. I am oft reminded of the days when the youngest family member would have to stand in a specific position with “tin folied” antenna in hand to get the perfect television reception. While these “work-arounds” are commendable, they are also great productivity killers that can be largely avoided with the proper technology in place to get the job done.

So is your technology "getting the job done"? Is it as productive as it could or should be?

Give us a call at Outhouse IT we'd be happy to help you complete a small business technology assessment and see where you really stand.

Twilight Game Scam Spreading on Facebook [WARNING]

If you’ve been tagged in a Facebook friend’s photo album or seen a link promoting a Twilight: Breaking Dawn game, be careful. It is likely a scam designed to spread on Facebook and grab your personal data.

If you click on the link, you’ll be invited to start playing the game. If you’re using Facebook HTTPS, you will first be prompted to switch to a regular connection, which should alarm some users.

This particular scheme will make you “Like” the game without your permission, and it will show on your Wall, thus allowing it to spread further.


If you continue, you will be asked to give permission to a Facebook App, and finally you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire with some personal data.

As always, you should definitely avoid clicking on suspicious links such as these and verify each app before you give it additional permissions on Facebook.

If you’ve fallen prey to this scheme already, you should delete any spam posts you may have inadvertently sent. Then, go through your security settings and revoke any access for apps you don’t recall signing up for.

For more info on how to get rid of Facebook scams like this one, check out this guide.

Windows 7 finally overtakes Windows XP’s desktops

According to the latest results of the desktop OS market share in the US for April 2011 collected by StatCounter, it looks like people are finally leaving Windows XP behind and getting an upgrade to Windows 7.

For the first time since it became the most popular operating system around, Windows XP’s market share has been trumped by Windows 7.

Windows 7 is now used on 31.71% of desktops in the US, while Windows XP has dropped to 31.56%.

Now the lead isn’t a lot but it does show that Windows XP has finally peaked and is on its way out now.

Windows Vista is at third place with 19.07%, Mac OS X at fourth with 14.87%, Linux is last with 0.70% and Other/miscellaneous operating systems make up 2.09% of the chart.

Importance of note is the increase in Mac OS which sat at less than 10% for many, many years, but now enjoys a much healthier percentage.

It's important to note that this chart does NOT non-Desktop/Laptops so don't be surprised that the iPhone OS (iOS), blackberry and even Android aren't listed.

Is your business still running windows XP applications? Does it need to be? Some applications previously only windows XP compatible are now fully functional in a windows 7 environment and with the added security and protection Win7 offers over XP it's worth a look.

While we've done our best in the past to help clients find windows XP computers from suppliers even up until the end of 2010, it's now almost impossible to find NEW copies of XP, sure you can go used, off lease or refurbished, but new, Windows XP is just not available in the marketplace for purchase anymore. Even our might netbooks are now windows 7 starter edition.

So, is your business getting everything it can and should be out of it's operating system? Give us a call at Outhouse IT, we're here to help.

Clean the C&@# out of your computer with CCleaner.

There are a lot of tools out there that handle a lot of tasks, from antivirus tools that also clean your drive of temporary files and make you coffee to tools that promise to “make your computer faster.”

But as far as I’m concerned, few tools can make as much of a difference as Ccleaner, at least on a machine that’s not infected by a virus or malware.

Ccleaner is easy to use and will keep your computer cleaner, more secure, and running faster. It achieves this by safely removing temporary Internet files (and other means of tracing Internet activity), cleaning up the Windows registry, and removing temporary files and recent file lists (MRUs) from various applications.

But even though Ccleaner is a simple tool to use, that doesn’t mean you should just jump in and start cleaning everything without a bit of thought. Here are some things all users should consider before and during the use of this powerful tool.

1: Analyze before running the Cleaner

I know a lot of admins who just fire up Ccleaner and hit the Run Cleaner button without doing an analysis first. Yes, this is a fast method of getting rid of temporary Internet files. But there’s no way of knowing what’s going to be deleted (until it’s deleted) and there’s no way of knowing how much free space the deletion is going to create. Make sure you hit the Analyze button first. Then, after you read the report, hit the Run Cleaner button. Using Ccleaner this way ensures that nothing is deleted that shouldn’t be deleted. Also, after you run the analyzer, you can look at detailed information (by application) and then add exceptions directly from the list.

2: Set up cookies you want to keep

When you run the Cleaner, cookies are deleted. By default, cookies are retained from Google and Yahoo, but other cookies might need to be retained. To manage this, click on the Options tab and then on the Cookies button. From that window, any cookie currently on the system can be selectively added to the exclusion list. By adding these exclusions, you don’t have to worry about important cookies disappearing after each run of Ccleaner.

3: Always back up the registry

No matter how reliable Ccleaner is and no matter how many successful registry cleanups it does, never do a cleanup without first backing up the registry. Ccleaner will go so far as to remind you to back up the registry every time you run a registry cleanup. If the registry is not backed up, one of those corrupt or missing registry keys that Ccleaner fixes might not really have needed fixing. If that key is then broken and was not backed up, the issue caused by Ccleaner could become catastrophic. Fortunately, Ccleaner makes backing up the registry as simple as a couple of clicks.

4: Use the tools to manage startup applications

Ccleaner comes with a bonus: It lets you enable, disable, or remove programs from startup. I have always found this method of managing startup applications far easier than using the standard Windows method. What I like most about this feature is that startup applications can be enabled and disabled without removing them completely. This means if you need to temporarily prevent an application from starting up, it’s easy to do by going into the Tools tab, clicking the Startup button, selecting the application to be enabled/disabled, and clicking the appropriate button. When the application needs to be re-enabled/disabled, reverse the process.

5: Use the uninstaller

One of the best aspects of Ccleaner is the ability to remove applications from within it. It typically just starts the uninstaller, but I have found that running the application uninstaller this way ends with fewer registry issues than when I uninstall from the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool. And if there are registry issues after the uninstall, registry cleanup is only a couple of clicks away.

Great tool, used wisely

Ccleaner is more than just a tool to clean the registry or empty a computer of temporary Internet files. It also makes it easy to remove applications from startup and remove applications from the machine. Just make sure you use this powerful tool intelligently to avoid rendering your machine unusable. While they try to make it difficult to make mistakes, it is possible to render your computer unuseable by running some of the tasks ccleaner offers, so if you're not sure, err on the side of caution. And if you want to make the most of your technology, give us a call at Outhouse IT, it's what we do.

Online Fax Security

The security of fax transmissions is especially important to healthcare, legal, and financial entities. Even occasional users may wonder if Internet faxing, despite its many advantages, is secure enough to protect their confidentiality and that of their clients. The answer is, it depends...
First, let's compare Internet fax security to the security of normal fax transmissions over phone lines.

Both are susceptible to eavesdropping and diversion of transmissions, unless special precautions are taken. In the case of Internet faxes, encrypting a digital transmission or uploading it to a fax server over an encrypted Web connection provide good protection against interceptions. You should make sure that these security features are supported in any Internet fax service you consider.

Faxzero, an online faxing service I recommend, does encrypt all data before transferring it to their fax servers. In addition, their privacy policy states that they will not release personal information (such as your name, fax number or email address), nor information about the people you send faxes to, unless a court order compels them to do so. 

Email-to-fax services can be spoofed, meaning someone can fake your email address in a message header and send faxes in your name. If you pay for Internet fax service that means you may be stuck with someone else's fax bill. A good Internet fax service sends a confirmation email back to the sender's email address with every fax it sends, providing an alert that an unauthorized fax was sent using your account. 

Digital Delivery Offers Enhanced Fax Security

Normal faxes end up printed and deposited in a fax machine's receiving tray, where they lie until someone comes to retrieve them. These paper copies are exposed to everyone who has access to the fax machine, and may be accidentally read by people searching for their own faxes in the stack. Email-based Internet fax delivers faxes directly to the addressee's inbox (instead of a fax machine), where it's less likely to be seen by others.

Another security scheme stores received faxes on an online server. An email notice sent to the addressee contains a web link which points to the digital fax document. When clicked, the link opens a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection to retrieve the document and display it in a browser, from which the recipient can save or print a copy. So the faxed document is never exposed on an unsecured connection.

Redundant security can be provided by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to establish exclusive connections over the Internet. Coupled with encrypted fax documents and PGP digital signatures, VPNs may be overkill when it comes to secure Internet faxing.

It's hard to control the security implemented by business partners. If you send an Internet fax to a partner's fax machine number, the printout is subject to the security vulnerabilities noted above. If possible, you should get your partners to use a more secure all-digital Internet fax solution such as fax-to-email or the SSL method described above. Hopefully, they're just as concerned with security as you are.

Bottom line, my take is that internet faxing is more secure than using good old-fashioned office fax machines, because encryption is typically NOT used when sending from one machine to another. Faxes travel across the public telephone network, and are subject to potential interception by motivated hackers. But because encryption is used by online fax services, and faxes can be delivered directly to the recipient's inbox, online faxing is a more secure option.

Two Weeks After Japan Earthquake, IT Industry Faces Hurdles

Two weeks have passed since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami rocked eastern Japan, and while a recovery among the country's technology manufacturers has begun, it could be several months before things start to normalize.

Many factories were closed immediately following the quake, and most have been gradually returning to production in the last week. A handful of plants were hit harder and could be offline for months.

Companies face a daunting task.

Japan's biggest earthquake ever recorded, and the tsunami it spawned, left more than 10,000 people dead and an even larger number missing; several nuclear power plants remain in emergency condition and continue to spew radioactive contamination to the environment; hundreds of thousands are homeless; and the economy is being forced to adapt to power failures and supply disruptions. The end of the disaster is still not in sight.

For IT companies, the loss of production at these plants could have widespread effects on the electronics industry.

Texas Instruments' plant in Miho, northeast of Tokyo, is one of the factories that was hard hit. The plant, which produced chips and DLP devices for projectors, suffered "substantial damage" and it won't be until May when partial production resumes. Full production is not due until mid-July, and that could be further delayed by power problems, the company said.

Toshiba estimates production at its mobile phone display factory in Saitama, north of Tokyo, will be stopped for a month because of damage sustained in the earthquake.

Further north in Miyagi prefecture, a number of factories near the quake-hit city of Sendai suffered high levels of damage.

A Sony plant responsible for magnetic tape and Blu-ray Discs was inundated with water when a tsunami washed through the town of Tagajyo and is one of six Sony plants currently idle. Two Nikon plants were severely damaged and won't be back online until at least the end of March. And Fujitsu's major chip plant in Aizu Wakamatsu is still closed with no estimate of when production will begin again.

But some of the potentially biggest disruptions could come from the closure of two plants run by Shin-Etsu Chemical. Although not a well-known name to consumers, the company is a major supplier of silicon wafers. One of the halted plants, its Shirakawa facility in Fukushima prefecture, is responsible for around 20 percent of the world's supply of such wafers, according to IHS iSuppli.

"The wafers made by this facility mainly are used in the manufacturing of memory devices, such as flash memory and DRAM," said Len Jelinek, an IHS iSuppli analyst, in a statement. "Because of this, the global supply of memory semiconductors will be impacted the most severely of any segment of the chip industry by the production stoppage."

The knock-on effects of the quake to the global supply chain are already being felt.

Sony suspended production of Bravia LCD televisions, digital cameras and other products at five factories far from the quake zone because it can't get raw materials and components. Suppliers are unable to deliver because of either quake and tsunami damage or because of disruptions to the distribution network.

Industries beyond consumer electronics are also likely to feel the effects of these problems.

The automobile industry is a big customer of chip companies and the products it buys are often custom-made.

"Products like microcontrollers and DSPs can't simply be swapped out for another chip, whether from the same vendor or another," said Tom Starnes, an embedded processor analyst at Objective Analysis in Austin, Texas. "The programs aren't easily transferable between processors, and even changing other chips like analog may introduce cost, quality, or reliability issues not originally anticipated."

The long-term effect on Japanese electronics manufacturers and the supply chain remains difficult to gauge. Several major companies have said they will delay the hiring of new workers, usually done on April 1, and some have adjusted or canceled dividend payments to shareholders. While a nascent recovery appears to be underway and some factories are coming back online, it will be weeks before the full extent of damage to the global IT supply chain becomes clearer.

Technology supply chain facing shortages and delays at hands of Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The continuing natural disaster in Japan has severely hindered the manufacture of basic components used in everything from computers to smart phones, increasing the likelihood that some of the world’s biggest technology companies will face product shortages and delays.

“You will see shortages of everything from screens to memory, and with it, an increase in prices,” said an analyst in Boston.

Japan is the world’s biggest supplier of silicon used to make semiconductor chips and this could result in significant shortages of certain electronic components, potentially causing pricing for these devices to increase dramatically,”

Because most semiconductor producers keep about two weeks’ worth of inventory on hand, the market likely won’t feel a pinch until the end of the month.

“Before the disaster, semiconductor inventories in the global semiconductor supply chain were at high levels. The Japanese earthquake will cause the appearance of shortages to be delayed by a matter of weeks.”

Much of the disruption is a result of shipping and logistics issues, rather than damage to Japanese manufacturing sites. Many companies will have problems getting material and employees in and out of their factories. In addition, some companies are shutting down production at some facilities voluntarily, in order to reduce the pressure on Japan’s battered power grid.

Japan is a vital hub in the manufacture of components necessary to make technology such as flash memory and dynamic random access memory, which are key parts of most computing devices. Flash memory, specifically, has become increasingly popular in recent years, due in large part to a surge in the production of mobile devices such as tablet computers.

Some of the world’s biggest technology manufacturers have announced temporary plant shutdowns. Sony Corp. has suspended operations in at least seven Japanese plants. In addition, the company is assessing damage at several other facilities, while other Sony plants have voluntarily suspended operations to help contain power outages. The suspended operations will have an impact on the production of everything from lithium ion batteries to DVDs to semiconductor lasers.

The various delays and interruptions will likely affect almost every corner of the consumer electronics industry. Electronics giant Hitachi Ltd. for instance, confirmed damage at six of its facilities.
According to iSuppli, Hitachi supplies displays for the Nintendo DS hand-held video game system and for LG phones. FujiFilm also announced temporary disruptions to its operations, likely to affect some shipments of digital cameras. Even though the Toshiba Corp. factories that produce memory chips were largely unaffected by the earthquake, the company could still see a drop in shipments because of infrastructure damage in Japan.

In all, the disruptions in Japan’s technology industry could have an effect on everything from the film industry to car stereos.

The unfolding tragedy’s massive impact on industry is especially difficult for the country’s electronics industry because of the precision required to build some technology. Intricate and highly technical components require a rigorous, secure production cycle involving clean rooms free from dust and other impurities. Unlike cars, for example, whose production cycle can be stopped and started, a power failure in the middle of manufacturing chips can ruin an entire shipment.

“Japan will not have enough power to keep all its factories running non-stop and a lot of these manufacturing processes have to run 24/7 – so that’s a major problem,” he said. “It’s inconvenient to Toyota and Nissan, but it’s absolutely devastating to electronics manufacturers.”

Firefox 4: What You Need To Know

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1. Tabs Are On Top

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As with Opera and Chrome, Firefox 4 tabs are placed by default above the search bar instead of below it.

Alex Faaborg, the principal designer on Firefox, created a video to explain the thought behind this decision. The advantages of doing so, he says, are more logical visuals, space efficiency, and accommodation of new features like app tabs and a redesigned notification window that associates the notification with its site’s tab.

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2. App Tabs

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Mozilla 4 allows you to turn any tab into an “App Tab” by right-clicking on it and selecting “Pin as App Tab.”

These tabs stay put in the upper left-hand corner of the browser even as you scroll through your other tabs, which prevents the web applications you return to frequently from getting lost.

When there’s an update on one of the app tab pages, like a new e-mail, Facebook message or Twitter update, the tab glows — rather classy compared to the bouncing, flashing alternatives.

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3. Switch to a Tab Via the Search Bar

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Start typing the address of a website that is already open in a tab, and Firefox 4 will suggest an option to switch to that tab, even when it’s in a different open window. If you’re someone who opens more tabs than you can remember, this feature can help prevent repeats.

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4. Sync Across Multiple Devices

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The ability to sync bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, form fill data, and open tabs across multiple computers and smartphone is built in to Firefox 4.

While similar features have been default in Chrome and Opera for a while, Firefox director of engineering Johnathan Nightingale says that the organization took the time to develop “weapons-grade encryption.”

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5. Panorama

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Panorama (formerly tab candy) now allows you to overview all of your tabs and organize them into groups using a drag and drop interface.

The feature is accessed through an icon in the upper right-hand corner of the browser that opens to a blank workspace and icons for each of your existing tabs. You can create a new group by dragging two icons near each other, move and resize groups, and close all the tabs in a group with one click.