MacDefender – Is it really a virus for mac?

May 19, 2011 – 2:16 pm

Is MacDefender really a virus?

Well, it’s all over the internet, there seems to be a new ‘virus’ in town.  The surprising thing this time is that is for a mac.  Yes, we know, macs don’t get viruses, and we’ve got good news, its not really a virus.

Mac haters, you’ll have to get off your high horse on this one.  MacDefender is more Malware than anything else.  This vastly little program does little more than fool mac users into entering their credit card information in in order to stay “protected”.  DO NOT INPUT YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.  If you have already entered your credit card, call your bank immediately.

Removal of this little program isn’t too bad for even a beginner.  Just follow this link on over to TUAW to learn how to remove it.

Case in point that “If you don’t know what it is, don’t click it or give it your password” is good advice for macs too.

By Michael | Posted in Mac | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Save yourself – from viruses

May 18, 2011 – 9:00 am

(UPDATE:  We should note that we use the term virus to refer to everything from Adware to Malware to Viruses)

Recently, it seems like several times a week that we get calls from both new and existing customers about a virus.  The one that seems most prevalent right now is fake anti-virus programs.  These programs often get installed onto your system from a website popup that claims you have 300+ viruses and you need to click to remove.  If you try and close the window, you get some ominous message like “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR SYSTEM INFECTED?”  As we tell our customers, if you don’t recognize it, don’t click it.  If you are ever unsure about a popup, please feel free to call us and we can log on and have it looked at.

What can you do to help protect yourself?  There are a few simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting viruses.

  1. First, get a reputable anti-virus software, wether that means Avast, Symantec, or your favorite flavor (we happen to hate McAfee and aren’t that impressed with Microsoft Security Essentials right now).  Not having an anti-virus program is like begging the world to make your computer unusable.
  2. Second, don’t browse questionable content or download things you shouldn’t.  What do we mean by that?  Facts are, if you browse pornography, hacking sites, illegal software download sites, and other questionable content, you will get a virus.
  3. Beware of items being given away for free as posted on your Facebook status.  Often, these are another virus that one of your friends has gotten.
  4. Be cautious of domains other than .com .net .org and other common domains in your country.  It seems to be more likely to come on a virus from a .ru than a .com
  5. Don’t open every attachment and link you get.  If someone sends you an email with nothing but a link, contact them and ask about it.  I cannot tell you how many people just open every attachment, I would know, I hear from them a lot.
  6. DO NOT OPEN ANYTHING THAT SAY YOU HAVE A HALLMARK ECARD.  These attachments are always viruses.  If it does not open on one computer, do not proceed to another computer on the network and open it there also.

Those are some quick tips, but those do not guarantee you will not get a virus, it will just limit the frequency and likelihood of getting one.  If you already got a virus and you are at work, unplug the network cable.  Many viruses enjoy going through and infecting every file they can get there hands on (like dd.exe).  Save your company some headache, unplug and call your technician.  If you don’t have a technician, feel free to contact us by clicking here or on contact above

By Michael | Posted in IT, PC | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

The Remote Support Advantage

May 17, 2011 – 6:53 am

 

 

It’s not everyday you wake up to mass panic, but every once and awhile, bad things happen.  Such with the case with one of our clients yesterday.

After spending some time on the road, David decided to let his kids use his work laptop to help keep them calm.  All was going well until they hit their destination and he realized that all the documents that he had been preparing for his next major appointment were GONE.  Sure, depending on the field, quite often you can just recover these or have someone redo it quickly, but not in Dave’s field.  These documents accounted for over 80 hours of work in the past week and a half.  Needless to say, Dave called me panicked.

Queue the importance of remote support.  When Dave called, we put off the lectures about backing up important data and pulled out our superhero capes and set out to get the job done.  Using some very special tools and a bit of ingenuity, we were able to work with dave to recover all of his data.  Luckily his kids had just been clicking around and happen to delete and then empty the recycle bin, but we found them nonetheless.  Had we not been using Bomgar Remote Support Appliances, Dave’s night in California would have been much longer, and needless to say, his client would not of been happy.

Chalk another win up for Remote Support offerings from Inevat, and Dave, back up your data.

By Michael | Posted in IT, Mac, Mac vs PC, PC | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Failure to launch: The Verizon iPhone

February 3, 2011 – 2:12 am

It may just be 0200 in the morning here in Utah, but we have already had a painstakingly difficult, gut-wrenching, brain-numbing experience trying to purchase Verizon iPhones for customer and yes, even ourselves.  Sadly, one hour later not one phone was successfully ordered.  Not saying we didn’t get close, but as soon as the order was ready to process, it failed.

Now the whole process is not the websites fault, as we spent a fair amount of time trying to understand why some of the lines that should have been eligible for upgrades now mysteriously weren’t.  That part, for all we can figure, had more to do with our specific business rep than Verizon itself.

Verizon promised the world that their launch would go on without a hitch, well Verizon we have bad news.  With this big of an issue with just the pre-orders we are beginning to think to ourselves…is this just the launch that is going to have problems, or could Verizon be greatly overestimating their networks capabilities as well?  Perhaps only time will tell, but as for now, we will let Verizon explain to our customers why they won’t be getting iPhones anytime soon.

By Michael | Posted in IT | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

The Verizon iPhone – This changes everything, or does it?

January 14, 2011 – 11:57 am

Chances are you have at least friend that has Verizon and that person has probably not stopped talking about the new Verizon iPhone that comes February 10th.  With all the hype though, there are some very good questions about the phone and Verizon’s service.  Let’s cover some of those questions now.

Antennagate

There was a lot of hype over the antenna problems with the original iPhone 4.  If you ask most of us here we will tell you that the issue was more with the signal calculations than the actual antenna.  The fact did remain though, if you held the iPhone in an ever so specific way, you could make the signal go down.  While there have been some antenna redesigns with the new iPhone, the root problem still exists with the iPhone as it does with all phones.  The truth of the matter however is that you have to hold the iPhone quite unusually to have any problems.  Our verdict:  This isn’t going to be a big issue, so don’t let this sway your decision.

Read More »

By Michael | Posted in IT | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Why your IT staff hates Macs

January 5, 2011 – 11:16 am

Your IT staff hates Macs

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We have been in this field for a while, and uncovered hundreds of Mac hating IT guys. To be completely fair, we have met a several that hate Windows and Linux too, they just don’t seem to be as plentiful. The fact of the matter is, most IT professionals don’t know much about Mac and they don’t want to.  There are quite a few good reasons for IT guys to hate Macs, so let’s have a look at those first.

If you are part of a large organization, you most likely have been using Windows XP Pro, or Windows 7 Pro for a while now with good reason.  Many larger organizations use Windows server to host their Active Directory, or in lamans terms, the server that holds all of the usernames, passwords, and computer configurations for the company.  Macs just don’t play as well with these servers right out of the box.  See, these servers allow people like me to control most of the features of a windows system from the server.  For example, I can control the way a Windows system receives updates, what programs are installed when you turn the computer on, what icons are on the desktop, even what sounds the computer makes.  Macs, they think a little more independently than that. Read More »

By Michael | Posted in IT, Mac, Mac vs PC | Comments (0)

Something you need for your business this year – The Cymphonix Box

December 13, 2010 – 5:26 pm

As the end of the year nears, almost every company we work with is looking for any additional purchases that need to be made.  Whether their workstations and servers to be upgraded or the they need some additional network gear, we never seem to have any trouble finding something if they need it.  The one suggestion that is always on top of our list, however, is the Cymphonix Box.

Cymphonix fills an amazing hole in most networks that companies are not even aware exists.  The fact of the matter is most managers and owners spend so much time having to put out fires that they do not realize they can stop some of them from ever popping up.  That is exactly what Cymphonix does for our customers that have one.  Not descriptive enough for you?  Lets look at some of the things it can help with.

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By Michael | Posted in Blogging, IT | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Choosing a Server Solution for Your Business

December 4, 2010 – 8:33 pm

Working with small businesses, I often get questions regarding infrastructure.  How much do I really have to spend on my servers?  Do we have to have more than one server?  Can we get away with just using a workstation?  I admit, while at times this makes me groan, there was a time that I  would have asked the same questions.

To put it simply, your IT infrastructure is like the engine in your car.  Not everyone is going to need the biggest engine in order to get going at the pace they want, but they will need something that allows for some future increase in speed and power.  The biggest problem we see with many of the companies we work with is previous purchases have left them bottlenecked.  They or they’re previous IT group purchased what they needed for then, and never planned for the future.  Depending on the setup that was designed for them, the lack of planning could lead to a major IT overhaul in order to keep up with their needs.

So what should you look at when it comes to purchasing your companies IT infrastructure?

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By Michael | Posted in Blogging, IT | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Should I Switch to a Mac?

November 11, 2010 – 1:21 pm

There is one question that we are asked now more than ever before: Should I switch from a PC to a Mac?  This question is one of the hardest ones we answer as it has so many variables, but the simple answer is, it depends.  There are several questions that you should ask yourself before jumping in and making the decision.

What am I used to, and am I willing to change?

This question may seem like one of the silliest questions, but it is perhaps the most important.  Several of the clients that I deal with have PC’s, but love the idea of the Mac, and who can blame them.  They are typically more pleasing to look at, lighter, and have the promise of just working.  The love affair for these clients stops there however.  Changing systems for these clients means learning something new, which with as busy as work is now, is just not a possibility.  It takes time for most people to make the switch from a PC to Mac, and it isn’t always pleasant.  Add-on the fact that there is almost always a 10% restocking fee for the mac if you don’t like it and you have yourself a standoff.  No one likes being locked into a decision they are not sure about.

Read More »

By Michael | Posted in From PC to OSX, IT, Mac, Mac vs PC, PC | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Finally joining the blog world

November 8, 2010 – 12:53 pm

Well its about time we did this.

Inevat is finally joining the world of blogging.  Here you will find weekly tidbits on solving some of the issues we see on a daily basis.  From Office compatibility issues, to web design tidbits we will cover it all.  This all ties in nicely with our complete site redesign.

Feel free to let us know how you feel about that here also.

By Michael | Posted in Blogging | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

About the Blog

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