This is about virus infections and a DIY way to clear them.

The first question anyone asks me on the business meeting networking circuit, when they have got to know me after the what do you do is, “I think my” usually followed by either son or daughter’s “machine has a virus” and usually “Its doing …………” then we get, “I’ve checked it with AVG and it’s not found anything”, I usually act interested but I’m unsurprised when someone mentions AVG. It’s free and cheap and if the only way to get more users is to give it away then that says it all, there are millions of people out there thinking they are safe because they haven’t been told they aren’t.

Lets look at a simile, your house is being burgled, the first thing they do is to try to be undetected and turn off any alarms. If you had the cheapest alarm such as a tin can and a piece of string you wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t work and they could cut the string. Did I say I don’t like AVG?

Other protection systems are so big they encase your house in steel box but for some reason they sometimes leave a cat flap open big enough for a lion. Welcome to the world of Norton and McAfee. Now the problem is that the steel case theory is brilliant, if done correctly, but it does rather limit how you can use your house (Trend AV).

So apart from the fact that we love ESET what should you do if you suspect that you have a virus or malware? Just click here  and download our DIY helpsheet. Its easy to use and its the initial actions we take when we come across a problem. If this doesn’t cure it then we need it in our workshops.

We can also supply you with advice and a 30-day trial ESET package. Just email me glyn@cmx.co.uk

Oh and the last question, well its the same one about viruses but it’s one our clients never ask, they don’t need to, they have us looking after them not an enthusiastic amateur. playing at being a professional. So its the last question our clients will ever ask.

 

We have now had Windows 10 Professional full versions installed for two weeks and two of us at the CMX Colchester Centre decided to use it full time, one of us was on the Microsoft preview testing panel since the beginng of last year.

Overall its pretty good and stable but we have had some headaches on the way, some have been curable and we have found work rounds for the other. Unless you are happy to submit to Microsoft’s will then you would be recommended to talk to us about installing it.

Warning.

Although its a good product it is not for everyone, we would liken it to a Microsoft’s attempt to have an Apple OS but they have assumed that every user is a home user and probably a “numpty” with zero help from the shop where it was purchased If after reading this you want to go down the high street and buy it we wish you luck, remember www.cmx.co.uk because we will see you in a few months time when its really annoyed you too far.

Here is a list of the annoyances;

Sells your soul to the world

One of the things that sneaks in is that if you agree then all your worldly knowledge will become known by Microsoft and probably just a few billion other people over time. Do not sign up for the “tell us all” option. There is an easy way round this when you know.

Windows Defender.

The built in anti-virus and malware protector, in a recent test it scored 0.5 out of 6. Says it all and in the home version you can’t turn it off. It will turn itself on again assuming you are either forgetful or an idiot. We have a solution for this. We have managed to stop it and install our favourite AV software ESET.

It hates business domains.

All businesses with a server run with domains, it was Active Directory was designed to work with, well it doesn’t. It will let you connect to a network resource provided you have the username and password, no change there but there it stops, it forgets so you use a drive or network resource you have to type it in again. We have a cure for this.

Automatic updates

Windows 10 doesn’t give users a choice when it comes to system updates. It automatically accepts them. On one hand this helps the computer go about its business of updating accordingly. It also ensures that the computer is up to date on security patches, but automatic updating enables Microsoft to force-feed virtually whatever it wants onto a user’s device. The other problem is that it will re-boot when it likes, even in sleep and you loose what was open and unsaved. It also might decide to do an update as you turn it off to board a plane. The only fix is in the professional version where we have to do something like blindfold brain surgery.

Forced update causes crashes

Another problem caused by the forced updates is that they can crash your computer. Rebooting your computer should fix that or you can uninstall the driver that’s causing problems.

Forced update causes software clashes

The forced updates are by far the worst aspect of Windows 10. Yet another problem that can occur is when a Windows update coincides with a third party driver management software update. This can cause a crash. The third party software can be halted, but the Windows update cannot. Your best bet is uninstall third party driver management and letting Windows take care of all the system updates, which gives Microsoft power over another company’s products, which isn’t good.

Wi-Fi password sharing

Windows 10 comes with a system called Wi-Fi Sense, originally found in Windows Phone 8.1. It enables users to share your Wi-Fi network access with your contacts on Facebook, Skype, and Outlook. Sharing is good, but this is going too far, as the feature automatically shares your password (encrypted) to everyone you’re connected to including spammers and malware suppliers. We have a cure for this.

Printer not responding

After upgrading, you find that your printer isn’t working, you may have to start the whole installation process over. In order to ensure seamless connectivity, everything, even the drivers of accompanying hardware, should be updated in advance of upgrading. Make sure you’re using a printer that’s compatible with Windows.

Microsoft edge

Windows 10 comes with a new web browser called Microsoft Edge, which is the new default internet browser across all Microsoft devices. The browser includes a “home” button that you add or take off the toolbar. Click on that button and you’ll be routed to the site of your choosing

Microsoft edge – Finding favourites

The trouble with an all-new browser is that it won’t transfer pages you have favourited on IE. You can, however, transfer all your bookmarks over by opening Microsoft Edge, checking off Internet Explorer and clicking on “import favourites.” Your favourites should now be loaded onto the Edge Favourites tab.

Microsoft edge – Pop ups

Microsoft Edge loves its pop-up ads. You’ll need to go into Internet Options, and under Privacy select “Turn On Pop-Up Blocker” in Settings. That sounds obvious, but it doesn’t end there. You’ll also want to click (just below that in the InPrivate section) on “Disable Toolbars and extensions when InPrivate browsing starts.”

Microsoft edge – Music

Because Edge is a universal app, its actions are suspended when it’s minimized. This is really annoying when you’re streaming music on it. There is no fix for this, so you simply have to stream your music from another source if you plan to listen to it while using your device for other activities.

Microsoft edge – AMD

Edge is probably going to have to undergo a couple overhauls before it’s a competent browser. If you’re using AMD GPU with it, expect “frequent crashes” according to Microsoft. To avoid this, go to Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update > Advanced and change to Slow Ring.

Mail Fan?

Many who’ve previewed Windows 10 say that Windows Mail available on version 8.1 was superior. This is because you could create folders and subfolders, which you can’t do with the Mail app in Windows 10 (at least as of now). People who want to do more email customizing are using Thunderbird instead, which works well with Windows 10.

Chrome

The Chrome browser, a complicated ecosystem unto itself, is extra finicky on Windows 10. Perhaps this is Microsoft’s subversive way of getting more people to use Edge? You may find it particularly buggy while running YouTube. If you must use this browser, be mindful of extensions. Run as few as possible.

Some users have found that Chrome crashes without warning and simply does not wake back up when reopened. The solution? Unfortunately, you’ll have to uninstall and reinstall Chrome.

Mind your settings

When you upgrade to Windows 10, a Setting Screen will pop up asking if you want to use the new Photos, Movies, TV, and the Microsoft Edge browser. It seems instinctual to check yes, since you want access to these features. Consider though that if you do check yes, all your default applications will be Microsoft. Best to not select this setting and instead choose to use specific Microsoft apps going forward.

Blue Screen of Death

Hopefully you won’t face this, but some previewers have complained of their system crashing, showing only the infamous blue screen of death. If you find yourself facing this very not good situation, you should reset your PC. To do so, find the Recovery section inside the PC settings. To go to the Recovery section, search for “reinstall” in the search tool inside the Start menu then click on “Remove everything and reinstall Windows.”

Tricky Touch Screen

Some users previewing Windows 10 on their mobile devices say that the touchscreen abilities are not as intuitively functional as they should be. For instance, it’s easy to miss the edge of a window when trying to drag it, and some of the icons are too small to grasp with your finger pad. Unfortunately, this is just the nature of the beast. There’s really not much other than practice that will help you overcome this finicky problem.

Free for now

This isn’t so much a problem as it is a gentle warning. Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade but only for one year. After that it retails for £120. A year feels like a long time, but in the world of technology it’s a blink of an eye, so don’t put this upgrade off for too long … just long enough to let the initial kinks get ironed out.

Conclusion

Bearing in mind it’s free so we don’t make money out of your choice whatever you choose, If you are running Windows 7 or 8.1 then go for it, but only with our advice or help. One day you will be running it so why not go for it now? If you hang on and install it yourself then many of the above “features” will still be there.

 

 

Its been nearly two weeks since two cmx specialists installed Windows 10 on three systems. One had been following the trial and the other was a new to Windows 10. The verdict is that its not ready for business use, hence the spoonerism “gad & the bood” Its a mix up.

The verdict

1. Overall the loading was not easy, Some Win 7/8.1 codes would not load, there are US and UK versions which load differently and exclude some software. Only good as an upgrade.
2. The new interface with start button, desktop and tiles is good but not excellent. The icon pictures are tiny and its tricky to find what you want.
3. It’s just not ready for general release,
4. It wont work with domains which 99% of businesses using servers need.
5. Security settings are lost as part of the upgrade
6. You cant remove the built in Anti-virus and use your preferred vendor.
7. It connects all your personal data to the Internet and uploads it, so zero for security.
8. You cant stop upgrades unless you edit the group policy or registry, not a user area to try
9. They are trying to out-apple Apple in ease of use and getting it all mixed up.
10. Its faster than 7 or 8.1 but do we need the equivalent of a faster instant coffee.
11. If you turns things off then it assumes you are an idiot and turns them back on later.

Overall its a consumer product aimed at the technically naive who don’t know any better. Its designed to relieve the user of any choices but its a poor implementation of that ideal, Our overall verdict? We are running it in house but we won’t be in a rush to sell it to end users.

Einstein is quoted as having said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.

This quote does illustrate an important point: before jumping right into solving a problem, we should step back and invest time and effort to improve our understanding of it. Here are 10 strategies you can use to see problems from many different perspectives and master what is the most important step in problem solving: clearly defining the problem in the first place!

The Problem Is To Know What the Problem Is

The definition of the problem will be the focal point of all your problem-solving efforts. As such, it makes sense to devote as much attention and dedication to problem definition as possible. What usually happens is that as soon as we have a problem to work on we’re so eager to get to solutions that we neglect spending any time refining it.

What most of us don’t realise — and what supposedly Einstein might have been alluding to — is that the quality of the solutions we come up with will be in direct proportion to the quality of the description of the problem we’re trying to solve. Not only will your solutions be more abundant and of higher quality, but they’ll be achieved much, much more easily. Most importantly, you’ll have the confidence to be tackling a worthwhile problem.

Problem Definition Tools and Strategies

The good news is that getting different perspectives and angles in order to clearly define a problem is a skill that can be learned and developed. As such, there are many strategies you can use to perfect it. Here are the 10 most effective ones I know.

1. Rephrase the Problem
When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm “ways to increase their productivity”, all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as “ways to make their jobs easier”, he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions.

Words carry strong implicit meaning and, as such, play a major role in how we perceive a problem. In the example above, ‘be productive’ might seem like a sacrifice you’re doing for the company, while ‘make your job easier’ may be more like something you’re doing for your own benefit, but from which the company also benefits. In the end, the problem is still the same, but the feelings — and the points of view — associated with each of them are vastly different.
Play freely with the problem statement, rewording it several times. For a methodic approach, take single words and substitute variations. ‘Increase sales’? Try replacing ‘increase’ with ‘attract’, ‘develop’, ‘extend’, ‘repeat’ and see how your perception of the problem changes. A rich vocabulary plays an important role here, so you may want to use a thesaurus or develop your vocabulary.

2. Expose and Challenge Assumptions

Every problem — no matter how apparently simple it may be — comes with a long list of assumptions attached. Many of these assumptions may be inaccurate and could make your problem statement inadequate or even misguided.

The first step to get rid of bad assumptions is to make them explicit. Write a list and expose as many assumptions as you can — especially those that may seem the most obvious and ‘untouchable’.

That, in itself, brings more clarity to the problem at hand. But go further and test each assumption for validity: think in ways that they might not be valid and their consequences. What you will find may surprise you: that many of those bad assumptions are self-imposed — with just a bit of scrutiny you are able to safely drop them.

For example, suppose you’re about to enter the restaurant business. One of your assumptions might be ‘restaurants have a menu’. While such an assumption may seem true at first, try challenging it and maybe you’ll find some very interesting business models (such as one restaurant in which customers bring dish ideas for the chef to cook, for example).

3. Chunk Up

Each problem is a small piece of a greater problem. In the same way that you can explore a problem laterally — such as by playing with words or challenging assumptions — you can also explore it at different “altitudes”.

If you feel you’re overwhelmed with details or looking at a problem too narrowly, look at it from a more general perspective. In order to make your problem more general, ask questions such as: “What’s this a part of?”, “What’s this an example of?” or “What’s the intention behind this?”.

Another approach that helps a lot in getting a more general view of a problem is replacing words in the problem statement with hypernyms. Hypernyms are words that have a broader meaning than the given word. (For example, a hypernym of ‘car’ is ‘vehicle’). A great, free tool for finding hypernyms for a given word is WordNet (just search for a word and click on the ‘S:’ label before the word definitions).

4. Chunk Down

If each problem is part of a greater problem, it also means that each problem is composed of many smaller problems. It turns out that decomposing a problem in many smaller problems — each of them more specific than the original — can also provide greater insights about it.
‘Chunking the problem down’ (making it more specific) is especially useful if you find the problem overwhelming or daunting.
Some of the typical questions you can ask to make a problem more specific are: “What are parts of this?” or “What are examples of this?”.

Just as in ‘chunking up’, word substitution can also come to great use here. The class of words that are useful here are hyponyms: words that are stricter in meaning than the given one. (E.g. two hyponyms of ‘car’ are ‘minivan’ and ‘limousine’). WordNet can also help you finding hyponyms.

5. Find Multiple Perspectives

Before rushing to solve a problem, always make sure you look at it from different perspectives. Looking at it with different eyes is a great way to have instant insight on new, overlooked directions.

For example, if you own a business and are trying to ‘increase sales’, try to view this problem from the point of view of, say, a customer. For example, from the customer’s viewpoint, this may be a matter of adding features to your product that one would be willing to pay more for.

Rewrite your problem statement many times, each time using one of these different perspectives. How would your competition see this problem? Your employees? Your mom?

Also, imagine how people in various roles would frame the problem. How would a politician see it? A college professor? A nun? Try to find the differences and similarities on how the different roles would deal with your problem.

6. Use Effective Language Constructs

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for properly crafting the perfect problem statement, but there are some language constructs that always help making it more effective:

Assume a myriad of solutions. An excellent way to start a problem statement is: “In what ways might I…”. This expression is much superior to “How can I…” as it hints that there’s a multitude of solutions, and not just one — or maybe none. As simple as this sounds, the feeling of expectancy helps your brain find solutions. Make it positive. Negative sentences require a lot more cognitive power to process and may slow you down — or even derail your train of thought. Positive statements also help you find the real goal behind the problem and, as such, are much more motivating.
For example: instead of finding ways to ‘quit smoking’, you may find that ‘increase your energy’, ‘live longer’ and others are much more worthwhile goals.Frame your problem in the form of a question. Our brain loves questions. If the question is powerful and engaging, our brains will do everything within their reach to answer it. We just can’t help it: Our brains will start working on the problem immediately and keep working in the background, even when we’re not aware of it.If you’re still stuck, consider using the following formula for phrasing your problem statement:

“In what ways (action) (object) (qualifier) (end result)?”
Example: In what ways might I package (action) my book (object) more attractively (qualifier) so people will buy more of it (end result)?

7. Make It Engaging

In addition to using effective language constructs, it’s important to come up with a problem statement that truly excites you so you’re in the best frame of mind for creatively tackling the problem. If the problem looks too dull for you, invest the time adding vigor to it while still keeping it genuine. Make it enticing. Your brain will thank (and reward) you later.
One thing is to ‘increase sales’ (boring), another one is ‘wow your customers’. One thing is ‘to create a personal development blog’, another completely different is to ‘empower readers to live fully’.

8. Reverse the Problem

One trick that usually helps when you’re stuck with a problem is turning it on its head.

If you want to win, find out what would make you lose. If you are struggling finding ways to ‘increase sales’, find ways to decrease them instead. Then, all you need to do is reverse your answers. ‘Make more sales calls’ may seem an evident way of increasing sales, but sometimes we only see these ‘obvious’ answers when we look at the problem from an opposite direction.

This seemingly convoluted method may not seem intuitive at first, but turning a problem on its head can uncover rather obvious solutions to the original problem.

9. Gather Facts
Investigate causes and circumstances of the problem. Probe details about it — such as its origins and causes. Especially if you have a problem that’s too vague, investigating facts is usually more productive than trying to solve it right away.

If, for example, the problem stated by your spouse is “You never listen to me”, the solution is not obvious. However, if the statement is “You don’t make enough eye contact when I’m talking to you,” then the solution is obvious and you can skip brainstorming altogether. (You’ll still need to work on the implementation, though!)

Ask yourself questions about the problem. What is not known about it? Can you draw a diagram of the problem? What are the problem boundaries? Be curious. Ask questions and gather facts. It is said that a well-defined problem is halfway to being solved: I would add that a perfectly-defined problem is not a problem anymore.

10. Problem-Solve Your Problem Statement

I know I risk getting into an infinite loop here, but as you may have noticed, getting the right perspective of a problem is, well, a problem in itself. As such, feel free to use any creative thinking technique you know to help. There are plenty to choose from:
Of course, how much effort you invest in defining the problem in contrast to how much effort you invest in solving your actual problem is a hard balance to achieve, though one which is attainable with practice.

Personally, I don’t think that 55 minutes of defining a problem versus 5 minutes acting on it is usually a good proportion. The point is that we must be aware of how important problem defining is and correct our tendency to spend too little time on it.

In fact, when you start paying more attention to how you define your problems, you’ll probably find that it is usually much harder than solving them. But you’ll also find that the payoff is well worth the effort.

Google may be seen as top of its game but it has launched some real failures too.

I was having a discussion about us Brits, how we always knock success and act with jealousy, I told the story that in the US someone going past in a swanky car would get the “Next year that’ll be me” comment but in the UK its “Why does a Ba****d like that get such a swanky car, and not me, that’s not fair”.

We just have a different view on life and don’t accept that’s a. its not fair and b. you have to work for success. Maybe that’s why we have such a poor youth employment record compared to other countries.

So this got me thinking, there is usually a love hate with Brands, at the moment everyone has a go at Blackberry and Microsoft, years ago it was IBM and Lotus, now Apple and Google can do no wrong – or can thay?

Everyone loves Google, except for those pesky funny looking street view cars a few years ago but do you realise that Goggle has had many failures along the way?

1. Google Answers

Google Answers was Google’s marketplace for knowledge. Users posted a question and the amount they were willing to pay for an answer, and then researchers would answer the question. The community was too small and the service could never compete with Yahoo’s answers service.

2. Google Buzz

Google Buzz was a social platform for sharing content that was incorporated into Gmail. Buzz met heavy criticism and raised numerous privacy issues among users. It was discontinued in December 2011.

3. Google Latitude

Google Latitude was a location-based app that allowed users to find some of their Gmail contacts by proximity. It failed mostly because it was creepy.

4. Nexus Q

The Nexus Q was Google’s multimedia player challenge to the Apple TV. The problem was that the product was $300 and it didn’t really do much. At least it looked cool.

5. Google Wave

Google Wave was a classic case of “over promise, under deliver.” Google touted it in glowing terms at launch, but it never really lived up to the hype. The product was confusing and it didn’t really have a clear value proposition.

6. Google TV

Google TV was a smart TV platform launched in 2010. The implementation was clumsy and the products were not well-received. It’s rumoured that Google TV could be re branded as Android TV.

7. iGoogle

iGoogle allowed users to created a customisable homepage with widgets such as weather and content feeds. The company initially announced they would migrate the social features in 2012.

“With our new focus on Google+, we will remove iGoogle’s social features on January 15, 2012. iGoogle itself, and non-social iGoogle applications, will stay as they are,” said Bradley Horowitz, then vice president of product.

As it turns out, the other features weren’t all that useful so Google canned iGoogle in November 2013

8. Knol

This one I don’t even remember, Knol was Google’s challenge to Wikipedia. The site was plagued by plagiarism and poor sourcing, which ultimately led to its demise. Also, the concept of monetising knowledge was too strange

9. Web Accelerator

We disliked this when it arrived and we still don’t like Google Toolbars. Web Accelerator was a proxy server that sped up web surfing times by caching certain types of info. There were some privacy concerns and the product was buggy. It even kept users from watching YouTube videos

10. Lively

Another Google barely known. Lively was Google’s online 3D universe, similar to Second Life. Lively was too complex and didn’t offer enough customisation for users. It was barely six months old when Google killed it.

11. Google Print Ads

Yep, at one point Google started producing print ads in nearly 800 newspapers. It was Google running backwards and the revenue just wasn’t there.

12. Google Building Maker

Google Building Maker allowed users to make 3D models of buildings to be used in conjunction with Google Earth. Building Maker was too ambitious of a project and a community never developed around it, so the service was retired in 2013

There you have it, Googles lemons, or turkeys if you prefer. Every brand does it at least once, they might be good ideas but if the support form the user or buyer is not there then it will flop. Did I tell you that the IBM PS/2 was a brilliant computer concept, well it was and its architecture is still in use today in Mainframes. IBM went about selling them in such a way that they demonstrated that they couldn’t market free beer.

Cancer, Car accidents, hacking, card fraud all have a lot in common – They only happen to other people, not you. Is this arrogance, ignorance or what?

Everyone knows someone that something bad has happened to, if not then themselves, then someone close, or a friend, or a friend of a friend, maybe somebody in the same village or town even somebody living in a faraway country but in similar circumstances.

So in a word Sh*t happens, a lot, to everyone all the time so it can never be ignorance.  Maybe the alternative to “it’ll never happen to me” is a permanent fear that something is going to happen which is bordering on the symptoms of depression.

So if appers that we go around with an optimistic view on life to avoid the permenant worry of what’s going to happen next.  That’s fine as it enables us to lead a normal life of driving, shopping, flying kindly of the things we do on a day to day basis.

BAD NEWS.
That’s really bad news, we need to establish some form of balance unfortunately we don’t.  The anytime we do this is when we plan for emergencies that are unlikely to happen.  When we go on holiday we take offense take a first aid kit and no one really leaves without insurance.  I even know someone who drains down the heating system when they go away, which is usually in the summer.

It’s the same thing that suddenly wakes us up at four in the morning and gets us to worry what speed we went past that little yellow camera on the side of the road.

All of these things do not really need to be worried about because although they do happen the chance of us facing a disaster like we have imagined is unlikely.

It’s also guaranteed that it won’t happen because we have planned what we would do in case of an emergency.  I sail in all types of boats, I wear life jackets, make sure that there is manoverboard equipment, first aid kits etc.  Luckily I have never had to use this equipment and I hope I never will.

Now the point of this article is that the things that almost likely to happen, in fact happen every day to lots of people are so far down their list of priorities that no thought is at a given to them even on a  yearly basis.

Your building is unusable – KEEP OUT
The day of the 1987 storm I went to work as usual, I didn’t expect anything different nobody had called and apart from losing the side of my house, the large amount of trees I expected to roll up at our Colchester office and start work as usual.

What I didn’t expect was to see 36 people standing outside staring of the site of the building.  The whole side which was made of glass had been totally removed by the next door factory roof.  We had asbestos and glass all over 50% of the building.  In my office the carpet was ruined, the wall and door had glass embedded in it.  The computer screen was smashed and as it turned out all of are servers were destroyed.  “It” had just happened to us.

All backups were off site, we had spare equipment, another office and we were up and running again later that day.

We had a plan.
We had actually spent some time compiling everything we needed to implement a disaster  plan.  We started from the premis that we would arrive at the very large hole which was water filled that now replaced our 6,800 sq foot office building in south Colchester, we prepare the same plan for Ipswich.

We went around everybody in the company announced what they would need to be operational again, this was incorporated into the plan and tasks were delegated.  We looked at everything, wrote it all up and circulated plenty of copies.  Apart from the daily routine of data backup the plan was forgotten except when it came out to be reviewed once a year during a meeting of everyone, usually down the pub ensuring 100% attendance.

We had confidence that should a disaster strike we had done as much as possible.  Backups were tested and we had established a routine.

That disaster cost us nothing, not a bean, no cash flow interruption, no lost data and we were able on the same day to go out and look after clients who had faced thier own disasters.

We get 250 calls a year over lost data 
We get roughly one call a day from someone who has lost their  data, that’s over 250 calls a year. We have special software that can unscramble disk drives. No one else we know does this.

Only a fraction of the callers, as low as 2%, has an adequate backup.  Most of them think may have but they haven’t.  I suspect that that only 2% of all the people who start reading this article will get this far.  If you have then I am personally available to come to you and check your backup. Free of charge. That’s to prove my point. I will publish the results in a months time of who has taken me up on this my number is 01206 256459 or 01473 231800 ask for extension 25 and I will talk to if I am in, if not I’ll ring you back as soon as I can.

Security
Doesn’t have to be a big disaster, or even one you can see, you can have a virus, a hacking or fraud attempt. These can cost you so much more and in a shorter time. The difference is you may not know about it until its too late.

The moral is?
Its not down to arrogance, its all down to ignorance and ignorance especially about planning. I was once told “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, that’s a military adage. here’s another “Proper Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance” and my particular favourite, Lack of preparation on your behalf does not justify an emergency on mine”. When bad things happen we react, its better to have the cool judgement of a previous “you” telling you what to do than the “panic you” running round in ever decreasing circles doing headless chicken impressions as you hard built up business disappears into dust & debt.

The moral is that everyone needs a plan, needs to check it and make sure it works. Our clients may not know it but we have a disaster plan for them too.  We have loan equipment and the expertise to get them up and running as quickly as possible.

This will all be useless unless the backups are good enough, they have the proper insurance policy and the ability to start up again somewhere else almost immediately.

Oh I forgot, its what happens to other people isn’t it? Like the people flooded in  Wales, Someset, London and the riots in Croydon, Brixton, Toxteth.

Windows XP – NOTHING HAPPENED

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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Cloud Backup

We at cmx come across as anti-cloud, we are not, but what we are against is that new breed of IT salesman which we called the “the charlatan”.

According to that fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia; A charlatan (also called swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception.

Perfect description; the word comes from French charlatan, a seller of medicines who might advertise his presence with music and an outdoor stage show –

This sums them up exactly but we do not and cannot imply reverse logic that all cloud sales people are charlatans. I speak of those who sell a very good product, for the right circumstances to the people who need it. I consider these as professional friends and I will be happy to recommend tyhem and introduce you to them.

The ones I speak of are those that in former lives sold double, glazing, PPI insurance, Cavity wall insulation, endowment mortgages and extended warranties, these are the guys who can spot an opportunistic bandwagon to leap on to make money on commission.
These are the guys we have a problem with and its to counter them that cmx appears to have adopted the anti cloud view. We are not anti-cloud, we are anti-charlatan. So we will carry on with the warnings.

1. Data privacy can easily be compromised by encryption key holders.

If your service provider has access to your encryption keys, your data is just not private.
Encryption is vital to data protection and most backup solutions offer it. However, encryption is not always a guarantee of security and privacy of business data. After all, if an employee at your data backup company can access your encryption keys, is your data truly secure?
Some service providers have responded to this concern by purporting to “” the key, saving it separately from data, and rotating it frequently. But no matter the steps taken, as long as the service provider has access to your encryption keys, your data is just not private. And a subpoena will force service providers to produce unencrypted customer data – even when encryption keys have been escrowed.

Another response to securing encryption keys has been to use an onsite server, behind the client’ firewall, to house encryption keys in order to guarantee sole ownership. However, this is not a true solution for cloud-based backups since there is still hardware to manage and maintain, defeating the purpose of cloud services. Additionally, an onsite server adds another point of potential failure, requiring additional data protection.

If your service provider has access to your encryption keys, your data is just not private

For maximum privacy, two-factor encryption key management is the recommended solution. With two-factor encryption key management, the encryption key is further encrypted using customer admin credentials, and only a token is stored in the cloud. With this solution, the service provider has zero access to encryption keys and customers avoid the hassle of supporting key servers on-premises.

Only customers have access to the key and, subsequently, their data, once authenticated.
And to truly guarantee privacy, the key is destroyed at the end of each customer session.

2. Choosing the wrong cloud could mean permanent data loss.

Of course, most of ” cloud” actually exists at ground-level, supported by many connected servers and other devices which require electricity and protection from the elements. As much as dependability of data centers has increased over time, these server farms are still vulnerable to power outages, sabotage, and natural disaster.

This is why it’ important to understand the Service Level Agreements for any backup providers under consideration. Many cloud service providers don’ offer data redundancy across multiple data centers. In the event of a power supply disruption, service is suddenly unavailable and files are out of reach until the problem is corrected. A natural disaster, such as a flood, could even result in permanent loss of your critical corporate data.

Leading service providers offer data redundancy across multiple facilities, each of which is physically separate, located in lower risk flood plains and fed via distinct grids from independent utilities. These facilities are connected to different networks to ensure the
highest data availability and durability possible.

3. Local cloud backups can violate data residency laws.

Traditionally, cloud backup providers have employed a limited number of data centers
and housed those data centers within the borders of a single country. Adding Many cloud service providers don’t offer data redundancy across multiple data centers.
Server farms are still vulnerable to power outages, sabotage, and natural disaster.
5 Things You Didn’ Know About Cloud Backup storage typically requires following a multi-step process, often cumbersome and not immediate.
If your business has global reach, these localized backup providers are simply unable to offer a premium, worry-free experience. By definition, a global enterprise supports internal systems which are utilized by employees and other users all over the world, subjecting the enterprise to a specific set of laws in each country. Using localized cloud backup providers from a single country is not only inefficient but, in many cases, it results in a violation of local
data residency laws.

By contrast, leading cloud backup providers are equipped with multiple redundant data centers across the globe, enabling customers to control which data centers are used for their data backups. Leading providers also utilize an ” storage” concept, enabling customers to add storage instantly in any data center without having to worry about scaling their storage requirements.

4. Without deduplication, your backup speed is a fraction of what it could be.

One of the reasons traditional cloud backup systems can be very slow is that the software must compare the last file and directory structure with the latest file and directory structure in order to determine what’ changed. Unfortunately, as much as 80 percent of data is duplicated across a typical enterprise. This is because users often have multiple copies of an identical file stored locally, as well as on shared or removable drives. This causes storage requirements to boom, considerably slowing cloud data transfer.

When backup solutions practice global deduplication, cloud backup and restore times are dramatically improved because an enormous amount of duplicate data has been identified and removed.

To perform enterprise restores quickly, a backup solution must also use multi-threaded restores in order to allow parallel transfers of multiple files. Using multi-threaded restoration significantly accelerates the time it takes to restore data to a user’ computer.

Traditional cloud backup systems without global deduplication can be very slow. Using localized cloud backup providers is inefficient and often results in violation of data
residency laws.

WAN optimization will also speed up endpoint backups because WAN optimization
makes best use of the available bandwidth. If there’ a network interruption, WAN
optimization ensures that the dropped backup automatically resumes at precisely
the right point.

5. Outdated backup solutions severely restrict IT control.

Using older principles of storage technology, some backup companies are not able to leverage federated search, which can quickly locate information anywhere on the network. This is a challenge when attempting to track down a file or to enforce a new policy. Because federated search looks across every file and device in the enterprise, it becomes easy to locate files, gather or even collect them for legal hold, in order to preserve custodian data for e-discovery.

On the other hand, modern backup solutions empower IT with visibility and make it easy to enforce policies on data backup, restore, and access. These leading backup companies also make use of detailed audit trails to strengthen IT’ oversight and to prevent material information, such as intellectual property, from being compromised due to the increasingly mobile workforce. Detailed audit trails preserve a record of all user and admin activity, as well as provide real-time visibility, enabling organizations to support their governance
and compliance needs.

If the enterprise is subject to industry regulation, it’ well worth it to select a service provider that already has passed the requisite certifications (e.g., HIPAA, PCI-DSS, ITAR) for its data centers and operations. Without federated search, it is a challenge to track down a file or
enforce a policy

Today Microsoft have releases the latest Windows OS, Windows 10, as a free upgrade for most existing users.The main aim for Microsoft is to stay competitive against Apple and Google who are ramping up their offerings for the same audience. Windows 10 is a significant shift in direction for Microsoft and its new leadership and its flagship product.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest Windows release.

1. There is an expiration date for the upgrade

The release date of Windows 10 is today, 29th July 2015 and the free upgrade is valid for 12 months so you need to upgrade within that time.

2. Windows is now a service

Windows 10 users will receive updates as time goes on. There will be three to four upgrade packs a year that include new features,” said JP Gownder, a vice president and principal analyst with Forrester. “Windows as a service means you won’t be stuck with some 10 year old OS, as many were with XP, but it does require a little rethinking of resources, even these upgrade packs require some testing along the year.”

3. You have to be ready for the updates
Unlike earlier versions you will have less choice about updates unless you modify the OS itself. It’s important to know if you can handle the deluge of service packs that will come with this new system, You won’t have much time to “settle” into the new service packs before the next one comes.

4. You can only upgrade from certain versions

You must be upgrading from Windows 7 or 8.1. Availability of the upgrade for Windows Phone 8.1 varies depending on your devices brand and service supplier. You’ll also need to have Windows Update enabled.

5. There are different versions of Windows 10

There are still the same versions of Home and professional but some are merging so Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, and Windows 8.1 Home will give you Windows 10 Home. Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate, and Windows 8.1 Pro and 8.1 Pro for Students will get Windows 10 Pro.

6. Follow best practices for deployment

Any new Operating System has a disruptive effect, there is teething problems when you find out what will or wont work with your system. There is also the time in finding your way around so don’t upgrade during a busy time, if you have a few machines then do one first, followed by the others as you gain experience.

7. Upgrade for security

Windows 10 is more secure than it’s predecessors so upgrading could bring some added security.

8. It doesn’t (technically) require new hardware

If your system is running 7 or 8 then you should be able to run Windows 10 without any major changes. It always makes sense to have the highest specification equipment that you can afford. You might need new hardware to make use of new features such as Windows Hello or the advanced security. Unfortunately, in may cases, new hardware won’t be available until later this year.

9. It’s a new user experience

One of the most contentious aspects of Windows 8 was its tile-based design. Some loved it, while others switched back to the standard desktop view immediately. Windows 10 is aimed to provide the best of both tiles and the standard desktop, and will be optimised for mobile usage.

“If you have a detachable keyboard, such as a Surface Pro 3 then Windows 10 will choose desktop mode if the keyboard is attached, and to use tile mode if it isn’t.

10. It might not be perfect – yet

No new operating system is perfect on day 1 but Windows 10 has gone through some extensive testing and it may well have a faster uptake as it’s free that means more fixes will be available faster. We have been using it for some time but even we do not know all the answers at this stage so bear in mind that anything you want to know wont be available on Google, this is when you find out how good your supplier is with support. Some companies will also not offer support on Windows 10 until they have fully trained their technicians in a few months time.

11. How to get it

Its available either as an upgrade to existing systems or as an ISO which makes a DVD with a full system. You will need a valid Windows 7 or 8 key to install it on a new system so don’t think you can buy a new system without an OS and install it later. In any case you will need a good Internet connection or a prepared DVD.

12. Is it really free?

Yes and no, The upgrade is free for a year and after that it will cost, it is also suspected that in future there will be charges. Premium services and Apps from the store will also be charged for sometimes.

Tell me more please

If you want to have a chat about Windows 10 then give us a call, we wont charge and everything you are advised is based on our opinion and experience and you will be under no obligation, all we will ask is your name, town and email address.