1. Go paperless! The concept of the paperless office was introduced years ago with the invention of document imaging. However, one look around your office will surely prove that was a bit of a pipedream. There are a lot of really smart reasons why you should consider converting some portion of your paper documents to electronic format IN ADDITION TO the fact that going paperless is a much greener solution. First off, finding documents will be so much easier and faster, and you won’t run the risk of important documents being misplaced, misfiled or damaged (who hasn’t spilled coffee on a critical document). If that doesn’t grab you, maybe the cost savings on paper, ink, and storage will or the fact that employees working remotely can access contracts or other paper documents in seconds, any time, day or night, from any location.

2. When not in use, turn off the juice! The computers in your office are the largest drain on electricity in your office; and considering you’re only using them for approximately 9-10 hours a day, that means you’re paying for 14-15 hours of unnecessary power. (And yes, it is a myth that turning your computer off and on regularly will cause it to wear out more quickly!) We are in the process of implementing for our IT EZ support clients who have newer workstations, automatically powering down the office overnight and bringing it back up again in the morning without any interruption or interference with your systems’ performance. This alone can save thousands on electricity. And if there is any maintenance to be done, we can take care of that remotely and power them down after we’re done.

3. Go virtual! Virtualization allows you to “run” multiple computers or servers on one “super computer.” Sometimes this is accomplished by replacing your complex, power-sucking, expensive workstations with much less expensive “thin-client” machines that require very little power or maintenance to operate.

Thousands of businesses are rapidly trading in their overblown, traditional networks for virtualization because of the incredible cost savings in hardware, software and maintenance. Plus it offers instant disaster recovery, the ability to securely work from home or the road AND it drastically reduces the amount of power needed, making it far more environmentally friendly.

4. Allow employees to work from home. More and more businesses are creating virtual workspaces for several reasons. First, allowing employees to work from home perpetually or for a couple of days a week cuts down on gas and emissions. It’s also a great retention strategy for your rock star employees. Additionally, allowing employees to work from home reduces the amount of office space needed, lowering or eliminating rent costs and utility bills. Finally, it’s a great disaster preparedness plan. In the event of a fire or natural disaster, employees can keep the doors open by working remotely.

5. Dispose of old electronics responsibly. Your computer is made with a wide variety of components, many of which are toxic. When old computers are disposed of improperly, these substances can enter the environment, causing pollution and associated plant and animal death, along with birth defects. Many of these components are also produced in unsustainable ways, causing even more environmental harm. Because these components can be recovered and recycled, throwing out an old computer is simply irresponsible. If you have old equipment, you can often donate it to a charity for a tax break. Not only will that solve the disposal problem, but you’ll save a little money too!

Want To “Green Up” Your Office?
If you want to discover how we can help you save money while being more environmentally friendly, call us for a “Going Green” audit. We’ll come onsite to review your office environment and present you with multiple ways to cut costs while going green. In many cases we can show you how to:

Drastically reduce your power usage and electric bill.
Cut your IT hardware, software and support costs by 40% to 50% through virtualization.
Cut your paper usage and all the costs around printing, storing, filing and managing all that paper.
Introduce you to more environmentally friendly choices in hardware, printers, scanners, and other devices.
Give you peace of mind that your network could be back up and running in the event of a disaster with greener and more
efficient backup solutions.

Schedule Your Audit: Email: GoGreen@BSSI.biz

I found a great article on cyber bullying & how to protect your children. It can be found at the Kim Komando Site: http://ow.ly/1HFat

Also, Kim has put together a great contract that should be signed between you and your child regarding use of the Internet. It serves as a great document to begin the dialogue with your child. If you are in education, it may even be a great tool to use as an educational activity in a classroom setting. The contract can be found at Kim Komando – http://ow.ly/1HF4V

Below is a couple of excerpts from her contract.

May you and your children “surf” smart!

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(1) Gadgets, phones and the Internet can be used in unsafe ways. I am making this agreement with my parents to help keep me, my family and my friends safe.

(2) My parents and I will decide when I am allowed to use the computer, cell phone, gaming systems and the Internet. I promise not to ask or fight for more time. I will only do things and visit places that they say I can.

(3) I will never tell anyone in text messages or post online that I am home alone. I won’t give out my last name, my home address or phone number, the name of my school or teachers, where my parents work or their phone numbers without getting my parents’ permission. I will never give out my friends’ screen names, e-mail addresses, names, addresses and phone numbers, and I will remind them to keep mine a secret.

(4) If anyone does anything that bothers me, I will tell my parents. I will never use bad language, say bad things about other people, or send mean messages in an e-mail, text or instant message, chat room, blog, or on a Web site. I will tell my parents if someone does that to me. If I use “secret” or “code” words online, I will tell my parents what they mean.

(5) When I use instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms, or Web sites where people put information about themselves, I will never send or post a picture of my family or me. If I set up a blog or an online profile, I will tell my parents where it is and how they can read it.

(6) I WILL NEVER, EVER MEET WITH ANYONE I’VE TALKED TO ONLINE WITHOUT FIRST TALKING WITH MY PARENTS.

(7) If my parents ask me for my password, I will give it to them. I will NEVER give out my passwords or any of our family’s passwords to anyone, not even my friends’ or other family members.

(8) If I want to download any apps, games, movies, music, or programs, I will ask for permission. I know I must pay for most of these things. If I take them, that is stealing.

(9) I will not try to win free things or buy things on my phone or on the Internet without my parents’ permission. If I get a message that I won something, I will show it to my parents. If I get an e-mail or text asking for passwords or other secret stuff, I will ask my parents. I will not forward any e-mail or messages that tell me bad stuff will happen to me if I do not.

(10) I will not open any of my parents’ files. I will not change any settings or install any new software without my parents’ permission.

(11) I give my parents’ permission to look on the computer and my phone to see where I have gone on the Internet, the e-mail and text messages I have sent and received, the things I downloaded or what I do. If my parents installed programs that track what I do on the computer or limit where I go online or on my cell phone, I promise not to turn those programs off.

CHILD’S SIGNATURE

I have read the above and agree to follow these rules. If I do not, my parents can take away my privileges.

PARENT’S SIGNATURE

I agree to let my child use electronics so long as these rules are followed.

——-

Recently, Greg Cordle, passed the highly sought after Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). The CISSP is offered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc., (ISC)²®, a nonprofit organization educating and certifying information security professionals. This certification is designed for experienced professionals who are responsible for developing the information security policies, standards, and procedures and managing their implementation across an organization. Each candidate must have direct work experience in one or more of the ten test domains of the information systems security Common Body of Knowledge and pass a six hour certification exam. Greg Cordle has been working with technology for nearly 20 years and has been a Consultant with Business System Solutions, Inc. (BSSI) for the past 10 years. This certification will allow BSSI to more effectively service their clients when it comes to IT security. Congratulations Greg!

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The iPad is a device that can be related to as an oversized iPod Touch. It is now more of a media consumption device, meaning that it can play media such as videos, music, picture slideshows, and run many apps. The iPad has the potential to become more of a media creation device, once there are more Apps that are tailored for media creation. There are Apps that are developed specifically for the iPad, and it can also run the Apps that were developed for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Apps that are designed for the iPod Touch and iPhone run smaller in the middle of the screen, this is because the Apps were designed on the smaller screen. The iPad does give the option to magnify the App to full screen, but the graphics in most of the iPhone Apps that I have ran on the iPad have been degraded when I launch them in Full Screen Mode.
The iPad has a great user interface, if you have used an iPhone or and iPod Touch you know what I am talking about. The screen is a capacitive touch screen that is made out of glass with an LCD Display behind it, but this means the device will not respond to objects such as pens and styluses. The interface allows you to use your fingers to maneuver around inside the Operating System. After a few weeks of use it becomes natural. Ask someone you know that uses an iPhone.
The iPad is not a tablet pc replacement. I see the iPad as a device that represents what a “netbook” should be. Keep in mind that the “netbooks” do have more inputs than the iPad. The iPad only has the 30 pin iPod connector as an input. The iPad also limits its users to Apps that are found in the App Store. These Apps have all gone through proper testing by Apple to check compatibility and allows Apple to control what applications can be used on the device. I feel this is a good feature this makes it so that the user cannot install an App that the iPad cannot handle. This is unlike the netbooks; I see too often when people buy a netbook and see it as a computer replacement. Then they install applications that require better hardware to run properly, such as Adobe Photoshop.
I have found one flaw in my testing of the iPad & that flaw has to do with re-joining wireless networks. When you are using the iPad on a wireless network and then put the device to sleep, I notice from time to time the device asks you to re-authenticate with the network (type in the wireless password again). This can be pretty annoying. Also keep in mind that some college universities are banning the iPad as it is interfering with their networks. I have not experienced this personally but I have read about it.
In conclusion, the iPad is a nice media device. I would not recommend using this device as a computer or tablet PC replacement.
By: Anthony DiMichele, MCTS
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The Woes of an Administrative Professional!

They don’t say good morning, just line up at my desk;
There is absolutely no time to rest!
Would I do this? Have I ordered that?
Oh my goodness …..if I only had a bat!

You needed this yesterday, you forgot to say?
but you want me to take care of this other thing as you need it today?
Get your sh _ _ organized I would like to say…
But I am just going to hold out for a much higher pay.

I email everyone’s memos and make their coffee;
Heck I even provide the office with a jar of candy toffee
I can somehow answer the phones before they ring
This place expects me to be the most amazing thing!

I am the one who tries always to make things right;
Though no one notices as often as they might.
Lord forbid should I ever get sick
Fix that paper jam themselves, wouldn’t that be slick!

If anyone has a problem, they always come around
I am a sounding board so I have found.
I don’t know how to do this; can you help me?
Sure, I can multitask. Now let me see!

I am the one that tries to find their missing files
Of course, I have to walk on eggshells with a smile.
Oh and who took off with my stapler & other stolen goods?
Oh my gosh …I am so misunderstood!

This is a typical day for me … waiting on my people.
But by the end of the day, I head to the church steeple!
I really don’t mind as I love what I do
Even though I would like to tell everyone to get a clue.

No one really listens as to what I have to say.
Lord what I have to put up with for such low pay!

Happy Administrative Professional Day from all of the folks at BSSI!

When the PDF is opened In Adobe Reader with JavaScript enabled, a dialog box is displayed asking the user to “Specify a file to extract to”.

This could be somewhat confusing to users, and not really knowing what is happening, they may just click save (It appears as if they are just saving a PDF file after all). Adobe is considering a patch to change the behavior of the software. In the meantime, the company is suggesting that users configure its PDF Reader product to limit the damage from an attack.

Here are the instructions for mitigating a potential attack:

Users can also turn off this functionality in the Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Preferences by selecting > Edit > Preferences > Categories > Trust Manager > PDF File Attachments and clearing (unchecking) the box “Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications”