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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentines Day!
Paddle, paddle, paddle. Whatever you do, don’t stop paddling! That’s about all I remember hearing from our guide during my one and only whitewater rafting weekend. I think that was sometime in the mid to late 80’s.
When I look back over the last few years, It feels like that’s all I have been doing is paddling. Lately, I think I can almost hear him again in my head. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I say that we are all getting busier and busier. What I have heard the most of lately is “I am overwhelmed”. Certainly for some, it’s the economy that drives them to work harder, longer, do more with less, etc. For others, well, the reason is probably less important than the results. Whatever the reason, I am afraid the results are the same; and certainly not healthy. Not healthy for bodies, minds, spirits, families, relationships or anything else that really matters to us. “They” keep giving us bad news about the economy. You know as well as I do that good things are still happening. But, good news doesn’t sell papers or advertising. To quote our friends in
So, that being said, I am not going to suggest you go to a gym, take a yoga class, start meditating, eat better, stop smoking or any of the other dozens of things that could actually lead to a healthier and more peaceful life. Today, I am simply going to suggest two things to you. Two very simple, free and fast (just the way us Americans like it) suggestions.
First, I am going to ask you to pause and think before you forward another negative email or pass on another negative story about anything to anyone. A little bit of encouragement and positive thinking goes a long way. Unfortunately, so does discouragement and negative thinking. And second, find two or three times a day to stop and breathe on purpose. Just for a minute, create a gap in your day, stop the chatter in your head and take a few breaths. If you must think about something, try to think/feel gratitude for family, friends, work, chocolate, hot water, whatever it is for which you are thankful.
If you’re one of the many that are feeling a bit overwhelmed these days try this:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
If your way past a bit overwhelmed, try St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Peace
Dave
Friday, November 21, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
Dear Clients,
I am sure I echo the sentiments of many of you when I say I can’t believe we are less than a week away from another Thanksgiving Day. Before the Holidays hit us full force I wanted to take a few minutes to look back over this past year and catch you up on what’s been happening with us.
As many of you know, the later half of 2007 was a busy time for us with the exit of my partner Mike, a plan to create a joint-venture with another I.T. company and our subsequent move to Brecksville.
After several months of discussions we decided that a joint-venture would not be in the best interest of either company or its respective Clients and ended discussions. So, no joint-venture, no merger.
I did feel however that our name change to TrustPoint Technologies would be an important part of our future plans and as we moved further into 2008 I had a few goals.
1. To increase the level of communication between our staff and our Clients.
2. To offer an email protection service for those Clients who didn’t have or didn’t want that equipment in house.
3. To offer a Network Health Monitoring Service.
4. To create a network documentation system for support Clients.
5. To increase operational efficiencies and replace several internal systems with one fully integrated solution.
6. To locate and move to a permanent larger office space.
I am proud to say that we have achieved the first four goals. We have purchased and installed the equipment and software for goal five and started training this week. As for the office space, we are currently considering a few good options.
While some of you joined us this year, many of you have been with us 6 years or longer and some have trusted us to manage and grow their networks over 20 years. And so on a personal note, I would like to say thank you to you all of you for your continued trust and support and that I am truly thankful for you and our Staff.
On behalf of the TrustPoint Technologies Team I’d like to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Dave
I am sure I echo the sentiments of many of you when I say I can’t believe we are less than a week away from another Thanksgiving Day. Before the Holidays hit us full force I wanted to take a few minutes to look back over this past year and catch you up on what’s been happening with us.
As many of you know, the later half of 2007 was a busy time for us with the exit of my partner Mike, a plan to create a joint-venture with another I.T. company and our subsequent move to Brecksville.
After several months of discussions we decided that a joint-venture would not be in the best interest of either company or its respective Clients and ended discussions. So, no joint-venture, no merger.
I did feel however that our name change to TrustPoint Technologies would be an important part of our future plans and as we moved further into 2008 I had a few goals.
1. To increase the level of communication between our staff and our Clients.
2. To offer an email protection service for those Clients who didn’t have or didn’t want that equipment in house.
3. To offer a Network Health Monitoring Service.
4. To create a network documentation system for support Clients.
5. To increase operational efficiencies and replace several internal systems with one fully integrated solution.
6. To locate and move to a permanent larger office space.
I am proud to say that we have achieved the first four goals. We have purchased and installed the equipment and software for goal five and started training this week. As for the office space, we are currently considering a few good options.
While some of you joined us this year, many of you have been with us 6 years or longer and some have trusted us to manage and grow their networks over 20 years. And so on a personal note, I would like to say thank you to you all of you for your continued trust and support and that I am truly thankful for you and our Staff.
On behalf of the TrustPoint Technologies Team I’d like to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Dave
Friday, October 24, 2008
Microsoft Releases Emergency Critical Patch
Dear Clients & Associates
Please read this notice and/or forward it to the appropriate person.
Subject: Microsoft Releases Emergency Critical Patch
Microsoft issued an emergency critical update Thursday (10-23-08) addressing a malicious Internet worm that could allow attackers to infiltrate systems remotely and take control over users' computers without any user interaction.
Typically, Microsoft issues regularly scheduled updates on the second Tuesday of every month. The fact they released what is known as an "out-of-band" patch indicates that they believe the vulnerability could be severe.
This vulnerability, which affects almost every Windows operating system, is rated critical for multiple versions of Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003, but is given the less severe rating of "important" for Vista and Server 2008.
If left unpatched, this vulnerability could allow remote attackers to infiltrate systems in order to take control of users' computers and steal data without any contact with a user. Once a machine is infected, it has the ability to rapidly spread to other vulnerable computers within the network.
While all of TrustPoints Support Clients are protected by internet firewalls and End-Point Security Software, we haven’t seen any information on the possible vectors of attack. We don’t know if the current exploits were direct, or if they were delivered via web-browsing, email, instant messenger, etc. And we certainly can’t be sure about the status of PCs that are brought into the office from the outside. Once an infected machine is on the network, it will attempt to infect others.
We typically test any updates first, because on occasion a Microsoft update can cause issues with a system in general and application software in particular. In this case, we will be updating all server and workstations asap. If you are not a Support Client or you don’t keep up on patches, we suggest you consider applying at least this one patch as soon as possible. If you are concerned about your application software, please contact their support staff or website for information. Please be advised that some Microsoft Patches will require a reboot of the system to finalize installation.
If you have any questions on this issue, how it applies to your environment or how to apply the patch, please contact your assigned Engineer, our HelpDesk at 440-325-2102 or me directly at 440-325-2101.
For more information on this vulnerability please visit:
http://www.sophos.com/support/knowledgebase/article/47804.html
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/ms08-067.mspx
Regards,
Dave
440-325-2101
Please read this notice and/or forward it to the appropriate person.
Subject: Microsoft Releases Emergency Critical Patch
Microsoft issued an emergency critical update Thursday (10-23-08) addressing a malicious Internet worm that could allow attackers to infiltrate systems remotely and take control over users' computers without any user interaction.
Typically, Microsoft issues regularly scheduled updates on the second Tuesday of every month. The fact they released what is known as an "out-of-band" patch indicates that they believe the vulnerability could be severe.
This vulnerability, which affects almost every Windows operating system, is rated critical for multiple versions of Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003, but is given the less severe rating of "important" for Vista and Server 2008.
If left unpatched, this vulnerability could allow remote attackers to infiltrate systems in order to take control of users' computers and steal data without any contact with a user. Once a machine is infected, it has the ability to rapidly spread to other vulnerable computers within the network.
While all of TrustPoints Support Clients are protected by internet firewalls and End-Point Security Software, we haven’t seen any information on the possible vectors of attack. We don’t know if the current exploits were direct, or if they were delivered via web-browsing, email, instant messenger, etc. And we certainly can’t be sure about the status of PCs that are brought into the office from the outside. Once an infected machine is on the network, it will attempt to infect others.
We typically test any updates first, because on occasion a Microsoft update can cause issues with a system in general and application software in particular. In this case, we will be updating all server and workstations asap. If you are not a Support Client or you don’t keep up on patches, we suggest you consider applying at least this one patch as soon as possible. If you are concerned about your application software, please contact their support staff or website for information. Please be advised that some Microsoft Patches will require a reboot of the system to finalize installation.
If you have any questions on this issue, how it applies to your environment or how to apply the patch, please contact your assigned Engineer, our HelpDesk at 440-325-2102 or me directly at 440-325-2101.
For more information on this vulnerability please visit:
http://www.sophos.com/support/knowledgebase/article/47804.html
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/ms08-067.mspx
Regards,
Dave
440-325-2101
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Holiday Shopping Warning
Dear Clients & Associates,
As we enter into the fall season, we begin to hear talk of the upcoming holidays. While some employees’ have already begun making a list and checking it twice, about 1 in 5 office workers will do some, if not all of their holiday shopping online during work hours. The average amount of time an employee spends shopping for holiday gifts alone can be a staggering 16 hours during the month of December. This is a costly and possibly dangerous way for employees to spend company time and resources, even if they are on their lunch hour.
The holidays place extreme demands on our time and pulling up our favorite shopping sites while at the office may seem like a harmless task, or is it? More than ever before employers need to be cautious about employee’s online activities. Most employees are unaware that the features that make many common websites appealing and user friendly can be compromised and expose your network to worms, trojans, viruses and hackers. The use of your internet connection for online shopping may significantly impact the performance of other business applications in your office.
It is becoming more and more common for the websites of trusted retailers and financial institutions to be defaced, attacked or hacked. These “trusted” sites can easily deliver malicious code to unprotected computers and servers on your network. And, just because it was safe last week doesn’t mean it is safe this week. Additionally, there are spoofed sites that can be presented by search engines that look just like “trusted” sites such as Amazon, Newegg, Overstock and even eBay, but they’re not! These spoof sites are designed to look exactly like the real thing so that you will feel comfortable and safe while entering your user name and password and even your credit card information. These scenarios pose a major threat on a professional and a personal level. While most employees understand the threat that viruses pose, they don’t understand the threats from spy-ware and other malicious code.
With regulatory acts such as HIPPA, GLB, SOX and PCI, businesses need to be vigilant and insure that a compromised PC doesn’t leak sensitive information and expose the company to legal or financial risks. It might interest you to know that a poll by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute indicates that 26 percent of companies have terminated employees because of internet misuse.
Most companies have policies in place that define the use of their electronic systems. Make sure your employees are familiar with your company's policies. Companies have a right to monitor employee’s electronic activities and it’s not just limited to the Internet or email system. This extends to voice mail, instant messages, and even postings employees have made on blogs and online message boards. Most electronic activity can be tracked and logged. Logs are usually created in email systems, content filters, browsers, firewalls, etc.
There are several options available to help ensure the safety of your company’s electronic information and assets. While we all understand that it may not the intent of employee’s to harm company assets, we need to be diligent in our efforts to prevent and control disasters from occurring. We suggest that you discuss these issues and any concerns you may have with your Network Engineer or give our Helpdesk (440-325-2102) a call and ask about a Network Health Audit.
Regards,
David
Still not Convinced? Check out these statistics:
• Non-work related Internet surfing results in up to a 40% loss in productivity each year at American businesses.- Gartner Group
• Employees use company high-speed Internet access to visit sites such as Broadcast.com and MP3.com more frequently at work than they do at home because of the high-speed Internet access at work.-Nielsen Ratings
• 85.6% of employees use office email for personal reasons.- NFO Worldwide
• 70% of all web traffic to Internet pornography sites occurs during the work hours of 9am-5pm.- Sex Tracker
• 92% of online stock trading occurs from the workplace during work hours.
• 64% of employees have received politically incorrect or offensive emails at work.- Business Week
• 30% of American workers watch sports online while at work.
• 24% of American workers admit to shopping online while at work.
• 30 to 40% of Internet use in the workplace is not related to business.- IDC Research
• 37% of workers say they surf the Web constantly at work.- Vault.com
• 77.7% of major U.S. companies keep tabs on employees by checking their e-mail, Internet, phone calls, computer files, or by videotaping them at work.- American Management Association
• 63% of companies monitor workers' Internet connections and 47% store and review employee e-mail.- American Management Association
• 26% of companies say that they've fired employees for misuse of office e-mail or Internet connections, and 65% report some disciplinary measure for those offenses.- American Management Association
As we enter into the fall season, we begin to hear talk of the upcoming holidays. While some employees’ have already begun making a list and checking it twice, about 1 in 5 office workers will do some, if not all of their holiday shopping online during work hours. The average amount of time an employee spends shopping for holiday gifts alone can be a staggering 16 hours during the month of December. This is a costly and possibly dangerous way for employees to spend company time and resources, even if they are on their lunch hour.
The holidays place extreme demands on our time and pulling up our favorite shopping sites while at the office may seem like a harmless task, or is it? More than ever before employers need to be cautious about employee’s online activities. Most employees are unaware that the features that make many common websites appealing and user friendly can be compromised and expose your network to worms, trojans, viruses and hackers. The use of your internet connection for online shopping may significantly impact the performance of other business applications in your office.
It is becoming more and more common for the websites of trusted retailers and financial institutions to be defaced, attacked or hacked. These “trusted” sites can easily deliver malicious code to unprotected computers and servers on your network. And, just because it was safe last week doesn’t mean it is safe this week. Additionally, there are spoofed sites that can be presented by search engines that look just like “trusted” sites such as Amazon, Newegg, Overstock and even eBay, but they’re not! These spoof sites are designed to look exactly like the real thing so that you will feel comfortable and safe while entering your user name and password and even your credit card information. These scenarios pose a major threat on a professional and a personal level. While most employees understand the threat that viruses pose, they don’t understand the threats from spy-ware and other malicious code.
With regulatory acts such as HIPPA, GLB, SOX and PCI, businesses need to be vigilant and insure that a compromised PC doesn’t leak sensitive information and expose the company to legal or financial risks. It might interest you to know that a poll by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute indicates that 26 percent of companies have terminated employees because of internet misuse.
Most companies have policies in place that define the use of their electronic systems. Make sure your employees are familiar with your company's policies. Companies have a right to monitor employee’s electronic activities and it’s not just limited to the Internet or email system. This extends to voice mail, instant messages, and even postings employees have made on blogs and online message boards. Most electronic activity can be tracked and logged. Logs are usually created in email systems, content filters, browsers, firewalls, etc.
There are several options available to help ensure the safety of your company’s electronic information and assets. While we all understand that it may not the intent of employee’s to harm company assets, we need to be diligent in our efforts to prevent and control disasters from occurring. We suggest that you discuss these issues and any concerns you may have with your Network Engineer or give our Helpdesk (440-325-2102) a call and ask about a Network Health Audit.
Regards,
David
Still not Convinced? Check out these statistics:
• Non-work related Internet surfing results in up to a 40% loss in productivity each year at American businesses.- Gartner Group
• Employees use company high-speed Internet access to visit sites such as Broadcast.com and MP3.com more frequently at work than they do at home because of the high-speed Internet access at work.-Nielsen Ratings
• 85.6% of employees use office email for personal reasons.- NFO Worldwide
• 70% of all web traffic to Internet pornography sites occurs during the work hours of 9am-5pm.- Sex Tracker
• 92% of online stock trading occurs from the workplace during work hours.
• 64% of employees have received politically incorrect or offensive emails at work.- Business Week
• 30% of American workers watch sports online while at work.
• 24% of American workers admit to shopping online while at work.
• 30 to 40% of Internet use in the workplace is not related to business.- IDC Research
• 37% of workers say they surf the Web constantly at work.- Vault.com
• 77.7% of major U.S. companies keep tabs on employees by checking their e-mail, Internet, phone calls, computer files, or by videotaping them at work.- American Management Association
• 63% of companies monitor workers' Internet connections and 47% store and review employee e-mail.- American Management Association
• 26% of companies say that they've fired employees for misuse of office e-mail or Internet connections, and 65% report some disciplinary measure for those offenses.- American Management Association
Monday, September 15, 2008
HelpDesk Update
Dear Clients,
As an added value to our Support Clients, TrustPoint Technologies temporarily extended its HelpDesk hours during the summer. We found that while Clients often took advantage of the Helpdesk after 7:30am, almost no calls came in between 7:00 and 7:30. Therefore, until further notice, we have decided to open the HelpDesk at 7:30am Monday through Friday. As stated previously, it is our intent to increase the level of communication and services with and for our Clients so please don’t hesitate to provide us with any feedback. So, our HelpDesk will now be available to you starting at 7:30am., and as always, you still have the ability to create a support ticket with our web-based HelpDesk 24 hours a day 7 days a week at
http://www.trustpointtech.com/
If you don’t have time to login to the HelpDesk, please know that you can always just email our HelpDesk and Tech Team at support@trustpointtech.com
Once again as a reminder, we have launched our own Data Center based Email Protection and Network Health Monitoring Services. These services with centralized management and better and more accurate information have allowed us to respond faster and with increased levels of protection, thus decreasing network downtime. We are working to do everything possible to exceed your expectations. We pride ourselves on solving business problems with affordable IT solutions; solutions that help you our Clients reach your business goals and objectives.
Regards,
Dave
As an added value to our Support Clients, TrustPoint Technologies temporarily extended its HelpDesk hours during the summer. We found that while Clients often took advantage of the Helpdesk after 7:30am, almost no calls came in between 7:00 and 7:30. Therefore, until further notice, we have decided to open the HelpDesk at 7:30am Monday through Friday. As stated previously, it is our intent to increase the level of communication and services with and for our Clients so please don’t hesitate to provide us with any feedback. So, our HelpDesk will now be available to you starting at 7:30am., and as always, you still have the ability to create a support ticket with our web-based HelpDesk 24 hours a day 7 days a week at
http://www.trustpointtech.com/
If you don’t have time to login to the HelpDesk, please know that you can always just email our HelpDesk and Tech Team at support@trustpointtech.com
Once again as a reminder, we have launched our own Data Center based Email Protection and Network Health Monitoring Services. These services with centralized management and better and more accurate information have allowed us to respond faster and with increased levels of protection, thus decreasing network downtime. We are working to do everything possible to exceed your expectations. We pride ourselves on solving business problems with affordable IT solutions; solutions that help you our Clients reach your business goals and objectives.
Regards,
Dave
Sunday, June 15, 2008
HelpDesk Summer Hours
Dear Clients,
As an added value to our Support Clients, TrustPoint Technologies is extending its HelpDesk hours. We will now be available at 7:00am Monday through Friday. We realize that during the summer many of our Clients are getting into the office earlier. As stated previously, it is our intent to increase the level of communication and services with and for our Clients. Since we launched our own Data Center based Email Protection and Network Health Monitoring Services, we have already seen positive results. Better and more accurate information has allowed us to respond faster and thereby increase the level of protection, thus decreasing network downtime. Remember, our HelpDesk will now be available to you starting at 7:00am., and as always, you still have full access to the online HelpDesk 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You will find the link to our HelpDesk at http://www.trustpointtech.com/. We are working to do everything possible to exceed your expectations. We pride ourselves on solving business problems with affordable IT solutions; solutions that help our Clients reaching their business goals and objectives.
Regards,
Dave
As an added value to our Support Clients, TrustPoint Technologies is extending its HelpDesk hours. We will now be available at 7:00am Monday through Friday. We realize that during the summer many of our Clients are getting into the office earlier. As stated previously, it is our intent to increase the level of communication and services with and for our Clients. Since we launched our own Data Center based Email Protection and Network Health Monitoring Services, we have already seen positive results. Better and more accurate information has allowed us to respond faster and thereby increase the level of protection, thus decreasing network downtime. Remember, our HelpDesk will now be available to you starting at 7:00am., and as always, you still have full access to the online HelpDesk 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You will find the link to our HelpDesk at http://www.trustpointtech.com/. We are working to do everything possible to exceed your expectations. We pride ourselves on solving business problems with affordable IT solutions; solutions that help our Clients reaching their business goals and objectives.
Regards,
Dave
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