Bradblog

Fraudulent UPS email contains virus

Brad Benner — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:09:14 +0000

A few of our clients have received a fraudulent email being circulated that appears to be from UPS about a shipment that could not be delivered. The email urges the recipient to open an attachment that supposedly contains a waybill for the shipment, but the attachment contains a virus.

Play it safe by observing the following best practices:

Treat all email with suspicion
Don’t open attachments that you aren’t specifically expecting
Use a personal email account for non-business related correspondence
Never respond to emails that request personal financial information
Ensure that your workstation has current anti-virus and anti-spyware protection

Improvements to our data backup and disaster recovery service

Brad Benner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:31:27 +0000

We’ve made several key improvements to our backup and disaster recovery service offering this month:

The Basic model now protects up to two servers, instead of just one.
The Advanced model now comes in both a tower and rack-mount configuration.
We’ve introduced a new, lower-cost offsite storage option. At just 29¢/GB/month, this option allows you to synchronize your backup data to a local USB drive that you can take offsite.

We launched this offering earlier this year because we know that in the event of a disaster—minor or major, environmental or technological—loss of data and extended server downtime can cripple a small business. Our service features a dedicated backup device that we connect to your network and replaces error-prone and unreliable tape backup technology.

94% of companies that experience a major loss of data either never re-open or close within two years. Only 6% survive over the long-term.

If you’re interested in hearing more, take a look at an overview of our backup and disaster recovery service, watch a quick presentation, and download a free whitepaper on Business Continuity Planning. Then call us to discuss.

Small Business Server 2008 launches

Brad Benner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:24:24 +0000

The next version of Microsoft’s Small Business Server platform launched this past week. Overall, SBS 2008 is more of an evolutionary improvement on a great product than a radical redesign, and it offers several key improvements that will benefit our clients using Small Business Server:

Built upon a new underlying operating system, Windows Server 2008 is 64-bit operating system that features Hyper-V, Microsoft’s virtualization technology that allows one physical server to host multiple virtual servers, better system and network performance, and enhancements to Terminal Services that improve users’ ability to access company data and individual applications remotely.
Remote Web Workplace has been updated with a fresh new design that features easy-to-use buttons labeled Check Email (Outlook Web Access), Connect to a Computer (remote desktop to a workstation), and Internal Web site (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0).
The latest version of Windows SharePoint Services, version 3.0, is now included with SBS and provides more robust and easy-to-use collaboration tools to encourage information sharing and make it easier to access to company files remotely.
Exchange 2007 includes a new version of Outlook Web Access that provides a more dynamic and rich experience as well as new features to access documents and attachments more easily from outside the office.
New single Client Access Licenses (CALs) make Windows Small Business Server 2008 licensing more flexible and cost effective. Rather than having to purchase CALs in multiples of 5, you can now purchase a single CAL for that 11th or 26th employee.
Finally, Premium edition includes Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition (in place of Workgroup Edition) and allows you to install both SQL Server and Server 2008 on a separate physical server for Line of Business (LOB) applications, such as accounting, ERP, practice/project management, or CRM systems.

Google’d

Brad Benner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:26 +0000

I was beside myself this evening when I discovered these! Notice how they’ve taken the courtesy to blur my face.

Microsoft Financing

Brad Benner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:37:32 +0000

As part of our Certified Partner status with Microsoft, our clients are able to take advantage of a program to finance the acquisition and installation of entire technology solution – software, hardware, and implementation costs – at a fixed interest rate.

The program provides for flexible payment options of 24-60 months, with no down payment, no additional fees, and no end-of-term lease negotiations. By financing your IT solutions and spreading the payments over the life of your investment, we can help optimize your budget to meet your business needs and free up your credit lines for other investments.

The minimum loan size is $3,000 and getting approved is quick and easy: a one-page loan application is required and most applications are processed within 24 hours.

X-BAR helpdesk utility menu

Brad Benner — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:50:45 +0000

We’ve built this handy utility to make it easier for our clients to contact our helpdesk when you need support. Here’s how to get started:

Download the Helpdesk Menu installer to your desktop.
Double click X-BAR Helpdesk Menu Setup.msi to start the installation.
In the Open File - Security Warning window, click the Run button.
Follow the installation wizard instructions.

Once the installation is complete, you’ll see a small X-BAR icon in the lower right-hand corner of your taskbar.

Clicking the X-BAR icon will reveal a small menu that lists the 3 ways you can contact our helpdesk when you need support.

We may occasionally ask you to launch the auxiliary remote control tool when our main method of providing you interactive remote support is unavailable.

Network-wide installation: We can also install this utility on some or all of your workstations and laptops for you. You can request this through our client portal or by sending an email to the helpdesk. Please include a list of workstations on which you’d like this installed or simply indicate that you’d like the helpdesk utility menu installed on all workstations.

Please note: this utility is offered as-is with with no written, implied or expressed warranty, or support.

Accessing SharePoint UNC paths from Windows Server 2003 or 2008

Brad Benner — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:45:36 +0000

When accessing a SharePoint UNC path from Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008, you may receive the following error:

You were not connected because a duplicate name exists on the network.

Here’s how to resolve the issue:

On Windows Server 2003, set the WebClient service startup to automatic, then start the service. You may need to reboot the server for this to fully take effect.
On Windows Server 2008, install the Desktop Experience feature, then restart the server.

Getting the most from our helpdesk

Brad Benner — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:07:56 +0000

We’ve put together the following tips on how you can get the most from our helpdesk and support systems, and so we can support you most effectively.

Please resist the temptation to contact our support engineers directly for support. All of our systems and processes are designed to allow our entire team to respond when you need help. If you call or email one of us directly there’s no telling what might happen!
Use descriptive titles for your request in the summary field (when using the client portal) or in the subject line (when emailing the helpdesk). This helps us better manage and prioritize your support requests. Here are a few examples of good support request titles:
- Can’t log on to my workstation
- Unable to print
- Need assistance installing a QuickBooks update
Avoid creating multiple requests for the same issue. Each time you send a new message to helpdesk@xbarit.com, a request is opened in our support system. If you need to correspond with us about an existing request, please respond to one of the emails you receive from our support system (that contain your support request number in the message subject) – or better yet, log in to the client portal and add your notes directly to the support request.
Take a moment to let us know how we’re doing. The email you receive when a request is completed includes a link to a very short, 4-question survey. Please take a moment to complete this. Your feedback is very helpful to us as we continually look for ways to improve the services we provide you.

New support system and client portal

Brad Benner — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:06:57 +0000

At the beginning of September, we launched a new support system to replace a number of our disconnected internal systems. This new system has really improved our ability to manage all aspects of the IT consulting and support services we provide you and your company.

If you haven’t already done so, get connected to our new client support portal by visiting http://www.xbarit.com and clicking Client Portal (in the upper-right), or by visiting https://helpdesk.xbarit.com/support directly. You can request your client portal password by entering your email address and clicking the Forgot Password link.

The client portal allows you to submit new support requests, and track the progress of our support work by viewing and updating existing requests.

X-BAR grows, acquires The IT Crew

Brad Benner — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:04:14 +0000

It’s been a busy summer for us at X-BAR. Last month, we took over the operations of another local IT support company, The IT Crew, which had been serving a very similar base of local small businesses. Former ‘Crew’ members, Kris Shaw and Cary Johnson, have also joined the X-BAR team.

We’re all really looking forward to working with these new clients and Kris and Cary are eager to meet all of our existing clients.