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New MA Bill Requires Protection of Personal Data

Starting May 1, 2009 Massachusetts will begin regulating the security of all personal information being stored on computers. (MA Bill 201 CMR 17.00) This bill was enacted in the wake of the massive TJX security breach and other information security failures to better protect the integrity of sensitive electronic and hardcopy files.

The bill requires businesses and any other entities holding personal information on Massachusetts residents to adopt several new policies, including:

  • Establish a comprehensive information security program that uses up-to-date firewall protection;
  • Inventory all systems that hold personal information on Massachusetts residents; and
  • Encrypt all wirelessly transmitted data and documents sent over the Internet or saved on laptops or flash drives.
"Personal information," is defined as a resident's name in combination with any one or more of the following elements:
  1. Social Security number;
  2. Driver's license number or state-issued identification card number; or
  3. Financial account number, or credit or debit card number,
If you're unsure about your company's security situation contact us for a security audit and keep in mind that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (and less jail time).

What is in a name?

I received an email from BCV23@aol.com. The person was thanking me for my time speaking to them at the recent Chamber of commerce event and wanted to know if we could meet to talk. The message was signed "Bill"

Now, I speak to a lot of people, but I do not recall who "Bill" was. Here is the dilemma. Should I email "Bill" and ask him who he is and what company he is with? While this may seem rude, he did not give me any information to know who he is or what company he represents. I do not know if he is trying to sell me his service or if he needs my services.

If the person's email was BillB@xyzcompany.com then I could have gone to http://xyzcompany.com, seen what they do, looked up a phone number and called "Bill". In addition, XYZ Company sounds like a legitimate company, not a one person entity.

Domain names and email hosting are inexpensive. If you are serious about having a business, then tell the world who you are - get a domain name!

News & Views

The High Cost of Cheap Computers

Computer technology is constantly changing, making it difficult for the average consumer to get an understanding for the relationship between quality and price. The prospect of performing the necessary research to purchase a new computer leads many people to simply go with the 'cheap' machine at retailers such as Best Buy, CompUSA, and Staples. Since technology is constantly evolving you want to invest in the right computer, and not just the alleged 'bargain'. If a computer is designed specifically to your needs, configured properly, and taken care of over time, it should last you between 3 to 5 years. Why pay for a computer that isn't tailored to your needs and will only last a year or two?

We purchase hundreds of machines per year for clients. Ask us to purchase the right machine for your needs.

Security

Reasonable Security Measures

Keeping data secure should be a paramount concern and come May 1, 2009 it will be a Massachusetts's Law. What are some of the key changes that you can do to prepare for this spring deadline?
  • Use passwords - many people don't have any passwords to access their computer or financial information. Pick something that is at least 6 characters and has at least 1 number.
  • Drive encryption - only an authorized person can access the data on your hard drive. If someone steals your machine, they will not be able to access any of your data.
  • Backup encryption - we have said before that we do not like tapes for backup purposes because of their lack of reliability and annual replacement cost, but here is another issue - if someone steals your tapes they can access your data. We recommend SARBS - our encrypted remote backup solution. Automatic, secure and remote.
  • Wireless access encryption - there are several ways to secure an access point to prevent unauthorized access or stealing of bandwidth. Talk to us to see what makes the most sense for you.
Concerned about security? We can provide Security Assessments for $499. A technician will come to your office, perform the documentation required by law, and deliver a list of recommendations how your office can be made secure.

Spam Filtering

We frequently talk about the annoying nature of viruses (the pop-ups, web site redirection), but there is also the issue of the computer being compromised by an unauthorized user. There are three levels of filtering to protect your machine and data.
  1. Hardware filtering - either your webserver or third party email filtering should be stripping out unwanted email. We filter 100,000+ pieces of unwanted email EACH day for our customers.
  2. Local Fileserver - If your company has a fileserver, then there is server based software that will scrutinize incoming data and try to quarantine unwanted email.
  3. Local machine - every machine should have antivirus software installed which scans incoming email, and blocks pop-ups.
The hardware filtering is the best protection you can have. It is the most accurate at determining what spam is. In the absence of hardware filtering, you should have both server and pc level filtering. PC level filtering alone is the least secure - and the reason why so many more individual machines are infected vs. office machines.

Timely Tips

Tip of the month

Get the BIG picture of the web page

Have you ever wanted to see the whole web page but all the toolbars were in the way? There is an easy trick that can hide the menu bars (Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc) so that you can see more information. Try this: Open your favorite browser (ours is Firefox) and press the F11 key.

If you scroll to the top of the page, then your menu comes back - or you can press F11 again to restore your screen to how it was.


Tech-e-nomics: Using Technology to Trim the Budget

Save on Printing
Use your ink cartridges until you notice the print quality is very low. Often manufacturers configure 'Low Ink' messages to appear weeks, even months before they're fully used.

Save on Printing - #2
When purchasing a new printer consider the cost per page. An $800 printer may have a cost per page of 0.9 cents, vs. 1.8 cents for a $500 printer. At 3000 pages a month, break even is in 10 months.

Save on Energy
Do your computers need to be on at night? Why not save on your electricity bill by enabling the sleep mode on your computers at a certain time every day?

Save on Energy #2
Use a "Set-Back" thermostat to turn down the heat in your home and office when you are not there. Why keep your office at 70 all night long? Why keep your house at 70 during the working hours? For $35 you can purchase a programmable thermostat to reduce your energy consumption.

Use technology to reduce travel
There are several methods available to provide a "virtual" office to employees to reduce travel. We can create a secure area of your server and allow restricted employee access from a remote location. All they will need is access to the Internet. This can be beneficial if employees/owners need to take work home, can't get into the office due to inclement weather, or need to put in a few extra hours but don't want to drive to the office to do it.

Evaluate your phone usage
Telephone contracts usually extend for three years and then leave you paying more than you should. By evaluating customer's telephone usage we have saved multiple companies thousands of dollars per year.

We continually help companies with all of the above solutions. Contact us to see how we can help you.

GMP: Good Maintenance Practices

Virus/Spyware/Trojan Alerts: XP Antivirus 2008, 2009

The #1 customer issue has been Windows XP Anti-Virus 2008, 2009. The XP Antivirus 2008, 2009 trojan looks like a valid Windows program, however it is nasty malware that installs a backdoor on your computer and allows hackers access to your machine, it also tries to trick users into purchasing a valid copy of the software. If you try to purchase this FAKE antivirus software you should cancel your Credit Card immediately as it has been compromised. XP Antivirus 2008, 2009 infects machines through pop-up ads, spam email and malware websites.

If you notice these pop-ups on a website you should immediately close your Internet browser and make sure you do not visit that website again. There are no easy fixes for this particular infection.

If you do not recognize the sender of an email DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT!