Tech News
IT Support Surrey
June 16, 2009
Surrey IT Solutions provides Computer Support / Network Support Services and Computer Repair in Surrey and all surrounding areas. Please click here to see a list of services www.surreyit.com
Providing IT Support in Surrey
Stop Staff Wasting Time on the Internet
March 4, 2009
Most staff are responsible and prudent with their Internet use and we always recommend a suitable AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) to be in place so that staff or any users of your systems know what they are and aren’t permitted to use the computers for. This AUP can be re-inforced by DrayTek routers which can block specific content (either at certain times only or all times) and also block potentially harmful file/code types from being installed by rogue web sites. There are some staff who will make severe abuse of the Internet facilities – spending literally hours on personal matters or social networking sites.
Top 5 Personal Internet Uses for Employees
- Personal Email: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc.
- Intant Messaging: MSN, AOL, Yahoo etc.
- Social Networking: Facebook, MySpace etc.
- Buying: Using Amazon, Ebay etc.
- Multimedia : YouTube, iPlayer etc.
All of the above are can be immensely time consuming and addictive. It’s easy to let a quick visit become a prolonged stay.
Inappropriate Use
As well as wasteful use, employees can also make inappropriate use of the Internet. Most obviously, this would include visiting web sites containing objectional or sensitive material, for example pornography or adult related sites. Gambling sites may also be inappropriate for an office environment. If you are operating in a school or similar, blocking specific categories of sites is even more important.
Security Risks
Your IT hardware operates most efficiently if it’s not interfered with. A user who downloads and installs software from the Internet uses storage space and may affect the stability of your system. O/S components (DLLs) may be replaced, system services added and the risk of virus, trojans and spyware is increased. Web applications (including ActiveX components, Java etc.) are automatically downloaded by web browsers – many users may not realise the implications of that, but they’re also not able to tell what the source or motivation of those components really is. A harmless ‘addon’ might not be so harmless.
Another security risk is that of online email or instant messaging being used to disclose company confidential information or files – that could be seriously damaging. The use of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing technology could also expose your company to litigation if it is used for unlawful activities. In the case of more serious and deliberate data theft (indistrial espionage), remote access or tunnelling to your network could also be set up by a rogue employee.
The DrayTek Solution
DrayTek Router/Firewalls can help control your users’ Internet usage and block sites and content which you don’t want on your network. You can set schedules to allow surfing certain sites at certain times (for example at lunchtime) or block them permanently. You can block specific users or all users. The DrayTek range includes content filtering methods to block the following:
- Web Sites by Category (e.g. Sex, Gambling, Shopping, Proxies etc.)
- Web Sites by specific name (e.g. Ebay, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo, Gmail etc.)
- Web Executables: Java, ActiveX etc.
- Multimedia File Download: MPG, AVI, WAV etc.
- Browser Cookies
- Instant Messaging: MSN, AIM, Yahoo, GoogleTalk etc.
- Multimedia (Streaming, YouTube etc.)
- Voice-over-IP (SIP, Skype)
- Peer-to-Peer Applications (BitTorrent, eDonkey, Gnuttela etc.)
- Tunnelling (Socks, HTTP Tunnel, Ping Tunnel, Tiny VPN etc.)
- Remote Control (Radmin, PCAnywhere, RDP, VNC etc.)
- Download Extension Type (e.g. .EXE, .BAT
- Application by specific IP Port No./Range
- IP Filtering (Blocking IP addresses or ranges)
In summary, with a DrayTek router, you can lock down your company’s web access to increase security and productivity substantially. You can also exclude PCs from the restrictions, for example for management or for specific PCs which are allowed to be used for recreation, and if used with the router’s ‘VLAN’ feature, those computers can be isolated from the main network for added security. Time schedules can also be added to turn the restrictions off.Surrey IT Solutions are Draytek resellers and also highly proficient in their setup and configuration.
Hosted Exchange
January 18, 2009
Microsoft Exchange is the world’s most popular business messaging software. It boosts company productivity through advanced features like: always-synced email, files, calendars and contacts advanced Web mail; shared calendars that let employees see colleagues’ availability to schedule or rearrange meetings, book conference rooms and plan projects; shared task lists that allow ‘to do’ lists to be created and assigned, then shared with team members; and shared contacts which guarantee that customers’ contact details will never be lost or misplaced.
Surrey IT Solutions now offers Exchange as a hosted solution meaning you do not need the large hardware and setup overheads normally associated with a dedicated e-mail server.
 |
Software user license for Outlook |
|
Microsoft Outlook email client with HTTPS access |
|
Synchronisation of your emails, notes, calendar and contacts with a local PC |
|
Group working features |
|
Access to emails Hosted on the Exchange platform:
|
|
|
|
Anti-virus protection |
|
Anti-spam protection |
|
Management of your domain names |
|
A public folder shared between all users in your workgroup |
|
Notes management module |
|
|
|
Mailbox servers replicated to SAN in real time and backed up daily |
Computer Support Surrey / PC Support Surrey / Network Support Surrey / Computer Repair Surrey
January 18, 2009
Surrey IT Solutions provides Computer Support / Network Support Services and Computer Repair in Surrey and all surrounding areas. Please click here to see a list of services www.surreyit.com
Windows Small Business Server 2008 Released
November 8, 2008
Windows Small Business Server 2008 has been launched to manufacturing. As a Microsoft Partner Surrey IT Solutions has received the SBS 2008 media and we are currently testing the system. Please click on the link below for an overview of the new system.
http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/en/us/overview.aspx
Windows Server 2008 Launched
March 13, 2008
Windows Server 2008 has now been launched – take a look at Microsoft’s new Robot showing off the new server operating system features.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/serverunleashed/default.html
Is Your System Running Slowly?
December 24, 2007
If your system is running slowly we recomend you let us run a system health check.
System Health Check
Over time, your PC can begin to run slowly or even crash. This can be caused by hardware or software issues. Surrey IT Solutions can test your system and provide advice on keeping your system Tip-Top.
We provide a comprehensive system health check which includes the following:
- Virus \ Spyware removal
- Windows and Office security updates to prevent a hacker gaining access to your personal data
- Check virus software is adequate and virus definition files up to date
- Personal Data backup onto CD \ DVD
- Firewall \ Wireless network inspection – we will check this has been configured correctly keeping your data safe
- Remove unnecessary start-up programs which are using your system resources
- Hard drive defragmentation to speed up drive access
Does Your Wireless Signal Need a Boost?
December 10, 2007
Maybe you need one of these?
Devolo dLAN Wireless Extender
Features:
- HomePlug adapter for wireless network and Internet extension via wireless LAN
- Especially versatile: any power socket can become a WLAN connection
- No need for new cables – no drilling – and no mess! Simply plug it in and off you go!
The transfer rate of 85 Mbps over Read On…
Locked Hard Drives?
December 10, 2007
One of the world’s largest hard disk manufacturers has blocked its customers from sharing online their media files that are stored on networked drives. Western Digital says the decision to block sharing of music and audio files is an anti-piracy effort.
The ban operates regardless of whether the files are copy-protected, or a user’s own home-produced content.
Digital activists say it is the latest step in a so-called war on copyright theft that is damaging consumer rights.
The shift to a digital world in which all forms of content, from books, music, and TV programmes to films, can be shared effortlessly around the world between people with an internet connection has produced an unprecedented upheaval in attitudes to media, copyright and consumer rights Read On…
ESET Launches ESET Smart Security and ESET NOD32 Antivirus V3.0
December 10, 2007
ESET, the leader in proactive threat protection, today announced ESET Smart Security, a new, integrated security solution for consumers and SMEs, built on ESET’s award-winning advanced heuristic ThreatSense® detection system and the ESET NOD32 scanning engine. Unlike security suites that combine standalone products, ESET Smart Security tightly integrates the antispyware, antispam and firewall features, with the new version of ESET’s flagship ESET NOD32 Antivirus scanning engine. This tight integration allows each module to share information with the other to evaluate and classify every threat appropriately.
“Threats no longer appear in the form of pure viruses or spam or phishing. They now come as ‘blended’ threats which require an integration and intelligence among individual security features. Smart computer users are looking for the best level of integrated protection with the minimal amount of inconvenience,” said Phil Hochmuth Read On…
