Google to take on Facebook, Broadband Services?

Today's post focuses on search engine giant Google and their latest announcements involving Google Buzz and their new broadband service offering that will be tested soon in certain markets.  Google Buzz is supposed to knit together a variety of social networks into one collection.  The new broadband service offering is supposed to have the capabilities to deliver speeds up to 100 times faster than what most people current get through their service providers.  Google claims it's not interested in becoming an ISP (Internet Service Provider) but rather this latest offering is aimed at giving innovation a "nudge". 

Innovation is fueled by competition in the marketplace to solve the problems of the masses.  Change for the sake of change is not true innovation and problems can occur when one player dominates a particular market and makes it difficult or impossible for other players to get involved in the game.  Innovation needs to be driven by competition for a solution to a problem (which is what Google is claiming in this instance but an arguement can be made that the desire to drive ad revenues remains the main motivating factor behind these recent announcements)

Having faster more cost effective pipelines (especially to businesses) can indeed provide huge benefits.  Companies with large amounts of data or multiple locations would be the biggest winners.  By having large amounts of low cost bandwidth, business continuity and disaster prevention/recovery systems in near real time become a reality even for the small business owner.  Remote workers and remote offices would  become much easier to connect as it would remove some of the current speed issues associated with smaller bandwidths.

More details about the latest Google news can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/yzss6fp

Happy Computing ~ Eric

Avoid Credit Card Phone Scams

We've been getting some inquiries at our office regarding a new email that has resurfaced warning of a telephone scam where the caller tries to obtain the CVV code of the back of the credit card.  While this email has been around for a while, the scam is real and fairly clever but there are some common sense steps that you can take to protect yourself from these types of scams. 

The full article can be read here on Snopes:  http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

(by the way Snopes is a great resource for researching the validity of scams and warning that you so often see people forwarding to everyone in their address book)

Banks and credit card companies will never call you directly and ask to you to verify account information (that's the common sense part).  If you're ever suspicious of a call of this nature the best thing to do is ask for a call back number for their fraud department and then verify it on the bank or credit card company website.  You can then call their department back directly and initiate the conversation to make sure the inquiry was legitimate.

Happy Computing ~ Eric

Are you a Doctor who is Frustrated with IT?

The move to go "paperless" has frustrated many a healthcare provider and it can be a confusing (and even expensive) proposition.

There was an interesting article written in the Huffington Post today regarding some of the stumbling blocks healthcare providers face in keeping up with technology and more specifically their practice management systems: http://tinyurl.com/y9ezdbf

An interesting point was made that while no one can guarantee a company will stay in business over the long haul, it's important to select service providers with a proven track record of delivering results.  Equally important is having well defined goals for any solutions that you intend to implement.  Too often people are distracted by the bells and whistles surround a new piece of technology and then become disappointed with the results it delivers once it's put into place.

If your practice is experiencing these types of difficulties or would just like help understanding the options available, we'd love to speak with you.

Happy Computing ~ Eric

 

Is the DROID smartphone better than the iPhone for Business Users?

There has been (and probably always will be) a debate on what the best available smart phone is for business users.  I personally believe the answer to that question varies from user to user based on needs, there is a new article out from Deb Shinder on Tech Republic that outlines 8 specific features that the DROID phone does better than the iPhone.  You can review that list here:

http://tinyurl.com/webitdroid

I would like to stress that this is not a post bashing the iPhone because I think Apple has been rolling out some solid products for a long time now.  The real issue comes down to how they fit in with business needs (for our clients anyway) so that you have the best possible solution available that is the most cost effective and produces the intended results.  People can tend to get swept away by the marketing hype (smart phones are big business and there is a lot of money spent promoting the newest gadgets) which is why it's always good to seek the advice of an industry professional to make sure you get a phone that will work for your specific needs.

I personally have chosen the DROID phone for my needs and have been very pleased with it so far (a little over a month of ownership).  The features I think are key for me vs. the iPhone are the fact that the battery can be replaced at any time (you have to send the iPhone in to have the battery replaced which I find to be a very large drawback) and also the included GPS feature is really nice (although it still needs to mature somewhat as it doesn't always select the best routes but on the plus side it doesn't cost anything).

Also with the Android OS being an open source platform it is encouraging rapid application development and there are some very useful business applications available in the Android marketplace.

Healthcare Hacker Attempts Increasing

According to an article published today in the Healthcare IT news attempted hacker attacks aimed at healthcare organizations and practices managed by an Atlanta Security firm nearly doubled in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The first nine months of the year averaged 6,500 attack attempts per day, while the last three months saw that number leap to 13,400 per day!

Having a rock solid security plan vital now more than ever.  Every day hundreds of new threats are discovered ranging from new viruses and vulnerabilities in software to hacking attempts via the Internet.  Having a solid firewall in place is merely a starting point and you must have a comprehensive plan which includes protecting your systems and data as well as educating your employees on proper usage and what to do in the event a breech is suspected.

WEBIT Services can help take the worry out of managing your technology.  Call us today at 630-870-1088 and request your FREE no obligation security audit.  Why take unnecessary risks any longer?  Let WEBIT provide you with the peace of mind you deserve.

 

WEBIT @ Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Meeting Feb 25-27, 2010

Greetings Everyone!  We're just over a month away from the CDS Midwinter meeting at the new west wing in McCormick Place (Chicago, IL) and we're excited to have a booth at the show this year.  We'll be sending out reminders to all our friends in the dental industry to stop by to learn about some great new services we have to offer as well as a chance win some fantastic prizes.

To learn more about the CDS Midwinter Meeting, check out this video from the CDS on YouTube:

http://tinyurl.com/yjos5hx

There is also a real time interactive exhibitor map so you can plan your trip ahead of time (don't forget to stop by and see us at booth 3536!)

http://www.cds.org/mwm_2010/exhibitors_2010.html

As always if you know of a dental professional that is struggling with their technology or could benefit from the Guaranteed Peace of Mind Service we offer, we've setup a special referral website where you can send us their information and we'll give them a special FREE 27 Point Network audit with no obligations.  And if they become a client we'll reward you with a $250 AMEX gift card as our way of saying thanks.

To refer a business or medical/dental practice to us please visit www.webitfans.com or call us today at 630-870-1088.

WEBIT Unveils New Toner and Ink Service

NEW: Buy Your Ink and Toner from WEBIT and Save!

WEBIT Services is continually evolving to keep up with the needs of our clients. To that end we have added a new service that for purchasing printer ink and toner supplies directly from us. We have most manufacturers including DELL compatible toners (for certain models)

To get a quote on your printing supplies just call our sales department at 630-870-1088 x 305 or email your printer make and model number (along with what type of ink/toner you would like to purchase) to sales@webitservices.com and we'll put a quote together for you right away.

 

WEBIT Wire - January 2010

The January 2010 of our monthly Newsletter WEBIT Wire is now available online at:
http://tinyurl.com/yfbt2h3

If you're not currently a subscriber you can sign up today on the lower left side of our Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/webitservices

Holiday Helping Hand a Great Success

Seasons Greetings from all of us at WEBIT Services!

I hope this post finds everyone in good health.  I just wanted to take a small break from our normal IT tips and news postings and give you and update on the Holiday Helping Hand program we decided to undertake this year.  We decided this year to make a donation to a local food pantry that we work with in lieu of sending out holiday gift baskets to our clients and business partners.  This was an idea that came up during our internal discussions on what to give this year in appreciation of all the great clients and partners we have.  True to form once we started spreading the word of our idea everyone jumped on board and was excited to be a part of it. 

On December 19th we presented our donation to the Loaves and Fishes food pantry (http://www.loaves-fishes.org/) with a card signed by everyone and according to Executive Director Charles McLimans they will be able to purchase roughly $10,250.00 worth of food for the pantry.  That will definitely feed a lot of people and have an impact this holiday season where the need has definitely increased.

The reason I decided to post this is not to shine the spotlight on our company but rather to make everyone a little more aware of the reality of what is happening in our community.  There is a real need that will not go away once the holiday season is over.  The economic problems are affecting people from all walks of life and as business leaders I feel it is our obligation to help whenever and however we can especially within our own communities.  My hope was that this would be the snowball that starts rolling down the hill and becomes an avalanche of support for local charities.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous 2010!

Happy Computing ~ Eric

 

Notorious Spammer Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison

 

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CNN is reporting that the self proclaimed "Godfather of Spam", Alan Ralsky is going to prison for his role in manipulating Chinese stocks through billions of spam emails dating back to 2004.  His group made upwards of $3 Million on these particular scams:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/24/technology/King_of_spam_lawsuit_fraud_Ralsky/...

This verdict is another win for the CAN-SPAM act I believe.  People who continually abuse email and postal mail with the malicious intent of committing fraud need to be dealt with.  Spam affects us all in some way.  We lose valuable time and resources trying to either prevent it or sift through it to find legitimate email.  It also impacts businesses who are genuinely and honestly trying to communicate with current and potential customers as these messages can either get lost in the sheer volume of email some people receive as a result of spam or they can get blocked inadvertently because some "keywords" were identified by spam filters in a particular email and prevent it from being received.

Email can be a great time saver and a productive way of communicating with your clients, vendors and employees if used and maintained properly.  Hopefully events like this announcement will make unscrupulous spammers think twice before sending out a 70 million email blast around the world.

Happy Computing ~ Eric