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Password Manager

  Do you have tons of passwords that you just can’t keep track of? Try using a password manager like LastPass or Keepass. It’s free for personal use, and securely stores (and can even generate) all your passwords for you. The only password you’ll HAVE to remember is the one to your LastPass (or Keepass) account! LastPass link Keepass link Want to learn more about security and safety procedures? Call (250) 687-4742, or email support@columbiacomputers.ca to learn more and schedule your free...

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Betting Your Toys the Backups are Safe?

  It’s only natural that when you hear of a disaster you think it couldn’t happen to you. That’s why, even though we’re told constantly that we should diligently maintain a working backup recovery system because all our company’s data could be lost in an instant, we tend to brush off the advice. Yet disasters do happen when you least expect them, and they can happen to anyone. So to illustrate the importance of staying on top of your data recovery system, here are two tales of  “data gone wrong.” After all, there’s nothing quite like a good horror story to inspire action! Toy Story 2: Gone! One morning in 1998, the animators at Pixar Studios working on Toy Story 2 noticed that Woody’s hat started disappearing. Then his boots… Then all of Woody – gone! Other characters started disappearing too. A rogue command in their system had started wiping out data. No problem, the team thought, as they pulled out the backups. Unfortunately, the backups were bad and only had data from 10 months ago. Luckily, one of the project leaders who’d just had a baby had recently asked to have a copy of the film installed at her house. So they drove to her house and escorted her computer back to the studios “like an Egyptian Pharoah.” And as we now know, Toy Story 2 was saved. Moral: It’s not enough to simply run backups. You need to periodically check to make sure the data is actually getting backed up and nothing is corrupted. 46,000 Insurance Customer Records: Lost! In 2010, Zurich Insurance announced it had lost a backup tape containing confidential data from 46,000 customer records as it was being transferred from one site to another. To make matters worse, it was later revealed that it took a full year for their headquarters to learn that the tape was missing. While there was no evidence that the data had fallen into the wrong hands, it was not encrypted and therefore easily accessible by anyone in possession of the tape. The company was slapped with a £2.3 million fine from the British Financial Services Authority. Moral: If your backups are physical, make sure they’re transported and stored securely in a location away from your computer. And regardless of whether your backups are physical, or in the cloud, or both, make sure they are encrypted with high-level security. Want to learn more about secure and safe backup methods? Call (250) 687-4742, or email support@columbiacomputers.ca to learn more and schedule your free...

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6 Computer Security Tips

  Whether you’re a top-level CEO or a just Facebook addict, having your computer security compromised is an awful proposition. Between online banking, work emails with cloud access, and personal conversations through Facebook messenger, there’s a lot at stake in the virtual world. With this in mind, CBC has assembled 6 computer security tips that are as effective as they are easy to implement. We are a leading provider of West Kootenay IT services, and we’ve been using these tips to keep our clients safe. Read on to learn some security tips and safe browsing practices from our IT service expert! Patch things up. Downloading and installing new updates can be a real pain, especially when it calls for a computer reboot. It takes a surprising amount of self-discipline to keep up to date with your patches, but it’s always worthwhile. A computer with outdated software is always going to be more vulnerable than one that is updated. Set your computer to patch software and update operating systems automatically. Create strong passwords. This is one of the most fundamental steps you can take to improve your computer security. “Password” passwords are so bad that they’ve become a punchline in the IT service world. Unless you want your IT security to be the butt of our industry’s jokes, mix numbers, letters, and special characters into your password. Be sure to change passwords regularly, and don’t recycle passwords for different accounts. Backup your important files. Backing up your data won’t stop you from being hacked, but it will mitigate the damage. You can go the hardcopy route, or even explore the cloud. In either case, backups can be a real lifesaver. Don’t leave your computer unattended. Though virtual crime is sometimes carried out in very sophisticated ways, some computer hacks are pretty mundane, involving no more “skill” than sitting down to skim through an unattended computer. Remember: your computer’s virtual security and physical security are equally important. It doesn’t matter whether you’re at the office, the library, or an internet cafe; your computer should never be left logged on unattended! Stay email savvy. Many of the more damaging malware and “Trojans” are deployed through email spam. As a general rule, don’t open unsolicited emails, no matter how enticing the subject line appears. Sophisticated spambot software will actually pull your name from social media accounts or other registries, luring you into opening the email with a personalized subject line. Be wary of attachments, links, and forms in emails that come from unknown contacts. Gmail’s junk filter is great, but it could always use a little backup! Erect firewalls. Most desktops come with some basic firewall software. Take advantage of whatever firewall your computer comes with, and be very discerning about which programs you allow through. Our IT service expert can recommend some high-performance options for your specific operating system. That’s all for now; these 6 fundamental computer security tips should keep you safe from all but the most sinister of malware and phishing threats. Want to learn more security tips from our IT service expert? Call (250) 687-4742 to learn more and schedule your free...

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How Often Do You Really Need To Replace Your Hardware?

How Often Do You Really Need To Replace Your Hardware? There has been a lot of debate as to what your hardware refresh cycle should look like. The answer tends to fall somewhere in the 2 – 4 year range, with recommendations from hardware manufacturers leaning more towards a shorter cycle. But there is no one right answer to this question. There are actually a few questions you need to ask in order to figure out what best suits your business: What do you need your computers to do? – If your employees routinely have multiple programs and applications running at the same time, system speed is important. The heavier a computer’s typical workload is, the shorter its ideal lifespan. What is the productivity cost of not upgrading? – Waiting longer to replace older systems saves money, but saving money at the expense of employee productivity could be more costly in the long run. If your staff is forever waiting on lagging software to load so that they can complete basic tasks, it has the potential to affect your business as a whole. What are you willing to spend on support costs? – The older a piece of hardware is, the more maintenance and upkeep is required to keep it running. More than just the hardware itself failing, there is also the cost and hassle of maintaining multiple versions of operating systems and software. Deciding how long you’re willing to juggle these costs is a big factor in figuring out what your refresh cycle should look like. Some of the cost of upgrading can be offset by choosing lower-end hardware in situations where you know your refresh cycle will be shorter. If you know you can use a cheaper option without it impacting productivity, settling isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s all about getting the most out of your business’ technology budget. Have questions about your business’ hardware refresh cycle? Contact us at: support@columbiacomputers.ca  or (250)...

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Do you Keep Your Server in a Closet?

Confusion. Dizziness. Fatigue. Muscle cramps. These are some of the first signs of heat exhaustion in humans. But did you know that your SERVER can also suffer from heat exhaustion and “meltdown,” causing slowness, blue screens, random reboots and complete meltdowns? If you keep your server in a closed closet or other small, confined space, here are three things you need to address during hot summer months to avoid premature loss of your equipment and data. Room Temperature. Server rooms should be kept between 68° and 72° Fahrenheit (20°-22° Celsius). If you keep your server in a closet with a closed door, the heat emitted will quickly elevate the temperature to levels that will damage hardware. Consider opening the door or putting in a good exhaust fan to pull the hot air out. Ventilation. Good airflow is critical for maintaining a safe room temperature and reducing dust, the next culprit that causes damage to electronics. Dust. Perhaps more dangerous than room temperature is dust. Dust acts as insulation, and traps the heat generated by your computer components. A regular maintenance routine to keep your components clean and dust-free is essential. Computer hardware is expensive, and unexpected downtime is incredibly frustrating. If you want to extend the life of your equipment and avoid the sudden meltdown, make sure your server closet is set up correctly. If you need help, give us a call for a FREE Server Room Check at 250-687-4742. We’ll be glad to do a free evaluation on your server closet or room and let you know if you’re at risk of heat exhaustion and dust...

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Disaster Recovery Planning

If Disaster Strikes, How Fast Could Your Company Be Back Up And Running? You hear it all the time from us—back up your data, keep your virus protection current and install and maintain a firewall to protect yourself from hackers and other online threats. However, while these precautions will certainly help you avoid problems, they CAN’T do anything if you don’t have a good backup and disaster recovery plan in place. Of course, just having a good backup while a good first step, it is by no means planning for a disaster. 12 Disaster Recovery Questions You Need To Answer A disaster recovery plan doesn’t have to be complicated, time consuming or expensive. Start by asking yourself the following questions: Do you back up your company’s data daily to both an onsite and offsite location?  Are you absolutely certain that your backup copy is valid, complete and not corrupt?How do you know for sure? Do you test regularly?  If disaster strikes, HOW would you get your data back, and how would you survivewhile your data is being restored?  Do you have copies of all the software licenses and disks in a safe location that could beaccessed if you need to rebuild your server?  Do you routinely download your data from all 3rd party cloud applications just in casethey go out of business or close your account?  Would you and your employees have a way to access your network remotely if youcouldn’t get to the office?  Do you store important passwords in a secure place that company officers can access ifyou are unavailable?  Do you have documentation on your network that details all the devices, workstations,laptops and software licenses you own?  If your IT guy wasn’t available, do you know how to access your server, backups andother critical IT systems? Would anyone?  Do you have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) device in place to keep your networkand other critical data operations running during a power outage?  If your phones are down, where will you forward your business calls so you don’t losethat business?  If a more common “disaster” occurs, such as server hardware failure, do you have anonsite way to get back up and running the same day? Contact Us to discuss your Disaster Recovery...

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