Revamping Phone System

A key component to an IT organization is the routing and scheduling of work-orders. Although we have upgraded our software capabilities to better manage this, our phone system is the next on the list. We are anticipating the completion of this system by next week, but it may be finished sooner than that. We are also looking into adapting this system to potentially work as a solution for our clients.

Remote Support Capabilities

It is in the best interest of our clients that we now are offering improved remote support capabilities! Our new software enhances our control and reporting abilities so we can more efficiently troubleshoot problems remotely!

This upgrade will improve security, accuracy, performance and resolution time! So next time you are in need of technical support, ask about our enhanced remote access software!

Business Administrative Team

The Business Administrative Team for the South Lyon area was once again a large help in making important decisions for our business. The Business Administrative Team focuses on helping businesses in the South Lyon area grow, expand, and work on the individual businesses needs. Driven Technology was featured in the South Lyon Herald Click Here for the article

Corporate Gmail Accounts

Driven Technology has been using Gmail corporate accounts for more than a year now and we can not say anything less than amazing about its features, reliability, and expansion. In the year that we have used google for our email hosting our spam has been reduced to a halt, email productivity has increased, and our email costs decimated. This free product is available upon request on googles site and is worth a look for any small business.
The ability to get free corporate email accounts through google is nothing less then amazing. Some of the features include:

• Over 6 GB's of Space
• Integrated Calander Collaboration
• Integrated Google Applications
• Amazing Spam Filters
• The ability to work with POP and IMAP
• Integration with almost any PDA
• A great Management Interface

These features as well as many more, have put gmail corporate in a position to be looked at as an alternative to the tradition in house hosted solutions that can really put a damper on a companies profits. The best advice is get those MX records changed and move forward with a product that does what you want...... FOR FREE.

Educators Discount!

We've been hearing about the economy and its impact on students and teachers and how that can cause more problems in the long term; so in order to try to compensate (somewhat) for the academic cutbacks in our community, all of us got together and came up with the idea of an academic/educator discount. We have heard many stories of teachers personally footing the bill for various classroom activities and projects, so hopefully this helps them (and in turn our community and children) out! Starting next Monday (2/18/08) we will be offering a 10% discount on all in-store services to educators! We really wanted to do something, so we'll see if this gets the job done!

Viruses and Spyware and Adware! Oh, My!

There seems to be confusion among the general population concerning three very serious problems plaguing computer systems today. Viruses, spyware and adware are terms that are used in day-to-day conversations, yet many people don’t know exactly what they are, what differences there are among them and most importantly, how to avoid them. In this article I am going to focus on what they are, how to tell if you are infected, what to do when you find you are infected, and how to prevent being a victim of these malicious programs.

Adware
As the most benign of these infections, adware is far from harmless. While it might not necessarily corrupt files and damage your data, the effect is none the less irritating and wasteful of precious time. Adware and spyware are similar in their method of infection on your computer, usually attached to shareware/freeware applications that you install yourself. The symptoms of adware include random pop-up ads, new tool bars in internet explorer and redirecting web pages to sites different than those you type in. Because you install adware yourself (you agree to it when you install whatever program to which it is attached, it is actually in the license agreement), the programs are perfectly legal. There have actually been many lawsuits by makers of adware programs that claimed they were falsely classified as spyware. The best way to avoid Adware programs is to watch carefully what you install and read the license agreement. Very few software programs you actually pay for have adware attached. Adware is usually attached to programs like desktop weather, screensavers, peer-2-peer file sharing programs and shareware programs. If you absolutely need the particular program you are installing, read the license agreement and make sure you are not agreeing to install adware. The best defense is to avoid these programs entirely.

Spyware
More harmful than adware, spyware is an infection that can spread far beyond your computer into your personal finances and credit. While the delivery method and symptoms of spyware are almost identical to adware, the result is anything but similar. The main difference between these two classes of infection is that spyware actually monitors and tracks your activity on your PC, even going as far as interfering with your normal daily use. While the method of tracking your activity online is usually limited to monitoring which websites you visit in an effort to provide more targeted advertising, there have been reports of more malicious spyware programs logging personal information such as passwords, credit card and bank account numbers. As a result, identity theft is a legitimate concern with spyware. Symptoms of spyware include pop-up advertising, browser redirecting and new search bars in your web browser, similar to the symptoms of adware. Other more serious symptoms include disabling certain features of your operating system, disabling your antispyware program, disabling your antivirus (which leaves your computer completely open to virus attacks) and the presence of bogus antivirus programs that attempt to get you to send them money directly using a scare tactic, telling you your computer is infected. Never, under any circumstance purchase an antivirus or antispyware program because of a pop-up telling you your computer is infected. The delivery method of spyware programs can be through shareware/freeware distribution as with adware; however it is more likely installed without your consent by clicking on advertisements while surfing the internet. To avoid becoming infected with spyware, stay away from these shareware/freeware programs if possible and never click on any advertising. Even if prompted with an advertisement that gives you the option to install or cancel, do not click the cancel button. Simply click the X in the upper right hand corner of the window to close the application. Many spyware programs will install even if you click the cancel button.

Viruses
As the reigning champion of malicious computer programs, the computer virus is the most harmful class of infection. Computer viruses mimic their real life counterparts by damaging critical components of the operating system, replicating and spreading. Compared to its younger relatives (adware and spyware) the computer virus has had more than twenty years to evolve. While there are too many classes of computer viruses to list here, they basically all work the same way. They exploit some security hole in the operating system, damage critical files and replicate. The computer virus can be used for many malevolent reasons; from competitions to see whose virus can do the most damage, to corporate espionage by stealing confidential information. The delivery method of computer viruses are numerous, however the most common forms of delivery today are peer-2-peer file sharing applications and spyware. Viruses can also spread on computer networks, attacking all the computers in your company or home. The symptoms of viruses include disabling of antivirus programs, presence of unusual files that were not create by you, components of your operating system failing without warning, and overall detriment to the performance of your computer. The best way to prevent a virus is to avoid peer-2-peer file sharing applications, and obtaining spyware and virus protection.

Protection Against Adware, Spyware, and Viruses
Although these infections seem daunting, they are all fairly easy to prevent. Obtaining a good antivirus/antispyware program is crucial. At Driven Technology, we recommend Grisoft’s AVG Anti-Malware security suite. AVG provides all of the protection with none of the headaches of the more well known competition. Norton Antivirus and McAfee simply don’t work as well as AVG and can cause numerous problems including slow computer performance and interference with internet use. As a retailer of Grisoft products, we can make sure your computer is protected by installing and testing AVG on your computer. Like in real life, prevention is the key. Once a system is infected, it is hard for a regular computer user to fix the problem. At Driven Technology, we also provide adware/spyware and virus removal services to help get your computer healthy again. We can eliminate any infection on your computer and get it back to maximum performance.

WIndows VIsta (Should I Stay or Should I Go Know)

The talk on the block in technology is Microsoft’s newest operating system Windows Vista. Microsoft has been in the Operating system business for a long time and with this new release they have added more features, more customization, and unfortunately higher requirements for your computer.

The Graphics
Windows Vista has changed the look and feel of its operating system with its AERO graphic user interface. AERO is included in all Vista editions except Home Basic. The AERO interface allows for transparent windows, shiny buttons, graphic intense menu bars, and the ability to view your windows three-dimensionally. I would recommend at least a 256MB video card and 2GB of system memory if you want to take full advantage of these features. Remember, you can always disable the features if your system can’t handle them!

The Internet
Microsoft decided to include its new release of Internet Explorer with Windows Vista. If you haven’t installed IE7 on your existing Windows XP machine then I would recommend moving to it soon. There are benefits such as its superior security features that alert you of phishing attempts, reduce pop-ups, and enhance control over third party add-ons. They have also added a tabbed browsing as well, which has gained popularity through other browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox. I personally love the ability to open multiple internet pages without having to open multiple Windows, it keeps me organized. One thing I want to note for all of you business users, any QuickBooks software before the 2007 edition may have compatibility issues with Vista and IE7. In other words, consult a professional before deciding to upgrade.

Usability
Many people are afraid of change when it comes to new software. They are worried about facing the difficult transition and overcoming the learning curve. I am happy to tell you that there isn’t much to learn for typical users. Most of the changes are with additional features like the search feature built into the start menu. Other advanced software that most people will not encounter includes the built-in parental control, speech recognition, and Microsoft Sync Center components. These features allow advanced users to customize their computers to efficiently complete tasks.

The Down Low
Windows Vista provides a smooth interface, great connectivity, and is packed with new features for increased productivity. Although Vista has been criticized for its reliability and performance issues on certain (usually older) machines, they are planning on making improvements with the release of their first service pack this fall. I decided to move to Windows Vista recently and have found it worth the transition. The initial change can be frustrating, but after a few upgrades Vista is reliable, convenient, and user friendly.