DOWNLOAD CONFIKER REMOVAL TOOL

The FTC yesterday said that it had notified just under 100 organizations thought to be affected by a widespread data breach.

Zoom

In an announcement made Monday, the Federal Trade Commission revealed that personal information, including sensitive data about customers and/or employees, has been shared from the organizations’ computer networks and is available on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. The Commission goes on to say that any users of those could use the information to commit identity theft or fraud.

The organizations involved include both private and public entities, including schools and local governments. These entities range in size from businesses with as few as eight employees to publicly held corporations employing tens of thousands.

The FTC has urged the affected organizations to review their security practices and, if appropriate, the practices of contractors and vendors, to ensure that they are reasonable, appropriate, and in compliance with the law.

“It is your responsibility to protect such information from unauthorized access, including taking steps to control the use of P2P software on your own networks and those of your service providers.”

Check out the full announcement from the FTC here. A sample of the letters sent can be seen here (PDF). Screen grabs below for those of you with a distaste for PDF links (welcome to the club).

CLICK HERE FOR THE LETTER THE FTC SENT TO THE EFFECTED COMPANIES.

The old saying goes “You get what you pay for” and this can never be more true in the world of hosting and hosted applications. The problem is that most companies can be started on NO capital whatsoever and experience can range from expert to down right unintelligent. This is where the world of hosting gets tricky because you can save a couple of dollars with these bottom end hosts and then wind up getting burned later on if you have issues or billing concerns and you can potentially spend more money with the larger more well known hosts ans throw away your money.

Let’s take a look at the cons of CHEAP hosting and hosted application services:

• Generally are NOT U.S. Based support
• Housed on low end non-redundant servers
• Lack Quality Technical knowledge
• Little to NO immediate phone support
• Faceless company without names or personality

Now, let’s take an overview of the cons of the larger companies out there:

• Pricing is generally designed only for larger businesses
• Costs are typically the highest in the industry and you spend more for the same service
• Larger companies are even more faceless then the fly-by-night jokers
• Most larger companies have no care or concern in regards to your needs because of their large customer base. You are literally just a number
• Atttempting to get someone on the phone can be a long wait process
• More and more of their support is being farmed out overseas

Where Portbridge Internets Hosted Exchange falls into play is right in the middle of the pricing ladder. We believe in providing a quality product at an affordable price while providing the best U.S. based in house support we can offer. We aren’t a faceless company as you will eventually get to know everyone who works there and be known by name and not number! We aren’t the cheapest and have never cared to be and we understand that not everyone can afford the super premiums the larger faceless companies offer. With Portbridge Internets Hosted Exchange you will get quality technical support where you never have to press 1 and a price that you can afford to keep your business IT costs down and predictable!

Give us a call or visit our web page to sign up.

1-888-276-4376

So, you are looking at the cost of buying your own server and setting up SBS package from Microsoft and running your own exchange server in house. Well, let’s take a look at the costs of a typical SBS 2008 implementation (remember, this is just to implement it)

1. Server Hardware ($6,000) For a decent server with redundant power supplies and good hardware
2. SBS 2008 Software Base - $1500
3. Typical hourly rate is $120/hr and most companies charge about 20-24 labor hours to setup and deploy just the server!
Total Average Cost: ~$10,380 to implement and who knows how much to support!

There is ONE issue that deserves a small space here! Let’s imagine that power goes out for long periods of time after a natural disaster or something happens to the server and it is down. Your email will NO LONGER WORK! SBS 2008 has NO redundancy built in because you can have ONE and only ONE SBS server on an entire network and it does not support Failover to another Exchange server! You are placing your business in a single-point-of-failure situation!

SBS 2008 is a great product for the small to medium sized businesses that NEED this type of functionality. But all you want is simple file sharing and Exchange email without breaking the bank or begging for a loan! You can safely walk away from the SBS table and look into Portbridge Internet’s Hosted Exchange. You get all the same functionality of an in house server minus the initial costs to implement and the on going headache of support and surprise bills! You simply pay per email address and you get a control panel to control all the aspects of your email accounts and we are always a phone call or email away! Once again, NO setup fees, NO contracts, NO ongoing maintenance, NO worrying about downtime, NO hiring IT staff or remote support…just turn on your email and enjoy the benefits!

Average Cost of Portbridge Internet’s Hosted Exchange: $19.99/email inbox/mth PERIOD!

You only pay a monthly fee that NEVER changes and as you grow your company and add on users you can add users as you go along and only pay the additional fees! Also, we ind you to NO contracts and if you need to remove a user we simply remove them and adjust your bill instantly so you don’t have to pay for unused services. We are based in Cary, North Carolina in the same location for over 10 years and we NEVER outsource our technical support. We reside in the heartland of IT (Research Triangle Park) and pride ourselves on hiring the talent that resides here to serve our customers!

There are other companies offering this service; however, we challenge you to call them and get the same response and technical support that we provide you. The person who answers the phone can handle EVERYTHING from billing, setup, troubleshooting and configuration! No pressing 1 here to be transferred, a HUMAN answers the phone each and every time. When you are ready to have the BEST Hosted Exchange service out there give us a call and see the difference local US based support can give.

First, let’s look at a few tips.

• PLAN; at a minimum, review the employer web site, know what they do and do some thinking about the role you will be filling and the key points that you want to cover.
• ASK; have a list of questions for the employer, it demonstrates that your head is in the game and you are interested in the position.
• PRACTICE; role play your interview with someone.  This may feel awkward at first but use the practice to get the awkwardness out of the way; if you can’t be comfortable in a mock interview, how do you think you will perform in a real one?
• CONNECT; make a connection with the interviewer, make eye contact, have a firm hand shake and SMILE.  Nothing puts me off more than a candidate that shows up and has a look of “I don’t care” on their face!
• BE POSITIVE; Don’t bad mouth your past employer; no mater HOW bad it was!  The last thing you want to do it to b seen as a complainer.
• VOLUNTEER; I haven’t ever seen this used but this is what I would do; volunteer to work along side someone who is doing your job for a few days (especially easy to do if you don’t have a job now).  That will give your employer some ‘free labor’ and give you both a chance to be sure you want to get into a long-term relationship.

If there was ever a time you had to sell yourself; this is it.  Put on your best suit and march in, head held high with a smile on!

Being SUPER PREPARED for an interview is the first step to ensure you give yourself EVERY possible advantage.

There are several sites on the Internet where you can get free advise on perfecting your interview skills. One tactic you can take is to check out books on how to interview employees! This way you are prepared for what the interviewer may be going to do.

One last suggestion; learn ALL you can and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. View the interview as a test, one that you need to get an A+ on; one that requires some serious study time.

Best of luck in the job search!!!

There are droves of people beating down the doors of companies that are hiring.  Competition for each position is stiffer than most of us can remember.  But don’t give up; pull up your boot straps and GET BETTER!

Give yourself an ‘unfair’ advantage with a great resume.

You would not believe the number of resumes we see here with awful spelling, poor grammar and a general lack of any care.  If someone is not willing to put in the time to prepare an awesome resume, they are probably not going to be an ‘A’ player once they do get hired.

Here are some tips on a great resume;

• Match your past job title and experience to the job your are applying to.  For example; maybe you were an “Admin” at your last job and the job you are applying for is a “Receptionist”, change the job title and description of your last job to emphasis the thing you DID do in your last job that directly apply to the position you are applying for.
• Spend the time to customize the resume to the job you are applying for; don’t use a blanket resume!  This step takes 2 minutes but can significantly increase your chances of getting a call back.
• SELL YOURSELF; what can you say about your experience and attitude that is specific to the job you are applying to?  If you are applying for a CSR position don’t say “Like working with people”, say “Love solving customer problems.”
• Solve the prospective employers problem in your resume.  If the job posting is for a “Technical Support” position, imagine the issues and problems facing your prospective supervisor and address them up front, ex: “I aggressively tackle support issues and see them through to completion.”

In short; spend a few extra minutes up front to convince the reader that you are worth a second look; remember they are drowning in resumes!  What makes your stand out?

There are lot’s of free resume resources on the web; just google “resume tips” and you will get your fill!

There are also several great resources designed to jump start your resume process (I find it easier to start with something that looking at a blank page)!

So, roll up your sleeves and get to work beating out your competition!  Educate yourself and don’t take no for an answer.

Remember the words of Brian Tracy; “”Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.”

Our Hosted Exchange offers your small or medium sized business all the collaboration tools that enterprise grade companies have without the hassle and headache of setup and support. The typical cost of a Microsfoft Exchange server is around $9,000 installed and can cost thousands to support each month! Clearly this places small businesses at a disadvantage to have such a valuable tool until now.

Our Hosted Exchange was built from the ground up to be reliable and stable for our customers. Our servers are located in secure, redundant data centers located on both the east and west coast of the United States to ensure constant operations.

If your small business is ready for the enhanced features of Hosted Exchange and the U.S. based support we provide visit our website for more information. Ask about your 30 day free trial of our services and support!

www.portbridge.com/services/hosted_exchange_nc.html

Now, I know that you may be tempted to think that your Insurance companies rate seems better then AAA Auto Clubs because it is usually between $2-$6 per month extra on your insurance. However, most only offer 10 mile towing and YOUR SPECIFIC vehicle only! Anything after 10 miles and you have to pay up to the towing company! Most insurance companies don’t offer anything beyond this. The worst part is that roadside coverage only follows the specific car on your insurance policy!

Why do I think AAA is better? AAA Auto Club has the option to purchase AAA plus which is more than the standard membership but you get A LOT more! The most noticeable option is that you get 100 miles of free towing! The other benefit? AAA Auto Club Roadside assistance follows the MEMBER and NOT the SPECIFIC vehicle! This means you can use your AAA Auto Club coverage on ANY car you are in OR if you are feeling generous you can call it for your friend as long as you are there to show your card and I.D.

So, in my opinion and for my dollar I choose AAA. I have a large family and we have 4 cars and at any one time my family or I could be driving any one of the vehicles and if that breaks down I know that AAA doesn’t care about the vehicle just the member! So if you want to follow my advice, purchase AAA Auto Club Roadside assistance PLUS. Well worth the money the first time you break down more than 10 miles from home!