Viewing "Ross'" Blogs

Battery backups for servers are a must nowadays; however, i have come to dislike the design of the APC units. Inside one of these APC units, comes with two battery packs with 4 cells attached to each. It has been a common headache for us when one or more of these cells "blow up." This causes the battery cells to become stuck inside the unit. The units come with a hot swappable feature; however, it does no good when you cannot take the cells out normally. The top of the unit must be unplugged completely and the top of the unit must be taken off the retrieve the cells. I can only hope that these manufacturers come up with a better design some day. Please APC, hear my cries!

Believe it or not, browsing the internet can be very dangerous. Most end users are unaware of malicious activities on the web. Here are some important things to remember. Stay on "trusted" sites. (Websites your know to be non malicious). Do not click on pop up stating that your system is "infected" and that you need to purchase their software to fix it. This is known as spyware and can damage your computer's operating system drastically. Do not open email attachments unless you are expecting them. These unknown email attachments may harbor a virus. Remember, be skeptical beforehand and your computer will be better off.

Now that new pc's and laptops are being sold with only Microsoft Windows Vista, we have been learning the new "bells and whistles" of the operating system. We have been setting up and configuring pc's and laptops with Windows Vista installed for business use, and have actually been warming up to the new OS. Fortunately, WSUS and Windows VPN is compatible with Windows Vista. These are critical in a business environment. Thank you Vista for being so accommodating to our needs!

As long as I have been in the IT industry, I have grown to actually despise a software application called Norton Internet Security. It promises to provide a powerful antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion prevention and anti phishing; however, this application has been nothing but a thorn in my side. We have had at least ten (10) customers call in regarding some kind of computer problem. At the end of troubleshooting, it turned out to be the Norton Internet Security that was blocking something of importance 100% of the time. I believe this software application should be discontinued forever. Symantec develops great antivirus; however, the Internet Security application causes nothing but problems. PLEASE BE AWARE!

We have just recently purchased a very powerful tool that allows us to view our customer's desktops and gives up the capability to "take control" of their entire computer. This software is called Webex. It is very user friendly and can be used internationally. I have grown to love this software simply for the fact that it replaces all remote software including pcanywhere, remote desktop protocol, and vnc. Take a look and you will be amazed.