New Blog Postings Have Moved

I have moved all new postings to my new account.  I kept posting here because Google didn't allow me to post on Google Apps but that was a long time ago.....  Here is the link to the new blogsite:  http://sublimecomp.blogspot.com/

When Should I Move My Server to the Cloud?

The term “The Cloud” makes sales people giggle and technicians cringe.  We have all been using the technology that makes up the cloud for a long time.  However, having your server in another location has not always been a viable option.  There are scenarios where having your server hosted at a data center (AKA in the cloud) is not a good idea.  I am going to discuss a scenario when it is a good idea to move your server to the cloud.

The Really Old File Server

If you have a file server that is on its’ last leg and your IT staff has been begging you to replace it here are some possible reasons:

• Hard drives are failing or failed.
• The manufacturer will no longer provide support for the server.
• Spare parts have to be purchased from Ebay.
• It does not always startup when you turn it on.
• The cooling method is taking the side off of it and blowing a box fan into it.
• The power goes out in your office and your server is offline.
• It is still running 32 bit Windows Server 2000.
• There is not enough RAM to run all of the applications that are needed.
• There is no disaster recovery if the building burns down.
• You have to replace the server anyway.

Scenario:

• Less than 30 Users
• There is a mix of mobile and office workers.
• The files that are stored on the server are emails, documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
• The company has a fast internet connection.

This is a scenario where a cloud server makes sense.  A VPN tunnel is setup between the office and the cloud server.  If due diligence is done, then the users will not notice a difference.  All of their files settings and login will process as normal.  The problems that were listed above are no longer a problem.

• Hard drives are faster, larger and a very expensive drive array maintained by someone else.
• The server is virtual.  The warranty is a SLA’s provided by the cloud server provider.
• The server is in a data center and all of the gear is cooled and powered.
• The server is running 64 bit Windows Server 2008 or 2012.
• Disaster Recovery - The office building can burn down and your server and your data is secure.
• RAM can be increased easily.

Other benefits of cloud servers:

• $200 per month (Based on resources required) for a virtual server.
• Upfront cost of purchasing a server sized for this scenario is typically $5000 plus labor.  
• No longer have hardware depreciation.
• The server can be setup to be accessed from anywhere.
• Users don’t “have” to work from the office.
• IT costs associated with hardware will decrease.

Cons and Considerations

• If you don’t have faster internet at the data center or at the office, then access will be too slow.
• A T1 is not fast internet any more. 1.5 MB upload and download
• A bonded T1 is not fast internet. 3 MB upload and download
• DSL at 50 MB download speed and 10 MB upload speed is fast internet.
• Our recommendation is dual internet.  Fast DSL and an internet T1 for backup at the office.
• If you are processing large files like movies, animations or CAD files, then the cloud will be too slow for you.
• Software like Quickbooks or other programs that have a database file stored on the server will also be too slow.
• There are some good migration paths for converting your existing physical server into a virtual server.  I would not recommend this path unless time is of the essence or software dictates.  I feel that it is better to have a clean server with which to start.

Careful consideration needs to be made when moving servers to the cloud.  Do it when it makes sense for your organization.  This whole process will have to be handled by a competent technician and it can be expensive if the technician doesn’t spend the time planning the move.

Adam Bell

Senior Systems / Network Engineer

Sublime Computer Services

We make your technology work

615-942-0850

adam@sublimecomp.com

www.sublimecomp.com

How Much Should a Desktop Computer Cost?

If you are going to purchase a new computer or replace a computer, then you want to get the most for your money.  You also want to get the right computer that is going to provide the performance you need for the life of the computer.

We try to remain neutral when it comes to hardware.  We make our recommendations based on what is best for the client.  We use Dell because their service and sales are out of Nashville, they stand by their product, I get what I want without assembly and Dell sends a technician out to the client when there is a hardware problem.  We use other vendors for different products all of which the client gets a good deal on the hardware.  We simply charge them for our time.  Enough about us.

A desktop PC can be reliably used up to five years if it is properly purchased. I see a lot of offices where the cheapest possible computer is put into place.  I see user clicking icons and waiting.  I tell them “This is taking way too long”.  They tell me “It is always like this.”   This is bad for employees who want to get work done and employers who are paying to get work done.  How much time is lost over the five years of that computers’ life?   If an $8 an hour employee has to wait 1 hour per week longer than necessary because their computer is slow for 5 years, then it will cost you $2080 over the life of the computer.  ($8 x 52 x 5 = $2080)  That is simply what the computer is costing you in lost salary.  What are you losing on potential income?

So how much should one pay for a desktop computer?  The cost for a computer from Dell that does not need a new monitor will cost $916.  That includes Taxes and 2nd day Shipping.  

These are our minimum recommendations which are in the desktop computer price above:

• Quad Core CPU
• 8 GB of RAM
• Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
• Office 2013 Home and Business
• 500 GB Hard Drive
• Pro Support for 3 Years (for a little more it can cover up to 5 years)

A monitor should not cost more than $200.

I am a business owner and I understand keeping to a budget.  A $400 computer from Walmart sounds great.  How much will that $400 computer cost you in maintenance and time lost over five years.  Will it last five years?  Will they come out and fix it or will they require you to send it to them?

A computer is like any other tool.  How much will it cost to purchase and maintain?  How much money can I make from it?  How long will it last?  My recommendation is to get the right tool that you need to get the job done.  You and/or your employees will be happier and more productive.  So plan in your budget $916 to replace an existing desktop computer or $1116 for one that needs a monitor.

P.S.  If you locate a vendor that has better pricing and I can get the hardware specifications that I have listed above with good service, then let me know and I will look at that vendor.

Adam Bell

Senior Systems / Network Engineer

Sublime Computer Services

We make your technology work

615-942-0850

adam@sublimecomp.com

www.sublimecomp.com

Unlimited Remote Support for $55 per Month per PC

No Setup Fee

Includes the Following Services:

• Break/Fix Repair
• Sublime Computer Services Managed Antivirus
• Spyware and Virus Removal
• Annual Desktop Optimization ($150 value)
• Automatic Microsoft Security Updates
• Automatic Hard Drive Defragmentation
• Monitor the Hard Drive for Potential Failure
• System Monitoring and Alerts
• Virus Alerts
• High CPU and RAM utilization
• Hard drive less than 10%
• Monitor critical services
• Software installation and removal

How it works:
We start by installing our remote access and monitoring agent on your computer. We will register your PC, setup alerts based on your needs, install our managed antivirus software, setup updates, and setup hard drive maintenance. We will then perform a desktop optimization. Your PC will be proactively monitored as we monitor servers. We will know about problems before they become major issues that bring your computer down.

The Fine Print:
With this plan you receive a discounted rate of $75 per hour for onsite visits for issues that cannot be resolved remotely.
This plan does not include servers.
The service is based on a 12 month period but can be cancelled at any time.  The hours used up to the point of cancellation will be billed at $100 per hour minus the monthly payments already collected.

What do you do when an employee leaves?   Do you have a checklist for when an employee leaves the organization?  You need one.  One item that needs to be on that list is computer access.  You need to make sure the ex-employee can no longer access the confidential company information.  This can be accomplished by disabling or changing the password on the ex-employees’ computer account.   Also make sure to disable remote access and email.  If your company falls under HIPAA or SEC regulations you want to make sure to take care of these accounts.  Unauthorized access by ex-employees can result in fines when confidential data is involved.  

Additional information concerning the regulatory authorities:
HIPAA - http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/index.html
SEC - http://www.sec.gov/about/laws/secrulesregs.htm

If you have employees who no longer work with you and you are not sure of their account status give us a call and we will give you a list of all accounts that are enabled. Once you have gone through the list we will change or disable all of the accounts that have access to your data.

Keep Your Computer on Time

Have you ever noticed that time on your computer was incorrect?  All clocks wander a bit and your computers’ clock can too.  This is something that can be easily fixed and set to synchronize automatically.  
If you work in an office that has a server, the server keeps the time synchronized and updates the computers’ time.  If your computer clock is incorrect you will need to get your IT administrator to update the time on the server and setup synchronization.  You can update the time on your computer but the server is going to keep setting the time to match the servers’ time.
If you do not have a server at your home or office you can download a free application called NetTime at http://www.timesynctool.com/.  It will automatically keep your computer time up to date.  It is a simple and fast to install.

The Best Way to Recovery From a Virus

We clean up viruses and/or malware every week.  Sometimes the user could have prevented their infestation, and other times they could not.  Antivirus software has to be able to protect your computer from  every virus that is on the planet.  With odds like that there is no way any Antivirus software can protect a computer from all of the viruses and malware out there.  The only real solution is data abstinence.  Never get on the internet and never add any media to your computer.  Since we must get on the internet and we must enter media into our computers to make them useful we have to come up with a better plan.  The better plan is a full system backup.

Full system backups (bare bones backups) are a snapshot in time of a computer.  If a snapshot is taken at 3:00 AM and the computer gets a devastating virus at 5:00 PM.  The computer can be restored to its’ previous state at 3:00 AM before it contracted the virus.

Windows 7 has Windows Backup, and Mac has Time Machine for full system backups.   If your computer does not have Windows 7 you will need to go with a third party backup software.  I use Acronis True Image Home (www.acronis.com)  for my PC’s because it gives me additional options for alerts and file management.

Whether it is a virus, hard drive failure or a user error, full system backups will save you time, money and headache.

Make Sure Your Battery Backup is Setup Correctly

Battery backups will give your computer a longer life.  They will protect your computer from minor surges and power outages.  When your computer shuts off without a proper shutdown there is a good chance that important operating system files will become corrupt.  These improper shutdowns will cause your computer to become unusable or unstable.  If you have a battery backup your computer can be cleanly shutdown in the event of a power outage.

Does your computer still turn off when the power goes off, even though you have it plugged into a battery backup?  It is likely that only half of your battery backup is on battery the other half is surge suppression only.  

We see this often enough that I feel it is worth mentioning.  When you purchase a battery backup or UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) you need to make sure that you plug your computer and monitor into the plugs labelled “Battery Backup”.  You want to have your monitor plugged into battery backup so you can see to manually shutdown your computer.  You will want to make sure that you have installed the UPS software on your computer.  Once you have it configured it will automatically shut down your computer when it reaches a certain percentage of battery remaining.  Plug your non essential devices into the “Surge Suppression” only ports.  

I like using a UPS that has a digital display on the front.  It tells you how much electricity you are using and what load is on the battery.  The software tells you how much battery time you should have.  I recommend APC batteries today.  I would get nothing less than a 1000 VA sized UPS for a single computer and monitor.  

Batteries do wear out.  They wear out even faster if your UPS is sitting on a concrete floor.  You can expect to get 18-24 months out of a battery when it is not overloaded.  Your UPS will let you know that the battery is dead.  It is often cheaper to get new batteries rather than a new UPS every 2 years.  I get my batteries from a company called Gruber Power.  Make sure to take your old batteries to some place like Batteries Plus or your Metro recycling.  They will recycle them for free.

In the event of large electrical storms don’t make your UPS prove their worth.  Shut down your system completely and unplug your UPS power from the wall.  You can leave your computer gear plugged into the UPS.  Lightning strikes are pushing so much power they can jump through system even turned off but still plugged in.

Battery backups will help keep your computer system running for years to come.

Adam Bell
Senior Systems / Network Engineer
Sublime Computer Services
We make your technology work

615-942-0850
adam@sublimecomp.com
www.sublimecomp.com

Customer Service - How NOT to

I would like to share my experience of how not to give customer service.  I will leave the vendors name out of my article but you can probably guess it.  

I have a 7” Galaxy Tab - Tablet Computer.  I have found the device to be very useful.  I decided that I should upgrade to the 10” Motorola Xyboard.  I had a problem.  My contract would not be fulfilled until April 2013.  That meant that I could not break the contract without penalty or get a new Xyboard without paying full retail for the device.  I decided it was worth the price.  I would get the vendor to upgrade my account from 3G to 4G which would have cost me $10 more per month and I would have to pay $700 for the Xyboard.

I went to the storefront and told the sales representative what I wanted to do.  He told me that I could not do what I suggested.  He said the only way he could help me is to add another line to my account or pay the penalty for cancelling the Galaxy.  He said If I cancelled the Galaxy then I should sell it on Ebay to make up for the loss.  I repeated to him that I wanted to give him more money per month to upgrade my contract (not cancel it) and I wanted to pay full retail for the 10” Xyboard.  He told me there was nothing he could do.  I gave him my card and asked him to talk with someone else see if they could come up with a solution and call me.  

I never heard from him.  I purchased a Motorola 10” Xoom on Ebay for $290 and just replaced my Galaxy Tab with it.

I do not know about you but when my clients want to give me more money for more services, I give it to them.  

Adam Bell
Senior Systems / Network Engineer
Sublime Computer Services
We make your technology work

615-942-0850
adam@sublimecomp.com
www.sublimecomp.com

 

DNS Changer Malware Alert

I need to make you aware of a Malware that is hanging around undetected.  It is called a DNS Changer Malware.  It has been around since November. It appears that most Antivirus software is not fixing the issue.  If you have the Malware, then your computer will continue to appear to work properly until July 2012.  You will need to test your computer to confirm that you do not have the malware by going to:

http://www.dns-ok.us/

If you do not have the malware, then the web page will show up with a big Green background stating  “Your computer appears to be looking up IP addresses correctly!”

If you do have the malware, then the web page will show up with a big Red background stating “Your computer appears to be looking up IP addresses incorrectly!”  

If your computer shows the Red background, then give us a call and we will remove the malware and its’ effects.

You can read about the malware here:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/november/malware_110911




Adam Bell
Senior Systems / Network Engineer
Sublime Computer Services
We make your technology work

615-942-0850
adam@sublimecomp.com
www.sublimecomp.com