Invisik Corp.Newsletter Oct.2010(New)

October 2010

The Monthly Newsletter of Invisik Corporation

The Three Scariest Threats to Small Business Networks

Client HotSpot Of The Month: Provo-Petersen & Associates, P. A.

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Hackers Are Now Attacking Macs

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Greetings from Invisik…

October

has to be the prettiest month of fall. With leaves changing color, fans adorned in favorite team jerseys, and Halloween costumes for the young and old, October is a great month to get inspired and complete those projects you have been dreading.

This is also the last month to enter our fall Halloween Drawing. See details on page 4, and enter by October 29th for your chance to win a new HP MINI 2102 N450 netbook. No tricks; all treat!

This month in the Client HotSpot is the law firm of P ROVO - P ETERSEN & A SSOCIATES , P. A. Their success story is on page 3. To be a featured client in an upcoming issue, please email Andry Jurcich for details at andryj@invisik.com.

And congratulations to Sue McLean Bolter of MedSearch Corporation headquartered in Edina. She is the winner of September’s Invisik Trivia Bowl with the correct answer of Order Of Math Operations. Who will be this month’s big winner and claim the prize of a Leeann Chin gift card?

Could it be you? Of course! Just be the first to call (612) 298-3000 or email trivia@invisik.com with the correct answer.

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Invisik Trivia Bowl Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from which continent who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire sharing ghost stories, singing, dancing, and telling fortunes?

A. B. C. D.

Africa Europe South America Asia

Did you know? Magician Harry Houdini died on October 31, 1926, and every Halloween since then, magicians and psychics try to contact him from beyond the grave. …for IT Ingenuity

Good networking, Matt Jurcich, President Invisik Corporation

Tel: 612.298.3000 Email: support@invisik.com Web: www.invisik.com

The Three Scariest Threats To Small Business Networks While spam, pop-ups, and hackers are a real threat to any small business network, there are three security measures that should be focused on first: I. WORRY ABOUT E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS, NOT SPAM Yes, spam is annoying and wastes your time, but the REAL danger with spam is in the attachments.

Viruses and worms are malicious programs that are spread primarily through cleverly disguised messages that trick you into opening them.

Another huge threat is phishing e-mails that trick receipients by appearing to be legitimate e-mails from your bank, eBay, or other password-protected entities.

Two things you must have in place to avoid this nightmare: • Keep your anti-virus up-to-date and enabled.

• Train employees on what they are (and are NOT) permitted to do with the company’s computer, e-mail, Internet access, etc.

II. FEAR DOWNLOADS BEFORE POP-UPS Did you know that most computers and networks get infected with viruses because the user actually invited the threat in by downloading an infected file like a screen saver, music file, pictures, or PDF documents? This can be addressed by training employees on the acceptable use of company computers, but the best way to avoid this from happening at all is to remove the temptation. By installing monitoring software, companies can prevent users from downloading unsavory items to the network. Additionally, we recommend installing and maintaining a good firewall to block Internet traffic to and from dangerous sites.

III. LOSE SLEEP OVER BACKUPS BEFORE HACKERS The chances are higher that you would lose your data from hardware failure, accidental deletion (user error), flood, fire, natural disaster or software corruption, than you would from a hacker attack. Of course you should do everything to keep hackers out of your network, but NOT backing up your data to a remote location is crazy. At a minimum, you should have an onsite and offsite copy of your data, and you should be testing your data backups regularly to make sure your data can be restored in the event of an emergency.

What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You 99% of businesses wait much too long to check and update their computer network’s health and security. If you are not performing maintenance regularly, you could be overlooking security risks.

At some point, disaster will strike, and you may find yourself in a real mess when your network is completely down. By then, the damage is done and it often costs thousands of dollars to restore the network back to normal. Even then, it is common to permanently lose irreplaceable accounting, client, and business data— not to mention all the hours of being down.

If your computer network is at the core of running your business, regular maintenance must be a top priority. Imagine walking into your office one day to discover all your data was lost or corrupt. Keeping your network safe is like trying to hit a moving target because new threats emerge every day. To ensure maximum speed, security, and performance, numerous system checks and updates should be done on a daily basis.

“Exorcise” The Demons Hiding In Your Computer Network?

Start with a FREE, no obligation Disaster Recovery & Security Checkup. Call us before October 31st and, at no cost to you, we will come to your office to: • Verify your current backup is working properly and accurately.

• Review your current procedures for onsite and offsite backups.

• Assure you have the most up-to-date security patches installed properly (if you miss one critical update, you could be a sitting duck).

• Discuss current data protection needs and explain where you are most at risk.

When we complete the Checkup, we can give you a comprehensive, easy-to-read report that will show any problems, threats, or vulnerable areas that need to be addressed.

If you wait for an emergnecy to happen before you call us, it could be too late. Take advantage of our FREE Disaster Recovery & Security Checkup, and lose only the uncertaintiy of whether or not you could quickly recover in the event of a data-erasing disaster. Call us today at (612) 298-3000 or email support@invisik.com. ♦

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Client HotSpot: Provo-Petersen & Associates, P. A. Company Name: Provo-Petersen & Associates, P.A. Headquarters: 8649 Eagle Point Blvd Lake Elmo, MN 55042

Executive: Jeannie Provo-Petersen, CEO; Attorney/Partner Telephone: 651-227-2534 Fax: 651-297-6226 Website: www.ppalawfirm.com

Dedicated to Quality, Efficient and Effective Services Attorney Jeannie Provo-Petersen’s desire to leave a large law firm structure led her to try her hand at operating a small business. In 2003, she embarked on her journey—originally with partners, but now on her own. Today, Provo-Petersen & Associates, P.A. is a law firm focusing primarily on insurance defense, civil litigation, insurance coverage, real estate, commercial litigation, and criminal defense. With four attorneys, a paralegal, and strong administrative support on staff, Provo-Petersen & Associates provides high quality legal services at a fraction of the cost charged by larger firms Customer service is a top priority at Provo-Petersen & Associates. They offer their clients experienced and focused representation because, as a smaller firm, they can provide individual, personal attention and prompt service. Clients will know from the outset of their case who will be handling their legal dispute, and their needs will not be lost in the shuffle of a big firm hierarchy. Their attorneys appreciate deadlines, the unique needs of each client, and readily responds to accommodate those needs.

Provo-Petersen & Associates serves a varying market, but their primary practice areas are business and insurance industries. Because of their considerable experience and knowledge of the issues that confront their clients, they can realize effective and cost efficient claims resolution. Such focused expertise allows them to avoid having to self-educate, and ultimately reduces litigation costs.

Their attorneys publish numerous books and articles within their primary practice areas. Because they do more than study the law or provide clients with theoretical opinions, they are frequently invited to

speak at legal seminars and train others within these areas. They understand that effective and efficient claims resolution can only be accomplished by having both knowledge of the law and practical experience in the area, so that realworld options can be explored.

“We stay current on industry trends, we engage with regular practice related peer groups, we become involved in the community in various capacities, and provide prompt, efficient, and cost-effective representation for our clients,” explains firm CEO, Jeannie Provo-Petersen.

Provo-Petersen & Associates uses technology in every aspect of their business. From their phone system to their copier, fax machines, Blackberry cell phones, desktop computers, and network servers; computer technology is an integral part of everyday operations.

For more than seven years, they have been working with Invisik to support their company network. In addition to resolving any IT issues, Invisik helps Provo-Petersen & Associates with daily monitoring of their desktops, servers, data backup services, data overload, and updating anti-virus software.

Most recently, Provo-Petersen & Associates relocated their office from bustling Downtown St. Paul to scenic Lake Elmo. Invisik helped take down and re-install their entire IT network including workstations, servers, printers, fax machines, copiers, and postage machine.

“They did it all over the weekend so we could be up and running again on Monday,” says, ProvoPetersen. “Matt and his staff take great pride in worrying about our technology issues so we don’t have to. They care deeply about their customers, and provide phenomenal service.” ♦ Page 3

Enter our fall drawing to win a new HP MINI 2102 N450 netbook on Halloween! Refer your business colleagues to us from now until October 29th, and you will be entered into our Halloween drawing. Each referral you send will count as an entry into the drawing, so the more you refer, the higher your chances of winning.

In order to qualify as a referral, our only requirement is your colleagues must be the owner or the person in charge of IT for a company with 5 or more PCs and a server.

In return, we will offer them two FREE hours of guaranteed, no-strings-attached tech support for them to use anyway they want—that’s a $300 value for FREE!

 YES! Please contact the people below and let them know that I referred them to receive 2 FREE Hours of guaranteed, no-stringsattached, tech support with Invisik Corporation.

Your Name: Title: Company: Your Referrals: Name & Title: Company: Phone: E-mail address: Name & Title: Company: E-mail address: Name & Title: Company: Phone: E-mail address:

Halloween Drawing!

Phone:

Please fax or mail this form to be entered in our

Halloween Drawing!

Fax to: (612) 243-1477 Mail to: Invisik Corporation, 7240 Grand Avenue S, Richfield, MN 55423 Deadline: October 29, 2010.

Win A New Netbook In Our

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5 Cell Phone “Urban Legend” Myths Debunked There have been a number of e-mails and posts circling the Internet about hidden tricks and features of the average cell phone. Below are a few of those myths and the actual truths according to Snopes.com.

Myth #1: The emergency number worldwide for mobile phones is 112. This number can be dialed even when the keypad is locked.

Truth: Calling 112 on your cell phone will connect you with local emergency services in some parts of the world—primarily Europe—even if you are outside of your service area, and some phones will allow you to dial 112 even if you lack a SIM card or if the keypad is locked.

Myth #2: If you have a remote keyless entry system for your car and lock your keys in the car, you can call someone with a spare key and get them to transmit the “unlock” signal via your cell phone.

Simply get them to press the unlock button on the spare key into their cell phone while you hold your cell phone close to the door. It will open instantly.

Truth: Cars with remote keyless entry systems cannot be unlocked by relaying a key fob transmitter signal via a cellular telephone.

Myth #3: Pressing ∗3370# on your cell phone will unlock hidden battery power on your phone.

Truth: This is a misunderstanding of an option available on some brands of cell phones, like Nokia.

However, this option is activated by pressing #4720#.

Pressing ∗3370# actually enables Enhanced Full Rate Codec, which provides better sound quality at the expense of a shorter battery life.

Myth #4: You can totally disable a stolen cell phone by giving your phone’s serial number to your service provider and reporting it stolen. They can disable the phone so that even if the thief replaces the SIM card, the phone is still useless. You can get your cell phone’s serial number to display on your phone by punching in ∗#06# on your phone keypad.

Truth: Entering the sequence ∗#06# may display a 15-digit identification code string, but this function only works with certain types of phones. Plus, reporting this number to your service provider to shut down the phone is extremely limited.

Myth #5: To avoid paying telephone directory charges associated with 411 info, dial (800) FREE-411.

Truth: Some companies like (800) FREE-411 do provide free directory assistance to cell phone customers. However, users should know that while the service is free, your cell phone service provider may still charge you for placing the call. ♦

Hackers Are Now Attacking Macs Until recently, Mac users have long enjoyed relative freedom from hacker attacks. However, researchers at Symantec Corporation say online criminals are now setting their sights on Mac OS systems.

Online video hunters are the most common victims.

Visitors to certain web sites are led to believe they can download a free video player when in fact they are installing malicious code onto their Macs. Once the user authorizes the transaction, the hacker can redirect the user’s future browsing to fraudulent web sites, and possibly steal the user's information or passwords. Sometimes they simply send ads for pornographic web sites. Either way, this results in thousands of dollars in income for the criminals.

While you may think that Macs are essentially more secure than PCs because they are built better, security experts argue differently. They conclude that Macs are actually no more secure than PCs, but that the number of viruses, exploits and other cyber attacks directed at Mac users is lower because of Apple's relatively smaller share of the computer market. With that said, the fact remains that for every single attack on a Mac, there are at least 100 attacks on Windows-based systems.

So what should you do if you own a Mac? Use the same safe online surfing practices as PC users: • Use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date, • Never open strange e-mails from unknown sources, and • Only verify user names and passwords by phone with your bank or other financial institutions. ♦

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Is Your Computer Keyboard Making You Sick?

As we are at the height of cold and flu season, you might want to take a closer look at what is living on your keyboard. A series of studies called "Germs in the Workplace" found that the following four office surfaces had the most bacteria (in this order): · · · ·

Phones Desks Computer keyboard Computer mouse

Obviously these are items you touch all day, every day. Germs and dirt from your hands and mouth get transferred easily on to them (and vice-versa), which makes them breeding grounds for harmful bacteria.

To lessen your chances of picking up the cold and flu bug, we recommend cleaning your mouse and keyboard daily with disinfecting wipes. It is also a good idea to clean these devices before and after someone else uses them. ♦

More helpful tips inside including…

o The Three Scariest Threats to Business Computer Networks o 5 Cell Phone “Urban Legend” Myths Debunked o This Month’s Client HotSpot: Provo-Petersen & Associates, P. A. o Hackers Are Now Attacking Macs

PLUS enter our

HALLOWEEN

DRAWING for your chance to win a HP MINI 2102 N450 Netbook!