Overall The Microsoft Store was somewhat confusing from a retail shop perspective. There was a large space dedicated to XBox. That dedicated space had the strongest presence and clear message. The rest of the Store had a mix of hardware from different manufacturers (Sony, Dell etc) but the Microsoft “experience” felt muted.

The Microsoft Store felt like a high end version of Best Buy. I don’t consider that a good thing. Microsoft needs to draw on their strengths and improve their retail experience. There was no strong message directed at anyone walking in the door. With an estimated budget of $1 Billion for a Windows 7 marketing blitz Microsoft needs to do better and should be learning from their company branded stores.

Each upgrade represents a significant investment in licensing, migration time and user training.  To make matters worse, some software vendors require an upgrade by discontinuing support on products as soon as 24 months after release!

For those looking to break the cycle of software upgrades there is an option: a move towards Software as a Service (sometimes called Cloud computing). A prime example of Software as a Service is Google Apps. With any web browser Google Apps users have access to a suite of products that are very competitive to Microsoft Office. No installation, no security patches and more importantly, no upgrades!

In addition to controlled costs and easy scalability, one of the major benefits of Software as a Service is the ease of obtaining updates. In fact, new Google Apps features are rolled out almost daily, but there is zero impact on the user as upgrades are done on Google’s Servers. The next time a user logs in new features are available. It’s that simple. No upgrades, no overtime, no risk of losing data. Since the changes are done on a regular basis vs a completely new interface every few years no user retraining!

Given the prospect of staying on the software upgrade cycle and considering a move towards Google Apps what makes sense for your business? If you are struggling with this question, or other ways to effectively manage your technology, we encourage you to contact us at 858-270-3595 x 1 to learn more.

VMware View with PCoIP allows companies to deploy inexpensive, power efficient and virtually unbreakable PC’s called thin clients to users while retaining a full dekstop experience with multi monitor setup, streaming video and fast video refresh. Company data can be securely locked away in a remote datacenter without users ever noticing a difference in their day to day computer usage.

In the video below, keep in mind this person is performing all these activities over a remote connection. The video and sound at the 3 minute mark is indistinguishable from a local PC.

VMware View promises to be the first no compromise Cloud based desktop product on the market today.

Apple has two three* ways to secure company data on an iPhone in the event an iPhone is lost or stolen.

If you have a subscription to Apple’s MobileMe you can now find a lost iPhone and/or wipe all of it’s data from the MobileMe website. More info on the MobileMe capabilities are available on the Apple website.

Many corporate users do not use the MobileMe service (which costs $99/year) but still need to protect the data on their iPhones. Well, Apple has you covered there as well. You can enable a four digit passcode on your phone. If the incorrect passcode is entered 10 times in a row, then all the data on your phone will be erased. If the data is erased accidentally or the code is forgotten you can restore the phone from iTunes.

Here’s how you would enable the setting to wipe your phone after 10 incorrect passcode attempts. From your phone choose:

1. Settings – General – Passcode Lock
2. Enter a 4 digit passcode twice to confirm. Be sure you won’t forget this passcode!
3. From the next menu click on Require Passcode and choose a timeout. A shorter time is more secure.
4. Make sure Erase Data is set to On. Screen should like the image below.

That’s it! Your iPhone will now wipe all data if an incorrect passcode is entered 10 times in a row.

Each method has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. We feel the built-in feature of using a passcode is the most straight forward solution and provides a high level of security.

*Companies running Microsoft Exchange Server can remotely wipe an iPhone. Please see your company’s system administrator for details.

Next time that webpage takes five seconds to load just remember, “IT’S GOING TO SPACE.”  Enjoy.

Don’t Rely on your IT Guy

CRN writes the following about Social Networking Threats. For the full article head over to State Of Technology Security: Top 10 Biggest Security Threats

Social Networking Threats made the Top 10 list for the first time, coming in third place with 34.4 percent of the partner vote. But partners have acknowledged that social networking attacks pose a very real and serious threat. End users have been exposed to countless Trojans, Internet worms and phishing attacks targeting social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Attackers have exploited a wealth of personal and identifying information that users freely share online to commit identity theft crimes. In addition, social networking sites carry with them a strong trust component. Unlike spam attacks, which typically originate from an unfamiliar or suspicious source, social networking attacks often appear to come from someone the user knows and trusts, compelling them to click on infected links or malicious files that ultimately download malware onto their systems.
The market for hackers has also been flung wide open as more businesses utilize social networking sites to promote their business and establish important contacts. And there appears to be no reprieve in sight as the social networking market continues to expand.

While we promote Network Velocity on Twitter, we also advise clients to filter employee web surfing to protect sensitive company data and reduce expensive malware cleanup. Social Networking can be a great marketing tool, but due to the rampant popularity of sites like Facebook, hackers are increasingly targeting Social Networking sites with malicious software. Social Networking can be used as a tool to communicate to your clients, peers and vendors but be sure you are in control and using Social Networking to your advantage. In the work environment, restricted access for is still the best policy to avoid productivity problems and security/malware breaches.

For most businesses, we believe the best Social Networking strategy is to blog frequently and use Twitter and other sites to point traffic to your blog. In this way control of your message stays in your hands and Social Networking is used to drive traffic to your site where visits can be measured and ROI calculated. Keep in mind the Social aspect of Social Media. Communication should not be one way. When a person engages with your online presence, respond!

Mashable cited this information from the study:

Only 10% of those surveyed let employees use social networks however they please, while the remainder all impose at least some restrictions on usage, like limiting it to business purposes only.

The survey, which was developed by Robert Half Technology, is consistent with other recent reports that show companies are quickly moving to block social media in the workplace. Of course, even when companies allow social media, it doesn’t always end well for employees. Another recent report indicated that 8% of companies in the US have fired staff over social media misuse.

Network Velocity uses Fortinet Firewalls to provide custom Web Filtering for our clients. Contact us to learn how we can help your business setup a flexible, yet secure, policy that fits your needs.