There are things that we, as professionals, students or hobbyists, tend to take for granted as far as what’s “obvious” or “common sense.”  Cloud computing is one of those things that I figured out based on what I knew previously about the Internet and its inner workings, and I always assumed that if I could figure it out, it must be as obvious as tying one’s shoe.  Recently, though, a cohort, who is by no means a stupid person, asked me what “the cloud” is.  This friend has been studying biological science for years, so as dumbfounded as I was that such an intelligent individual wouldn’t know what cloud computing is, it quickly occurred to me that the term still isn’t used widely enough to be “common sense.” Would you believe me if I told you that you probably use some form of cloud computing on a regular basis?

“The Cloud” is basically another term for the Internet. I say that this is the basic definition because in connotation, it is more used to describe the applications that we use via the Internet, including email clients, document and graphics editors, and virtual storage. You’re probably familiar with Google’s Gmail, and you may even use Google Docs or Google Apps. Perhaps you use an app like Piknic to edit your photos for sharing or Dropbox to share various files with friends, family and coworkers. You may be using Mozy to backup your computer regularly so as not to lose your important files. These applications all offer the unique benefit of collaboration that traditional software can’t so easily offer.

Is there a security risk? Sure, but the engineers of these online software are ever-so-aware of your skepticism, and they’re likely working much harder on the security aspect than are producers of ‘normal’ software. Also bare in mind that just because it rests solely on your hard drive does not guarantee security: Viruses and other malware are built smarter and stealthier now, so as they say, abstinence [from the Internet] is the only way to truly avoid…malware

Cloud computing seems like something you’d like to try out, but you’re not sure where to start or what is even necessary. Going to a completely Internet-based can be useful for growing businesses, but making a huge shift in that direction can be overwhelming. Each application will have a bit of a learning curve, so I’d recommend starting with your email. Programs like Mozilla Thunderbird and Microsoft Office make a more secure connection to your business email because rather than forwarding to a different address, thereby sending it further through cyberspace, they pull email directly from your email server to your desktop program. But consider that web-based email applications let you check email from anywhere—your desktop, laptop, Smartphone or a someone else’s computer—so if you’re constantly on the go, then the minor risk is often worth it. Google Apps (at merely $50/year) includes ample space for email, so you can start there and gradually move into the other apps, integrating them into your company’s work environment one-by-one.

Around the same time, getting started with an Internet-based computer backup system will save you from the seemingly inevitable frustration of losing documents in a disaster. Even static electricity can ruin your motherboard or hard drive, forever erasing your most critical documents and your sweetest photographed memories. Services like Carbonite and Mozy will automatically back up specified folders, and there are countless other programs, so do some research to find the best one for your purposes. These services may not have cheap price tags, but they become invaluable when even the simplest incident leaves you with nothing.

With the Cloud being such a new development, we’re all still learning about it, so I’d love to hear of any other applications you use and like or if you have any more questions! Leave a comment or drop me an email (see the green envelope icon in the first sidebar?) and I’ll update the site with new information as we go.

Malware [general term] - software designed to secretly access a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. (Wikipedia)

Computer Virus [a type of malware] - a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer…. A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.  (Wikipedia)

Computer Worm [a type of malware] - a self-replicating malware computer program. It uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention.  (Wikipedia)

Trojan Horse [a type of malware]- appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install but instead facilitates unauthorized access of the user’s computer system… The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.  (Wikipedia)

Spyware [a type of malware] – can be installed on computers and collects little bits of information at a time about users without their knowledge.  (Wikipedia)

Adware (advertising-supported software) [can be classified as or can come tied to spyware] - any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up… Adware, by itself, is harmless; however, some adware may come with integrated spyware such as keyloggers and other privacy-invasive software.  (Wikipedia)

Keylogging [sometimes a type of spyware] - the action of tracking (or logging) the keys struck on a keyboard, typically in a covert manner so that the person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored.   (Wikipedia)

Trojans are regarded as some of the most troublesome issues in the realm of computer security because a hacker who has planted a Trojan horse on your computer has likely granted himself remote access to watch or control your computer. Since they can slip onto your computer nearly undetected (without adequate security software running), these malicious software live up to their name, without a doubt.

With many different types of malicious software (malware) readily available, proper protection is crucial. Note that the terms I’ve listed above only scratch the surface of the kinds of malware and existing information on these malware. Above, I’ve outlined a basic tree of computer threats, starting with the broad umbrella term, “malware,” and listing some types of malware, followed by some types of “spyware,” which are also a type of malware. Some of these seem like common sense, and they are, but there are intricate differences between them that make each threat a unique problem to be dealt with specifically.

Luckily, there actually is a nearly “end all, be all” answer in that various programs referred to as “Internet Security” suites are available, of high quality and not terribly expensive. Beyond programs labeled solely as antivirus, Internet Security suites protect your computer(s) from viruses, spyware, Trojans, adware, and other internet, email and network vulnerabilities. Check out this review sheet of the Top 10 Internet Security Suites for 2011, which incorporates a thorough analysis of the necessary internet security components. I had been using ESET Smart Security for a year on my desktop, but since my Eee PC netbook works much better with the sleek Trend Micro Internet Security, and since Amazon was offering a three-PC download of the latest Trend Micro Internet Security for less than $20, I switched to Trend Micro and would certainly recommend it. Any of the programs listed in the aforementioned Top 10 sheet will serve you well, so no worries.

Ultimately, the specific settings you place on each of your computers’ security suites are up to your taste and schedule. I, for the sake of my personal information and for my business and clients, have my security programs run every single day, but a lesser-used computer may only need weekly scans. I also have my desktop scanned at a time when I am not around each day, and my laptop is scanned around 5am, when I am surely not awake and won’t interrupt it. A schedule that doesn’t conflict with your computer usage is best because the scan could put a strain on your computer’s performance if you’re trying to work or surf the internet at the same time.

Not unlike our teenage years, the threats we face today require a conscious protection effort. Safeguarding ourselves from Trojans, as well as viruses, worms and others, is a fairly simple process that we easily take for granted.

I might admit to being a bit of a Google “fan girl,” but in fairness, they’ve recently rolled out two exciting new features, one for your mail and one for your searching/research.

Gmail Priority Mail

I’ve had the opportunity to play around with this new setup quite a bit and do find it easier to manage my inbox; primarily, I find it easier to pick out the things I want to trash in an instant. It may seem a little backward, but it helps tremendously: I log into my Gmail account and the first section I have set up is of “Important and unread” emails, the second section is of “Important” emails, the third of “Unread” emails, and “Everything else” is in the final section of my inbox. I pay most attention to the first and third sections because I immediately read the emails in the first section and almost always trash the things in the third.

For example, I subscribe to emails from a number of clothing, electronics, and office supplies stores so that I can see what sales and new products are being offered. But since I don’t need to purchase these items every single week—and since funds would dry up very quickly if I tried—I delete most of these emails before even reading them. With “normal” Gmail (as though it’s taboo to use “normal” programs), I had to sift through a mess of emails to find those that were unwanted, but with Priority Mail, I move straight into the “Unread [and Unimportant]” email section and go to town with the delete button! Similarly, I now see emails from friends and family, as well as those from my banks as soon as I log into Gmail. In the “Important and unread” section, they’re bold and marked with yellow tags, so I can’t miss them.

We can probably assume that it will be five years before Microsoft latches onto this kind of automatic organization/prioritization for Outlook, but I can’t wait until Mozilla can incorporate this into Thunderbird. And yes, I enjoy picking on giant corporations

Instant Google Search

Thought your Google searches were pretty fast, eh? Just yesterday, Google unveiled the new Google Instant, which hasn’t hit everyone just yet—but you’ll see it soon enough. WBAL points out that small businesses could be stung if instant results hit too quickly on major brands, but honestly, unless someone types into the search box “small business that manufactures shoes,” they’re always more likely to see Nike and Adidas before they’ll see the start-up.

With Google Instant, you’ll see something similar to the way Google used to fill in the search box with queries that it assumed you’d be looking for, but now it won’t stop and refresh every second or two. Instead, the suggestions will change instantly with each letter you type.

What’s even better is that the entire page of search results is just as instant. The “News for…” section, the “Images/Videos for…” section, the “Sponsored Links” on both the mid-section and the right, everything changes in the blink of an eye to match whatever you seem to be typing. As Google puts it, you don’t want search-as-you-type, “you really want search-before-you-type.”

You should be saving 2-5 seconds with every search you run on Google, so over the course of the rest of your life, you’ll save a good chunk of time.

How have these tools helped you in day-to-day business, or how will they affect you?

Dare I make a joke about getting your money’s worth out of these two? Yes, they’re free as always. Powerful tools at no cost. So how have they helped you shave time off of the monotony to allow for more productivity and/or more fun?! If you haven’t experienced the new toys, then how do you suspect they’ll help in the future? Maybe you do a lot of research throughout the day, or maybe you just get a lot of emails… Whatever the case, leave a comment for us below!

Free programs are becoming increasingly popular, and among them are free email clients. Microsoft Outlook is costly (more than it’s worth, in my personal opinion) and is known to be somewhat clunky. As a side note, I found an article that seems to be a good source for Outlook fixes. The good thing is that some services like Google’s Gmail are phenomenal, and Mozilla—the people who created Firefox, which is consistently rated the top internet browser—has Thunderbird. Thunderbird is actually quite similar to Outlook in appearance and general functions, but I’ve had greater success in keeping Thunderbird organized and working smoothly than I have with Outlook. The one downfall I’ve encountered, though, is the more-than-occasional warning message that states “this message may be a scam.” Different from spam messages, scam messages would be those that are trying to lure you in and eat at your wallet in many cases.

Well, it’s good to know that Thunderbird is watching my back and will warn me when a message may be trying to trick me into some scheme. So what’s the problem here? A well-known issue, the message pops up at times even when the recipient has added the sender to his/her address book, and the message will be displayed with each email from the particular sender, no matter how many times the recipient has click the “Not a Scam” button.

How the recipient can work around the “scam” warning

Say you’re receiving regular emails from a publication to which you are a subscriber—likely, a publication that is giving you some kind of information to help you run your business and make more money—and while you know that the emails are perfectly legitimate, Thunderbird keeps flagging them as scams. And if it were to start flagging multiple valid senders, you might start feeling annoyed.

The easiest solution is to disable the feature. Go to “Tools -> Options… -> Security -> E-mail Scams” and uncheck the only option on that page, which is pretty self-explanatory. Be advised, however, that this will disable the feature for all messages, no matter who the sender. So you’re on your own for separating scams from legitimate emails.

One way that was found by a Thunderbird whiz (he isn’t a hired programmer) is to edit Thunderbird’s configuration. When editing anything in the main configuration panel, you should be careful that you don’t inadvertently change anything else, and Thunderbird will remind you of this in a sec.

Changing Thunderbird’s configuration to whitelist non-scammers

Now go to “Tools -> Options… -> Advanced” and click the button that says “Config Editor…” Thunderbird will immediately tell you to only proceed if you are certain of what you’re doing. In most cases, you’re probably only going in here with explicit instructions to solve a particular problem, so go ahead and say “I’ll be careful, I promise!” (Do this by clicking the button; others nearby may think strange things if you say it out loud to your computer )

Find the line that says “mail.trusteddomains” and double-click on it. In the pop-up box, type the addresses you’d like to have whitelisted, separated by a single comma (i.e. “lymelightwebs.com,mozilla.org,mozilla.com”). Again, this was found by another techie who knows Thunderbird well but is not working for them; as I haven’t tried it long enough, I can’t totally vouch for its validity as a solution. But it hasn’t harmed my Thunderbird, so no worries there.

Developers—and support—from all over

One thing that Mozilla stresses is that there are thousands of people all over the world working on its projects, Firefox and Thunderbird. What this means to you: It probably gets hectic, so the developers may not be able to focus on things like the scam filter; but there are people all over the place who can help. One place to start is, of course, right here because you have others who know the language and can search out the answers that may be hard to find.

Companies such as Google operate in much the same way, employing so many people from all over. This, along with the fact that these companies make a lot of open-source (read: modifiable by some techies) software, means that there is far greater possibility for improvements. Quick ones, at that. Upgrades and add-ons are constantly available for these programs. So the questions that begs being asked: Is Microsoft doomed? Personally, I’d say…absolutely.

Google Gmail – I use Gmail accounts for all personal and some professional email.

Mozilla Thunderbird – My business emails are pulled into Thunderbird so that they aren’t forwarded from my website’s server. Note that Thunderbird does not provide new email accounts.

I’ve watched several clips and have read plenty of reviews on Apple’s new iPad, which hits the streets on April 3rd. TechCrunch shared an image comparing the iPad to a rock, and engadget posted a review of disappointment with a video of an uncooperative iPad and its lack of features.  Naturally, my initial take on an Entrepreneur article titled “How the iPad Will Change the Way You Do Business” was a wary one.  My foremost thought when checking out reviews of the iPad was that business owners are not going to waste their precious time and money on something that seems downright incomplete.  But Allen Moon, the author of the Entrepreneur article actually makes a solid argument – one that I’m even willing to share.

If you’re already familiar with the iPad, you’d might as well skip the first section of the article; Moon briefly describes the iPad’s resemblance to the iPhone and its pitfalls.  He then explains that those who are middle-aged and older will find the iPad easier to work with than a ‘traditional’ laptop, that those who travel or want to shut their kids up will find its portability useful, and that students will start getting more and more of their textbooks as iPad e-books.
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