Maki & Brian DeLaet EduCyber founders

August 2003 EduNotes

EduCyber is pleased to present the August 2003 Edition of EduNotes. In this issue, learn how to stay ahead of the curve, whether it’s safe to buy online or not and Ed Cyber’s explanation of Microsoft’s hacker warnings. Enjoy and as always, send feedback to edunotes@educyber.com.
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Staying Ahead of the Curve
As the economy begins to brighten but many companies still feel the need for belt-tightening, how can you get ahead and stay there?
Using your technology to the fullest is one way to do just that. Remember when computers first started coming out and they were touted as time-saving devices that would lead to a paperless world? Instead, many companies have used them as paper generators, printing out every email they receive and printing out a fax before sticking it on a fax machine.
The truth is, we often adapt technology to business practices that are not the most efficient instead of adopting it and letting it function as it was designed. This usually results in wasting time and / or money. Take, for example, the residential user who prints out his email and then scans it and uses Optical Character Recognition technology to reconvert it to text so he can forward it to friends. Does it work? Yes. Are there faster and more efficient ways of doing this? Most Definitely.
Over the last couple of years we have taken one of our valued clients from a paper-creating monster to a considerably slimmed-down paper-tamed creature. Over half of outgoing faxes are now sent directly from computer workstations, eliminating unnecessary printing and then faxing. Similarly, most incoming faxes now come into their (e)mailbox without having to first be printed out. Through the use of a professionally designed database, an unwieldy mess of cards and paper that tracked their items has been eliminated. Paper costs have declined dramatically as the paper monster has been slowly tamed. As that monster has been brought under control, so has the need for hours of filing time as there is less paper to file. Instead, documents are stored online in a strategically designed manner so that recalling documents is also easy and efficient.
While this customer still has a ways to go to improve flows and further reduce paperwork, they have seen the improvements and are now asking for other ways to improve their business flow through the use of technology.
The technology is available to help you stay ahead of the curve by eliminating waste and improving business flows. If you’re into technology over your head or ready to jump in but afraid of getting in over your head, give us a call. Whether it is tweaking existing systems or recommending new systems, we can help you get the most from your technology and stay ahead of the curve.
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Ask Ed Cyber
Dear Ed,
I got a message from Microsoft yesterday telling me about some kind of malicious code and recommending some kind of patch. What’s it all about and what should I do?
Signed,
Mysty Fied

Dear Mysty,
Microsoft is engaging in something known colloquially as CYA (Cover Your Backside). On a regular basis someone discovers a flaw or weakness in their system that, if exploited, could allow someone to hack into your computer and do all kinds of harm. And so they regularly post updates on their web site. In addition, Microsoft has introduced an Automatic Updates program that takes care of automatically installing what Microsoft calls Critical Updates. The reason why they went to the trouble of emailing you this time is that the fault has been extensively reported in the media AND some computer code that exploits the weakness has been posted on various web sites. That means that it is even easier for those who would do your computer harm to do so.
Now there are some who would, without tongue in cheek, tell you to get a Mac or a Linux box. While both of these are certainly good alternatives to Windows, they are not without their own faults. Since you already have a Windows computer, don’t give up on it just yet.
The first thing you should do is visit the Windows Update site. Even if you don’t use Internet Explorer as your browser, open it up now. Then, once it’s open, click on the Tools menu and then on Windows Update. If you haven’t done this before you may have to click OK a couple of times to install the special tool that checks to see what updates you need. Once it is done, you’ll need to click on Scan Now and then when it completes, install all the Critical Updates. At some point you have to agree to the EULA (End User License Agreement). Typically when the critical updates are installed, you have to reboot your computer.
Also, Mysty, I recommend that you implement some sort of security on your computer or on your network. Last month I wrote about a barebones security scenario with something called a router. It would be a good idea to go at least one step further and get some kind of firewall, either a hardware firewall or a software firewall. But that’s a topic for another day.
Good Luck,
Ed Cyber
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Buying Online
I am still amazed when I hear people say they don’t feel safe making online purchases. These are often the same people who hand their credit card to total strangers in restaurants and let them take the card out of their sight for several minutes. I feel much safer making credit card purchases online on sites that use SSL than I do in a restaurant. In fact, I often watch the waiter or waitress who has my card to see just exactly what they do with it.
Through encryption I am sure that my card information gets to the people I want it to. Then the question becomes, with whom am I doing business? When doing ecommerce for the first time with a vendor, I always check to find out where they are located and try to get a feel for how long they’ve been doing business before I give out my credit card information. I also check my cards online to make sure they aren’t being used behind my back or in ways I haven’t authorized.
But shopping online is a real timesaver as well as a money saver, allowing me to comparison shop and feel reassured that I’m getting the best price available while not having to deal with parking lots, traffic jams and sales people who’d rather talk to their friends than help a customer.
The main places I do business online are buy.com and amazon.com but I also do business at officedepot.com, walmart.com and a variety of other stores large and small. I’ve bought CDs from small sites that focus on one artist and computer parts from small shops throughout North America.
If you are still wary of ecommerce, pay attention to what happens to your credit card the next time you eat out and how long that card is out of your sight. It might be enough to make you start buying online (or quit using your credit card in restaurants.)
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