Every organization must have procedures in place to comply with laws like HIPAA. But now days, just being HIPAA compliant is not enough. Each state has its own laws and the HITECH Act also comes into play. While it may not be easy for health care providers to stay up to date with the myriad changes in these laws, the potential financial repercussions that both patients and healthcare organizations could suffer make staying current well worth the effort. All health care workers who come into contact with patient records should receive regular training and testing to ensure that they follow proper procedures and remain compliant with HIPAA and other regulations.

Breaches can happen at any time. Digital records are easily transferred from database to laptop or smart device in a matter of minutes. Once the laptop or smart device is lost or stolen, there’s potential for disaster. But even databases can be infiltrated. So it’s important that health care IT professionals conduct regular checks to ensure that everything is secure and running properly. There’s a saying in the military:  “Ignorance is no excuse.” In other words, if someone didn’t know there was a weakness in his organization’s system that led to a breach, that doesn’t absolve him of guilt. Part of implementing procedures includes regular monitoring. And truthfully, ensuring the security of patients’ personal information is everyone’s responsibility, not just the IT team’s.

As unpleasant as it may be, health care organizations must also have disaster recovery plans. If a hacker does penetrate a health organization’s database, there must be procedures already established for either correcting any damage done or minimizing risk. Again, it’s important to know state, federal and local laws for the safeguarding of patients’ information. These laws also help health care providers to understand the difference between an “incident” and a “breach.” Encrypting data could be another safeguard worth looking into. But encrypting patient information doesn’t make it all right to become lax with other safety measures like regular monitoring and personnel training.

Because the definitions of “incident” and “breach” differ from state to state, it might be wise for organizations to err on the side of caution and do more than is required by law for whatever state they’re in. Encrypted files could be especially helpful for health care providers such as doctors or researchers who might be inclined to take work home with them on laptops or smart devices.

When it comes to protecting patients and their personal information, too much is never enough.

According to Microsoft, despite being server only, clients will be able to access ReFS stored data. The new system has an NTFS base with new architecture and engineering that will accommodate 21^st century “storage technologies and scenarios.”

The NTFS semantics and features that ReFS won’t support are named streams, object IDs, short names, compression, file level encryption (EFS), user data transactions, sparse, hard-links, extended attributes and quotas.

Although ReFS and Storage Spaces can run independently of each other, Microsoft expects a lot of customers to use them in conjunction with each other. When customers use ReFS in conjunction with mirrored Storage Spaces, corruptions will be fixed automatically and transparently. Microsoft has also devised a way to deal with “bit rot,” which happens when parts of the disk develop corruptions over time that tend to go undetected because those parts aren’t often read.

“In order to deal with bit rot, we have added a system task that periodically scrubs all metadata and Integrity Stream data on an ReFS volume residing on a mirrored Storage Space,” said Surendra Verma, a Microsoft development manager on the storage and file system team. “Scrubbing involves reading all the redundant copies and validating their correctness using the ReFS checksums. If checksums mismatch, bad copies are fixed using good ones.”

Microsoft has several goals it hopes to achieve with ReFS such as verify and auto-correct data, optimize for extreme scale and never take the file system offline.

It may be more than a year before ReFS is ready to be used by the average consumer. In the meantime, anyone who is interested in learning more about it can do so on Microsoft’s MSDN blog.

An Act of Congress established Washington’s Birthday – Feb. 22 – as a federal holiday in 1880. In January 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the holiday to the third Monday in February, which led to the renaming of the holiday as Presidents Day in the mid-1980s, thanks to some encouragement from advertisers. Although Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, 1809, was never a federal holiday, it is now incorporated into Presidents Day celebrations, remembrances and advertising. The same advertising pressure that led to the renaming of the Washington’s Birthday holiday also brought an end to businesses, other than the US Postal Service, closing in honor of it.

Retailers focus so much on selling their wares that nobody ever really thinks about the two men the day is meant to honor. Both were considered men of integrity. Integrity is important both in your business and personal relationships. Although the story about George Washington cutting down a cherry tree and then confessing the crime to his father after saying, “I can’t tell a lie, Pa,” has been proven false, it is true that he refused to promote his cousin William Washington to a higher rank because he didn’t want others to view the promotion as favoritism. Long before it became mandatory, Washington served only two terms as president.

Abraham is best known for signing of the Emancipation Proclamation that put an end to slavery, the Gettysburg Address and being the first president to get assassinated. He espoused the beliefs of equality and freedom for all in the Declaration of Independence. When he was a congressman representing the Whig party, he supported things like internal improvements and urbanization.

Presidents Day is not just a day to go shopping. It’s a day to reflect on all the freedoms we enjoy thanks to our first president George Washington and our 16^th president Abraham Lincoln. Without them and their courage to do what they thought was right and best for our nation, where would we all be right now?

One Windows 8 feature that will appeal to everyone is a faster boot up time. Who wouldn’t love to be able to log on to his computer and get to work almost immediately? For people who travel a lot or reboot their computers a lot (think IT professionals), this feature is especially convenient. Windows 7 boots up pretty quickly, so it will be interesting to see how many seconds Windows 8 will shave off of that.

Windows to Go is convenient for business use. Some business owners don’t want to store their companies’ data in the cloud because they find the security of Internet storage more than a little dubious. Windows to Go is for Windows Server 8 only; however, it will benefit businesses because IT professionals will be able to quickly transfer important data and apps from an employee’s desktop to his tablet PC or smart phone.

The Windows 8 Side-by-Side Apps for tablet PCs trumps even Apple’s iPad 2. With the Apple iPad 2, only on app can run at a time. With Windows 8, you can run two. This means you can have a webinar playing on YouTube while you browse the Internet to learn more about the person who’s presenting.

Windows Live SkyDrive integration is something that will benefit individuals rather than businesses. Windows Azure is better equipped to satisfy the security needs of business professionals. Anyone who’s ever used Google Documents has an idea what using SkyDrive is like. You can create, edit and share documents without cluttering your computer’s hard drive because everything is saved in the cloud. The bonus with Windows 8 is that you will be able to access data stored in SkyDrive via your computer’s Metro interface.

The last feature I want to talk about is the Task Manager. With Windows 8, the Task Manager will be more detailed – a great help for people who don’t have advanced computer skills – and easier to use. Users will be able to isolate whatever programs are failing and quickly shut them down. It’s hard to tell how much of an improvement this is going to be over Windows 7, which already plainly lists whatever applications a user has running. Shutting one down is as simple as selecting it and then clicking the “End Task” button.

The date when Microsoft makes its consumer preview of Windows 8 available to the masses is fast approaching. Those who are interested in giving it a try should know that it’s probably going to be better suited for tablet PCs and touch-screen computers than regular laptops and desktops.

Looking for a Microsoft partner to help you?  We are your trusted Microsoft partner and ready to help your business with all your Microsoft support needs.  Call us today.

Those that received a critical rating – of which there are more than 20 – are, of course, the most vulnerable to “remote code execution.” As Microsoft explains it, “a remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the msvcrt DLL calculates the size of a buffer in memory, allowing data to be copied into memory that has not been properly allocated. This vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted media file. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. He could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”

Naturally, if an attacker gains access through a restricted account, she will not be able to do as much damage as one who gains access to a computer through an account with full administrative rights.

These vulnerability issues are especially relevant to people who use Internet Explorer as their default browser. The severity rating is critical for Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 users on Windows clients. For Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 users on Windows servers, the severity rating is moderate.

The good news is that hackers can’t force users to go to malicious websites. Instead, users have to be persuaded to visit malicious websites or open tainted email messages. Sometimes, the email messages themselves are clean but contain links, which lead to malicious websites, that users are invited to click.

People can access updates through the Microsoft Update and Windows Update sites or the Microsoft Download Center. According to Microsoft, those who have set their computers to seek and install updates automatically are already protected.

Microsoft acted quickly to protect its customers from harm once it detected vulnerabilities in its programs. Anyone who uses Internet Explorer 7, 8 or 9 and doesn’t have his computer set up to install updates automatically might want to act quickly.

Need help ensuring your network is as secure as possible?  Give our team of trusted IT security specialists a call immediately.

• Increased productivity- Businesses are established to fill the need for a product or service while providing a livelihood for the business owners and their employees. In order to do this, businesses have to ensure they are working at full capacity at all times. Downtime or work performed at reduced levels is time and money wasted. Managed Services can help businesses not only quickly repair problems when they occur but also act as a proactive measure to spot and treat potential problems before they have an impact on productivity.
• Supports in-house IT- Many businesses do not want to relinquish all IT maintenance control to an outside party, and small businesses do not always have the resources to support the type of IT department needed to keep their business running at full speed. A majority of businesses can benefit from adding the expertise, tools and availability of a Managed Services Provider to help support in-house IT departments.
• Remote services- Managed Services Providers work from a remote location, providing desktop, email and back-up and recovery support services without adding to the actual number of “employees” on site. The services provided are unobtrusive and in the majority of cases, have no impact in the day-to-day activities of current in-house employees.
• Affordable- Generally when you bring on a Managed Services Provider, a consultant will perform an onsite assessment of the company, its workflows and processes and the current state of its supporting technology to determine what services are needed to meet organizational goals. Business owners often have a choice between several different levels of service, making it possible for a company with a limited budget to choose a package that best suits their needs.

Security is a big concern for business owners and individuals alike. In the past, business owners have been reluctant to entrust secure or private information to a third party, offsite vendor. As Managed Services Providers continue to prove their value, more companies are realizing the benefits and value of their services. Managed Services Providers continue to improve technology to provide secure, quality services for businesses of all sizes. As a result, smaller businesses which operate with leaner budgets find themselves in a position to reap the benefits of these services. Business owners often have to make difficult decisions regarding how they will improve their business while sticking to the budget. As the market for Managed Services experiences continual growth in the next few years, this method of IT maintenance and service delivery will likely become the “norm” for small to mid size businesses looking to reduce costs and improve uptime and business continuity. Companies that recognize the benefits of Managed Services will have a jump on their competition.

Content by Managed Services Provider University

You use computers in one form or another every day. The GPS systems in your car, your smart phone, even your television can be used to access the Internet and download movies or video games. Every time you access the Internet, you put yourself and your computer at risk. Taking the time to install security software and back it up by using the firewall that comes pre-installed on your computer, can protect you somewhat from hackers. You have to be even more cautious with your company data. Yet, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), many small-business owners aren’t protecting themselves or their customers as much as they could.

Here are some statistics courtesy of NCSA:

• 65% of small businesses store customer data on their computers
• 43% store financial records
• 33% store credit card information
• 20% have intellectual property and other sensitive corporate content online
• Only 43% are confident that their businesses are protected against data thieves.

Installing security software and firewalls isn’t enough. You also have to educate your employees. According to NCSA, more than 75% of small businesses don’t have formal written Internet security policies for their employees. And more than half lack Internet usage policies that clarify what websites and Web services employees can use. It’s not always easy to know which websites are harmful and which ones are safe. Teaching employees how to recognize the warning signs of potentially harmful websites or phishing emails could increase the odds against someone inadvertently introducing malware into your business. Sadly, human error isn’t the only thing small-business owners have to worry about.

The National Cyber Security Alliance reported that 63% of small businesses don’t have social media use policies for employees. This is important because people who will over share their own personal information will probably also over share sensitive company information. Ignorance is not always bliss. But more disturbing than neglecting to have social media policies is neglecting to do criminal background checks on all employees, but particularly on those employees who handle your company’s finances. While this may work out more often than not, why tempt fate? Just as putting people in charge of company finances without checking their backgrounds jeopardizes your company’s finances, so does allowing employees to use USB devices jeopardize your company’s data. Despite that, more than two-thirds of small-business owners do allow their employees to use USB devices at work.

Everyone who chooses to access the Internet is vulnerable to attack. Because businesses have their customers’ personal information on their computers as well as their companies’ important data, it’s doubly important for them to take every possible precaution to protect themselves from both internal and external skullduggery.

I’ll bet there are plenty of business owners out there who love their customers or clients. Customers are what keep businesses in business. Valentine’s Day is as good a day as any to tell your clients how much you appreciate their business. What do you do to show your clients that you appreciate them?

Some businesses may offer their discounts on regular services or provide an extra service for free. Others may give their clients branded gifts like note pads, pens or coffee mugs. Depending on the size of your business, that could get expensive. But email messages don’t cost a thing. Some leaders, in small and large businesses, just send nice notes of thanks.

Saint Valentine’s Day was originally a day to honor religious martyrs named Valentine. It wasn’t until Chaucer came along that the day became associated with romance and love. Who’s to say that it can’t evolve again to become a day about love in general … even the kind of love you feel for the clients who keep your business going?

Are you looking for a trusted IT Professional to show you the love?  Look no further.  We are your team of reliable technology professionals ready to serve you.

There are several apps for iPhones and Android – some free, some not – that make it easy for people to stay up to date with what’s going on throughout this presidential election race. Johanna Ambrosio, Barbara Krasnoff, Tracy Mayor and Valerie Potter shared their opinions about some of these apps for ComputerWorld.

Now, if you only download free apps, CNN Mobile, Election Caster and Voter Map can all be downloaded for free. The New York Times Election 2012 app is only free for New York Times subscribers.

Ambrosio disliked the CNN Mobile app, which she said was inadequate. Instead, she recommends using the mobile version of CNN’s Election Center website. CNN Mobile is better suited, she says, for following all the latest headlines, not just what’s going on in the presidential campaign.

According to Mayor, Election Caster will not only keep you up to date with the latest news but also with the latest tweets and commentary. Mayor found the tweets feature disappointing, but most politicians have Twitter accounts, so you can at least keep up with what’s going on with your favorite candidate by following his Twitter feed. Election Caster, according to Mayor, is for people with a passing political interest. People who are passionate about their politics might want something that they can tailor to their own preferences.

Ambrosio praised the New York Times Election 2012 app. It supplies a lot of resources for political news and information in a way that’s easy to navigate. If you don’t mind paying for a subscription to the New York Times, then you can have this app free of charge; however, if you’re not inclined to read the New York Times on a regular basis, you might be better off just paying for the app.

Politifact Mobile costs $1.99. Politifact Mobile, which is derived from Politifact.com, lets you verify statements made by politicians. It also allows you to see how many of the current president’s campaign promises have been fulfilled and which politicians have flip-flopped on certain issues. This app is not for keeping up with the progress of caucuses, primary elections or debates; it’s strictly a fact-checking app.

USA Election 2012 is another path you have to buy. According to Potter, it’s worth the $.99 you have to spend to get it. Although it doesn’t give as much information as it promises, Potter says it does give quite a bit. So, if you want to know all about the candidates and how they are doing as they travel around the country campaigning, USA Election 2012 could be the app for you.

Finally, there is Voter Map, another free app. As its name suggests, it uses geolocation to indicate where you and others are when you share your comments. The posts are anonymous (really?) and geo-tagged through Google Maps. Krasnoff expresses her dislike for the detail of the map feature. Considering how emotional some people get about politics, it’s easy to understand why.

Following politics isn’t for everybody. But if you’re one of those who loves keeping up with the latest happenings in the presidential election race, then you’ll probably like some of the apps out there that allow you to do that and more.

If your small business is looking for reliable IT support, give us a call today to learn more.

Instead of letting your technology investments continue on underutilized, here are 4 tips for getting the most out of your technology dollars:

1. Put the client in the driver’s seat of communication.

You can improve the quality of customer service offered by your company through the use of simple technology. The more connected you are to your clients, the happier they are with your work. Use technology to give your clients a way to initiate discussion with you, either through blog interaction or a discussion forum. Set up instant messaging so clients can contact appropriate staff members as necessary. It’s simple technology, but will result in improved client retention, repeat customers and better communication.

2. Create a business culture of continuous improvement.

One of the most amazing aspects of technology is how quickly it is updated and improved. Just when you think you have the best of the best, new technologies and processes are created to improve productivity. Even in the sometimes mundane office environments, new ideas will enhance efficiency and productivity. Encourage staff and consultants to let the new ideas flow – continuous improvement is the key for making the most out of your technology.

3. Take advantage of training opportunities.

If the cost of sending staff to training courses is a bit much, and you’re unable to conduct monthly training seminars on your own – consider bringing in vendors and experts whenever a new version of software is released. You can also have managed service providers deliver training virtually as needed, in order to keep your staff up to date with the programs and tools used in the office.

4. Internal email newsletters with tips.

Most businesses recognize the value of sending newsletters to their clients to keep in touch and establish relationships, but what about internal newsletters among staff members? Send a weekly email to your staff with a single technology tip that explains how to do something that will improve their productivity or make their lives a little easier. Keep it fun and add a cartoon or a quick quiz to keep the staff looking forward to their weekly newsletter. Your ideas for topics can come from training and seminars you attend, or from questions staff ask the IT department. If one person doesn’t understand something, there are probably a few others who also don’t understand – but aren’t speaking up about it.

Content by Managed Services Provider University