Beware This Latest Threat to Your Personal Identity!

It is really too bad, but the reality today is that we can’t be too trusting any more. It seems like there is some criminal around every corner ready to dupe us into giving up personal information and then stealing us blind. The only solution is to be vigilant, and sadly, a little paranoid.

The latest of the schemes already has a name. It is called “vishing.” If that doesn’t sound descriptive, don’t worry, it will make sense soon. Many of you may remember hearing of a technique called “phishing”, a play on words that basically names a social engineering technique used to steal your identity, or at least parts of it. The phishing technique relied on an email sent to you, apparently from a trusted source, such as Microsoft, eBay, or a major bank, asking you to follow a web link to “reactivate” or “update” your account. The email, link, and everything was cleverly disguised to look very legitimate. However, the link, of course, led to a site that happily collected your personal information directly into a criminal’s database for later sale on the black market. The term “phishing” then was coined as a nomenclature for the practice of fishing for credit cards, social security numbers, bank account numbers, and the like.

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Businesses today wrestle and grapple with the thought of hiring their own technology support staff to support their daily need for IT support without fully understanding the risks and the costs associated with having their own team of technology professionals.

Business owners, C level execs and Managers are attracted to the idea of having a team or a consultant readily available within shouting distance down the hall, basically having an IT resource committed to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, many of today’s business owners across the country are not aware of the total risks their business is exposed to by electing to bring their technology support in-house.

More often than not it is purely a cost based decision, on the surface it may appear to be more cost effective to hire a consultant or employee who is committed as a full time employee. CFOs and Accounting Managers often look only at the cost of having their IT outsourced and are attracted to hiring someone for a few thousand dollars a month as part of their staff will save their company in the long run. This is not the case in reality and by having a full time employee it will actually end up costing a business more in the long run.

So what are the advantages of having an IT Partner who focuses on delivering a complete managed technology solution?

We’ve got some good news and bad news. The good news? Computers and technology have changed our lives in amazing, life-altering ways. The bad news? The latest technology stands atop a mound of yesterday’s outdated or unwanted technologies and hardware.

The constant cycle of innovation begs the question: what do I do with my old or unwanted PC now that I have a new notebook or desktop?

• In web site addresses on the Internet, "http" stands for "hypertext transfer protocol."

• Computers and hard drives aren't as fragile as they were a few years ago, but you're asking for trouble if you move your PC around while it is running. While your computer is running, its hard disk is very vulnerable. A tiny magnet literally floats less than a hair's breadth above a platter where data is stored. A minor bump can send the magnet skittering into the disk's surface. The damage can't be repaired. Not only will you need a new hard disk, but you'll likely lose the information the disk held.