|
|
|
How important is content to a successful website
Content is the most important part of any website. The Internet was created in the first place as an information source. If the content on your site does not provide the information needed by its users it will provide little in the way of value...
How Safe is Your Success? Part 6 of 8
"How Safe is Your Success" is a series of eight articles that address different aspects of a universal problem which is of particular importance to those who do business on-line. Most Internet users are at least aware there are dangers "out there",...
How to Achieve E-commerce Success –You Gotta Plan!
Before becoming a netpreneaur, I was an entrepreneur. First, I owned a successful child care center which grew to capacity in less than two years. When I sold that, I bought a little flower shop that had less than 300 customers and grew it to...
Remember the 7 words of success
In any walk of life, sport, business, family life, etc, there are always going to be times when you feel like throwing in the towel. Its human nature, we do not enjoy conflict, lack of progress, always finishing runner up. The 7 words are simple and...
The Secret To Having A Successful Online Business
For three years in Internet Marketing, I’ve tried to find what the secret was to having a successful online business. During the first 9 months it was pure money-loss. I’ve lost count the number of downline clubs, retire early opportunities and...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
How Safe is Your Success? Part 3 of 8
"How Safe is Your Success" is a series of eight articles. Each article addresses a different aspect of a universal problem which is of particular importance to those who do business on-line. Most Internet users are at least aware there are dangers "out there", but few appreciate the real extent of those dangers, the possible (even likely) consequences, or the best, most practical and least expensive means of countering them. This series is intended to at least provide some useful awareness of the situation.
-------------------------
Part 3 - The Anti-Virus Conundrum
One of the most common defenses I hear from clients when I tell them I have discovered that a virus is the cause of their "problem" goes like this: "But I'm using an anti-virus. I've always had one! The man in the computer shop put it on for me".
The Man In The Computer Shop, by dint of the fact he is "in computers" and speaks all that jargon stuff, is perceived as an Expert Who Can Be Trusted. I mean, do you argue with your plumber about pipe diameters and flow rates? Do you quiz your electrician about safe electrical loads? No. He is the expert and you expect him to know.
Warning: Do not carry any of the trust you may place in a qualified specialist tradesperson over to the computer industry. Look at the computer game as being more akin to the motor trades. You don't expect the car salesman to be an expert in tune-ups, or the mechanic to repair a tear in your upholstery. Each to his own.
Many computer retail sales people are quite competent when it comes to configuring a PC, but keep in mind that there is no necessity for them to be other than good salespeople. Unless you work in a company that has ready access to a professional IT support person, there is much you will have to do yourself to get your computer safe. There is also much you will have to become aware of for it to stay that way.
My favorite saying with respect to anti-virus protection is this: "An anti-virus program is only as good as the day it was made". Expected response: "Huh?", which is OK because then I get to explain.
A virus is just a computer program and, reduced to basics, a computer program is just a special type of document containing alpha-numeric characters – called “code”. The publishers of anti-virus software carefully analyze the code of a known virus program and determine a “fingerprint” or “signature” that can be said to be characteristic of that particular virus. That information is added to a database of signatures of other viruses that have also been analyzed.
The anti-virus program compares data on the computer’s hard drive (or in memory) with the information stored in its database of virus signatures. If a match is found, the likelihood of a virus is high and an alert is issued, or some other pre-programmed action takes place.
There is also a more complex detection method called heuristics which, rather than looking for specifically defined characteristics, looks for “virus-like behavior". If your anti-virus program offers a heuristics option, do make sure it is enabled. Sometimes anti-virus programs that offer heuristics don't have that option enabled by default.
Now if I tell you that new viruses are being released onto the Internet every day of the week, can you see how your anti-virus program will soon become useless against an ever-growing number of viruses for which it will have no characteristics? So my favorite saying becomes: An anti-virus program is only as good as the last time it was updated.
If you are to have any chance at all against the flood of virus-type attacks permeating the Internet, you absolutely MUST ensure that your anti-virus installation is always using an up-to-date database.
Don't let the
mention of "database" deter you — that's the province of the programmer. All you need do is configure your anti-virus program to regularly contact it's developer's website and download the latest updates. Any anti-virus program worthy of your consideration will have a built-in scheduler to take care of regularly connecting to the Internet and retrieving updates. Frankly, it is just too important a task to be left to the frailties of human memory, so always use automation when it is available.
As for detection capabilities, most of the major anti-virus packages are pretty much on a par these days. For me it's the little extras that count, like ease of configuration, prompt and helpful support, etc. and of course cost. The specific brand of anti-virus software you use is up to you. My personal preference is a company I have been watching, using and recommending for a few years now: Grisoft, makers of the AVG anti-virus. You'll find them here: http://HackersNightmare.com?res=AVG
If you are a home computer user you can use this excellent anti-virus program completely free of charge. The site layout and links change from time to time, but from the link above look for a reference to "AVG Free". Note that there is also an AVG Trial, but that's a time-limited trial of the commercial software. As a home user on a single stand-alone PC you'll be very happy with AVG Free.
Finally, a word about "security suites". I know I'm inviting criticism for this stance, but I must say I'm not a fan of security suites for most home or small business installations. A suite is a software package that offers not only anti-virus but includes software components that purport to tackle other nasties such as SpyWare, adware, etc.
In my experience you do not find the best of each type of protection bundled together. Because a company may be extremely good at producing an anti-virus product does not mean they can do as good a job with an anti-adware solution. While the corporate buyers tend to turn their noses up at free software, the fact is that some of the very best-of-breed security solutions are just that - free. If the corporates with their big budgets and in-house IT support prefer to invest in complex and often costly integrated suites, that's fine. They have the resources to handle anything that happens.
But for my money there's a lot to be said for implementing a series of much smaller, less complex, often free utilities that — matched task for task — can usually out-perform the equivalent component parts of an integrated suite.
We'll be looking more specifically at adware and SpyWare threats in the next part of this series, so if you are not yet a subscriber to this newsletter join now, or risk missing some very important information.
In the interim, get yourself a good modern anti-virus scanner and, once installed, be sure to get into the configuration options and set a daily update schedule. In AVG version 7 you just launch the Test Center, click the Scheduler button, double-click the "Update plan" entry and select your preferred options. While you have the Test Center open you might as well double-click on the "Test plan" entry and set your preferred full-scan time. Mine happens in the early hours of the morning when it can't slow my work.
-------------------------
About the Author
Bill Hely is an Australian technologist, consultant and author whose professional focus has been on advising and supporting small business operators in IT and Office Productivity - and rescuing them when they didn't heed his advice the first time around. He is the author of several books on technology for the business person, including the Bible of Internet and PC security "The Hacker's Nightmare" - http://HackersNightmare.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Success.org - Action Principles - Free Empowerment Courses |
| Success.org - Home of the Action Principles and a Free Business Education on the web. |
| www.success.org |
|
| S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
| Assists immigrants to Vancouver with settlement information, finding employment, parenting classes, information technology training, family and youth ... |
| www.success.bc.ca |
|
| S.U.C.C.E.S.S. - United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society |
| SUCCESS is a non-partisan citizen organization for the promotion of the well-being of Canadians and new immigrants and their participation in a just, ... |
| www.success.bc.ca |
|
| Success.com : The World Leader in Personal Development & Self-Help |
| Sign up for one of our online interactive Success University courses. We take our most popular audio programs and provide the full audio online along with ... |
| www.success.com |
|
| Success - In Business. In Life. |
| The only business magazine designed to inspire and guide motivated business people to lead truly successful lives. |
| www.successmagazine.com |
|
| Home - Dress for Success |
| Non-profit organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts, and career development to low-income women in over 75 cities worldwide. Success ... |
| www.dressforsuccess.org |
|
| Interviewing Success |
| Information on all aspects of successful interviewing - preparation, performance, and follow-up for an entry level job interview. |
| www.collegegrad.com |
|
| Success in Mathematics |
| Success in Mathematics. Tips on how to study mathematics, how to approach problem-solving, how to study for and take tests, and when and how to get help. ... |
| euler.slu.edu |
|
| Sites to Promote Academic Success |
| Sites to Promote Academic Success ... You can also explore your learning style and explore some excellent general academic success sites. ... |
| www.uni.edu |
|
| Success Consciousness |
| SuccessConsciousness offers guidance, advice, articles and ebooks on self-improvement, spiritual growth, peace of mind, meditation, positive thinking, ... |
| www.successconsciousness.com |
|
| The Internet Marketing Center | Secrets to Their Success |
| As a member of "Secrets To Their Success", you'll receive an e-mail each month ... To keep "Secrets To Their Success" private site a manageable size, ... |
| www.secretstotheirsuccess.com |
|
| Made For Success |
| Motivational speaker. Includes information on products and seminars. |
| www.madeforsuccess.com |
|
| SuccessFactors Employee Performance Management Software |
| SuccessFactors performance management software is a flexible, affordable, on-demand system used by nearly 2 million people in companies large & small. |
| www.successfactors.com |
|
| 30 Days to Success |
| I was inspired to take this challenge by Steve Pavlina’s Entry “30 days to success”. I really like that method, and it has shown posit […] ... |
| www.stevepavlina.com |
|
| Success for All Foundation |
| We build adolescent literacy with middle school reading programs and middle grades reading interventions that engage young adolescents. |
| www.successforall.net |
|
| SUCCESS Mission Home Page |
| SUCCESS. SUbsonic aircraft: Contrail & Cloud Effects Special Study. Click here for a list of GRL publications · Mission Overview · End of Mission Statement ... |
| cloud1.arc.nasa.gov |
|
| When Job-Hunting: Dress for Success |
| One of the keys to a successful job interview: dressing for success. Here are some free expert tips and resources for both men and women. |
| www.quintcareers.com |
|
| SuccessLink |
| SuccessLink is an non-profit organization dedicated to improving classroom instruction and learning. |
| www.successlink.org |
|
| Mind Tools - Self-Study Management Training, Career Training ... |
| With Mind Tools' "Make Time for Success" self-study time management and personal effectiveness training, discover the 39 essential tools needed to maximize ... |
| www.mindtools.com |
|
| Success - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| HMAS Success (H-02), an S class destroyer launched in 1918 ... S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a non-profit organization aiding new East Asian immigrants in the Lower ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
|