Connected Cars Have Blind Spots

As computers and connectivity become prevalent in the automotive industry, we’re finding more ways in which your “electronic tires” can be slashed. It goes beyond leaving your personal information footprints in a rental car – or even having a hacker stop you cold on an interstate highway – as we discussed earlier this year.

Technology is lapping the car companies’ capability to keep up with the latest developments. With Internet connectivity just about anywhere in the US, it’s easy for any automotive service provider to “talk” to your car. In fact, Tesla has made a point about that. Because their system is so software-driven, they can make repairs directly through an Internet connection while the car sits in a garage.

The manufacturers of more mainstream cars, though, are still increasing their use of the Internet to avoid you having to return to the dealer just for a software update. While your first thought is probably getting updated maps or upgrades for your factory-installed navigation system, it can go much farther than that.

According to an article in Auto Connected Car News by Brian Jonston, over-the-air (OTA) software updates can reduce warranty costs, potentially increase overall completion rates for software-related recalls, improve customer satisfaction by eliminating trips to the dealership for software upgrades or fixes, and provide the ability to upgrade functionality and add features to automotive infotainment systems over a vehicle’s lifetime. He cites a report from IHS Automotive that estimates auto manufacturers worldwide could save $35 billion in recall and update costs by 2022, mostly for telematics and infotainment system updates.

“Japanese OEMs have been pioneers in navigation map updates in Japan via their telematics systems. BMW, VW and Tesla have all recently announced OTA procedures for updating navigation maps,” Jonston writes. “Hyundai and Ford both have proof of concept systems for OTA map updates, and will also likely deploy such systems in the near term. Total vehicles in operations that are enabled with map OTA updates are projected to grow from approximately 1.2 million units in 2015 to nearly 32 million units by 2022, according to IHS forecasts.”

Jonston adds that Infotainment software OTA updates are much larger and more complex than software app updates and need to use Wi-Fi rather than LTE 4G service because of mobile network limitations. This category is emerging and will be a growth segment in the next five years, with players like Ford, Chrysler and GM expected to adopt these systems. Infotainment software updates, such as updates to the infotainment OS and user interface, will grow quickly over the next six years to more than 96.4 million enabled vehicles by 2022.

The OEMs that use software platforms most effectively will be able to save costs and improve sales and customer retention. But they need to get into the fast lane on the information superhighway. My car lease, for example, is up in the very near future, and the level of technology is stopping me from getting a new model. I’ve experienced numerous problems, especially with Bluetooth compatibility with my cell phones and infotainment systems.

It all makes me wonder if the auto manufacturers can catch up to companies such as Apple and Google, who seem to be able to do a much better job of integrating their systems. With the new model year for cars generating excitement (and generating deals for clearing out last year’s models), you might be thinking about a new car. We can help you look at the infotainment features of the cars you are considering and help you integrate your devices with the car – avoiding multiple trips to the dealer or an aftermarket systems provider. Knowing how you use technology, we can help you buy and install the technology you need to get full benefits and enjoyment from your system. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to answer your questions and get you on the road.

Two Essentials to Take Care of Business

Backing up your data files and keeping them from prying electronic eyes are essential. We have the tools and tips you need to take care of business at the office and at home. Here are some things to keep in mind.

The first tip is: Backup your data offsite. We never like to consider the “unthinkable,” but bad things do happen. A story from a recent sales call, a non-profit organization, drives home the point.

Non-profits can get a lot of software free or at a greatly discounted price. So, our client wondered why they needed to spend money to back up software on the cloud. As we were talking, the client mentioned that they had considered buying the house across the street from their office and converting it into their own space. They didn’t do it, and at some time after they made their decision, that house burned down.

We never talked about the cause of the fire. If the house was old, some failure of its electrical wiring, for example, could have played a role, and all of our client’s “free” stuff would have been gone. The cost of replacing and reinstalling all of their hardware and software – especially when you add the value of their time and the cost of lost service to their clients – would have been huge.

We’re happy this is a “could-have-happened” story, and we can’t emphasize backing up data offsite enough, but we have a tool to keep your data safe.

Our managed backup program includes automatic backup to the cloud through local data centers and daily monitoring. It is far less costly than post-disaster recovery and much more reliable than putting all of your data and pictures on an external drive that can fail or be lost in a fire or flood. It’s a proactive form of insurance.

Our second tip is: Never sacrifice protection for performance. In today’s hack-happy world, you can’t protect your data and yourself too much, but you must understand one thing: Any system can be hacked by any hacker willing to spend the time and effort to do it.

Just as you need doors and windows to enjoy the world outside of your home, you need pathways from your computer to the Internet. And, just as you have locks on your windows and doors to keep out most bad people and just as you take safe routes on trips, you need to use firewalls and passwords to lock your computer and data access, and you need antivirus software, malware protection and common sense to travel safely on the Internet.

At a recent security seminar, a presenter pointed out that people are agreeing to take on more bandwidth from providers for a free or a small fee. (You know our feelings about free stuff.) You can face problems if your firewall or Wi-Fi devices can’t handle the increased performance, and that can leave your security vulnerable.

We get questions from time to time, for example about the safety of storing data on Dropbox. Our question back to that is: Who hasn’t been hacked? Yes, Dropbox is as safe as you can make it as long as you and Dropbox take all the precautions and safeguards you can.

So, in this day and age of hyperactive hackers, how are you protecting yourself? Are you reading emails carefully before clicking on any links or attachments? Are you careful about signing up for online offers that are almost too good to be true? What kind of antivirus are you using?

We’ll address that last question. We have our partners, but no matter whose system you use, make sure they give you regular updates and act with blinding speed to fix a problem as soon as it’s discovered. Subscription services generally offer you better protection and faster fixes, and they are more likely to automatically update your virus and malware definitions.

If you accidentally click on a site or open an attachment, our recommendation is to push the power button on your computer or device IMMEDIATELY. This will stop any activity right away, and hopefully limit any damage. Then, call us without delay to find and fix any problems.

We can help you with all of your backup and antivirus needs, including installation of valid software and setting up automated functions. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your needs and put a solution into action.

Diversify Your Data Backup

Two new clients came to us after experiencing data backup failures. While no single backup solution is guaranteed to work all the time, the odds are highly against every backup system failing at the same time. The best solution, in a word, is “diversification.” If you choose carefully, you can get the right backup systems for what you need to store and save yourself some money, too.

You have many options to backup and restore pictures, videos and other types of data files, but let’s look at three broad categories: the cloud, external drives and media such as DVDs and thumb drives. If you are highly concerned about the safety and recovery of your data, you can pick a system in each category and feel confident you can always get your data. If all systems fail, chances are your data will be a minor worry.

The cloud, otherwise known as a system of large, remote and redundant servers and storage facilities, is the foundation of most data backup and recovery systems. We now work with multiple cloud-based storage and recovery providers, giving you the ability to implement a system that meets your volume, data-sensitivity and pricing parameters. Despite the iCloud invasions, cloud-based systems remain safe places for your data, and for a relatively low cost, you can rest assured you can protect your data and get files whenever and wherever you need them.

External hard drives come in a variety of sizes and speeds. Home and SOHO users can buy them in sizes from 500 GB to 3 TB and connect them through USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports for up to a few hundred dollars. You can cross the $1,000 mark and get 12-to-20 TB units, but for most of you, that’s probably overkill. If you really want to protect your data, you should consider having multiple external hard drives to cover a unit failure, and you could keep external drives at another location and swap them on a regular basis. It all depends on what’s right for you.

External hard drives are essential add-ons for data-intensive applications. A client with a video editing business found this out soon after buying a new computer and running out of space shortly thereafter. In this case, the external drive provides easily accessible storage for files of work in progress, and it gives the computer’s hard drive room to do all the manipulation required for video editng.

Mac users have access to Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of OS X that works with your Mac and an external drive (sold separately) or AirPort Time Capsule. Time Machine automatically backs up your entire Mac and remembers how your system looked on any given day. It keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups until your backup drive is full.

Saving files to DVDs and thumb drives is inexpensive and relatively quick and easy to do. You can easily make multiple copies, and you can easily store them in multiple locations. We generally advise relying on them as a supplemental backup for important files.

Selecting your backup system or combination of systems is like buying insurance. The more you value your data, the more you’ll want to increase and diversify your backup capacity. And just as there is an insurance program that meets your economics and tolerance for risk, there’s a backup system that will work for you. Talk to us about your needs, and we’ll find the solution that best matches them. Call – 973-433-6676 – or email to start the process.

Avoid Big Surprises from Summertime Cellphone Bills

It’s so tempting to watch streaming video – movies or ballgames, for example – on a mobile device when you’re out of town. It’s also tempting to tap into that Internet radio station or music website to hear your favorite music on a long road trip. But there could be a big bill you didn’t expect. Here’s what you can do to control your cost.

The first thing you should do is determine what you need to stream and what type of network can deliver the content for you. Video especially eats up bandwidth, so you may need to be judicious about what you watch if you’re cost-conscious.

Some people stream Netflix videos over the Internet. Others like to stay up on their local sports teams and other programming from their cable-TV by streaming through devices such as Slingbox. Both eat up a lot of bandwidth, which translates to using more data. So, think about whether you really need to watch that movie or TV program.

If you’re streaming on a mobile device, you should take care to watch while connected to a Wi-Fi network. You may need to lower the resolution to lower the data being streamed, but that can be OK when watching on an iPad instead of your huge flat-screen TV. If you’re watching over a cellular network, the data files can add up rapidly and so can your cost.

Some people have portable hotspots that enable them to use Wi-Fi-only iPads, for example, through a cellular connection. Don’t forget that because your device is on a Wi-Fi network, it will do all the things it normally does while on a network, such as download apps, back up to iCloud and any other things you’ve set it up to do. It’s good for getting access, but you need to remember that your device doesn’t know it’s really using a cellular network; it thinks it’s on a Wi-Fi network.

Cellular contracts charge you for the number of gigabytes of data you can access during a month. Your charge is based on an agreed-upon limit, and you pay more if you go over the limit. The amount of data and charges vary from one carrier to another. So, once you have an idea of how much cellular data you’ll need to access, talk to your carrier.

If you need to increase your data plan, it’s good to do it before you go over your limits because it can ultimately cost you much less. Conversely, you may already be paying for more data than you actually use. One of our clients had a plan for 5 GB of data per month but was barely topping out at 1 GB. We had the plan lowered to 2 GB per month, saving our client $30 per month.

You should also be careful to avoid roaming charges, especially if you are traveling internationally with a smart phone or device with cellular connectivity. You should turn off the cellular capability. That capability uses a cellular network to find Wi-Fi hotspots, and you don’t want to be on a network with heavy roaming charges.

We’re more than happy to answer your questions about managing your cellular roaming and video streaming charges. Give us a call at 973-433-6676 or email us with your questions or to set up an appointment.

We’ll Back Up Your Everything to the Cloud

Did you know that not all data back-up services back up all of your data? While you may not be surprised to read that, you could have an unwelcome surprise if you need to restore files lost from your hard drive.

When we do audits for new and existing customers, we’re always amazed – and dismayed – that few business owners and home users know how their files are backed up. Of course, that assumes that the files are, indeed, backed up.

Even with a back-up program in use, you still may come up short.

One of the limitations many computer users – business and home – ignore or don’t regard is the limit on data storage. Free services, as most you know, have a cap, and paid services have them as well, depending on how much you want to pay.

Carbonite, for example, won’t back up a file larger than 4 GB. What kinds of files can be larger than 4 GB? One is a .pst file, which can hold your Outlook contact and email files. What would happen if you couldn’t retrieve your contact list after a hard-drive or server crash? What would happen if you couldn’t retrieve a customized dictionary or some other file with data you’ve collected over a long time?

How many videos do you save? Many of them can exceed 4 GB, and let’s face it, a family video can be as valuable as some of your business files. One of our clients was very lucky with videos. He had sent them to someone, so he was able to retrieve them after his computer crashed.

One other problem with many back-up services is that they don’t care which files are important to you. They allot you space, and when you run out, that’s it. You can’t set up any rules to determine which files or types of files get backed up.

We can help in a number of ways. We can set up rules to make sure that certain types of files are backed up. We also monitor your backup activity, and if we don’t see any activity for 72 hours, we contact you to make sure everything is OK – unless you’ve told us you’ll be away and not online. That’s how we put service into your backup.

Contact us by email or phone – 973-422-6676 – to discuss your needs. We’ll meet your storage and budget needs and – most important – meet your retrieval needs.

New Service to Manage Your Virus Protection

We’re responding to that nasty world out there by launching a new service to manage your virus protection. By taking a proactive approach, we can help you stay ahead of the nasties – insidious virus codes and the people who spread them. Here are the details.

We will now install and manage anti-virus software on your computer or computer system for as little as $4.25 per month. While we have avoided recurring, on-going fees, we believe this makes a lot of sense for you. In many ways, its’ an extension of services we already offer.

Many of our customers rely on us to monitor their systems remotely so that we can fix certain problems when they appear, and our customers give us access to their systems so that we can keep them running at peak performance.

We get alerts when a virus or malware is detected, and if something looks like it’s getting out of control, we get continuous messages. In one case, we got a message on a client’s machine that didn’t seem out of the ordinary. During lunch, which happened to be right near our client’s office, the messages escalated. We went there immediately to help out and resolved the issue. Our client’s boss saw us there and asked what we were doing. The client explained how we jumped in and said: “That’s why we have Norman.”

That’s what we do.

Now, we can monitor your system for viruses and reach out to fix problems, including making “house calls” if needed. As with everything else we do, we’ll make it a point to fix your problem as soon as possible.

Unlike some other anti-virus products or services, we don’t require annual renewals. Stay with us for as long as you like and cancel your service at any time. For companies with four or more computers, we can bill you quarterly. Make your life less worrisome. Contact us by phone – 973-433-6676 – or email for more information or to sign up for our anti-virus protection management.

Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is another security layer for remote access to websites and networks. With more and more web-based applications requiring more complex passwords, needing to enter some other information may seem like a royal pain. But it provides the protection you need to enhance your data safety.

Two-factor authentication is just what it says. It’s a second password, a reference to a graphic symbol or an answer to a question. While nothing is 100% foolproof, it’s a step to help the system you’re using verify you are you. And for now, it offers protection against hackers when you bank or purchase goods online or use a VPN (virtual private network) to access your work computer or corporate systems and data files over the Internet.

Getting up and running with two-part authentication for business and personal applications is quick and easy.

Many businesses are using mobile phones as the second part of two-factor authentication. When a user accesses a VPN from a laptop or tablet, just to use one example, you enter the normal username and password. Once the network identifies the user, it sends a numeric code to a designated telephone number. For most of us, this is usually a mobile phone. You then have 60 seconds to enter  the numeric code from the computer or tablet you are using.

For personal Internet applications, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, you can go to “settings” to strengthen your security.

In Facebook, for example, you can go to settings and click the Security folder on the top left of your screen. You’ll have nine settings you can adjust. Some of them are two-factor authentication steps. You can also deactivate your account. Going down the left side of the screen, you can edit your privacy preferences and even block or restrict email addresses and invitations for apps.

In LinkedIn, you can access your settings from your picture in the upper right corner and use the drop-down menu to change your privacy and other settings. Twitter’s settings allow you to require having a verification code sent to a telephone number when you sign in.

We can answer your questions about setting up security programs for your business or for you and your family. Leave a comment or send us an email with your questions and concerns – or give us a call at 973-433-6676.

This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.

Administrative Alert

Are you the owner or key manager of a business? Do you know the passwords for your network and the software packages that keep your business running? If you answered “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second, it’s time to take the necessary steps to get control of your lifeline.

We’ve been seeing a lot of this password problem lately when called in to take over a company’s IT services. Neither the owner nor a key manager has any idea of the administrative user name or password, and that means they have no access to their system.

The issue typically shows up when a business takes on a new IT company to manage or troubleshoot its data system. It creates a huge problem because you can’t switch ownership of your system back to you and your new IT provider. That, in turn, prevents you and the provider from being able to fix problems with your network and operating system or from being able to update or upgrade your software packages.

As you would suspect, no business changes its IT provider unless it’s unhappy with the service. When we start with a new account, we find a system has deteriorated from neglect for one reason or another. Sometimes, we can use special tools to unlock a password and get into a system and/or software package. It all depends on whether the set-up is simple or complex.

When hard feelings and money are involved, the break-up is pretty bad. At worst case, the old IT provider can withhold or threaten to withhold passwords. Even if a company owner can successfully sue a former IT provider for the password information, it still takes time and money.

One of our new clients was in the middle of installing new hardware and software. With only part of the system delivered over the course of six months and only partial payments being made, the company’s owner decided to scrap the whole project and order all new hardware and software.

That’s extreme. But key point to remember is that not having your passwords makes next to impossible – if not totally impossible – to service your system properly.

To protect yourself from impending disaster, you should follow these steps:

  1. Make a list of all the user names and passwords your business has for your operating system, email system, software packages, Internet access, etc. Put them in an electronic format and decide who has access to what. As the owner, you should have all the access. You can give all or partial access to other people in your business, but make sure they will always be there or be accessible to provide the access information when needed.
  2. When you install or upgrade any system, make sure you have all the user names and passwords and that you give the information to people as required.
  3. When you change IT providers or when someone with access information leaves, change user names and passwords immediately. We recommend a complete password reset because bad break-ups lead to security breaches.

If you’re not sure about all of your passwords and access information or not sure how to set it all up, we’d be more than happy to help you resolve any problems. Just call us – 973-433-6676 – or drop us an email to schedule a consultation.

This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.

Credit Cards: Small Businesses are Big Targets

Accepting credit cards is a way of life for many small businesses, and most owners don’t give a second thought to extra layers of data security. After all, what can a small mom-and-pop store have that would be attractive to hackers? Well, as it turns out, small businesses are big targets because they’re pretty easy to hack – and a valid credit card number is a treasure.

The Wall Street Journal a year ago chronicled the tale of a newsstand owner with two stores who was victimized. And even though he thought he was taking precautions to protect his customers’ data, cyber thieves planted a software program on the cash registers at his shops that sent customer credit-card numbers to Russia. At the time the story was written, he was out about $22,000 because the credit-card company said he didn’t do enough. They said his weak password for his cash-register software, pos, was easy for hackers to try.

But a weak password is only part of the problem for most small businesses. Too many small businesses store passwords to sensitive data in Outlook or other email clients, and the data can frequently be found easily hacked Excel spreadsheets. Even if you have antivirus and antimalware software, there are numerous ways that hackers can find their way into your system. For some, it’s like taking candy from a baby.

However, you can put up some protective fences around your data. The measures may cost a little more money than you’d like, but those costs are smaller than the liability you could face from a breach of your data.

  • Get “business-grade” antivirus and antimalware software. We offer it for $4.25/mo/computer, and we set it up and monitor your threat activity. In addition, we assist you on any software changes you make to ensure that your virus and malware protection remain at your expected level of performance. Why is this important? You need to protect yourself against somebody installing a Trojan horse that can turn up years later. The newsstand owner’s system was compromised two years before anything happened. You can have the same protection that big corporations buy.
  • Don’t keep user names and passwords in Outlook folders or Excel files. To be honest, they shouldn’t be on a computer. You should write them down on a piece of paper and store them under lock-and-key. Having your data compromised through an email backdoor is a growing problem. (See Lowdown on Hijacked Email, the next article in this newsletter issue.) If you get an email from your bank, credit-card processor or PayPal, don’t just click and reply. Hover over any link or email address and see where it’s really going. Better still, go to your provider’s website independently of the email or pick up the phone and call customer service.
  • Use strong passwords. If I had a nickel for every a-b-c or 1-2-3 password I’ve seen, I’d be managing a large investment portfolio instead of IT systems. Make your passwords long or complex or both. Use uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
  • Keep your Wi-Fi network secure. Networks are all over the place in commercial and residential areas. Just take out your smartphone and see how many networks are in your range. If your network is unprotected, anyone can sit in range unnoticed for as long as they need to find a pathway to your valuables

We would welcome the opportunity to provide a free risk-management assessment of your practices and systems. Call us at 973-433-6676 or send us an email and feel more secure.

This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.