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SiteVision March 2016 News & Tips

5 March 2016
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Categories: Geographic Information Systems, Hosting Solutions, News, Public Agency Solutions, Security

2016 Security:  Expect To Be Hacked, Phished, and Scammed

Hacker WAVSWith hacking, phishing and scamming at all-time highs, a good defense is your best offense for the year ahead.
According to ZDNET and other sources, more than one billion personal records were accessed in 2014 alone. 2015 was another banner year for hackers that included the FBI, T-Mobile (15 million customers), ScottTrade (4.6 million customers) Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (10 million), the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) (22 million government workers), and the IRS (last count 724,000 accesses to taxpayer account data) to name but a few.   Read More . . .

Tax ScamsPrepare Yourself:  Tax Scams and Hacks.

Hackers are actively plotting to steal your most personal and valuable information, and get your tax refund to boot.  Quartz has a story to make you weep – a preview of what’s to come for the unlucky. What to do?  Read More . . .

Hosting Spotlight Lawrence Companies WebsiteLawrence Companies
Dedicated Hosting Services

A longtime client of SiteVision, Lawrence recently moved from a shared server to a dedicated server arrangement.  With several sites and applications, a dedicated server became more cost-effective and provided increased security, performance and management features, as well as greater scalability and flexibility unavailable in a shared server environment. Hosting worked closely with Lawrence IT Manager, Mark Carter, to help ensure a smooth transition and to provide an optimal server setup configured to their specific requirements.

“SiteVision has proven a valuable business partner of Lawrence Companies. From our customer-facing websites to our private employee portal, we continue to trust their experience and expertise to keep our internet presence updated and secure. We have worked with many providers over the years, but consider ourselves lucky to have state-of-the-art hosting services with top notch support just down the street!”

Lawrence Companies is an employee-owned company based out of Roanoke, VA, in business since 1932. With six locations in Virginia and North Carolina, Lawrence is a multifaceted company with focuses on full truckload and flatbed transportation, corporate office moving, and is a dealer for CASE Equipment. As one of the founding United Van Lines Agents in the country, Lawrence continues to focus on moving household goods and offers a variety of Relocation Services.

SiteVision provides custom configured dedicated servers for a broad range of customers.  We are a SOC 1 SSAE 16 Type II compliant firm, are VITA (Virginia Information Technology Agency) approved, and are an approved HIPPA resource. We also routinely provide specialized services such as GIS, Cloud, SAAS, ISA, Data-Driven, fail-safe or CDN hosting.

To learn more about dedicated servers go here.

SiteVision Hosting Services
for Virginia Commonwealth
Agencies and Localities Renewed

Includes ArcGIS for Server, Website Application Vulnerability Scanning, and Other Specialized Hosting Services

VITAlogotypeRoanoke VA February 29, 2016— SiteVision’s Hosting Services and Software as a Service contract has been renewed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) for an additional year.  The contact is part of Virginia’s electronic government services program (eGov) and includes all state agencies and local government entities. The firm is also a certified SWaM Micro-business by the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity.  Read More . . .

GIS Hosting Solutions

SiteVision GISNavigating rapidly evolving GIS technology can often be a bit unnerving.  With almost two decades of  GIS application development experience, SiteVision has developed uniquely qualified shared, dedicated and custom hosting solutions for the GIS community.   We offer application-specific hosting such as ESRIArcGIS map applications and database driven applications, as well as basic website hosting on shared or dedicated servers. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have, or offer a solution to meet your exact requirement.  Just contact us!

In The News

MS Office 365:  Lots of updates.

Document pinning, ink jotting and camera integration for Windows tablets and iOS box integration are among a host of new features for Office 365.  Currently available only for Office “insiders,” the new features will presumably go out to standard users soon.  ZDNET

Hybrid Tablets Go Mainstream:

Enterprise use of hybrid tablets is growing fast, according to CIO and IDC.  While PCs and traditional slate tablet sales have shrunk, hybrids with detachable slates appear to be gaining traction with some 8.1 million sold in Q4 2015.

Mobile World Congress:  2,000 Exhibitors – 100,000 Attendees

From self-driving cars to submersible phones, and social robots, MWC proves an exciting showcase for new products and technologies.  Bloomberg    PCMag

Deep Security Flaw
Affects The Entire Internet

According to security researcher Dan Kaminsky, the glibc DNS bug is the latest of several serious flaws found in the backbone of the internet. He’s advising anybody running Linux servers to “patch this bug with extreme prejudice.”  Endgadget.  Dan Kaminsky

Yahoo Approaching Bidders?

In exploring its strategic options, Yahoo may have reached out, or soon will, to corporate and private equity firms seeking bids for its core business.  Verizon, Comcast, AT&T and other private equity firms are among those may be interested.  Bloomberg

Security 2016: Expect to Be Hacked

2 March 2016
2 Comments
Categories: News, Security

Hacker WAVSWith hacking, phishing and scamming at all-time highs, a good defense is your best offense for the year ahead.

A Billion and More Already Compromised

According to ZDNET and others, more than one billion personal records were accessed in 2014 alone. 2015 was another banner year for hackers that included the FBI, T-Mobile (15 million customers), ScottTrade (4.6 million customers) Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (10 million), the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) (22 million government workers), and the IRS (last count 724,000 accesses to taxpayer account data) to name but a few.

In other words, you’ve probably been compromised and don’t know it yet, with the likelihood that at least some of your personal data was and is now in the wild.  While you may not be affected now, existing hacks can leave you vulnerable in the future.

What To Do?

Unfortunately, there’s little you can do when a trusted external source fails to keep your data safe, and that data then gets compromised.  Once informed, however, change your password(s) immediately using recommended protocols across all accounts that use the same password.  Online banking and financial institutions, as well as healthcare accounts should each employ unique passwords. This reduces the chance of a raid across accounts that compromises your aggregated personal history and banking information.

Business solutions abound depending on firm size, but concise precautions for business can be found here:  FTC Business Security Guide

Personal precautions can be found variously, but CNET has a good overview:

 

Beware: Tax Scams & Hacks

2 March 2016
2 Comments
Categories: News, Security

tax-468440_1280Hackers are actively plotting to steal your most personal and valuable information, and get your tax refund to boot.

And remember, existing hacks from the prior year may yet bite.  But even if you haven’t been compromised, a recent audit of approved online tax preparers says that six out of 13 fail at cybersecurity.

One phishing scam impersonates a trusted security partner’s CEO and asks customer accounting and human resources for copies of employee W2 forms.

“Alanna,

I want you to send me the list of the W-2 copy of employees wage and tax statement for 2015, I need them in PDF file type, you can send it as an attachment. Kindly prepare the lists and email them to me asap.

Stu”x”

What to do?

The IRS has actually published one handy guide at https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Taxes-Security-Together.  Another cautionary tale with helpful avoidance techniques is at Krebsonlinesecurity  Forbes  has published the “Dirty Dozen”  2016 schemes to watch for.

And, by the way, make sure your individual tax preparer has performed a deep scan and employs acceptable security precautions.  You are entitled to ask!

Read this – a true story from Quartz Online –  and weep – a preview of what’s to come for the unlucky

SiteVision Custom Dedicated Server Solutions

29 February 2016
1 Comment
Categories: Hosting Solutions, News, Security

A Reliable Source For Dedicated Servers

SiteVision, INC - Hosting Services
SiteVision, INC – Hosting Services

Considering a switch or upgrade to one or more dedicated servers? We can help. We’ll work with you personally to make sure you not only get an optimal configuration but that your setup is comprehensive and professional — backed by almost two decades of deploying and configuring platforms from the simple to the complex. And should you want managed servers for greater peace of mind, we’re at your ready. You can call or contact us anytime.

Custom applications? Ecommerce?  Legacy applications? You’ll find us a reliable partner.  Plus, as an approved VITA partner, we’re accustomed to creating solutions for your very specific requirements. We routinely deal with HIPPA and numerous other government agencies as an approved source.  We can also accommodate your need for specialize options such as GIS, Cloud, SAAS, ISA, Data-Driven, fail-safe or CDN hosting. SiteVision is also a SOC 1 SSAE 16 Type II compliant firm. 

6357974-three-black-serversDedicated Servers In A Nutshell:

If you are just beginning to consider a dedicated server environment, here are a few important benefits.  

Improved Security & Reliability.
You’re in control.  Compared to less stringent platforms, you eliminate the shared environments that work quite well for simple, inexpensive websites, but do increase security risk levels. There’s no concern with the sharing of server resources, disk space or the associated greater potential for downtime. Your server can be as secure as you need it to be. In brief, you don’t share bandwidth and you will always have access to the resources you require.

Scalability and Flexibility

Because we can build a dedicated server to your specific specifications, you server is custom configured for your unique web environment with specific features tailored to your unique needs. And, unlike other options, you can scale up or down, depending on your future web application, traffic or upgrade requirements.

Always Included With SiteVision Dedicated Servers

Popular Options: 

As we’ve noted, custom configurations are our specialty, but here are a few popular options.

 

 

 

 

August Newsletter: Windows 10 Will You Get It?

4 August 2015
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Categories: Information, News, Security, Technology

windows-10By the time you read this, Windows 10 will have formally launched.

And remember, until July 28 of next year, it’s available free to non-pirated versions of Windows 7 or 8 devices.

But do you want it? Will you love it? How do you get it? When?

IT departments will have one view, which is sure to be a “wait until the dust settles” mental, and until they feel stability is a known.

Consumers, however, will likely be intrigued by mostly positive reviews thus far, and a pretty heavy nudge by Microsoft with it’s “free for all, almost” approach. The new, leaner Edge browser and Cortana, your personal assistant, are among intriguing inclusions. And, if you’re in the market for a PC, it will come preloaded for most. You can check out online reviews below!

More controversial was a Microsoft decision to make updates mandatory, especially when a recent video driver crashed systems throughout the preview community. To counter the hue and cry, Microsoft has issued package KB3073930, a download which allows you to hide or block Windows and driver updates – last reviewed on July 28. According to ZDnet the package is labeled for use with the Windows 10 Insider Preview, but based on its performance on the final (10240) preview build, ZDNet felt it should work with the final release beginning July 29.

Overall, is the feeling that Microsoft has finally gotten it right, or very nearly so.

You can read more at:

ZDNet (Numerous topics on everything Windows)

TechRadar (Price, News, Features)

Engadget (Review)

Microsoft (All the details they want you to know!)

Two Critical Vulnerabilities Noted
For Windows, Android

Windows
Emergency Patch:

ms windowsMicrosoft has rushed out an emergency update for a critical windows vulnerability that would permit a takeover of your entire system. So, if you don’t engage in automatic Windows updates, take heed.

From PC World To verify if your PC has the critical update on Windows 8.1 (Windows Vista and 7 users will have a similar process), open the Control Panel, search for “Windows Update”, and then choose View update history. Towards the top of the list, you should see a security update with the number KB3079904.

If you don’t see it and want to install this update right away, run Windows Update manually—a restart will be required.

stagefrightAndroid: Nearly one billion phones are at risk with a newly discovered texting flaw.

Called “Stagefright,” NPR says here’s how the attack would work: The bad guy creates a short video, hides the malware inside it and texts it to your number. The bad news is you don’t even need to open it before it begins processing. Once it’s activated the attacker can take complete control of your phone.

Important links with additional info and potential fixes are listed below, and Google has patches and has notified the major carriers and manufacturers. But the process is likely to be slow and uneven.

Whether it gets put into people’s phones is not in Google’s hands.The NPR article notes: “In this case Google is not the actual one to blame,” says Collin Mulliner, a senior research scientist at Northeastern University. It’s ultimately the manufacturer of your phone, in combination possibly with your carrier.”

What To Do Now!

Probably the most immediate thing you should do is disable automatic downloading in your messenger app. If your app is older and doesn’t have this feature, it may be time to get a new app!

More at NPR, Greenbot, Twilio

Bits & Bytes

Cortana Speaks

Cortana Gets Sassy

Lenovo PC Stick: Plug Into Any TV or Monitor And Have a Windows PC

Personal Seismic Gadget Warns You Before The Big One Hits

Google Shows You Everywhere You’ve Been

Amazon’s New Dash Button Ordering

10 Of The Best Gadgets So Far This Year

June News & Tips

6 June 2015
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Categories: Hosting Solutions, News, Security, Technology

WordPress Users Should Update Once Again.

 WordPress 4.2.2 Critical Update

WordPress LogoYes. Shortly after 4.2 comes yet another update, so take heed.

The Genericons icon font package, which is used in a number of popular themes and plugins, contained an HTML file that is vulnerable to a cross-site scripting attack. To help protect users, WordPress 4.2.2 proactively scans the wp-content directory for this HTML file and removes it.

Read More: WordPress.Org or SC Magazine

**Note that because WordPress has unique security issues, SiteVision offers its customers a comprehensive update service on an as requested basis ($60) or as a monthly maintenance feature ($60 monthly, 1st month free). Just contact us.

Finding Your Best Hosting Option

InternetWe get many questions regarding hosting options! The variety of choices can often be somewhat overwhelming for businesses large and small.

Is a shared solution adequate for your needs, or could you be compromising valuable data? What exactly is a virtual private server (VPS)? Does my growing business dictate a more secure solution? I’m fairly certain our business needs a dedicated server or more, but should we just buy our own?

With that in mind, we’ve developed a brief article that discusses and compares the advantages of three popular hosting options in a simple, straightforward way: shared hosting, virtual private servers, and dedicated servers.

Read More

Are You At Risk?

Hacker WAVSIt seems it’s again all the news. Recent breaches of historic proportions – think Anthem and Target, to name but a few, have confirmed that proactive web security measures are now a must for websites of all sizes and types.

A primary scanning, analysis and reporting tool is that of Website Application Vulnerability Scanning (WAVS). You can visit our website to learn more about this important issue.

Read More

Google I/O 2015 Roundup

Google cardboardSo what was up at Google’s big event? In a nutshell: Android M, new Google Photos, iOS-friendly Google Cardboard, clothes into wearables, ultra-secure Project Vault, and the Project Abacus initiative for better authentications. Google Cardboard got plenty of play for its ability to share a VR experience with a simple viewer anyone can build or buy. Get it, fold it and look inside to enter the world of Cardboard. Tech Radar has a roundup. The Verge also has a recap.

It’s A Wrap. Win 10 To Hit The Streets.

ms windowsWhether you’re ready to take the leap or not, Windows 10 has an official release date and pricing. The release date is now July 29. The price? Well, it depends. At retail it will be $119 for Windows 10 Home, $199 for Windows 10 Professional. But wait. There’s still the free offer out there: If you have a licensed copy of Win 7 or Win 8.1 you still qualify for a free upgrade for a year.

The Verge takes a look at the many faces of Win 10 on their feature page, and, if you want to peek at specifications from Microsoft, go here.

Are You At Risk?

15 May 2015
No comments
Categories: News, Security

Website Application Vulnerability 
An Increasing Threat

Website WarningRecent breaches of historic proportions – think Anthem and Target, to name but a few, have confirmed that proactive web security measures are now a must for websites of all sizes and types. A primary scanning, analysis and reporting tool is that of Website Application Vulnerability Scanning.  We can help.

 Why Scan? 

Website Application Vulnerability Scanning is designed to seek out security flaws, test systems for the occurrence of these flaws and then generate a report for appropriate remedial actions if necessary.

Among motivating factors for scanning are regulatory compliance such as HIPAA, and PCI, and/or changes to software, applications or website configurations. In the first case, compliance is required. In the latter, web changes can open up crippling security risks without your knowledge.

SiteVision’s Full Featured, Vulnerability Scanning Is Inexpensive and Thorough. 

In a constant effort to improve service and security for our customers, we have instituted vulnerability scanning that is compliant, thorough and cost efficient. Our scanning protocol detects common vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting and SQL injection attacks, along with other industry recognized threats.

Vulnerability Scanning is used to help organizations improve their overall risk posture and security readiness, as well as to comply with mandatory regulations, including security requirements. All definitions for scans are updated on a daily basis and the latest vulnerability detections are always included in the scans.

The scanning process includes discovery, detection, verification, risk classification, impact analysis, reporting and mitigation. A comprehensive report is issued for each scan.

We offer this service for $35.00 a month, or $95.00 a quarter. You can call or contact us here to initiate monthly or quarterly billing.  We also offer remediation of vulnerabilities, and can offer a statement of work at any time. Remediation pricing is available upon request. Any other questions?  Just give us a call at 540.343.8322 or 866.345.8322 toll free!

Thanks,
The SiteVision Support Team

May 2015 News & Tips

29 April 2015
No comments
Categories: News, Security, Software As A Service Solutions

WordPress Users Should Update Plugins Now!

WordPress LogoEven the latest WordPress 4.2 is vulnerable, so users are warned. In particular the most recent bulletin notes that the XSS flaw is executed through comments and permits the attackers to execute arbitrary code, or, in effect, become the administrator.

A quick fix is to eliminate comments until a patch is released, and to avoid logging in as an administrator.

Multiple WordPress plugins may be vulnerable to the persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw. A list of the known plugins is available here, but WordPress users have been urged to update all plugins now.

Cross-site Scripting allows an attacker to embed malicious content into a vulnerable page to gather data. The use of XSS can expose and compromise private information, manipulate or steal cookies, create requests that can be mistaken for those of a valid user, or execute malicious code on the end-user systems.

You can also read more at Net-security.org.

**Note that because WordPress has particular security issues, SiteVision offers an update service on an as requested basis ($60) or as a monthly maintenance feature ($60 monthly, 1st month free). Just contact us.

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SiteVision’s Daria Norris to Speak at National Development Conference

Daria, SiteVision’s Lead Technical Architect, has been invited to speak at this year’s dev.Objective() conference, May 12-15 in Bloomington, MN. The web-centric conference covers a wide variety of topics relating to software development and skills with content geared toward mid-to-advanced-level developers.

Daria NorrisNorris will deliver two sessions. The first, Feed Your Beans: From Anemic to Domain Driven Modeling, will cover four model patterns, their pros and cons, common anti-patterns, business logic in beans, and domain driven modeling. The second session, FW/1 3.0: Simplify Your Workload, will focus on Framework One (FW\1) and Inject One (DI\1) and how to simplify development workload while providing best practices.

The conference session list typically includes topics by speakers from companies such as Google, Adobe, Mozilla, Netflix, and IBM.

Kudos to Daria!

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VITAlogotypeVITA Renews Annual Service Contract With SiteVision & Adds Services

SiteVision will continue to serve as a provider for Hosting and Software as a Service (SaaS) for Virginia State Agencies, including all local government entities.

Vulnerability Scanning Added this year is a provision for Web Application Vulnerability Scanning. Application Vulnerability Scanning is a technique to identify and assess security risks before a possible or likely exploitation.

The process has become increasingly important as major intrusions escalate across all web stratifications.Virginia Agency and local government entities can contact SiteVision for consultation and pricing.

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) administers the contract awards and renewals as part of Virginia’s electronic government services program (eGov).

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Google in the News

Google Introduces “FI”

fi_logo_2xGoogle calls it a new way to say “hello.” Reviewers call it anything from a takedown of the big wireless providers, to a fairly underwhelming offering. But what seems to be consistent is “fi’s” potential to be a game changer.

So what is it? Google has confirmed plans to launch its own wireless service, Project Fi, which automatically switches between Wi-Fi and Wireless to give you the best possible coverage. Partnering with Google are T-Mobile and Sprint.

Fi comes with one plan at one price, Google says. For $20 a month, subscribers get the talk, text, visual voicemail, Wi-Fi tethering and international coverage. It’s $10 per gigabyte of data after that for cellular data while in the U.S. and abroad. In a nice twist, the plan refunds any data you don’t use.

In some studies, close to 30% of carrier paid-for data goes unused, suggesting consumers are considerably over-paying for unneeded data coverage.

Described as a “project,” Fi is by invitation only for the initial offering, and works only on Nexus devices.

You can read more at Google, USA Today, TechRepublic and Mashable.

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SEO Alert: MobileGeddon Is Here

Google AlgorithmGoogle has updated its algorithm to evaluate websites it classifies as “mobile-friendly” better on mobile search engines.

You can run a mobile-friendly test here

You can read more here:

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Quick Takes

AppleWatchMy weekend with Apple Watch — and the verdict is . . .

Breach Outbreaks Fuel Encryption Adoption

New Windows 10 preview beefs up Mail app and more

Opening Windows Source Code Could Improve Security

Microsoft kicks off two-month Spartan bug bounty program

SiteVision Certified As SOC 1 SSAE 16 Type II Compliant

30 October 2014
No comments
Categories: Hosting Solutions, Information, News, Security

AICPA Roanoke, VA October 30, 2014:  Following a robust, third-party audit, SiteVision Inc., a Virginia-based web hosting and development firm, has been certified as SOC 1 SSAE 16 Type II compliant.  The compliance standards developed by AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) are a rigorous assessment process that audit internal controls with regard to security, trust, service and processing protocols.

The audit covered a wide swath of company controls that included administration, human resources, management, development, hosting, security policies, procedures and practices, as well as training and contracting.

Patrick Maddox, President, noted that SiteVision’s investment in the external audit represents “our total dedication to meet and exceed both our internal commitment to excellence and that of customer expectations.   While all customers benefit from such compliance, those with sensitive requirements can feel confident that SiteVision has been assessed as compliant with these important industry standards.  They can outsource areas like web hosting, cloud and co-location services knowing that we already meet SSAE 16 requirements.”

The auditing firm added: “Congratulations are in order as SiteVision has received a favorable opinion on the design and operating effectiveness of your control environment. This is a significant accomplishment and is an indication of the sound control environment you’ve established. . .”

“You have been a very responsive and professional client to work with and we absolutely appreciate all your efforts. We realize the audit process has been a major undertaking and we hope the process itself and the results of the audit prove to be beneficial going forward” (Jack Moore, CPA CITP President The Moore Group, CPA LLC)

SSAE 16 is an enhancement to the current standard for Reporting on Controls at a Service Organization, the SAS70. Among refinements to SAS70, the changes made bring US companies current with new international service organization reporting standards, the ISAE 3402.

While a Type I audit tests internal controls at a specific point in time, a Type II is time-based auditing that provides results of extensive testing over a defined period of time (at least 6 months) to determine how effectively the processes and controls are achieved.  The SOC 1 Report (Service Organization Controls Report) is a secondary report relevant to internal controls over financial reporting.

SiteVision, Inc. was found compliant with both SOC 1 and SAE 16 Type II standards.

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

  •  Virginia VITA CAI Supplier, Managed Staff Augmentation Services Contract (VA-051123-CAI)
  •  Virginia VITA Supplier, Hosting Services Contract
  •  Virginia eVa Procurement as a sub-contractor to various state and federal private contractor entities
  •  State and Federal Sole-source Contracting

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

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SiteVision News & Tips November 2013

4 November 2013
No comments
Categories: Information, Mobile Solutions, News, Security, Technology

 IN THE NEWS

win8.1_btdesktop2

Win 8.1 Arrives – Boot To Desktop and Sync.

It’s kind of ironic that Microsoft managed to annoy nearly everyone with Win 8, and has now spent the past year compensating for the havoc it wreaked. This is not to say there aren’t some real improvements in 8.1. Most reviewers feel it’s a positive upgrade (free) that helps correct a confusing interface and adds some new features.

For many however, the return of the start button reigns supreme. More importantly, perhaps, is the ability to boot to desktop with a simple point and click.

 

 

 

Here’s how:

Other improvements include a baked-in Sky Drive, faster shutdown, IE 11, a more unified smart search with Bing, and the ability to resize app tiles, to name but a few.

Will this be enough to convince small business and consumers to abandon earlier versions of Windows? Time will tell, but Microsoft has some substantial credibility issues to overcome.

By the way, for IT pros Zdnet has a free ebook written by Ed Bott: Introducing Windows 8.1 for IT Professionals. More on Win 8.1 can be found at Information Week and Technology Guide[divider]

PHP.Net Confirms Malicious Malware Attack:

php logoThe security breach was confirmed last week after Google’s “Safe Browsing” service blacklisted the site. The PHP group initially thought the warning was a false positive, but a more thorough investigation shows malicious JavaScript code was injected into one of the site’s files. That coded executed exploits from a third party website that, if successful installed a piece of malware on visitors’ computers.

According to PHP, two servers were compromised and all services on those computers have been migrated off. PHP will reset user passwords, has revoked their old SSL certificate and is in process of getting a new certificate. More at PHP.Net, PC World

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3D Printers Hot Ticket Item:

3d-printed-headphonesWhile some may think of it as child’s play, 3D printing may be the beginning of a new paradigm for manufacturing, prototyping, computing and science. For example, NASA will be getting into the act by sending a 3D printer with its astronauts to manufacture (rather than haul) some of the tools they need. The pretty cool headphones pictured here at Wired were designed by Teague Labs’ John Mabry as a project.

According to Gartner, consumer and enterprise 3D printer shipments are growing at 95.4% and revenue at 81.9% from 2012 through 2017. Gartner predicts the 3D printer market will grow from $288 million to more than $5.7 billion by 2017. More at Techcrunch and Elite Daily

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Quick Takes

LightbeamMozilla releases Lightbeam an application that lets you know who is watching you online. When you activate Lightbeam and visit a website, this add-on creates a real time visualization of all the third parties that are active on that page. See more at Zdnet

Guardly_beacon-screenDoes walking alone at night give you the creeps? If you have a Smartphone, several new personal safety apps act as your guardian. Although most are subscription based, the small costs could be a real life-saver. One example for college students: Guardly Safe Campus. Others from TechHive are here.

 

 

Apple’s OS X Mavericks 10.9.

The good news: it’s free and it further refines the OS. The other news: there’s nothing particularly stellar or innovative. See more at Techcrunch, Engadget, Cnet

 

Why SiteVision?

We’re your advocate. SiteVision has been providing web development and hosting services to government agencies and non-profit organizations for over 20 years. We understand how overwhelming it can be to seek out a reliable solution for you website, custom application, and hosting needs.

At SiteVision we are passionate about creating solutions for customers that make their life better. We excel at understanding your business process and developing an application that is easy to learn and operate. We will always be fair, knowledgeable, honest, and professional.

Work With Us