SiteVision August News & Tips

IN THE NEWS

Online Hacking. You Are A Target.

Congratulations. You haven’t been hacked yet. The bad news? You probably will be. While online companies promise to keep your information private, recent history suggests it’s pretty much an empty promise.

Think Zappos – about 30 million accounts hacked. Living Social – 50 million. Oh, and by the way, a majority of breaches occur for financial accounts. And that’s just a tiny sampling. Scary, huh? As the saying goes there are only two types of online companies: those that have been hacked and those that are about to be.

maskme_home_logoThat means you have been or likely will be attacked – Really. Truly. No fooling. So what to do? One nifty program, MaskMe, is an easy to use browser add-on and mobile app designed to protect your email account, your phone number and your credit cards and your passwords. It acts as your personal, kung-fu bodyguard, so to speak. Cnet and others give it high marks. Abine,
the company who created MaskMe, is also the creator of “Don’t Track Me,” another useful program to prevent online retailers, thieves, social networks, etc from tracking you as you browse the internet.

The moral: while you may not care if your tweets get hacked, you really don’t want your bank account, your credit cards, or your personal identity in the hands of the evil-doers! So do yourself a favor, and do something now.

Oh, and by the way. At the very least, check out our previous article on basic Password Strategies.

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SiteVision’s Statewide Hosting Award – Customer How To Guide.

SiteVision awarded VITA Hosting Services ContractAs we’ve mentioned, SiteVision was honored to be awarded a VITA (Virginia Information Technology Agency) statewide contract for the Commonwealth’s electronic government (eGov) services. The contract is for advanced Hosting and related technologies. All Virginia public bodies, including state agencies, universities, school systems and localities, can use the eGov contracts.

In addition to traditional hosting technologies, SiteVision offers customized solutions such as GIS, Cloud, Data-Driven, SAAS and IAAS options.

Now, to help customers transition more easily, we’ve provided a useful “How To Get Started” guide that provides step-by-step assistance. You can find it by visiting SiteVision and download the PDF. In addition, you can contact SiteVision with any questions you might have, or ask us for guidance on how best to accomplish your hosting goals.

As always, we’re anxious to make your hosting experience the best it can be!

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Did Google’s “ChromeCast” & New Nexus 7 Get the Drop on Apple?

And did Google’s nifty little streaming gadget wow? Oh, yes! While Chromecastthere’s room for improvement, what’s not to like about a little $35 thumb-drive sized USB streaming device that plugs into your HDMI TV and uses almost any of your devices as a remote control. For example: open your Netflix or the You Tube app on any device and stream away. The app doesn’t steam. It’s sends a signal to the ChromeCast device. It’s amazingly simple and easy to set up according to reviews. And did we say this innovative little streaming device is about as inexpensive as you can get?  TechCrunch is among those who really like it.

Nexus7The new Nexus 7 was another show stopper. It sports the highest resolution to date of any tablet out there – a simply gorgeous screen. Apple, did you hear that? Cnet calls it “ . . . the best small tablet you can buy.” The basic specs? Android 4.3, a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display, 2GB of RAM, a rear camera, a quad-core processor and wireless charging Pricing is quite impressive as well – $229 for a 16G with wifi; 269 for a 32G with wifi. No doubt there are a few discounts (or will be) beyond the published pricing from Google.

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Welcome New Hosting Customers!

dcr.virginia.gov — VA Dept of Conservation
mrc.virginia.gov — VA Marine Resources Commission
dof.virginia.gov — Virginia Department of Forestry
vbbe.virginia.gov — Virginia Board of Bar Examiners
dma.virginia.gov — VA Dept of Military Affairs
mvdb.virginia.gov — Motor Vehicle Dealer Board
dyslexiadash.com — Dyslexia Dash
buyvrabonds.com — Virginia Resource Authority
virginiaresources.org — Virginia Resource Authority

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A Reminder: Google Publishes Online Phishing and Malware Scams

Google has said it will begin to regularly publish Internet security data on malware and phishing scams that infect computers and steal consumer information.  The weekly reports will include the number of offending sites and their map locations.  The company said it finds about 10,000 such sites a day.  Google will also disclose government and law enforcement requests for user data. The data will be included in Google’s Transparency Report.  The data comes from Google’s Safe Browsing program, which the company uses to find and flag malicious sites across the Internet.

SiteVision Develops New CMS For Shenandoah Framing

Shenandoah Framing Roanoke, VA April 18, 2013:  Shenandoah Framing, Inc., a wholesale framing manufacturer of Lexington, VA, partnered with Sitevision, Inc. to create its new website.  The firm’s updated presence implements a content management system (CMS) designed to allow publishing, editing and modifying content from a core interface.

The new CMS eliminates complex coding and creates client control over HTML-based content, files, documents, and the like. One or multiple employees at various permission levels may change content easily within a familiar word processing environment.  In addition to core website features, SiteVision developed a searchable, sortable database of its some 3500 mouldings.  Customers may search by a number of variables including specific color, sku and width to quickly see matching items.

Shenandoah Framing provides framing products and services to customers throughout the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Canada. The company itself is nearing its thirty-fourth year of serving the industry. In addition to serving as a distributor for major moulding manufacturers, the firm also designs and manufacturers its own exclusive moulding line.  The firm’s entire inventory is available in length, chop, joined and ready-made frames.

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:

 

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

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More Java Breaches, Fixes, New Phone Tablet . . .

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4776″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width” quality=”100″] Java Problems Ongoing.  Are You At Risk?

As we outlined last month, the serious flaws in Oracle’s Java7 were enough to set the industry abuzz with criticism.  Since our last newsletter remaining flaws in Java7 permitted attacks on Facebook and Apple, though the companies claimed no customer or user data was compromised.  Twitter warned that about 250,000 user accounts were compromised.

In essence if you are running an outdated version of Java you are at risk.  Oracle has scrambled to provide fixes.  The most recent came in early February and contained some 50 security fixes; then another February 19 with several additional fixes. According to PC World, the latest update, Java 7 (Update 15) and Java 6 (Update 41), address five additional vulnerabilities that couldn’t be included in the emergency Java update that Oracle released on Feb. 1 due to time constraints.

For the average user who may be confused, uninitiated and wary, geek.com has provided a handy guide for disabling Java in your browsers.  It should be noted that all browsers as well as Windows, OS-X, and Linux operating systems are vulnerable.

Furthermore, according to Information Week mobile developer sites were targeted in the recent attacks, so if you are a mobile developer and feel you’ve been compromised, it’s critical that you check your source code. We’ve included some helpful links if you want to further explore the issue:  Information Week, geek.com, PC World, Oracle Java topics, Oracle downloads

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ASUS FonepadHello!  A Tablet That Can Call Home.

The Asus Fonepad is what many of us have been waiting for:  A tablet that’s a phone that’s a tablet.  Who wants to carry a slew of devices around to talk, type, hype and chat?  In short Fonepad is a 7″ Android tablet that features 3G data and voice capabilities.

But, is it really the bomb?  Do you really want to hold a 7” tablet up to your ear?  For some, perhaps, who rely on speakerphone, no big deal?  For others, probably, no way!  As one reviewer put it:  who wants to hold something up to your ear that blocks out the sun?

On the other hand the Fonepad is expected to be relatively inexpensive (about $250 US), resembles the Nexus 7 in many respects, and adds a phone into the mix.  So use the phone or not, it’s there at a very decent price.  Asus hasn’t  yet given a US release date, so for the moment we can wait and see how it’s received in the UK and Asia.

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Do Operating Systems Matter Anymore?

While they certainly will matter on the back end — to the average user, the operating system is becoming less and less important.

Why?  For starters, a proliferation of device sizes, shapes, capabilities and operating systems are now in direct competition with the traditional PC model.  Furthermore, Software As A Service (SAAS) is dynamically affecting how we receive and use applications for business and pleasure.

As a business owner, I might utilize several servers, a cloud-delivered custom customer relations management system, and a proprietary accounting system; permit a BYOD environment for certain employees, and use, say, Google Docs or Windows for my daily word processing and spreadsheet applications.

It hasn’t been so long ago that the Microsoft OS had us pretty locked into a rigid my way or the highway mentality. Surely you remember the blue screen of death.  Surely you remember that your primary OS choices were Windows or Apple.  Application delivery is a fast shifting paradigm, and it will be fascinating to see how it coalesces, or, indeed, if it does; and whether it even matters. Here’s more if you want to explore:  ForbesComputerworld.

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Welcome New Clients!

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March Maintenance Schedule

March 19th @ 5pm

Please contact us if you experience any problems.

January News & Tips: Securing Your Android Device & More

Happy New Year!

As we welcome the advent of 2013, each of us here at SiteVision wishes you and yours a joyful, rewarding and prosperous year!  If you have suggestions about how we can improve our existing services to you, add new services, or improve our help and support,  we welcome your input!  You can contact us anytime
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Microsoft Warns of Zero-Day Vulnerability

Microsoft has confirmed that a zero-day vulnerability affecting older versions of Internet Explorer could allow attackers to gain control of Windows-based computers to host malicious Web sites. The vulnerability affects older browsers through IE 8 and can be mitigated.  For more information click here

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How to Secure Your Android Device

Get a new Android device for Xmas?  As Android proliferates, it’s increasingly important to secure your device against Malware and uninvited snooping.  Here are some important tips from TechHive.  Read the entire, very informative article, as well as a review of the top five free security apps, here:

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January Maintenance Schedule

Tuesday, January 15th @ 5pm
Please contact us if you experience any problems

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Welcome New Hosting Clients!

College Solutions:  www.collegesolutions-va.net

Colonial Behavioral Health: www.colonialbh.org

Parker Investigations:   www.parkerinvestigates.com  (Under Construction)

Rotary Club of Salem:  www.oldesalemdays.com

Rotary Club of Salem:  www.salemrotaryclub.com

Shores Collision:  www.shorescollision.com

December 2012 News & Tips: All You Want For The Holidays, Win 8 and more

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4596″ align=”left” quality=”90″] IN THE NEWS

Tech Toys For The Holidays

Let’s get unreal.  How ‘bout this floating home?  Really?  The conceptual Trilobis 65 is both a sleek house and a sleek ride as featured in Doornob Design Ideas. It includes an underwater observatory so you can watch Jaws watching you, and worth a look, if only to dream about

On a more reasonable note, however, how about the new Nexus 4 Google Phone?  Oh, I forgot, as of this writing (11/27) it’s sold out.  Bummer.  But when and if it comes back to play, it’s unlocked, very smart and priced to sell at $299 for an 8Gig, GSM, HSPA+.  Operative word unlocked!  It’s fast, capable, and gets great reviews.

Update Google Nexus4!   It was literally just revealed that the Nexus 4 would be back in stock 11/27 at 12:00 PM PST. So depending on when you read this, you can pick one up.

Update 2!  This is getting fun (ridiculous). Goggle’s Nexus Cart broke almost immediately with unprecedented demand!  About 7:30 PM my cart finally went through.  If you happened to order one, hopefully yours did too. So now the wait.  For early orders it was 4 to 5 weeks.  Now I see it’s up to 8 or 9.

Other phones getting huge press are the Samsung Galaxy III and the Galaxy Note 2 and the ever present iPhone.  Unless you have a deep pocket, however, you’ll need to get them on contract, and you already know how that game plays.

There’s also the Sweet little Nexus 7 tablet, available now with 3G+ data.  Great price for a great 7” tablet.  For about $299 you can get a 32G with data.  The other iterations cost less and get strong reviews as well. There is also the new Kindle Fire at a great price, but somewhat  geared to the Amazon ecosystem.

And for you Apple fans, well, there’s the Apple ecosystem you know and love with the new Mini great, but feeling a little rushed and maybe a bit long in the tooth. A new mini is supposed to get the retina display.

According to some, the new 7” (give or take) tablet form factor may just be the sweet spot in tablets going forward.  We’re still waiting for flexible tablets which may not be all that far off (years, but not decades?)

Read More

August News & Tips: iPhone Apps Snatching Data,Win8, Yahoo Hack & More

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4221″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width” quality=”85″] Is Your iPhone Snatching Your Data?

According to WebPro news, about 20% of your iPhone apps are accessing your personal data without ever asking, and of 65,000 apps 41% can track your location data without your consent. According to Apple, nothing will change until iOS 6 is released. WebProNews

 

Windows 8 – IT Professionals Not Feeling the Love?

According to a Gartner analyst, Windows 8 isn’t even on the IT radar. The more likely upgrade path? Enterprise will probably go straight from Windows 7 to Windows 9. Among the reasons: lackluster desktop handling, and fear of being burned by technical and performance problems. TechRepublic

Has Your Yahoo Password Been Hacked?

About 450,000 passwords have been hacked and now posted online. Is yours among them? Tech Republic says you can check at Sucuri Malware Labs. Just type in your email address and search. And, because there may be other unannounced hacks, it’s definitely time to change your passwords for, say, Gmail or other important sites you use. SiteVision earlier published, “Was Your Password Hacked Today?” (Go here) It’s definitely worth a second look. After all, is it really worth compromising your Identity, your bank account, or other financial information? Also See TechRepublic

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
Name: Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association Hospital Alerting and Status System (VHASS)

Type: Hosting & Development

About: The Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association’s (VHHA) Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is a pivotal tool of its Virginia-wide Hospital Alerting and Status System (VHASS). VHASS was created to enhance the distribution of critical emergency management information needed by Virginia hospitals and healthcare providers. Likewise, the system is designed to provide Virginia residents with superior interoperability of communication and response efforts during a time of crisis.

SiteVision has closely assisted in the development of the web browser based system, and has created a hosting solution that duplicates the entire application and data infrastructure at a geographically separate data center. The sites and databases are continuously synchronized and replicated to be up and running in a matter of minutes were there to be a critical outage. The VHASS browser based application allows all Virginia members to maintain and update emergency status information in real time and as required.

The system is a statewide cooperative effort that includes Virginia hospital members, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. It is a members only website.
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August Maintenance

Maintenance for August will be:
Tuesday August 21st
@ 5:00pm.
If you experience any problems, please don’t hesitate to
contact us.

 

 

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.