Nigel Heyn

I recently heard this true story about a user innocently losing 20 years of their data, and I had to share it with you to remind you how important backing up is and more importantly how crucial cloud computing is to protecting your most important asset, your data!

Essentially this user relies on their computer daily to manage their shares, business interests, communications, storing of photos, etc – most of what we all rely on our computer for anyways. Now they needed to take their computer into the local computer store to get the battery replaced on the motherboard. For those of you who don’t know, all computers have a small battery that is integral to keeping the ‘brain’ of the computer able to remember how things work when you turn on the computer each time. They have a lifespan of usually 3 years, more if you’re lucky. In any case this battery had died and the computer kept coming up with errors each time it was turned on, so it needed to be taken in to have the battery replaced and the BIOS settings re-set correctly.

So the local computer store booked in the computer and told the customer to come back in three days once they had fixed it. Now during this time, the weather here in Brisbane this January 2012 has been non-stop rain. The rain had resulted in isolated flooding in areas and leaking roofs, etc, which unfortunately affected this suburban computer store. To make matters worse, apart from flooding the shop, the nearby sewerage had backed up and now contaminated the flood water throughout the shop, which was where this customer’s computer was resting for the weekend, awaiting the repair.

And so the customer came back on the Monday to pick up their computer as planned (they put it in on a Thursday) only to find the shop closed and taped off due to toxic waste. Upon calling the phone number on the door, the customer found out that all the computers inside were damaged and because of the sewerage issue, none could be touched until properly sanitised. The shop owner said they were trying to launch an insurance claim and the customer has been told to not expect the computer back for weeks, possibly months and to also not be surprised if they potentially never expect the computer back. Reading between the lines, I feel the insurance cover this shop had was minimal, thus why the owner said the line about never expecting it back as to cover themselves.

And so a week later the customer is powerless to do anything. Now how would you feel? Your computer lost just like that. The customer I’ve since discovered is completely distraught, having tried to recover their data from legacy backups, only to find the backup files corrupted and unreadable. This poor person – I really feel for them and wish we could help, however without the physical hard drive and having backups that don’t work, well this story goes from bad to worse.

So the moral of the story is to really consider how important your data is to you before you decide to get your computer fixed. One backup is never enough, take three and keep them in separate areas and TEST the backups regularly to ensure you can restore the data in an unfortunately situation like this.

Also make sure the computer company you take your computer to be fixed at has a good track record of being in business for a long time. Even ask to see their insurance currency certificates. If they don’t show you, then they may have something to hide. If you need to spend more to get your machine fixed with a firm who can offer a guarantee and even provide you with a backup image of your data on a separate hard drive, take the offer, which could only be a few hundred dollars extra, but again, how important is your data if you lose everything??? You’ll regret not spending the extra I can assure you.

But most importantly, seriously look at moving to the cloud. With cloud computing now transforming the entire IT landscape, if you’re not using the benefits the cloud can offer, then you’re living in the dark ages.

If you’re not sure what Cloud Computing is, then click here to have a watch of a video to help you understand the benefits of cloud computing.

I am certainly not trying to promote my firm here, however the reason we are so passionate about cloud computing and how it is transforming the companies we support, is simply due to the fact that your data is safe. We even have a dedicated cloud computing insurance policy that covers millions of dollars worth for your data, underwritten by Insurance Australia Group. We use three data centres here in Australia, all different brands and all built above Q500 flood plains in various locations throughout Brisbane. Thus with your data kept safely in multi-million dollar cloud computing data centres (our client’s cloud computing data resides next to the data from the likes of the Australian Stock Exchange, Virgin Blue, BHP, CommonWealth Bank, etc), you can rest assured that you will be able to recover all your data easily if and when your computer terminal has a problem.

With the recent floods that hit Brisbane, I thought it was time we re-address the issue of ‘disaster recovery planning‘.

I’ve been talking to many businesses about this over the last few years in particular and most haven’t really seen the value in not only DR planning, but also ensuring their business continuity systems are in place to help them function during a crisis.

So lets start with disaster recovery planning.

DR can be put into the category of having a plan in place that is regularly tested, enhanced and communicated to all relevant members of your team. I’ve seen DR documentation that has reached 166 pages in one customer’s instance and I can honestly say that in a true disaster like we experienced last week, this document would simply get overlooked as is it just too long.

You should definitely consider obtaining professional help in piecing together a solid disaster recovery plan, however here are some tips to consider in putting this together:

The above list is certainly not comprehensive, however it will help give you a guide as what to do should another disaster occur.

I recently has a client ask me if it’s safe to be using “free” internet access whilst travelling around the globe.

To answer this we really need to know what they are doing on the internet. Like anything online, the key is ensuring security is maintained and any risks are minimised where possible.

The best practice is to only use free wireless internet access for general internet surfing and not for any online banking or remote logins to work servers, etc. I have seen key loggers and virus like worms collect information sent and received over internet links quite easily.

It is also very important to know that certain countries have much less secure laws when it comes to policing internet activity.

In summary, if you’re not sure, don’t do it! Rather seek out a proper hotel like service or obtain a prepaid 3G USB key to access the internet when travelling. That way you know you have a proper internet service provider who would normally provide the access you would use to cover 99% of your usual internet activities. The usual brand name carriers are always best, such as Vodafone, AT&T, etc, as they have a lot of their reputation to lose if they do not provide a secure link.

Happy travelling!

I recently purchased one of these new Amazon Kindle’s and I have to say it is simply brilliant!

Have a look here to find out more.

Benefits include:
- The ability to carry approx 1500 books with you anywhere, anytime.
- Inbuilt data SIM means you can download books in over 100 countries at no ongoing costs.
- Text to speech will read out books to you when you’re tired of reading.
- Long battery life of up to 14 days.
- Its sleek and light, just like a big iPhone

Overall should you buy one, well I did and I do not regret it…..now I just need to find time to read all the books I’ve been buying and downloading.

This came across my e-desk whilst travelling recently. The author is unknown, yet the content is worthwhile. Enjoy.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!

I was recently asked about remote access network security (VPN’s) from a business owner and great client of ours, Mr Adam Franklin of Bluewire Media a Brisbane web design company.

Adam recently had his notebook set up so he could work from anywhere his internet access would take him, however like all good business owners, Adam did question some of the security aspect of this. You can read more about Adam’s success with working remotely here: Work from anywhere using Web 2.0.

Here was my response to Adam, which I’m sure will help and enlighten other business owners as well:

“You raise a good point in terms of VPN and remote access security into company networks. It really comes down to how the company is structured itself and what measures are in place to mitigate users copying company data.”

“Any user can do the same if they are sitting in an office, simply copying files to USB sticks, sending attachments to personal address, printing the data, etc. The critical way to manage this is to ensure proper security has been established at the server level to only grant permissions to what data the staff member actually needs to get their job done. This can be done at either a division or individual level. Smart software, such as REM (Remote Environment Manager) is also available to lock down these areas of potential exploit, for example, by preventing copying data to a USB stick and/or DVD burner. This software can also monitor staff actions and flag incidents when potential breeches have occurred. We use this software with great success for a number of our clients and highly recommend it to those who seek to mitigate these security risks.”

“Critically as well, items such as enforcing strong passwords and expiring used passwords every month, making sure staffcan only access the company VPN through company assigned devices such as laptops, desktops or phones, even using security tokens for additional protection are all common methods used to help minimise external threats into company networks.”

“Essential user activity logging to track a users actions whilst in a remote or VPN session is also a good way to keep tabs on this, however most companies who have such only use this information retrospectively and not proactively, to see trends and lock down areas of risk before they become a problem. The issue here revolves around cost, as to be proactive does require the right software smarts and vigilant analysis of the data regularly – yet then again, can a company put a price on the loss of their intellectual property into the wrong person’s hands? How do you define a company’s worth? By the value in its IP and in the wrong hands, such could mean its demise.”

“In the end, the most important item any business owner can do is to ensure they do not become complacent and review their security, internally and externally, as often as possible. As a guide, monitoring daily through the use of smart software, then managing by exception on a weekly basis and formally performing C-Level security reviews every quarter, bodes well for the management of company network infrastructure. Humans cause most of the technology issues in this world, therefore how we manage them is the key to ones success.”

This was sent to me from Jeff Jackson, a good friend and mentor. Thanks Jeff!

“LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK”

Have a firm handshake.
Look people in the eye.
Sing in the shower.
Own a great stereo system.
If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
Keep secrets.
Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
Sing or Whistle.
Avoid sarcastic remarks.
Choose your life’s mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 percent of all your happiness or misery.
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
Lend only those books you never care to see again.
Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
When playing games with children, let them win.
Give people a second chance, but not a third.
Be romantic.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.
Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for your convenience, not the caller’s.
Be a good loser.
Be a good winner.
Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.
Keep it simple.
Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.
Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets!
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the one’s you did.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.
Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.
Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.
Begin each day with God and some of your favorite music.
Once in a while, take the scenic route.
Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, ‘Someone who thinks you’re terrific.’
Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.
Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.
Make someone’s day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.
Become someone’s hero.
Marry only for love.
Count your blessings.
Compliment the meal when you’re a guest in someone’s home.
Wave at the children on a school bus.
Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.
Don’t expect life to be fair.
Have fun you only live once!! So live every moment & Enjoy!!!!
Live large & love life….
I’m off to capture the opportunities out there……

Ever wanted to see how CPU’s are made in a fabrication plant – watch this video to find out more.

This news just in from Forbes.com

Google is the Web’s king of data collection, aggregating details from users’ search queries, e-mail, even phones and photos. Now, thanks to a partnership with IBM, it’s about to start pulling that personal information directly from users’ bodies.

On Thursday, Google and IBM will unveil a new initiative that will allow Google Health, a site where users can store and track information about their medical history, to connect to and stream data from medical devices. In demonstrations, IBM and Google fitted Wi-Fi radios to gadgets like heart rate monitors, blood pressure cuffs, scales and blood-sugar measurement meters, allowing the devices to communicate with a PC and feed real-time medical information directly into Google’s online records.

Hooking up those devices to the Web, IBM argues, will offer a new immediacy and granularity of health monitoring. A user can remotely track the blood pressure readings or glucose levels of a diabetic parent living alone, or stream his or her medical information like weight or heart rate directly to a doctor or physical trainer.

“If there’s something abnormal, you can catch it before you have an episodic intervention, like going to the emergency room,” says Dan Pelino, manager of IBM’s health care division. “This is like OnStar for a patient, keeping constant information about you and sending alerts even before you have a problem.”

The rest of this article can be read here

I’ve been speaking a to number of people about Cloud Computing of late and many seem to be confused as to what exactly “Cloud Computing” is.

Here is yet another great video from the YouTube files that everyone should watch to help explain this further.