There are a variety of mail clients that support synchronizing email across devices such as laptops, desktop computers, iPhones, iPod Touch Android Outlook Thunderbird and others, using IMAP capability–and many of them are popular with business users who want email on the go.
Some clients do not automatically provide IMAP functionality – for example, Gmail account holders need to log into their email account and under the ‘Settings’ tab enable ‘Forwarding and POP/IMAP’, then save changes. IMAP mail accounts are supported by Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Pegasus Mail, Zoho, and AIM, GMX Mail, iCloud Mail, Lavabit, FastMail, Gawab, Windows Live Hotmail, Mozilla Thunderbird and many others. Other applications, such as IBM’s Lotus Notes app, use the IMAP protocol to synchronize user-made notes across a large number of platforms; some of these apps can be integrated with email to give even greater business functionality.

Setup on Iphone:
The iPhone supports two mail standards, one of which is IMAP (also called ‘push mail’). When setting up email accounts on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or other portable device, it can be useful to know the basics of IMAP. When setting up an email account on your iPhone using IMAP, it behaves like an SMS mailbox, so you will receive an email as soon as it reaches your email server. To be able to pick up your email, you will need an email server which supports IMAP functionality and access to that server.

IMAP is a more advanced mail standard than POP, the alternative option, because an action performed via POP will not synchronize across all devices; IMAP synchronizes all mail boxes instantaneously. For example, if you make a change such as deleting an email in the Outlook mail client on your desktop computer or Outlook Web Access client on the internet, the mailbox on your iPhone or other portable device will automatically update with this change. To set up IMAP capability, you will need to set up a new email account on your device, with the settings for the incoming mail server (usually your login username and password), as well as your outgoing mail server settings (the host name will be the smtp server for your email provider). Once this is done, you are ready to synchronize your email across any device that supports IMAP email protocol. IMAP is quick and easy to use, and even preserves your custom folders across all platforms, giving you a versatile solution for business email use.

Delete Temporary and Unnecessary FilesPeople who visit hundreds of websites each month and download many files often find that their computer begins to slow down after a period of time. Using the Windows disk cleanup tool about once per month is another practice that is necessary to keep your computer running efficiently. This tool is useful for identifying files that are unnecessary, especially the temporary internet files that are automatically saved when you visit most websites. It also automatically empties the recycle bin, so it is a good idea to make sure you want to delete those files before using the tool.

Another suggestion made by tech experts is to check your program files to make sure there are no programs listed that you no longer use. Program files often take up a significant amount of space on your hard drive so removing unused files can significantly speed up your computer.

Update Your Firewall

Keeping your computer’s firewall updated helps keep your computer protected from viruses and protects your personal information against hackers. Most programs will automatically prompt you to download updates as soon as they are available.

 

Automatic Updates

Windows offers automatic updates for each of their operating systems. These updates fix issues and increase security as well as protect against known viruses. Signing up to have your operating system automatically updated is a good idea because the system may be updated several times per day and staying on top of updates is an important way to keep your computer running smoothly.

Keep Anti-Virus Software Updated

Viruses and malware are a common cause of computer slowdowns and related issues. There are a few good anti-virus programs that you can download for free, but you should always research the program and make sure you are downloading from a reputable site to avoid making your computer run even slower. Another good reason to make sure your anti-virus software is running properly is that most programs contain security measures that protect your information from being stolen by hackers.

Most people who use their computer frequently replace their system within a couple of years, but keeping your system well maintained will help it serve your needs for several years before it needs to be replaced. These maintenance tips will probably take an hour or two each month but are likely to save you many hours of frustration.

The “Stop Online Piracy Act” or SOPA is a bill running through America’s Congress right now that will allow big corporations to shut down sites that could possess copyrighted material. It is supported by big industries such as AOL Time Warner, The MPAA and the RIAA.

In theory, the SOPA act sounds good on paper, but in its practical use, it is not only not good, it could completely paralyse any technological advances that have been made.

• The Issues With SOPA

Why is SOPA such a problem? Well, for one thing, companies do not need to authoritatively prove there is copyrighted material. Simply saying “We believe that this site has copyrighted material” will allow a web site to receive a Denial of Service (or DNS error). DNS errors have been used to restrict access to information in China and Iran.

Second, SOPA also allows anyone in the world who is posting any sort of copyrighted material to be sued, and possibly imprisoned for up to five years. This is not strictly limited to America. In 2011, a 23-year old British student named Richard O’ Dwyer was facing extradition for providing links to copyrighted material. He did not even post the copyrighted material on his page and what he did was not illegal in England. President Obama sent in the U.S. Department of Immigration to extradite him!

How draconian is this law? This law is so draconian that say you were to upload a video with music playing in the background. If the song is a copyrighted song, you may be treated as a felon and sued for hundreds of thousands or millions of US Dollars, or thrown in prison for up to five years, regardless of what country you live in.

• Why we are against SOPA

SOPA will treat millions of every day people worldwide as criminals and felons under the U.S. Justice System.

SOPA will crush hundreds of thousands of independent music artists trying to get name recognition and a growing fan base by not allowing their music to be broadcast to the public.

SOPA will turn the world into a “police state” and will censor sites like YouTube, Twitter, Reddit and many others that people turn to for entertainment.

SOPA will impose denial of service systems which can be easily overridden with no proof it will stop social engineering, posting of copyrighted material, or anything along those lines.

• How to control social engineering

Social Engineering is a very serious problem and needs to be addressed. Some ways to stop it include:

1. If someone is “phishing” you, call the company directly and ask if there is a charge that you need to pay.
2. make sure your anti-virus and firewall software are fully up-to-date.
3. NEVER give your credit card information or personal information to anyone over the internet unless you have a strong encryption.
4. For most social media sites (Facebook, etc.), make sure that you have secure browsing turned on (use https instead of http).

[source] http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw0l6aTudT1r6mxhwo1_500.gif

 

If there is anything that the recent recession and the current debt crisis of the United States and Europe have taught us, it is that businesses must save every penny that they can in any way possible.Server virtualisation technology is an advancement which allows businesses, especially those on small budgets, the ability to have the same protection and management of data as enterprise level businesses for a fraction of the cost.Server virtualisation technology is technically placing the data streams of different clients inside of the same physical server while segregating the data streams so as to simulate a dedicated server experience for each of the clients in the physical server. Since the same physical server is being used, each client does not have to pay for the resource of a dedicated server. However, because the server is virtual, each client receives the same resources as they would on a dedicated server.On a virtual server, each client can download different third party apps and even different operating systems without disturbing the other clients on the server. Security is also increased as data leaks in the data stream of one client also do not affect the other clients.

As to the resources that each individual client receives on a virtual server, they may not quite match the resources of a dedicated server, but they are usually enough for all but the largest enterprise level business establishments. Virtual technology also allows the resources of the server to be allocated to the business as they are needed, which saves a business from having to pay too early for services that they do not use or underestimate the services that they do need.

Virtual servers can be managed or unmanaged services. In a managed service, the virtual server host is responsible for all of the maintenance to the server. In unmanaged service, the client is responsible for the maintenance. This is usually only a wise course of action if a business has the manpower and the resources to take care of a server themselves. However, since the server itself is rented from the server hosting company, it is usually the best policy to let the server host take care of it, as they are the ones who actually own the server.

Businesses who are set to grow may also want to invest in an unmetered line. In the unmetered line of a virtual server the amount of data which is able to be streamed through the server has no limit, which will allow for the most growth possible for a business with traffic spikes and constant rises in traffic.

Certain types of software do not run well in virtual environments – this is really the only weakness of server virtualisation technology.

The VPN, or virtual private network, is a popular technology built for problems like these. A virtual private network actually uses a physically public network, most times the Internet, in order to connect users from many remote sites. The connections are routed privately through the Internet from the private network of the business to the remotely located employee. The use of a VPN ensures that anyone who happens to intercept any data encrypted over the data stream can not actually read it.

The VPN is the connection network which connects many local area networks, like a ferry traveling between islands. There may be other people on this ferry, which is the idea of a leased line, which is the idea that the VPN came from. However, the VPN is more like a submarine than a ferry, transporting each individual client along his or her own data stream to get to the island that contains the remote employee.

Physical distance does not actually matter with a VPN, and a VPN is completely scalable, able to add more users much more easily than any other technology which attempts to connect LANs. The security of a VPN is also vastly improved over technologies of the past. Most VPNs now are not restricted by hours, meaning that any person on the business network should be able to access the VPN at any time from any location as well.

There are two main types of VPN.

The remote access VPN is the more common type of VPN. It allows each user to establish connections with other nodes within a business network privately. To have a remote access VPN, two components are necessary. First, a VPN must have a network access server, also called a media gateway. This is the server which the user actually uses to connect to the Internet to access the VPN. The VPN must also have client software. The client software allows the computer that the remote user is using to recognize the VPN that is being accessed and maintain a connection between that computer and the VPN. However, cloud technology is making this client software less and less a requirement as the “client software” can now be held by a third party server to which the remote computer will connect.

Cloud computing, to put it concisely, enables users and organisations to store, retrieve, save and manipulate data and other resources on third-party servers and via the internet. Consider it analogous to the public electricity grid: Consumers pay for the service, without having to possess knowledge about the very complex infrastructure of how that electricity is delivered.

Google Sites is an easy-to-use website builder that can be used as a storefront, or it can serve as a back-end website to organize employees. The system is template based, so users do not need to know any HTML or CSS, they just have to click an element and it will be added to the website. Spreadsheets and other business documents can be easily added, which is a plus.

Google Cloud Connect works with the Microsoft Cloud system, allowing users to simultaneously edit documents. It also allows offline changes, and there is a revision history tool so users will know who touched the document last, if there are any problems with an edit. One of the best points is that there are no complex deployment procedures, it can be setup without any extra work.

Gmail is common known as a basic email program, but Gmail for business has quite a few extras. Users receive 25GB of data storage, which should be enough for even large businesses. It can also be synched with iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phones, making mobile business work very easy and convenient. There is also a powerful search feature, so users can quickly find emails, and the spam filter is stronger than with normal email accounts.

With Google Docs users get a range of office programs, but at a very inexpensive price. This includes a spreadsheet, text editor, drawing program and a program for presentations. Since Google Docs is a Web application, files can be easily shared and accessed by employees or associates. This also makes it easier to access the files if users frequently switch between computers.

The pricing for business Google apps is rather inexpensive, especially when compared to similar business app packages. If paying monthly, the fee is only €5, and the yearly fee is €40, saving €10 a year. There can be an unlimited number of users, and there are many benefits to getting a paid account. Google will be available for phone and email support, they have powerful SSL protection, there are APIs to customize programs and users get higher storage capacities than if using Google apps for free.

These apps will help organize a business’s online presence, will make it easier for workers to do their work and projects can be easily coordinated.