The Problem:
A friend recently said something provocative, “You know, Hawaii is so…fragile.”

She went on to explain how a little bit of rain can slow traffic to a snarl, how severe rains always lead to mud slides and road closures, how oversized trucks and low-level overpasses can turn a H-1 freeway into a parking lot…and how earthquakes can turn off power across the islands for a day.

True, her comments may have been a bit overstated. But still. There are times when Hawaii does seem vulnerable. And as business owners, it’s enough to make us quiver in our boots.

Does your business have a disaster plan?

The Solution:
For us small business owners, a significant disaster can put us out of business. Unlike the big boys, who can spread their risk across several geographic regions and a healthy bank account, we small companies have to face the danger on our own two feet. And having a plan can make a difference between survival and bankruptcy.

So where should you start?

Secure your data.
The continuity of your operations significantly depends on your staff’s ability to access ‘good’ data. This means your financials, schedules, contact info for your clients/vendors/clients, inventory management systems, etc. Buying new hardware and software to replace damaged equipment is the easy part. Getting your company’s data up and running is what really counts. If necessary, spend the money on an automated tape backup system. Budget about $2500 for parts and labor. Backup daily and keep a current copy offsite just in case.

Know how to get in touch with your people.
Create a contact sheet and be sure it has everyone’s numbers and their friend’s, spouse’s or family member’s contact info on there, too. Remember, when disaster hits, the primary contact info might not be sufficient. You can never have too much info in the event of an emergency.

Configure your office for remote access.
There are now several decent and relatively inexpensive solutions for working from home…or anywhere with an internet connection. You can create and edit files, send and receive emails, etc. and you can do it all as if your were right there in the office. Remote access is especially useful in the event transportation is hampered and it’s difficult to get to the office.

Lockup your hardware.
Hawaii is a special place. It’s tough to imagine any looting. But still, your servers should be kept in an air conditioned space, off the floor, away from leaks and flooding waters. It’s also wise to physically locked it up so it’s not so easy for anyone to walk off with it.

Use surge protectors and UPS
The recent power outage destroyed a lot of hardware in spite of surge protectors. However, it’s prudent to use surge protectors and it’s prudent to use UPS (uninterrupted power supply.) The UPS – which is basically a big battery – comes with surge suppression. Equally important, though, it gives you a limited source of power in the event of power loss so you can safely exit programs and such down hardware. Remember, unplug all devices from the wall after shut down and wait until power is restored before plugging then back into the wall.

For more info on how your can gear up your business for disaster, checkout these sites:
American Red Cross
www.ibhs.org
www.fema.gov/business
www.OfficeDepot.com/getprepared

Let me know if I can help with anything.

McAfee Family Protection will offer blocking, monitoring, and parental notifications for most computer-based activities. The program will allow for up to 10 users on three different machines, utilizing several layers of algorithms to monitor behavior. Parents can outright block or merely monitor Web sites, social-networking behavior, and instant messaging including Facebook IM and multiprotocol chat clients, according to Javed Hasan, vice president of McAfee Product Management.

In addition to blanket blocks for subject matter and specific Web site blocks, parents can customize rules so that they can block all of YouTube, or just YouTube videos that have specific tags. Web sites protected by secure protocol, https, can also be blocked. They can also set up roadblocks that prevent specific applications from opening, such as peer-to-peer clients or media players, and parents can receive brief SMS notifications alongside more-detailed e-mail reports.

The program will also be able to restrict computer usage based on cumulative time used or by time of day. It uses a server-based clock, so tampering with the local system-based clock shouldn’t affect this feature.

McAfee says that Family Protection uses about 20MB of RAM when idle and can run on systems with as little as 128MB of RAM. A three-computer license for up to 10 users is available for $39.99.

Did You Know…

Did you know there are some 287,000 known computer viruses?  And 200 new viruses are discovered every month?

Your computer represents some valuable real estate.  Evil-doers will use every sneaky tactic to get their malicious software on your machine.

The motive?  Money.  Your computer – when coupled with a few thousand other compromised machines – can be used as a powerful ‘engine’ for sending massive amounts of spam and for launching other hacks.

Your computer also offers a convenient window into your life, including passwords and purchases.  As a single data point, your confidential info is not that valuable.  But when your info is combined with millions of others, it can be easily brokered on black markets like a commodity.

Think 15 cents per identity x 10 million records…or $1.5M.

That’s why organized crime is behind most hacks these days.  The money’s good.  In fact, it’s as profitable as drug trafficking.

To protect yourself, be sure to use a good antivirus program AND an antispyware program.  Both should be updated religiously.

I use Avast (http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html) for my antivirus software and Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html) for my antispyware software.  Both are free for home use and both work well.

Now, if you’re a Mac user, you can disregard most of the above.  Because Apple’s market share is relatively small,  the bad guys don’t spend too much time on it.  However, as Macs become more popular, we can expect that to change.

Windows is a wonderfully complex system that gives you a lot of control, and a lot of options. Even people that have been using computers most of their life can stumble upon a fun shortcut that makes daily interaction with their computer much easier. I would like to share what I consider to be the most useful Windows tricks or shortcuts that I have learned over the years. It could be that you have come across some of the tips in my list. I am hoping that you will discover something new and useful.

1. Force quit active windows (Alt + F4) – This handy shortcut can be used to close the window or program that is on top and active. I find this most useful for closing those pesky pop-up windows that occasionally surface when surfing the internet. Pop-ups can link up to and initiate a security threat that could compromise your computer if you click on the wrong spot. This action will safely force quit the window.

2. Undo (Ctrl + Z) – I use this all the time. Whether I am using email, writing a column, or designing something in Photoshop. If I make a mistake this shortcut will help to take me as many steps back as I want which ends up saving me a lot of time. It has gotten me out of trouble after accidentally deleting something that took me time to produce. Unfortunately this does not work in Windows Explorer to recover a deleted or misplaced file. You can also redo by pressing Ctrl +Y.

3. Find (Ctrl + F) – It is a fast and efficient way to find a word or group of words in a large grouping of text. You can use this in pretty much any program that contains text like Microsoft Word, Acrobat Reader, or an internet browser page.

4. Show desktop (Windows Key + D) – Sometimes when working all day on the computer and multi-tasking on several projects, I will have a collection of different windows open and programs running. There may be a file or shortcut that I need to get to on the desktop hidden under a mess of windows. There is a quick launch area adjacent to the ‘Start’ button at the bottom left of your screen. By default it will have a ‘Show desktop’ icon. Click on this and all open windows will instantly minimize!

5. Add shortcuts to the quick launch – If you right click a program shortcut, the menu that appears will give you the option to add that program to the quick launch. I find this to be a useful and efficient way to get to the programs that I use on a regular basis. You have other customize and control options by right clicking in the quick launch area itself. I like to ‘Unlock the taskbar’ so I can delete a shortcut I do not want in the quick launch or drag a slider to expose added shortcuts. I also drag and drop the shortcuts to put them in order of most to least used.

- By Todd Kingman the Ring Leader at SuperGeeks

I appreciate discounts and great deals. Give me something that is free….even better. Most things technology related are far from that, but times are changing. Paying an arm and a leg for software and the hardware it is running on is becoming ancient history as more affordable or free applications surface online.

The trend we are seeing is called Web 2.0 or cloud computing. This second generation of the internet is home to the growth of interaction, communication, productivity and mobility. Through the internet resources are now available to use without having to install bulky and buggy software. What is even better is that developers have made these applications easy to use.

So what are some of these great applications you ask? Well here are a few that I enjoy, and they are absolutely free:

Google Docs (docs.google.com) –
Do you have a Gmail account? If you don’t I would definitely recommend getting one. Gmail currently offers up to 7GB of email storage, exceptional spam filtering, and access to some very useful online applications. Google Docs is basically a replacement for Microsoft Office. Online you have access to applications comparable to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. You can share your documents if you wish and even grant access for others to edit what you have created.

Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/) -
A blog is a personal webpage which allows an individual to post information about their interests, concerns, or that tasty hamburger they just had for lunch. It is like an online diary. I have seen blogs range from astronomy research to pet fashion. A lot of blogs are quirky and unusual, but they provide something refreshingly unique to websites that tend to be business minded and impersonal. With Blogger you can have your own corner of the internet in just a few minutes.

Fotoflexer (http://www.fotoflexer.com/) -
Do you love taking photographs? After I got a digital camera I became addicted to taking pictures. I also enjoy fine tuning those almost perfect shots. Fotoflexer is an application similar to Photoshop with most of its basic tools. You can crop photos, perform red-eye reduction, and apply filters. There are even advanced options to tweak certain ranges of color. The only drawback I noticed was that it will slightly reduce a photo’s size when you upload it for editing.

Pandora Radio (http://www.pandora.com/)-
Need to listen to some tunes while at the office? Are you having a get together and need background music? This online radio service puts the controls in your hands. If you want to listen to a certain genre of music you have a long list to choose from. Classical, Alternative, Holiday, you decide. There is even a search function where you can type you favorite song or artist. The software will create a playlist with that choice and other artists similar to the style of music. You also have the ability to pause, or skip over a song.

Access to free applications online is an exciting proposal, but be careful because sometimes free is too good to be true. You should only go with what is reputable. If you are unsure about a website you may want to do some research before you sign up for an account. Have fun with it, but always be wary if something pops up requesting to install software onto your computer.

- By Todd Kingman the Ring Leader at SuperGeeks