Tuesday 29 January 2013

Website Security


The hacking of websites is nothing new. It can happen for a number of reasons, some ideological, some downright illegal. Overnight, the original site can be erased and replaced by advertising, religious messages, pornography, loans, practically anything.  When it happens, the owner is usually shocked, with a strong feeling of being personally violated.

However, it is usually nothing personal, just a hacker taking advantage of weak website security. A bit like a burglar looking for a house without an alarm system.

As access passwords are nearly always changed by the hacker, taking back ownership can often be difficult, sometimes impossible if you don't take the right precautions.

Website owners can minimise their risk by following these 10 important guidelines:-


1) Change your website access password frequently, at least once every 2-3 months.

2) Use a long cryptic password with a mixture of upper and lower case letters and numbers, even certain symbols if allowed by the hosting company.

3) Keep your password as private as possible.

4) Use a reputable and reliable hosting company with a verified postal address based in your own country.

5) Try not to use free hosting companies as they tend to be less secure and less reachable in an emergency.

6) Check your website at least once a day. Don't forget to refresh your browser window at the same time, otherwise you may be viewing the cached version stored on your computer each time.

7) Back up the whole website frequently, preferably once a week, to a local computer. If you are hacked, your site will be erased and if you have a recent backup, restoring it will be more straightforward.

8) Don't abandon a website. It could be hijacked for criminal purposes and if it is still in your name, you'll be the one getting into trouble!

9) Make sure you verify your identity with the hosting company, so that if you are hacked, you can recover the site quickly by being able to prove ownership.

10) It's imperative that hosting and/or domain fees are paid promptly. If you leave it too long after expiry, you may find that you've lost your website and the domain name! You have been warned!

Thursday 24 January 2013

Windows 8 for Everyone?

Well, I think we've had enough time to gauge the reaction of our customers to Windows 8. Frankly, most people think it stinks! For the ordinary person with a desktop or laptop the most common questions are "why do I need this?" and "why have I been deserted by Microsoft?".

I have a great deal of sympathy with this point of view. Most users are at home with a Start Button, Desktop and Program Menu. They feel there is no good reason to change. But Microsoft did not listen to this market, they were more interested in getting a bigger share of the phone/tablet market. BIG mistake! Windows 8 sales figures are pathetic compared to Windows 7 and XP.

Don't get me wrong, Windows 8 is quite adequate for phones and tablets but it fails miserably with desktops and laptops.

We now spend a great deal of time using our skills to make Windows 8 look like Windows 7! Complete with boot straight to desktop, Start Button and Program Menu.

What a shame Microsoft prefers to listen to its accountants rather than its customers...!

What Browser?

We often get asked what is the best web browser to use? The answer is, as you would expect, not black and white. We use different browsers for different purposes. Over the next few weeks, I'll outline a few browsers and our reasons for utilising them.

But by far our most popular is SRWareIron. A name unfamiliar to many but if you've seen Google Chrome, you've seen SRWareIron. The front-end is almost identical. In fact, Iron was in existence long before Chrome and both are based on free open source software.

Iron is a no-frills fast browser that respects your privacy by not collecting any information about your browsing habits. Chrome on the other hand has been developed to collect as much information as possible about your web preferences. You can read about more differences between Iron and Chrome here: http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

You can download SRWareIron here: http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_download.php

It works for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8, 32 & 64-bit platforms. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Friday 18 January 2013

Oh No, Snow!

Owing to the snow, our call-out appointments today are cancelled. All affected customers have been informed and re-booked. Let's hope for a quick melt!

Thursday 17 January 2013

BBC vs Sky News

The BBC news has proved yet again what a lumbering elephant it is when it comes to news gathering.

Sky News was reporting on the tragic helicopter crash in London a full 10 minutes before the story was finally aired on BBC.

The reason is simple: Sky news are more integrated with social media technology and its followers are continuously keeping them updated with reports, pictures and videos. The feeds are going straight to the news anchors who can break it to the viewers in seconds, while the supporting news team prepare follow up details.

It is also fairly obvious that Sky News is fully staffed very early in the morning, as opposed to the BBC who seem to drift into work around 10am!

Try flicking between BBC News and Sky News and you will see that Sky is always first with breaking news, and their coverage is far more comprehensive. Unless the BBC embrace new technology, they are going to be left behind completely.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Return to Facebook

The announcement of a new Graph Search from Facebook seems to have left all the technology pundits totally underwhelmed. But, coupled with the trial to charge for sending emails to other FB users, this could be another idea to generate much needed income.

You get the idea - you search (using Graph Search) for others who share the same interests or whatever as yourself. You see someone you'd like to contact, and because they are not in your list of contacts, you then get charged $1 to send them an email.

It's a very crafty idea slipping in the backdoor.

But let's be clear, Facebook is no longer a private company, it's floated on the stock market and in effect, is owned by the stockholders. Stockholders are not known for being very charitable or very patient. They want a return on their investment and quick. Currently they are not getting any. Zuckerberg is racking his brains to come up with ideas to make money and satisfy the stockholders. Bearing that in mind, charging to contact others on FB now makes sense and is bound to be introduced.

Zuckerberg's famous quote, "Facebook will be free...forever" is starting to look a little ragged around the edges. If the stockholders had their way (and they eventually will) FB will be charging for everything sooner rather than later! 

Monday 14 January 2013

We Were Only Talking...

...today about the number of major high street chains going under. Even so, the news that HMV has gone into administration still came as a bit of a shock.

We are undoubtedly going to see more familiar stores disappearing as our shopping habits migrate further and further towards the convenience and lower prices of the internet.

Saturday 12 January 2013

Would You Pay $100 To Send An Email?

$100 is the amount you will have to pay to send an email to Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook. There is no guarantee he will read it or that you will get a reply; but it is guaranteed to get into his inbox at Facebook.

Maybe he's short of loose change, who knows.

Maybe this will start a precedent whereby 'celebrities' will put a price on access to their inbox (and, of course, the higher the celebrity status, the more it might cost)! I'm sure we're not far from this scenario.

Friday 11 January 2013

Skype to replace MSN Messenger?

Yes, it's true. Messenger is being phased out and Skype will take its place. Not too surprising as Microsoft own Skype and they were both performing almost the same service. Of course, Skype also makes money and Messenger doesn't! Another good reason to dump Messenger.

So, if you get a message in your inbox telling you to switch from Messenger to Skype, it's not a scam, you'll be using Skype exclusively very soon.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

This is the start of our new blog. From time to time, we will inform our customers and other interested parties of developments within PC Partners and our opinions of all things IT.

In the meantime, don't forget to visit our website at http://www.pcpartners.uk.com/ for all the contact information and latest services/offers.