internet Archives - A Million Lives

June 26, 2019 by Greg Underwood

Choosing the Best Broadband Package: What You Need to Know

Most of us take modern technological marvels such as Internet connectivity for granted. We assume that pages will load correctly, that downloads will not be interrupted and that streaming HD videos will not present an issue. This is due in no small part to the fact that broadband connectivity is faster than ever before. However, choosing the right type of contract is important if you hope to save time as well as money. What are a handful of top tips to keep in mind and are there any worthwhile suggestions to embrace during the selection process? Let us take a closer look.

Determining the Appropriate Contract Length

The first metric to determine involves the length of the contract in question. From a very general perspective, terms can range anywhere between 12 and 24 months. Keep this in mind, as cancelling a subscription early will normally result in termination fees. If you are planning to relocate to a different home or apartment in the not-so-distant future, it may be wise to select a contract length that will not present a problem during such a transition. In the same respect, determine whether or not your monthly fees will increase when the contract is eventually renewed.

Data Allowance

Most providers will offer so-called “unlimited” broadband contracts. In other words, there is no cap in regards to your monthly data allowance. It should nonetheless be mentioned that some firms are still associated with specific thresholds. While this might not be important if you utilise the Internet sparingly, it is extremely relevant for those who regularly stream high-definition videos or share large files with friends and family members. In the event that such a limit is exceeded, you will incur sizeable monthly usage charges. It is therefore always best to choose an uncapped plan.

Initial Installation Fees and Warranties

Some providers will charge you an up-front service fee when installing physical hardware such as cables and wireless routers. While this is not normally a massive amount, it is still important to know whether such fees are able to be deducted from your first monthly bill.

It is just as prudent to examine the type of warranty associated with these physical devices. For instance, will you be provided with a new router in the event that it accidentally falls off of a shelf? Should a new model become available, can you obtain an upgrade without incurring additional charges? If these questions are not clear within the terms and conditions, it is best to contact a customer service representative. This brings us to the next point.

All About Word of Mouth

It is always critical to appreciate what others have to say about the broadband provider in question. Never rely solely upon the claims of the official website (remember that they are attempting to market a product). It is much wiser to compare and contrast different offers with the help of third-party review sites such as Broadband Choices. You can also visit online forums and similarly objective sources in order to determine what previous and current customers have to say about their personal experiences. If you find that the company has received a consistent amount of negative feedback, it is best to look elsewhere.

Whether referring to monthly usage limitations, wireless connectivity or the available customer service options, taking these factors into account is the best way to make a sound decision when the time is right. The good news is that there are many reputable providers, so finding one which suits your needs is normally quite easy.

July 31, 2018 by Greg Underwood

What Exactly Is Anti-Spam Software?

Spam is something every single email user in the world hates. Receiving unwanted and unsolicited email is so often forcing people to lose hundreds of hours every single week because of how much time is necessary to navigate through tons of spam mails. Spam is often referred to with different names, like “unsolicited email”, “excessive multi-posting”, “junk mail”, “spam mail” and “unsolicited bulk mail”. Email makes us communicate really fast and information is so easy to access through just a simple desktop PC.

According to Steven Scott, Bayesian specialist, around 75% of email people receive is spam. The only reason why it does not seem like that is that most programs you will use to access email have some sort of anti-spam filter installed. This is basically software that is necessary for absolutely all personal and business computer users in the world.

Anti-spam software basically detects spam. The program will detect all unsolicited email and the email that is unwanted. It then prevents the spam message to reach the inbox. In many cases anti-spam software is basically installed straight in mail servers. This helps much more than having such software installed on your computer. Filtering is automatically added and configured based on specific criteria. For instance, one of the really common ways to identify spam email is to see what words are used in subject lines. There are specific words that are often used in spam mails.

The filter that is installed on the server can be really strict or more permissive. It has many interesting features that you can learn more about by simply browsing the configuration page of the web email version you use.

In the past few years the anti-spam filters became much more sophisticated. Their accuracy is higher than they ever use. The genuine emails are not trashed. Sometimes they can be identified as being spam but after you acknowledge this is not the case, following similar emails are not going to receive the same label. Basically, modern anti-spam filters actually manage to learn from your behavior. They adapt and realize what spam messages are thanks to the input you give them and how you interact with the email you receive.

We can say that anti-spam software is now a huge part of computer security. It reduces the possibility that you are going to receive unsolicited emails while increasing the possibility that emails you receive are actually legit. If you want to install or use such software, there are some features that you should be on the lookout for, like:

Blocking emails with the use of preset filters and lists. This blocks some addresses while watching messages and subject lines.
Automatically updating filters.
Puts the acceptable emails into the safe list automatically.
Isolate spam from outside the inbox.
Filters and monitors many email accounts.
Acceptable emails automatically added to a safety list.

To sum up, anti-spam filters are mandatory for the modern computer user. Without them you will end up overwhelmed by spam messages and you will not be able to use your email address.

June 8, 2018 by Greg Underwood

The fundamentals of cybersecurity

Both individuals and companies, face significant threats to their data, systems and networks on a daily basis. If you’re interested in learning about cybersecurity and how individuals and companies can take precautions in order to safeguard their data, systems and networks, simply continue reading to discover the basics of cybersecurity from James Scott ICIT.

What is cybersecurity? Simply put cybersecurity is the protection of digital data and systems from unauthorized individuals and dangerous programs such as spyware and malware.

Tips on protecting your data, systems and networks:

Consider hiring the services of a professional cybersecurity company

If your knowledge on cybersecurity is limited, it’s definitely well worth considering hiring the services of a reputable, highly rated cybersecurity company, who’ll be able to ensure that your data, systems

and networks are all protected from the very real threats of hackers and malicious programs. The latter of which are designed to falsely gain access to your files and systems, without your expressed permission.

Keep in mind that your digital security budget should reflect the sensitivity level of your data and systems. As an example, in general an everyday individual will require less expensive security measures than an entrepreneur who wants to protect their fledgling business’ website from getting hacked from a dangerous third party.

Make sure that all of your important data is backed up

In this day and age you’d be surprised by the percentage of individuals and business owners who fail to adequately back up all of their important data. Options to back up your data include investing in

professional grade hard drives and signing up to a cloud based service. The latter of which you could use to quickly and effortlessly transfer your new data on a daily or weekly basis!

Just be careful to choose a reputable, secure cloud service which is unlikely to be hacked and to refrain from storing sensitive data such as financial data on a cloud based storage service.

Consider using encryption software in order to protect sensitive information

One simple, effective way to protect highly classified, sensitive information is to use

encryption software in order to ensure that all of your sensitive information is unreadable, if it ever becomes hacked by a third party. If you’re unsure of how to go about downloading trustworthy encryption software, it’s well worth talking to a cybersecurity expert, who’ll be able to guide you the process of using encryption software as part of your long term digital security plan.

Make sure that your website has a firewall in place

If you have a personal website or you’re the owner of a business which has a professional website, it’s well worth having a cybersecurity specialist install a firewall, which will significantly decrease your

chances of your website being hacked.

Hopefully after reading the above article on the fundamentals of cybersecurity, you should have a clear understanding of exactly what cybersecurity is and how it can be effectively used in order to protect individuals and businesses digital data, systems and programs. As if you don’t have a cybersecurity program in place, your information will be highly susceptible to being hacked!

May 29, 2018 by Greg Underwood

Review of useful sites

These days the internet can be a weird but wonderful thing especially with the ability to build and use websites that cover just about every facet of human existence. Whether you want to challenge yourself on quiz sites, play online games on casino sites, or just want to check that something is the truth in our world of readily available and shared ‘fake news’, websites have come a long way and now provide a whole multitude of services. Here are a few of our favourites that you may or may not have heard about.

Tin Eye

Ever see a photo circulating social media that depicts something that is being passed off as something else? This happens a lot these days where an old photo makes the rounds on the premise that it’s from a new event, usually created by groups of people who have a vested interest in whipping the masses up into a frenzy over something. Simply pop the photo into the reverse search site, and bingo – you get the original source, and the original story.

Snopes

Another great site to help you get the 411 on that viral post that seems to have everyone’s backs up. Snopes works as a line of defense in terms of checking out the validity of both rumours and purported news stories. While Snopes has the occasional blip where it gets something wrong or only partially right, one thing is for certain – it really helps separate the chaff from the wheat in terms of news and rumours you can and cannot trust.

Casino Billions

If you’re a fan of online betting or gambling in any way, or you’re thinking that you might like to get started, look no further than Casino Billions. With so many casino sites on the web these days, Casino Billions makes getting used to the way different games work in different locations super easy and prepares you for what to expect. They tell you all about payment methods, useful apps, tips and tricks and generally about the games themselves. With Casino Billions as well, you can check out games throughout the world as they operate in a number of countries to help introduce you to the concept of gaming online.

Sporcle

Sporcle is great for those brief times when you find you have a few spare moments but not enough to truly get into something new. Sporcle is home to numerous types of quizzes from TV show and film trivia to world map quizzes, and all sorts of other challenges and games to play. Check out their huge database see if you can get the high scores or quickest times. The best way to spend a few minutes waiting for a friend or a bus.

So there you have a couple of great sites that are way more useful than you might think. So what are you waiting for? Check them out today!

February 12, 2018 by Greg Underwood

Keep up to date with Internet Security

Internet security is becoming more and more important, as cybercriminals find ever-more ingenious ways to access our data and accounts. You may think you are already protected, but as threats change over time, so does the recommendations on the best way to stay secure, so it’s worth checking you are doing everything you can to keep yourself safe online.

Stop anyone getting in

Anti-virus software is still essential for basic security. It may not be a guarantee against attacks, but it will deal with any existing malware and virus threats and will take care of pretty much everything for you, with only the newest and most ingenious codes getting past your defenses. Password security is another oldie, but goodie, and the more complex and unpredictable your password is the harder it will be to crack. Websites are increasingly requiring better passwords with longer strings of characters containing upper and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. If you are hopeless at remembering passwords, use a password manager service rather than writing your security information down. You can also use lock-down security measures like two-step authentication, where the website you are accessing sends you a code via your cell phone that you must enter onto the screen. The technology for this is evolving too, with external key devices and pre-set cell phone key authentication methods now available. Biometrics are finally starting to make their presence felt, and are a sound way to stop anyone except yourself accessing your devices.

Use smart systems

Make sure your software is up to date so that any security upgrades are active. Software companies release patches or new versions of their programs as soon as they can combat a new threat, so you need to update your system to protect yourself fully. New security threats are proving more difficult to detect as the malware is using familiar code to bypass the anti-virus software, so don’t take any chances – apply your patch as soon as you get it. Proxy servers can be useful in certain situations, for example, you can set them to block known malicious sites and provide encryption services, particularly useful for businesses. Using a proxy can also keep your IP address and location private, making your Internet use more anonymous. You can find out about proxy servers at tech specialist sites like White Summary, but make sure using a proxy is right for your circumstances as they do have their own pitfalls.

Keep up to date on security developments and be aware of new threats to your system and how they are transmitted. Backing-up your files may be boring, but it is essential. A few minutes taking care of this every day could mean you will avoid the possibility of losing everything on your hard drive, should you suffer an attack. Ransomware is being more widely used, where the criminal takes control of your computer system remotely and threatens to delete all your files unless your transfer money to them. If everything is backed up, you do not need to worry, as their threat is pointless – even if they wipe the computer you have all the files on a remote hard drive or secure cloud storage so that you can restore everything very easily.

January 24, 2018 by Greg Underwood

Five Reasons Why Your Business Needs Server Monitoring

Sometimes, things in the IT world don’t work perfectly. Servers can experience downtime and not work the way that they are supposed to. This can affect your business badly as your customers will not be able to visit your website or access the information that they need. Even worse is when you don’t realise that your server is down, and due to this, it stays down for a long time.

Server monitoring is a service that checks the functionality of your server, ensuring that there is minimum downtime. These are the ways that your business will benefit from server monitoring.

1. It makes your network more reliable

When your system goes down, you need it to go back online as quickly as possible. If the system goes back online very quickly, it will seem more reliable to your customers. Server monitoring allows you to detect any issues before the customers even realise it. This way, you can make the business, and the network feel very reliable and trust-worthy for the customer.

2. Monitor your servers anytime and anyplace

With server monitoring, you can connect to the servers whenever you need to. This way, you have access to any information that you need, even if it is 4 am in the morning, and you are on the other side of the world. Server monitoring alerts will also notify you of any issues, so that you can fix them as soon as they pop up, no matter where you are.

3. Server hosting and server monitoring

If your business doesn’t have its own servers, but has a host server, then you should check if it also includes server monitoring. Most commonly, it does. Server hosting is a good idea when your business doesn’t have the revenue yet to buy its own servers. Server hosting that includes server monitoring is called managed hosting, and it provides you with server monitoring, security, full back-up, and storage.

4. It will save your business money

When systems fail, and you have downtime, you are losing money for the business. Without server monitoring, you might need to pay your employees overtime, if the system fails out of office hours. For every hour that the server is down, the cost of fixing the servers is increasing and you are not making money from customers. As a result, the losses can be huge. This can be prevented by server monitoring.

5. Better troubleshooting possibilities

When your servers are being monitored, they are constantly being checked if they are working. Every check is logged, and every issue is recorded with the date, the time, and the type of error. This way you will be able to look up issues from the past, find the trends, and prevent problems from occurring in the future.

Server monitoring is important for the reliability of your servers and for the overall satisfaction of your customer. It also allows you to troubleshoot more efficiently, and allows you to retrieve information, no matter where you are. Server monitoring is a good way to ensure that everything is working fine.

January 19, 2018 by Greg Underwood

The Good and the Bad of Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing

Source

Nowadays, businesses rely on digital marketing campaigns to get their products and services out in the market. One of these successful marketing campaigns is called pay per click or PPC, which is a popular way of advertising across different platforms, whether that’s through search engines, web pages, or within applications.

If you’re interested in performing a PPC marketing campaign, then here are a few things you need to know. Here are the pros and cons of PPC:

PPC Marketing Pros

PPC usually comes with remarketing.

Remarketing or retargeting is a digital marketing strategy that uses the information of your website’s past visitors in order to show them your ads when they browse the web. This is how remarketing works. When a user visits your website, they get tagged based on the categories that you set up, so that when they perform a similar search online, your ads will appear as sponsored links on the search engine or as banner ads, whenever they visit a different website. Remarketing actually drives up customer/audience retention.

PPC is more effective than SEO.

Search engine optimization (SEO) heavily relies on keywords to target users. However, it is not as accurate as pay per click in terms of the amount you pay as the advertiser. With SEO, you likely have to pay a monthly subscription fee, whereas PPC only charges you with a certain amount when a person clicks on your ads. Hence, the term “pay per click”. At the same time, the return on investment on a PPC marketing campaign is usually bigger than that of SEO. Because only people with real interest in your products and services will likely click on your links, there’s a higher chance that their clicks will get turned into actual sales.

PPC Marketing Cons

PPC is not beginner-friendly.

Pay per click can be a bit complicated because it requires a lot of technical knowledge about digital marketing. If you decide to release this type of marketing campaign, you may want to consider hiring a pay per click agency to help you with the complex stuff. A pay per click agency will guide you through the technical side of digital marketing, so that you can allot your budget in a way that maximizes results.

PPC comes at a cost.

For small businesses that are only starting to learn about digital marketing, they may get discouraged with the costs that come with a pay per click marketing campaign, even though it is comparatively cheaper than other forms of digital marketing. Aside from hiring a pay per click agency, there are other costs that you need to consider. Competitors may even drive up the cost of your campaign by deliberately clicking on your ads—this means that each click will not be translated to an actual sale. Therefore, even though a pay per click agency will come at a cost, it is smart to hire one, so that you have someone who knows how to strategize, given the current market competition.

With any business decision, you need to consider the pros and cons. While PPC isn’t all good, it’s clear that the good outweighs the bad. For new businesses, this may be a good way to start a digital campaign.

marketing campaign.

December 14, 2017 by Greg Underwood

How Net Neutrality Affects Small Businesses

The FCC has caused a major stir in the internet community by announcing rollbacks to net neutrality rules. Net neutrality in simple terms means that internet service providers should not create “fast lanes” for websites that pay for such. The main idea behind the concept of net neutrality is that ISPs should ensure equal access to all websites that are online.

What Does it Mean if Current Net Neutrality Rules are Rolled Back?

Rolling back net neutrality rules as the current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has suggested would allow certain cable companies to limit speeds for particular websites or online content. For example, Comcast or Verizon could demand that only websites that pay a certain fee can load in under 3 seconds on user’s browsers. This type of data capping was prohibited under the Common Carrier law established under the Obama administration. Pai has advocated for allowing ISPs to control site load speed as they like. So how does net neutrality rules affect small businesses? Read below to find out.

Small Businesses May have to Suffer Slow Loading Sites

If such fast or slow lanes were created for sites and content, then small businesses would be immensely impacted. For example, an ISP could demand websites to pay $10,000 (theoretically) to make sure the mobile version of the site loads in under 2 seconds. Businesses know the importance of site speed for customer retention. Mobile site speeds are especially important because it affects SEO as well. If the small business is unable to pay this fee, then the company will end up with slow loading pages. That’s as good as killing digital business, explains experts with the consultancy firm Corporate Business Solutions.

Small Businesses May Lose Level Playing Ground if Net Neutrality Rules are Eliminated

Now let’s consider who can pay that $10,000 fee for fast loading websites. That would be the biggest brand names with major capital. For example, Amazon can pay that fee and make sure the famous e-store is easily accessible to all customers, while a small, local specialty e-store may struggle to pay the insane fees. This essentially means that small businesses would lose out to big players.

The advent of e-commerce essentially leveled the playing ground between big retail brands and smaller companies. E-commerce platforms don’t charge shelf fees. Therefore, many small businesses were able to find niche audiences online without stifling fees. Rolling back net neutrality rules would mean that small businesses lose this advantage. It would fundamentally change how the internet works in a manner that negatively affects small businesses.

In essence, eliminating net neutrality rules would be catastrophic to most small businesses. It would particularly affect brands that sell products through gadgets and smartphones. It would affect both sales and marketing efforts as well. If net neutrality rules are rolled back, businesses should get ready to do commerce in an uneven field where companies with money have better access to customers. Small business owners can still get politically active and stop the rollback. In case it goes through, companies should prepare for the worst with the help of professionals like CBS consultants.

November 28, 2017 by Greg Underwood

Secure Channels Inc. on Computer Hacking Methods and How You Can Stop Them

It is very important that you fully protect your computer against viruses, hackers, and all other types of damage. This is why Secure Channels Inc. has developed a number of effective security solutions for individuals and businesses alike. The company believes in increasing the knowledge of their customers, however, which is why they have released new information on the different dangers you can face online and how to protect yourself from them.

Secure Channels Inc. on the Importance of Effective Security Solutions

If you have an electronic device and it is online, then you have to properly protect it. The amount of personal data that is stored on each of these devices, whether you realize it or not, is vast and it is also very valuable. Hackers would love to get their hands on it, sharing your company’s secrets or taking your banking information to steal all your money. Different attacks do different things, however, which is why Secure Channels Inc. has listed some of the most common ones.

Denial of Service (DoS) Attack

With a DoS attack, a hacker will send a huge burst of traffic to a website in one go, effectively choking it and stopping it from working. DoS attacks used to be highly complex, but you can now download software to enable you to do it with just a few easy steps. Some people hold websites ransom through “ransomware”, which was seen earlier in the year, and this is particularly dangerous.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Attack

Recently, the SNMP interface was used for a DDoS (distributed DoS) attack. The attack focused on a variety of different industries across this country and China in particular. It was completed by the hacker group “Team Poison”, and they have been able to continue with this for some time. However, anti-hack software is in the pipelines to stop this.

SYN/AWK Attacks

These attacks are similar to DoS attacks, but more complex. This is because more efficient security solutions have been put in place to prevent DoS. Unfortunately, the world of online threats is a cat and mouse game with no end in sight.

USB Auto-Run Attacks

If there is an .exe file on a USB stick, Windows will run it by default. This means that, if the .exe file is a virus, it will run straight away as well. If you have a good antivirus program in place, however, you should be able to prevent this.

Other Attacks

There are numerous other possible attacks, including:

Remote connections.
Microsoft program inventory.

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to have a system that is truly 100% secure. Every time a security patch is developed, hackers find a new way to get in. This is why the most effective security solutions are those that continuously update. You do have to take personal responsibility, however, for making sure that you put these types of solutions in place. If not, your computer and devices will essentially be like homes with the doors and windows wide open.