The recent release of patches from microsoft contains an update (MS13-036/KB 2823324) that may cause the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in some systems. Although the issue does not to be definite, nor widespread, Info Advantage has received several support calls that have been attributed to this particulare update.

Here is the link to the Microsft support page:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2823324

As the Northeast braces for the impact of Hurricane Sandy, we at Info Advantage want to reiterate some basic technology practices for protecting your business in light of a disaster.

Plan - In an ideal world, every business would have a complete disaster recovery plan in place and tested to make sure the business is prepared to run despite loss of power, computers, people or access to the office. The reality is, we know that most businesses have just a fraction of a complete disaster recovery plan implemented, if anything at all.

Backup - It is ALWAYS advised to utilize some form of backup system. Keeping a back up of your critical data using tape, thumb drive, hard drive or an off-site backup service is paramount to protecting your assets in the event of a disaster. In many cases, a good backup plan will include many of these solutions for redundancy!

Test - Backing up your data is not enough!  We can't tell you how many times we have been called in to a situation where a company had been backing up their data for years only to find out that there was an issue and they could not restore when they really needed to.  Periodic tests of restoring your backups is critical to ensure that you can recover in times of crisis! Be sure to back up and restore your data frequently!

Passwords - Many people rely on their PC to remember their usernames and passwords. Make sure to memorize or record all critical passwords - including the password to access your e-mail through webmail.

System Lockdown - Before leaving, be sure to have all of your computers password-protected and locked down or off. This will help keep unwanted visitors from accessing your data.

Use a UPS - Storm or no storm, you should plug your computer and monitor into a UPS to guard against electricity strikes and potential loss of power. A UPS can give you enough time to properly shut down your PC when a storm threatens. 

Surge Protectors - Ensure all critical equipment is protected via surge protectors. If this is not possible, turn off electrical appliances and equipment (except for refrigeration equipment) in case there is a power surge.

Unplug - In the case of inclement natural situations, it is recommended to unplug your servers, computers, and other gadgets if plausible. It is also recommended to move them from the floor and away from the windows.

Pictures - Any insurance agent will recommend that you take pictures or make a video of your business establishment (including your servers and computers) BEFORE a storm hits. This will help if an insurance claim is necessary.

This new era of corporate computing called BYOD: Bring Your Own Device is both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. With the explosion of mobile devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets and iPads, business owners and managers want to make it easy for employees to use this technology yet this also opens considerable risks the corporate infrastructure. Thus begs the question: How do you manage the mobile devices in your workplace?

Info Advantage has assisted many clients with this exact question.  Here are a couple of leading solutions to help you manage your mobile infrastructure:

Good for Enterprise™

Multi-Platform Support: iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone for Enterprise

An enterprise mobility strategy often involves multiple target devices over various networks and carriers. Good for Enterprise supports a wide range of industry-leading devices across platforms such as Apple iOS (including iPhone and iPad), Android, Windows Phone, Windows Mobile, Symbian, PalmOS and devices from HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, and Samsung. As a part of the strategy of embracing employee-owned devices, supporting so many platforms and carriers helps reduce mobility costs.

• Mobile Device Security -Good's solution secures enterprise data and protects against potential enterprise data loss. With an advanced end-to-end 192-bit AES encryption and FIPS certification, Good promises secure access to enterprise data and applications, both over the air and on smart devices.
• Remote Mobile Device Management - Easy-to-use, comprehensive, Web-based device management tools include over the air controls, granular and consistent policy enforcement, and end-to-end visibility for troubleshooting and support.
• Mobile Collaboration -Secure access to email, contacts, calendar, Intranet, PIM, Web-based apps and more.

Contact your Info Advantage representative if you would like more information on how to manage your mobile infrastructure. (585) 254-8710

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion

Easily manage and secure mobile device deployments

BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion helps make managing mobile devices faster, easier and more organized than ever before. From a single, web-based interface, provision, audit and protect mobile devices, including BlackBerry smartphones1, BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets and devices that use iOS®2 and Android™3 operating systems. This unified approach helps provide secure mobile access to work email and data in a cost-effective way.

• Manage devices, users, groups and policies from a single place
• Manage required and optional work applications
• Supports BlackBerry Balance technology for BlackBerry devices
• Manage and secure BlackBerry PlayBook tablets
• Support for devices that use iOS and Android operating systems
• Security designed for everyone

Contact your Info Advantage representative if you would like more information on how to manage your mobile infrastructure. (585) 254-8710

HP Z1 Workstation

Introducing Power Without the tower.

Introducing the HP Z1, the world’s first all-in-one workstation with a 27” (diagonal) display that snaps open to let you swap out parts and make upgrades. No tools required.¹ Expected to ship April 2012.

Starting at: $1899*

No compromises were made on the Z1 — it combines the capabilities of a workstation with the elegance of an all-in-one to meet the demanding visualization and computing needs of our customers.

Open Possibility.

Experience the simplicity of all-in-one design with the HP Z1 Workstation. Easily add a hard drive, upgrade memory, or access the graphics card by snapping it open. And enjoy the control of easily swapping out parts on your own. Enhance your work with the HD Webcam, SRS Premium Sound processing and whisper-quiet acoustics. And unleash your creativity on a workstation that’s worthy of it.

Workstation Performance Without Compromise.

Bring your ideas to life faster with the accelerated performance of the HP Z1 Workstation. The only all-in-one workstation with quad-core Intel® Xeon® processors^{2, 3}. Make renders faster and crashes a thing of the past with professional graphics and ECC memory. Experience the HP Z1 Workstation and stay one step ahead of your imagination.

High Performance Graphics. Incredible from Every Angle.

See your work more clearly on a 27" (diagonal) LED-backlit display that supports over a billion colors.⁴ With a wide, 178 degree viewing angle and an IPS panel, the HP Z1 Workstation display is professional any way you look at it. With equally professional NVIDIA Quadro graphics for blazing fast renders and performance, the HP Z1 gives you the time to be your creative best.

Build the Machine You Want to Drive.

Customize the HP Z1 Workstation the way you want to with a variety of I/O options, including USB 3.0 for blazing fast speeds and your choice of optical drives, like the slot-load Blu-ray Writer.⁶ Choose from a variety of storage types, including 7.2K and 10K SATA, SSD options, optional RAID configurations, optical drives and a media card reader.

The incredibly thin, super light addition to HP's line of products.

Get the best of both worlds with the HP Folio that combines the good looks that consumers want with the business features that professionals need, including up to 9 hours of battery life.

Best-in-class battery life

The HP Folio presents a sleek notebook with best-in-class battery life of up to 9 hours. The 6-cell Li-Ion (59WHr) battery allows this notebook to stay powered for a full day’s work.

Thin and light for mobile professionals

Boasting an eye-catching design at an amazing 0.70-inch (18 mm) thin and a starting weight of only 3.3 lb (1.50 kg), professionals will easily carry this notebook to meetings and on business trips. Work in dark planes and other low-light environments using the 13.3-inch diagonal HD, BrightView display and the backlit keyboard.

An Ultrabook™ truly built for business

Handle demanding business projects, thanks to the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5 dual-core processor3 and a 128 GB9 SSD. With Intel® Rapid Start Technology, your notebook automatically stores your most frequently used files and applications on a compact solid state drive so you can access them fast. Plus, the Windows® 7 Pro4 (64-bit) operating system is pre-installed on the HP Folio.

Built to protect

Security risks often increase with extensive travel. The HP Folio13 addresses this with a TPM Embedded Security Chip configuration and ownership capability. The result? The data on your PC is protected.

Built to last

A limited 1-year standard commercial warranty is available on the HP Folio or opt for the 3-year protection with optional Care Packs.

Connect to colleagues, accessories and the web

Whether you’re conferencing colleagues on the HP TrueVision HD2 webcam, listening to music or watching a video, you gain great sound with Dolby Advanced Audio™ v2.
Loaded with USB ports, an HDMI port, and a media card reader, you can share files and connect to HD displays without trading the laptop’s thin and light design. Stay connected to the web even if you're unable to connect via WLAN with the RJ-45 port that allows you to plug into the Ethernet.

Deliver Desktops Anywhere, Anytime Your Users Need Them

Give users the flexible access they demand while increasing IT's control over desktops, applications, and data. Use VMware View to simplify and centralize desktop management for reduced costs and easily meet regulatory guidelines and ensure all desktops and applications are up to date and in compliance. You'll reduce help-desk calls and will be able to provide higher levels of service to end users.

Mobility For Business

A modern mobile IT strategy is no longer an option, it is an absolute business necessity. Today's most productive employees are not tied to a desk, an office, or a location. They are mobile. And your company's IT strategy has to be ready to support them with easy, reliable, 24/7 access to the business information they need, from anywhere in the world, across a broad range of communication devices.

Information Access

Ease of data access across the enterprise is critical. Having this access published securely to employees, vendors, partners, distributors, and business associates ensures that key business information is readily available as day-to-day operations require such as:

• Email
• Calendars
• Contacts
• Business Applications (CRM, ERP, MRP, etc.)
• Business Documents (brochures, presentations, custom documents, reports, etc.)
  

Infrastructure

We are witness to the latest trend known as IT “consumerisation”. Specifically, this means that staff play a role in influencing what devices and services are used in companies by bringing in their own IT experience. For instance, employees who have a smartphone for private use want to be able to receive their work-related mails using the same mobile device. More and more employees are therefore approaching the IT departments about the possibility of integrating their own devices. Companies, for their part, are seizing the opportunity presented, often to save on hardware costs as well as looking for ways to make employees more productive and efficient. Therefore, today's modern business is seeing a tremendous influx of mobile devices in the workplace such as:

• iPads
• Ultrabooks
• Tablets
• Smartphones
• Laptops and notebooks

Management and Security

Integrating mobile devices and applications to the enterprise is a double-edged sword. One one side there is the benefit of increased productivity and accessibility. One the other side is the potential nightmare of managing the ever-growing tide of mobile devices and also increased security risk. To manage and protect your workplace, you need to consider several items:

• Mobility management: your organization must deploy mobility management solutions.  There is currently a wide array of options, both on premise and cloud based to help your organization manage and secure your employees’ mobile devices. 
• Endpoint protection:  your orgnaization must deploy an endpoint protection solution that covers the mobile devices in your infrastructure
• Mobility policy: your organization needs to have a mobility policy in place that outlines all the things your employees can and cannot do with their work connected mobile devices, regardless of who owns the device and regardless of where or when they are using the mobile device.