Posts Tagged ‘Clifton Park New York’
Friday, August 20th, 2010
Recently, a researcher demonstrated how he could impersonate a GSM cell tower at the Def Con Convention in Las Vegas. Chris Paget, a security professional created a device which impersonates GSM cell phone towers for about $1,500.00. Note: cell phone snooping is illegal and Chris took many precautions not to break the law.
The device impersonates AT&T cell phone towers, making Android and iPhones think they are connecting to a legitimate phone tower. The system can be configured enabling the call to be listened to. The device could also be configured to intercept calls.
As Verizon Wireless and Sprint use CDMA technology, their systems would not be affected by this vulnerability. While the hack will not work with 3G, it is possible to knock the 3G offline and then the hacking device would take over. The cost to build the equipment to knock 3G offline would be less than $1,000.00.
Even if a phone has the voice mode set for encryption, the hacking device could just turn it off. And depending on the phone, there may be no notice that encryption has been disabled.
Information provided by: HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in Clifton Park, New York.
Tags: 3G, AT&T, cellphones, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, GSM, iPhone, Las Vegas Nevada, mobile phone, Science and Technology, Verizon
Posted in Privacy, Security, Smartphones, cell phone | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
The short answer is yes; and most recently earlier this month. The software: Google Wave. If you haven’t heard about it don’t feel too badly as it never created the buzz Google was looking for.
About a year ago, Google came out with a product called Google Wave. It was touted as a real-time collaboration and communication system. Google Wave comprised all forms of Web 2.0 including; instant messaging, wikis, social media, chat, email, and more.
The issue is that Google Wave just hasn’t taken off. People have not taken to it the way they have with Facebook. Google will continue to provide the service until the end of the year. While Wave may be down for the count, there’s always another match not too far in the distance, and I can’t imagine Google giving up.
Information provided by: HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in Clifton Park, New York.
Tags: Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, Companies, Facebook, Google, Google Wave, Instant messaging, Search, search engine, Search Engines, Searching, Social media, Wiki
Posted in Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
In May we had decided to try a new software program and contracted with a well know, and well established company as we thought it would be quicker to deploy than take time from client projects to update the system we were currently using.
Within a week of making the decision and attempting to work with the company, it became apparent that this would not be a good fit as it took quite a while to get questions answered. And we were just at the beginning of the implementation phase. So I contacted the company to let them know we would not be proceeding.
I had put their system out of my mind until yesterday. That is when we received a call from the company regarding us terminating the relationship. This morning I returned the call and spoke with one of their representatives. She asked why we decided not to continue with the software. I said this is a perfect example of why we stopped; we canceled in May and it is now almost August and we are just receiving a call asking us why.
I then stated if we were in a situation where a client no longer wished to do business with us we would be on the phone with them in the afternoon, or tomorrow at the latest.
Exceptional customer service needs to be a core believe from the top down and permeate throughout the organization. Everyone who comes into contact with clients or customers needs to be empowered to do whatever is necessary to make sure that clients and customers are completely satisfied.
This latest interaction with such a large company provides our computer networking and repair; and website development companies, with a good example of what not to emulate. We can always learn.
Tags: Business, Business Services, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, Consulting, Customer Management, Customer service, Education and Training, Environmental Working Group, Industry-Specific, OpenSource, Question, Retailers, Small business, United States, Website
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
Earlier today a client from Clifton Park called in concerning an email message they did not send. When we connected with their desktop we discovered a new spam message disguised to look legitimate.
The email comes from Mail Delivery and shows Subsystem Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
The email contains an attachment which holds the payload. The attachment is called Forwarded Message.html
The body of the email message is as follows, (we substituted the email address):
Note: Forwarded message is attached.
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification
THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY.
Delivery to the following recipient has been delayed:
name@domain.com
Message will be retried for 2 more day(s)
If you get a message like this, delete it.
Tags: Bounce message, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, E-mail address, E-mail spam, email, Mail, Shareware, Spam, Windows
Posted in Security | No Comments »
Monday, June 14th, 2010
Recently I had a conversation with an executive from Clifton Park, NY. She was relating her frustrations about how there were so many obligations vying for her time. She then went on to say how much time she was spending on email.
This business owner spends a substantial amount of time out of the office and communication with her staff is vitally important.
After listening for a while I suggested a solution which would save her about 30 minutes per day. I informed her the change would be seamless and would not require any additional technical time per month.
At first she didn’t want to increase her monthly costs and was reluctant to make the move. When she realized it amounted to only a few dollars per day, she decided to go ahead.
I spoke with her recently and she is very happy with her decision. While it hasn’t eliminated all her frustrations, it has dramatically reduced them.
Tags: Business, Business Services, Clifton Park, Clifton Park New York, Communication, Corporation, email, Managing email, New York, Shareware, Supplies and Equipment, Time, Windows
Posted in Business, Life Management, email | No Comments »
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to re-connect with a client whom I haven’t spoken to in several months.
Because we are located in Clifton Park, NY and they are in Syracuse, NY, the majority of the computer and network support we do for them is via our remote systems.
It must be over 15 years ago when I met these people. They are two brothers who own a large repair facility. We installed a program called GarageKeeper to help them run their business.
While we have upgraded equipment for them several times, the software hasn’t been changed since 2000. Many would think they are using an out dated program, but the reliability of the system is incredible. As the Timex commercial use to say, “it takes a licking and keeps on ticking”. So it is with the GarageKeeper program.
One of the owners is retired and the owner of daughter has taken her uncle’s place. They are some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.
I feel very fortunate that many of the people who I met many years ago, I still serve.
Tags: Business, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, Computer, Environment, Garage Keeper, GarageKeeper, New York, Syracuse New York, United States, Waterford
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Last night most of us went to see Iron man 2. The movie was very enjoyable and worth the price.
Being computer guys, it was great seeing all the technology used in the film. Now if we could only have some of that in real life.
We saw it at the Bow Tie Cinemas in Schenectady as that is fairly close to our office in Clifton Park. The theater also does not bombard viewers with commercials. The screen and sound quality are also exceptional.
The staff at Bow Tie Movieland 6 was very pleasant and held some of our tickets at the front counter for those who weren’t able to make it to the theater early.
Tags: Arts, Clifton Park, Clifton Park New York, Film, Iron Man, Movies, New York, Schenectady New York, Technology, Theaters, United States
Posted in Life Management | No Comments »
Friday, May 7th, 2010
Yesterday (as today) was beautiful in Clifton Park and Saratoga County, New York, with temperatures in the mid 60’s and sunshine.
We just completed a new website (www.SaratogaCityCenter.org) for one of our clients, the Saratoga Springs City Center. As this required providing them with training on their new CMS (Content Management System), and I didn’t want to be late, I called and asked if they minded if Toby, my Miniature Schnauzer could accompany me. It was, and he was a big hit.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Saratoga City Center provides meeting space in the heart of Saratoga Springs, NY. Some of the businesses and organizations which utilize the City Center are the Saratoga Economic Development Corp. for their Annual Dinner, the Saratoga Springs High School Junior / Senior Prom, YFC’s Excel and Break-Out, Curtis Lumber for their Annual Contractor Show.
During training, there were a few items which the City Center staff asked about changing. Their requests were passed to one of our web developers, who was able to make the majority of the changes while I was still on-site.
What a fantastic way to end the day. Working with great clients, and a sunny ride home with my dog in the back.
Tags: Clifton Park, Clifton Park New York, Counties, Miniature Schnauzer, New York, New York City, Saratoga, Saratoga City Center, Saratoga County, Saratoga County New York, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs New York, United States
Posted in CRM, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, April 9th, 2010
During the past week I had the opportunity to take a couple of out of town trips and decided to use my BlackBerry Storm 2 for my GPS.
In preparation I ordered an Amzer Gooseneck vehicle mount. The suction cup on this bracket is extremely strong and placing the Storm in it easy and is held very securely. Attachment of the power cord is also convenient.
There are several areas within the Town of Clifton Park, New York which have very poor cellular reception. Even in portions of the Town which are weak, the Garmin never lost reception.
Over the past years I tested GPS software from Verizon Wireless, Telenav and Garmin. There are pros and cons to each. The system I settled on is the Garmin for BlackBerry. While it may not have some features of the VZ Navigator or Telenav, there is a one-time cost of about $90.00 vs. $10.00 per month for the others. The Garmin has been precise and has acquired a satellite signal 100% of the time. Additionally, the directions have been accurate, something I can’t say for the VZ Navigator.
My vehicle is equipped with Sync, which works exceptionally well. While making and receiving calls changes the screen from navigation to phone, it is easy to get the navigation screen on, while still talking on the phone. The only time an incoming call created an issue, was when the unit had been on for over an hour with no input. When the system reverted back to the navigation screen after the call was completed, the phone went into lock mode as that is the default I have setup. If the call had not come in, the navigation would have continued to work even without any input to the screen.
For those seeking a one device solution while traveling, the BlackBerry Storm 2 with Garmin software loaded is an effective solution.
Tags: BlackBerry, BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Storm 2, Clifton Park, Clifton Park New York, Garmin, Global Positioning System, GPS, Navigation, Smartphone, TeleNav, Verizon Wireless
Posted in BlackBerry, Smartphones, Technology | 1 Comment »
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