Online Business Peace of Mind

Home
>
Business Management
>
Online Business Peace of Mind

Online Business Peace of Mind

Is your online business disaster-proof? Online businesses face a unique set of challenges. Unlike our offline counterparts, we must worry about hackers, credit-card fraud, loss of data, virus attacks, websites going down and more.

The good news? You can fix most of these problems in under ten minutes each!

The freedom of owning your own business comes with a price. That price often means taking care of the 'little things' that were provided us in our 'employee' days.

One challenge we face is being ultimately responsible for everything. If we miss doing a task, it goes undone. That can spell danger when it comes to those important, yet not urgent, tasks that protect us when things go wrong.

To help you, I've developed a small-business peace of mind checklist. Taking even one afternoon to tend to these tasks can pay off in big dividends should disaster strike.

Whether you own your own business or just use the Internet for email, everyone who uses a computer will benefit from these three simple steps.

1. Keep Your Virus Scan Up to Date The stories are legion. We simply intended to download a tool that would help us be more productive and ended up with the 'worm of the month'. Now our tech friends tell us that a hard-drive format is the only cure and we will lose all our data.

In today's online environment, it has never been easier to become infected. Email, file downloads, always-on high-speed connections and more expose us to the unfortunate truth that very bad people are out there waiting to steal and destroy our data.

The good news is that it has never been easier to protect yourself than it is today. Open up your favorite search engine and type in 'free virus scan' and you will find a buffet of safety at your fingertips. Three clicks later and your entire computer is protected.

INSIDER TIP: Once you install your virus scanner, be sure to set up the automatic options to allow it to download new virus 'signatures' as often as they are available. These 'signatures' or 'definitions' are the files your scanner will use to recognize the bugs that attack your data.

2. Make Regular Backups

This is one we all know we should do. I've never spoken to a person who did not understand the importance of regularly backing up important data. Equally true, only 10 percent of the people I speak with have backed up anything in the last 30 days! Have you?

In this area too there is very good news. While backing up your important files used to be a tedious and cumbersome job, today's technology makes it easier than ever. Almost every newer computer comes with a CD burner. Today, CDs are cheap and hold about 650 MB of data. These are great for backup.

INSIDER TIP: Although CDs are convenient; it's vital that you have an offsite backup plan in place. What this means is that you must store your backup files in a location away from your computer. The last thing you want is to make great backups only to have them destroyed by the same fire or flood that wipes out you PC.

The good news here is that you can get a secure, online backup solution for literally pennies a day. The advantage is that with one download you can restore an entire computer no matter where you are physically located. Cheap and convenient, this is the wave of the future in backup.

3. Install a Firewall

Long thought to be only for geeks, firewalls have become a must- have for computer users everywhere. Firewalls are simply programs that stand as a guard between you and those who would try to invade your computer through your Internet connection.

As with backups, firewalls can be online services or software you install on your computer.

As people get what are called 'broadband' connections (DSL, satellite and cable connections to the Internet) we see more computers being left on all the time or connected to the Net while idle for long periods of time. It is during these idle times that your computer is particularly vulnerable.

Online thieves today not only want to sneak a peek at your computer files (do you use Quicken by chance?) but also can actually use your computer to send unwanted messages or put a virus on your computer. A firewall will protect you from these evildoers.

Today's computing environment is fast and fun. You can make it safe with very little effort. In one afternoon, you can complete our peace-of-mind checklist and be safe and secure.

If you work at home, or run a business using your computer, it is especially important to protect your files from theft or loss due to unforeseen events.

A little time invested on our checklist today will mean years of happy, worry free computing for you and your family. Make time today to ensure that you have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are safe when you surf.

*****

Phil Jones helps computer users have the peace of mind that only a secure, online backup can provide. What would you do if you lost all of your data today? With Safe Harbor Data, you can restore your entire computer with one download! Amazingly affordable and effective, Safe Harbor protects your data with state-of-the-art encryption. Whether you run an online business, work from home, use your computer for online banking, school or more, your data isn't safe until it is backed up and stored in a safe place away from your home or office. Get the peace of mind that comes with secure, online backup today for only pennies each day. http://www.online-remote-data-backup.com

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Key panel recommends impeaching Ill. governor (AP)

AP - A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.

Cheney: CIA did nothing illegal in interrogations (AP)

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday that he sees no reason for President George W. Bush to pre-emptively pardon anyone at the CIA involved in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. "I don't have any reason to believe that anybody in the agency did anything illegal," he said.

UN halts Gaza aid as deal OK'd on truce resolution (AP)

AP - The U.N. suspended food deliveries to Gaza and the Red Cross accused Israel of blocking medical assistance after forces fired on aid workers, killing two, as the threat of a wider conflict emerged with Lebanon. With violence unabated in Gaza, key Arab nations and Western powers reached an agreement Thursday on a proposed U.N. resolution calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between the two sides and moved for a vote late Thursday night.

Democrats criticize Obama's proposed tax cuts (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.

Madoff 'victims' do math, realize they profited (AP)

AP - The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary.

Petraeus: Afghan, Pakistan problems are really one (AP)

AP - U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.

Fatal police shooting sparks violent protests (AP)

AP - In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back then looks up.

Court papers: Gotti neighbor was dissolved in acid (AP)

AP - It is perhaps the most intriguing unsolved mystery from the gaudy gangland career of John Gotti: Whatever happened to the neighbor who accidentally ran over and killed the mobster's 12-year-old son and then vanished?

Man flees courtroom before verdict, gets 6 months (AP)

AP - A Wise County man who would have been on probation for his drug conviction will now have to spend six months in jail all because he fled before hearing the verdict and was captured after a high-speech chase through three counties.

Florida, Oklahoma play for college football crown (AP)

AP - The Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators meet tonight for the BCS championship. It's a matchup that includes a pair of Heisman Trophy winners, an SEC vs. Big 12 debate and more than its share of trash talk.

Israel faces criticism as Gaza toll hits 765 (Reuters)

Reuters - Recovery teams ventured into battlegrounds of the Gaza Strip on Thursday to gather bodies from the rubble, and Hamas officials said the Palestinian death toll in Israel's 13-day-old offensive had risen to 765.

Obama pushes stimulus, warns on recession (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama warned on Thursday the U.S. economy could stay mired in recession for years without bold action and he urged lawmakers to work day and night to pass a massive stimulus plan.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

U.S., Iran share interests in Afghanistan: Petraeus (Reuters)

Reuters - The United States and its allies share some interests with Iran when it comes to stabilizing Afghanistan, Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said on Thursday.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Madoff had $173 million in checks ready, U.S. says (Reuters)

Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff had signed checks totaling more than $173 million in his office desk ready to be sent out before his arrest, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Thursday asking a judge to jail him.

Obama names Virginia gov as Democratic Party head (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama named Tim Kaine as head of the Democratic Party on Thursday, rewarding an early supporter with a high-profile political post even as he continues to serve as Virginia governor.

Wal-Mart and other U.S. retailers warn after dismal holiday (Reuters)

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other top U.S. retailers delivered disappointing December same-store sales and profit warnings on Thursday, sparking fresh recession concerns that hit stock and currency markets.

Diplomats push for Gaza ceasefire as UN agency halts work (AFP)

AFP - Diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza conflict intensified Friday with Western and Arab diplomats agreeing to call for an immediate ceasefire as the death toll from the two-week-old war rose past 760.

EU announces breakthrough in Russia-Ukraine gas dispute (AFP)

AFP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on the terms for the deployment of gas monitors in Ukraine, paving the way for an end to a Europe-wide energy crisis, the EU presidency said.

Online Business Peace of Mind

Business Management Business Management