Tech industry's protest of Executive Order 13780 is a political show

List of companies protesting President Trump's travel ban

As President Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to make America safe again through the issuance of Executive Order 13780 (EO13780) banning immigrants from specific countries in the Middle East which are known incubators of Islamic terrorists, American companies in the technology industry have renewed their protest against EO 13780.

EO 13780 states:

 Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones.

Further:

 Recent history shows that some of those who have entered the United States through our immigration system have proved to be threats to our national security.  Since 2001, hundreds of persons born abroad have been convicted of terrorism-related crimes in the United States.  They have included not just persons who came here legally on visas but also individuals who first entered the country as refugees.  For example, in January 2013, two Iraqi nationals admitted to the United States as refugees in 2009 were sentenced to 40 years and to life in prison, respectively, for multiple terrorism-related offenses.  And in October 2014, a native of Somalia who had been brought to the United States as a child refugee and later became a naturalized United States citizen was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction as part of a plot to detonate a bomb at a crowded Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.  The Attorney General has reported to me that more than 300 persons who entered the United States as refugees are currently the subjects of counterterrorism investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

While many have read what CNN has said on EO 13780, it is unlikely that many have actually read President Trump's order. We therefore make it available here:

Executive Order 13780

While mainstream media outlets portray EO 13780 as discriminatory, immoral, unfair, against diversity and claim it will cause economic harm, we must take two points into consideration.

1. The purpose of EO 13780 - to protect the country from foreign nationals who attempt to enter the country for carrying out terrorist acts against our citizens.

2. The source and nature of tech work - Most immigrants in the US who work in the  technology field are from countries not named in EO 13780. These countries include China, India and many of the "Eastern Bloc" countries in Europe. While this is not to say that there are no tech workers from Iran or Syria, it is not the numbers that play into the hyperbole projected by the tech companies who are protesting President Trump's Executive Order.

2a. While it is true that the US does rely on immigrant workers in industries besides technology, this begets the question of why the US is not generating enough skilled tech workers to fill today's jobs. Most of the technology in today's world was pioneered in the United States. The first commercial computer, UNIVAC, was built in the US. Other inventions such as UNIX (which later spawned into LINUX, which runs most commercial devices today such as routers, WiFi access points and so on), Microsoft Windows, and the hardware we use, were all developed here in the US by US citizens.

2b. In today's digitally connected world, most tech-related tasks can be accomplished from anywhere in the world. This includes many functions performed by tech workers, be it IT support or software development. These work processes are unaffected by EO 13780.

President Trump's vision is for a secure America that takes care of it's citizens first. EO 13780 accomplishes this by providing a temporary slowdown to existing visa programs. It is not a ban on Muslims or Islam. Nor does it stifle the economy or cause harm to technology related firms.

In conclusion, Richmond Computer condemns the position taken by the companies protesting the President's order. Going forward, we are boycotting all services provided by these companies.

Additionally, Richmond Computer supports Executive Order 13780. We recognize this as a temporary measure for the various Federal agencies to evaluate existing immigration rules and programs and is not discriminatory against anyone's ethnicity or religion. It is a measure taken to evaluate national security and protect our citizens.

May God Bless America

Pay to Play in Philadelphia hits tech work too

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/In-first-act-new-PA-treasurer-cracks-down-on-pay-to-play-fees--.html

While Richmond Computer is in the tech business, every now and then we do projects such as network wiring installation which isn't terribly complicated.

However in the city of Philadelphia, to do so, one must be a union member and pay exorbitant fees to the Licensing and Inspections department to run low voltage wiring. On top of that, a city inspector has to sign off on drawings, then inspect the work when complete. This only adds to the cost of doing business in the city, and no one but the unions and city wins. Not a problem in the suburbs.

VoIP Coming To Air Traffic Control

As reported in Aviation week, the FAA is considering moving telecommunication systems for Air Traffic Control to VOIP.

While some posters in the article feel this would introduce safety and security concerns, we know VOIP to be a sound technology for the future of telecommunications. Good VOIP systems, such as those offered by our subsidiary, PennTelco, offer backup and redundancies including the ability to redirect calls to alternate numbers in the event that the system goes down.

http://aviationweek.com/aviation-week-space-technology/voip-coming-air-traffic-control

Visit www.PennTelco.com for more information about our VOIP systems.

We do not tolerate subpar vendors, and neither should you

With the launch of our Critical Express Service, we were reminded of another company that does not take their commitment to customer service seriously. We used to have a small number of clients on HostMonster, whom we have now deemed "HostIdiot." HostIdiot had a major service disruption that is still persisting for over 10 hours as of the time of this writing. In that time, we had accomplished an email migration to GSuite (Google's excellent business class email service), set up a server for a PennTelCo customer, emergency-migrated some domains over to our High Availability datacenter, performed an OsTicket Install, and solved a user's particularly tricky e/mail password issue. Fortunately, all our current hosting customers, as well as our website, are on a dedicated co-located server located in a secure Oklahoma Datacenter that guarantees (via SLA) 99.99% uptime. This means that there is a tolerance of just 1 hour of downtime per year. We had completed the last of our data migrations to this new server location for one of our hold-out customers just days prior! Talk about fortuitous timing. We host our Voice Over IP customers in a similar high-availability Wisconsin or New Jersey Datacenter on dedicated servers that guarantee 99.99% uptime and which has a proven record of 99.995% uptime - less than 30 minutes down - per year. We are proud of this record, and it is part of the reason why we are rolling our our Critical Express Service - more on that later.

HostIdiot also has a slew of other problems that will rear their ugly head in the beginning of January for their customers as well as customers of similar services, such as GoDaddy and HostGator. Due to new Google policies, all websites that are not SSL Secure compliant will be listed as such in Chrome and will eventually face de-listing from Google. Even worse, most websites on the web are not SSL compliant at the moment because of the technical complexity and specialzed server requirements necessary (at the very minimum an SSL certificate and a dedicated IP address). We encourage you to take a look at the informational webpage we set up that will tell you a little more about the issue. We encourage you to engage our services to ensure a smooth transition, as well.

Our express service has a fleet of two aircraft and is priced the same as our ground express services. 

And now for perhaps our biggest announcement. A recent critical emergency service call highlighted to us the need for a new class of service, one that we have called Critical Express. With our Critical Express service, customers experiencing mission-critical downtime with a potential impact to business loss of $1,500 or more can engage with our Critical Express Service team. When you invoke this special service, all our current engagements are placed on hold and your service request is given our top priority by all technicians on call. We direct our tech resources at getting you back up and running as soon as possible.

There is, however, one facet of our service that makes us the only managed IT services firm in the nation to provide it, and that is our air service.  Our Senior Linux and Windows Technical administrator is also an FAA Certified Pilot. From our satellite base in Washington, DC, we can dispatch this technician for extra-critical issues where remote support or driving to the location just won't cut it. We have an available fleet of two aircraft (a Piper Warrior and Socata Tobago), ready to go at an instant's notice! Moreover, our air service is available at the same price as our ground service! This is an incredible value and resource that allows us to service most of the eastern seaboard within mere hours for especially critical remote incidents when remote access just will not do the job. We are proud of this new service, and especially encourage our customers to spread the word to those who might benefit from this sort of service in case it is needed. 

Verizon phasing out copper service - Before switching to Verizon digital voice take a look at PennTelco

An article posted on Philly.com today regarding Verizon's push to phase out copper based phone service provided us a good opportunity to highlight the benefits of switching to our flagship voice service, PennTelco.

Internet based phone service has been on the market for several years and has made huge advances in quality and features. We began offering this service to our customers in 2015. When you upgrade to Verizon digital voice or Comcast's phone service, you are also using IP based phone service.

So what's the difference, and why switch to PennTelco over a communications giant like Verizon? Simple!

First, our service costs less than Verizon or Comcast. Secondly, our service offers more features than both mainstream carriers. While we offer similar features like voicemail to email, features we offer that these carriers don't include:

• Customized call flow behavior (how do you want your phones to ring? Do you want an after hours "away" greeting, ring only certain phones?)
• Unlimited number of extensions for different users - available for both home and business customers.
• Unlimited number of voice mailboxes for different users
• Automated attendant greeting (press 1 for Bob, 2 for Jim, 3 for Sally, etc)
• Use your landline number on your cellphone - Forget about call forwarding and no longer worry if you set call forwarding or not - with a simple free smartphone app, you can make and receive calls on your smartphone
• Portability - Moving but want to keep your number? No problem, take your number and your phone wherever you go. Just plug your phone in any internet connection in the world and make calls using your number.

Visit our VOIP service site at www.PennTelco.com

Busy Lamp Field (BLF) FAILS with Grandstream GXP2130 phones & Anveo service

Following over 4 months of troubleshooting with Grandstream engineers, it has been determined that the BLF feature does not work when using the Anveo virtual PBX system. The phones fail to display a correct aspect after being in use for a short period of time because the Anveo server uses an incorrect phone ID number when attempting to send a BLF NOTIFY packet to other phones.

We have made Anveo aware of this defect. Unfortunately Anveo's management has shown zero interest in working with Grandstream to fix the problem. Since Anveo advertises BLF as working on one of their YouTube videos, we believe this to be false advertising on their part. View our demonstration video:

  Anveo-Grandstream BLF SMACKDOWN

Grandstream GXP-2130 firmware defect advisory

We have discovered that BLF does not work properly on the GXP2130 phones due to a SIP compliance issue with the phones. According to RFC 3265 (which governs SIP Event Notifications protocol) permits empty body NOTIFY body. This makes the phones not fully compliant with SIP standards. We would like to see this fixed with a firmware upgrade ASAP.

A recent article on our involvement in supporting the local business community

The Port Richmond Business Alliance: Sticking Up For the Little Guy | BY BEN SMOLIN |

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 It’s tough out there for a small business owner. You have to find and maintain customers, balance your budget and create a sustainable business plan all at the same time. There are only so many hours in a day and after all that work just to turn a profit, it can seem impossible to find the time to represent and advocate for your business interests. Life may feel like a struggle as you try to to avoid feeling ”burnt out.” This is where organizations like the Port Richmond Business Alliance (PRBA) step in Jon Frey, owner of Richmond Computer (3049 Almond Str.) and president of PRBA, helped start the organization when a group of business owners realized that they had no unified voice to represent themselves. “In early 2014, several business owners in Port Richmond along the Allegheny Avenue and Richmond Street corridors recognized that there was no organization to represent the interests of business owners in Port Richmond and felt that a unified organization could help fill that void and contribute in a positive way to the community,” Frey said. PRBA’s membership consists of businesses ranging from confectionaries to bars to family doctors to computer shops. In order to be eligible for membership, a business must be located in between Castor Avenue, Lehigh Avenue, Cedar Street and the Delaware River. On the group’s website, pbralliance.org, they break down their goal into five steps: Establish an organization of business persons representative of the business and professional interests of Port Richmond. Promote and encourage the creation and expansion of businesses in Port Richmond. Establish a business climate favorable to Port Richmond-based businesses. Encourage participation of local and regional business persons and organizations in all things related to Port Richmond business, professional, and industrial development. Unite the business community in Port Richmond and promote a greater sense of business and social unity in the PRBA membership. Frey sums it up much more simply by saying, “The Alliance is focused on bringing business owners together who are interested in actively working to improve the business climate in Port Richmond and make a positive impact on the community.” The PRBA holds a meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at 8:15 AM in the annex at St. Adalbert’s church (2657 E. Allegheny Ave.). Representatives from organizations and groups that may be of interest to Port Richmond business owners come to these meetings to speak to PRBA members about topics that concern them. For example, in the past they have had the city’s commerce department talk about how to apply for loans to improve their storefront and have had SEPTA talk about the improvements happening to Route 15, a trolley that travels through the heart of Port Richmond’s business district. They also help organize neighborhood events like Port Richmond Second Saturdays, put together by Wayne Bullock, owner of Sweets & Treats (3138 Richmond St.) and Vice President of the PRBA. Second Saturdays feature food, local performers, music and vendors from locally-owned small businesses coming out and celebrating the day on the 3100 block of Richmond Street. It’s Port Richmond’s answer to the First Fridays that each month draw crowds to 2nd Street in Olde City and Frankford Avenue in Fishtown. The next Second Saturday is happening September 12. The PRBA is also looking towards the future in their actions. One of the projects the group is currently working on is establishing a scholarship that will benefit students who attend the local parochial schools. The group is organizing a “Taste of Port Richmond” event to raise money for the scholarship. The event will feature neighborhood favorites from 15 local establishments as well as red carpet photos and surprise performances. Tickets for the October 14 event cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door. They also want a say in what the Port Richmond of tomorrow will look like and have a plan for exacting their vision. “In the long run, the Alliance hopes to establish working relationships with other neighborhood organizations such as PROPAC, and the City Planning Commission to be involved in helping shape the future of Port Richmond,” said Frey. Interested in becoming a member of the PRBA? It’s easy! Simply attend one of their monthly meetings and ask a member for an application. Alternatively, you can also download the application here and mail it in. Membership is $50 per annum.

Source article

Internet phone service - Starting at $20/month

Richmond Computer is now a world class Voice-over-IP (VOIP) service provider. Unlike other VOIP carriers like Vonage, we provide a complete end-to-end service which includes equipment selection & procurement, programming of equipment, setup on your network, and configuration and management of the VOIP phone service. Starting at $20/month, per line (not including use charges). Discounts available for multi-line offices. Why make the switch? Switching from Verizon or Comcast enables you to: - Keep your number forever, regardless of location. Plug the phone into any internet connection, anywhere in the world! - Better features! Ring multiple lines at once, including cell phones, voicemail to email (and to multiple email addresses) - Video conferencing with any video enabled phone - Music on hold or special promotional on hold announcement (through our professional voice actor for just $50!) - And much more, for less than what you pay now!

Scammers posing as Microsoft support technicians continue to work the phones in search of victims, the company said last week, and have, in fact, grown bolder in their tactics. These scammers have even called our office here at Richmond Computer. "What's really alarming is that this type of scam shows no signs of slowing down," said Kirsten Kliphouse, the Microsoft executive who heads the company's customer service and support group, in a May 2 blog. "Increasingly, we hear via our front-line support team, and even from friends and family, that these scammers are getting bolder, targeting not only individuals but also businesses." The scams rely on a combination of aggressive sales tactics, lies and half-truths. Cold callers pose as computer support technicians, most often claiming to be from Microsoft, and try to trick victims into believing that their computer is infected, usually by having them look at a Windows log that typically shows scores of harmless or low-level errors. At that point, the sale pitch starts, with the caller trying to convince the consumer or business worker to download software or let the "technician" remotely access the PC. If you get a call from these folks, it will sound like this:

40 years of Microsoft

This month, Microsoft celebrates it's 40th anniversary

Here's a look back: Microsoft is 40 and fabulous. The software company started by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975, is showing new energy lately, proving that the best may be yet to come. With the release of Windows 10 and a new browser later this year (RIP Internet Explorer), Microsoft hasn't garnered so much excitement in a long time. Windows 10: What You Missed at the Microsoft Event Bill Gates Reveals What Makes Him Feel 'Pretty Stupid' Why Microsoft's HoloLens Stands Out in the Battle of the Glasses In honor of the Redmond, Washington, company's 40th birthday, here's a look at 40 of the people, products and moments that helped define Microsoft's first four decades. 1. Bill Gates - Harvard's first most famous dropout (Mark Zuckerberg would come decades later) is the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $79.2 billion, according to Forbes. 2. Paul Allen - The other half of Microsoft, Allen told Fortune Magazine in 1995 that he was responsible for suggesting the company's name when he and Gates first went into business together. 3. Microsoft’s first product: Software for the Altair 8800. By 1978, year-end sales had topped $1 million. 4. Getting a deal to provide a DOS Operating System for IBM's computers in 1980 was a huge moment in Microsoft history, positioning the company as a software leader. 5. On Nov. 20, 1985, two years after the initial announcement, Microsoft ships Windows 1.0. 6. Gates and Allen took their company public in 1986 with IPO shares priced at $21. 7. Microsoft Office for Mac is released in 1989. 8. Windows 3.0 ships in 1990, ushering in the era of graphics on computers. 9. Windows 95 launches in 1995, selling an astounding 7 million copies in the first five weeks, according to Microsoft. 10. Windows 95 is also the first time the start menu, task bar, minimize, maximize and close buttons are introduced on each window. 11. "The Internet Tidal Wave," a 1995 memo written by Gates, calls the Internet "the most important development since the advent of the PC." That Bill Gates turned out to be right. 11. As the Internet exploded, Microsoft came out with its first browser, Internet Explorer, in 1997, thus beginning a love-hate relationship until its death in 2015. 12. Gates stepped aside as CEO in 2000, giving Microsoft its first new leader in the company's 25-year history. 13. Microsoft’s riches allowed Gates to start the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world. Gates' charity has focused on everything from education to world health initiatives. 14. Meanwhile at Microsoft, Gates' longtime right-hand man, Steve Ballmer, became known as a hard-charging and excitable CEO. He stepped down in 2014. 15. In August 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP. The interface was pretty and allowed people to burn music (here's my playlist, bro) and is remembered as one of the more important Windows updates. 16. Speaking of Windows, it was pretty genius of Microsoft to begin bundling Word, PowerPoint and Excel together beginning in 1990, setting the standard for offices everywhere. 17. Microsoft's bet on PowerPoint was a winner. The company acquired the program for $14 million from Forethought Inc. in 1987. 18. There were embarrassing moments too, though. Like when Excel had a multiplication bug in 2007. 19. The U.S. Department of Justice accused Microsoft of being a monopoly and in 1999 a judge agreed. That ruling was later vacated and Microsoft settled the antitrust case.

LegalTech 2015 - Conferences & trade show on the convergence of law and technology

On February 4, Richmond Computer attended the annual LegalTech conference in New York City. LegalTech is a combination of a trade show and educational conferences geared towards technology professionals and law practitioners. Staff from Richmond Computer attended several conferences that dealt with the issues of security, challenges and opportunities related to offsite data services (i.e. "cloud computing"). The lectures were given by Microsoft employees, with panel discussions headed by experts in the legal field. Following the conferences, Richmond Computer staff attended the trade show portion of LegalTech to discuss existing and emerging technologies in terms of tools and applications used both for e-discovery applications (such as digital forensics) and office based systems (Microsoft Azure, hosted Exchange platforms). A brief video was produced of the highlights of the trip: View more information on LegalTech

SMS Witness - Smartphone text message transcription service development meeting

On Friday January 30, 2015, Richmond Computer staff attended a brunch in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. Our team traveled by train to allow extra time to creatively collaborate ways to expand, improve and grow this popular service.

Microsoft Windows 10 - Preview of new features and spotlight on security

Following on the heels of Windows 8 and the problems associated with the acceptance of the Metro interface, Microsoft is preparing for the release of Windows 10 in the next few months.

Read more

Windows XP: Microsoft can't wash its hands of the security problem so easily

Late last week, Microsoft published an unexpected security update for a flaw in its Internet Explorer browser. Even more unexpected, the patch also covered Windows XP, which Microsoft officially stopped supporting back in early April.

Microsoft explained the change of heart by saying it had provided the security update "based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP".

Richmond Computer believes this update was forced out with pressure from the Department of Homeland security who advised the public not to use Microsoft Internet Explorer because of this security flaw.

Read more.

Symantec calls antivirus 'doomed' as security giants fight for survival

Antivirus products are catching less than half of all cyberattacks and is no longer a money maker for companies that produce and support endpoint security products. While Microsoft continues to operate it's Security Essentials platform, it also has less than stellar results when it comes to blocking attacks.

Richmond Computer provides an antivirus solution for as low as $2/month. While our platform does not guarantee to stop all viruses, we do include the ability to catch viruses and deploy countermeasures in real time.

Read more

Bring the start menu back to Windows 8

Tired on the Metro screen on Windows 8? Now there's a solution:
http://candysoft.com/istartmenu/

The internet turns 25

In March 1989 the internet made its debut as an invention by Tim Berners-Lee and remains the fastest growing means of communication. While other forms of communication have evolved and modernized over time (mail, telegraph, telephone, etc), none have seen the endless amount of innovation that the internet has produced in such a short period of time.

The use of computers has vastly changed since 1989, which was a time when most computers were manufactured by IBM (who developed the IBM PC Jr.), had monochrome screens, and were usually stand-alone systems and not part of any network.

The early days of the internet not only used primitive machines, but also very slow means of communication by today's standards. When we mention the internet, most computer users think of the World Wide Web (www.yourfavoritewebsite.com), which the internet is not. The Internet is a global system of interconnected networks that use a standard protocol (TCP/IP) for communication. The internet is literally the connection of millions of private and public computer networks that consist of schools, businesses and government agencies, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies.

Today's internet use in simple terms consists of social uses, financial transactions, research, and sharing of data. While use of the internet did not go mainstream until 1995 with the release of Microsoft Windows 95 (the days when we all used dial-up modems), its use has rapidly developed and evolved, and has reshaped how we live our lives. This evolution will continue, and I'm sure future generations will look back on today's internet uses as primitive.

Say Goodbye to the Sony Vaio PC line

After 17 years, Sony is pulling the plug on its unprofitable PC line

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LegalTech NYC 2014

Today we attended the bi-annual LegalTech conference and expo in New York City. This year, LegalTech was held at the Midtown Manhattan Hilton at 54th & 6th Avenues.

LegalTech is the most important legal technology event of the year. Legal Technology is ever changing and LegalTech offers law firms and legal departments the ability to stay on top of this evolving industry to improve their law practice management. 

LegalTech features presentations and vendor displays from the top names in the industry including Concordance, Symantec, KPMG, LexisNexis, Xerox, Ernst & Young, Scarab Consulting, Nuance Communications, and many others.

LegalTech gave Richmond Computer the opportunity to discuss the SMS Witness smartphone text message transcription service with some of the top E-discovery firms in the nation for the purpose of adding new enhancements to our existing service. Future services will include conversion of voicemails to printable transcripts and Geo-coding of data and events on mobile devices.

Read more about LegalTech