Microsoft "One" - Has Microsoft lost their vision?

Microsoft was founded as a software company in the late 1980s as a development company focused on operating systems and productivity platforms. They hit gold in 1995 with Windows 95 and the subsequent releases of Microsoft Office.

By the late 1990s, Microsoft had carved out two successful niches to their market: business and consumer.

The consumer platforms consisted of Windows 95/98/XP Home Edition, whose trend continues through Windows 8.1 Home.

Microsoft's Redmond Campus

The business platform grew exponentially into a number of platforms focused on the complex demands of business with data processing and storage. Some of the sucessful platforms included:

• Windows NT Workstation/Server
• The Windows Server platform
• Microsoft Exchange
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Microsoft Virtual Server/Hyper-V

However, that vision has changed. Technology has also greatly changed since the days of Windows NT. The line between business and personal use has become blurred. Most companies allow employees to tie in work email on personal mobile devices such as smartphones. Companies also demand more diversity to services and are sensitive to cost. As Microsoft made purchase of their software more expensive and complex, a new solution developed to compete with cloud based computing: Software as a Service (SAAS).

In 2012, Microsoft began deployment of the new Office 365, which is a subscription based form of Microsoft Office. Instead of paying anywhere between $150 and $350 for a single license to use Word, Excel or Outlook, users now pay a fixed monthly fee. Microsoft expanded this to include the popular Microsoft Exchange service, which was traditionally hosted in house on a server. Servers running Exchange as a stand alone system often cost between $4,000-$8,000. One solution Microsoft used to offer was the small business platform. However, the final release of this product in 2010 was problematic due to instability caused by the way the system allocated memory. Microsoft's solution was to discontinue Small Business Server (SBS), calling it outdated with the gaining popularity of subscription based computing.

These changes may be fine, but with the release of Windows 8, Microsoft is now attempting to funnel business and consumer users into the same interface and platform with the new and difficult to use interface. Since mostly all business computer users also use computers for personal use outside of work, the rationale is to tie all platforms and devices together.

To further complicate Microsoft's vision, they now seek to be a purveyor of both software/services and hardware. One example is the Microsoft Surface tablet. Their survival strategy is to be in both devices and software for consumers and businesses, and to do that effectively, everything must be on the same page.

Microsoft is also seeking to keep everything under one roof, rather than split different divisions off into other companies. Remember the antitrust suits during the late 1990's?

At present, there is no need to "go Microsoft" to use Microsoft. Both Android and Apple platforms have been totally inclusive of Microsoft's hosted services. What is known is that Microsoft remains the stable platform for running real business apps such as Access (yes, people still use Microsoft Access) and integrating with domain based networks. 

2014 Technology Trends - Devices and Services

There are many articles that speculate on what we can expect in terms of change and new capability in terms of technology for 2014. This post will attempt to quickly summarize and provide links to a sampling of these articles.

First, let's break down the trends into 2 categories: hardware and services. Software is not being included because at this stage of the game, most of the new capabilities are being delivered as a service, not as an "old fashioned" app that will be local to your device of choice.

Hardware

Tablets: will continue to evolve in 2014. Samsung and other manufacturers now have tablets that rival Apple's iPad, which was once king of the tablet world. For example, the new Galaxy S3 tablet offers a more intuitive keypad verses the iPad's, which is sometimes clumsy when switching between letters and numbers. Most tablets today are cross platform compatible with email services and support the popular Microsoft Exchange service, which many today use as a service from service providers such as Richmond Computer, or Office365.

Desktop PCs: will continue to become scarce in households, but will rule the roost in the office. Windows 7 remains the preferred platform in the business place, but that could change as the cost of touch screen enabled systems comes down. Until then, efficient and cost effective will remain the dominant factor in choosing technology in most workplaces.

Services

Cloud based technology will continue to grow. We all use it now with email accounts, and many already use it for data storage, such as DropBox or Apple's iCloud. A few of our customers migrated to cloud based data storage and shed in-house servers in 2013. We expect that trend to continue as the replacement cycle for servers hits more customers in 2014.

Cloud based can be extended to activities as well. For example, distance learning via online courses continues to gain popularity at colleges. The cloud is becoming an experience through events such as online meetups where many users can interact at a single session. This replaces the once terse text based chatroom which was popular in the 1990s when pioneered by America Online.

Wearable Technology: Expect to see more of this as time marches on. In fact, a company has already developed a prototype edible technology comprised of a pill that is ingested and gives off a signal used for an individual to authenticate themselves to devices they touch: cell phones, doors, and even cars. This neatly solves the problem of having to remember complex passwords. Smart watches is another device attempting to permeate themselves into the marketplace.

Mobile Networks will continue to grow. As the amount of data we process continues to grow, so will the need to have bigger and faster networks.

http://www.computer.org/portal/web/membership/Top-10-Tech-Trends-in-2014

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/ces-2014-top-10-trends-2984341

2013 D&H Mid-Atlantic Technology Show - Hershey, Pennsylvania

Some photos of this year's technology show & conference, held at the Hershey Lodge.

Cryptolocker - RansomWare Threat

A computer virus is a software program designed to destroy or steal data. They are often a nuisance,usually designed with malicious purpose, either to disrupt activity, steal information or some other type of financial gain. Viruses have been known to wipe systems out, destroy hardware, or fill a hard drive up with junk applications.

There always exists a motive for the virus's author.Viruses can be used for marketing, theft or political statements. They can bring down home PCs or large corporate networks. Viruses exist under many forms, such as boot sector viruses or browser hijackers to name two. In some cases, a virus will infect a system for the purpose of delivering a "payload", which is other malware with a different purpose.

About two years ago, a new virus called "MoneyPak" came online. When a PC became infected, a phony message was displayed saying the FBI will seize the machine unless a $300 moneypak card was purchased from CVS or Walgreens. From a technical perspective, this was a simple annoying virus that was easy to remove. Gullible users would buy the card and pay the fee, most simply sought out technical help to have the virus removed.

Ransomeware

Ransomeware is a computer virus that infects a system and limits access until the owner of the comptuer pays the creator of the virus to have it removed. The Moneypak virus is one such example.

Recently, a new variant of Ransomware (in this case crypto malware) has emerged called Cryptolocker. Crypto Malware infects a computer with a program that takes control of the system and connects to a control server to obtain an encryption key and apply it to specific files on a computer.  Cryptolocker utilizes a 256 bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) key. The algorithm described by AES is a symmetric-key algorithm, meaning the same key is used for both encrypting and decrypting the data. Although the original server handing out encryption keys has been taken down, the virus is still being spread

Current forms of the virus go after typical productivity files such as Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect files, Access databases, photos and other multimedia files. Essentially, files you use everyday. Once the files are encrypted, the only way to read those files is through the key.The virus gives the end users options for obtaining a key, usually by paying a $300 un-lock fee. 

At present, paying the $300 ransom is the only way to have your files unlocked.

How the Virus is Spread

To date, the virus is sent to host computers through "social engineering", which typically has been email. Phony emails  typically appear to be from FedEx notifying the reader that a package is waiting for them, and to click a link for more information.

Prevention

The best methods to avert falling victim to these scams are:

1. End user education - stay informed on computer malware threats

2. Solid e-mail spam filtering

Public e-mail services through Microsoft (Hotmail, Outlook.com) or Google (Gmail) are generally good at eliminating these threats through behavior tracking technology. Private domain based mail accounts (YourOrganization.com) generally don't have aggressive enough spam filtration that will eliminate the majority of these threats. If you would like to improve  your current spam filtration solution or have the current system evaluated, please contact us to discuss in detail.

If you have a private domain based mail account, contact us for information on our email spam filtration service and antivirus protection software. Coverage for your PC and email starts at just $2.99/month.

(215) 634-2997
www.richmondcomputer.com

HP to be dropped from Dow Jones Industrial Average September 20th

In a sign that the computer manufacturer continues to struggle, Dow Jones has announced that HP will be dropped from its list of major US manufacturers, namely due to underperforming stock.

Over the years, HP has struggled to gain a higher share of the computer manufacturing market and branch out from manufacturing printers. In 2001, HP merged with Compaq to acquire a larger share of the PC and camera market. At the time, HP founder Walter Hewlett was reluctant on the merger as he saw then that PCs were a marginally profitable product.

Today, the PC division of HP has the lowest margin of their manufacturing line.

Read more.

Electronic communications rejected by court due to lack of authentication

This may seem like a no-brainer, but authentication of electronic evidence is crucial when presented as evidence.

In 2011, a Maryland appellate court overturned a decision involving a murder trial because the prosecution failed to present any authentication that a message from a MySpace account actually came from the account they claimed it did (see: Antoine Levar GRIFFIN v. STATE of Maryland No. 74, Sept. Term, 2010). (Read more about the Griffin case)

Proper handling, analysis and authentication of electronic evidence is crucial in any form of litigation, otherwise the evidence will be tossed as hearsay.

Our SMS Witness service, which covers text messages, instant messages and Facebook data, provides parties with the proper handling, analysis and presentation of this evidence, so that it can be properly entered into evidence in civil or criminal matters.

SMS Witness entails live collection of data, special chain of custody documentation, data analysis and verification, hash code generation (to prove the file is unique), and presentation of text messages, instant messaging or Facebook messaging in a transcript format.

Sample SMS Text message transcripts:
http://www.richmondcomputer.com/doc/Transcript_2col_ColorBubble.pdf
http://www.richmondcomputer.com/doc/Transcript_ImStyle.pdf
http://www.richmondcomputer.com/doc/Transcript_UTF.pdf

Don't risk your entire case using a free or low dollar third party app to print out your messages. A single text message could swing a decision, even in a minor case, IF you present it properly.

Call 215-634-2997 for more information, or sales@richmondcomputer.com

"Tax"-achussets targets IT Industry with new "computer services tax"

Governments have been taxing citizens since the days of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Over time, governments have levied taxes to raise funds to operate the government, be it for military protection or domestic services. Rates rise and fall due to the state’s needs or political agendas in play. Taxes have been known to start riots and wars, such as the Magna Carta and the American Revolutionary War. In modern times, there are no shortages of controversies as governments levy new taxes against its citizens.

On Tuesday July 24, 2013, the Massachusetts state legislature passed an $800 million dollar transportation finance plan to fund statewide highway and transit needs. While the legislation increased existing taxes on items such as gasoline, a new tax was created called the “computer system service tax”, which applies the state’s 6.25% sales tax to computer services. The new tax is expected to generate $161 million per year, and applies to a variety of technical services provided by those in the IT industry. Some examples include:

·       Installation of “prewritten software”, for example re-installing Windows 7 onto a customer’s PC

·         Installing a packaged software suite such as QuickBooks onto a customer’s computer

·         Web based software/applications operated by a company within Massachusetts

·         Networking computers together on a LAN

·         Installing software patches (enhancements) on already installed software products (i.e. Microsoft product updates/security updates, antivirus software updates)

Oddly, the tax does not apply to the installation of Open Source software because there is no transaction to acquire that software. However, if an IT Professional is engaged in website development and uses an open source template to build the customer’s site, then the services are taxable. Confused yet? This also means modifying an existing website (content management) is now taxable, but website hosting and cloud storage are not taxable.

The tax singles out the computer industry, and those who outsource technology functions to service providers, be it individuals or corporations. This causes a number of problems. First, if the tax is not repealed, it sets a precedent which other states or legislative bodies could follow. Secondly, it hurts innovation. Companies may elect to defer upgrades and projects which would otherwise improve commerce. Thirdly, it encourages companies to defer maintenance such as the installation of new antivirus software or security updates on network computers when performed by consultants or contractors. Compromised computers and websites are often the source of malware infections for other systems, and encouraging companies to defer maintenance because of rising maintenance costs is a dangerous situation for everyone. Fourth, IT consultants and contracting firms already pay their share of income tax, as do the companies that utilize these services.

Targeting the IT industry will only impede the growth of the IT industry. The IT industry, like many others is diverse. It is comprised of firms small and large, from independent consultants to multinational firms. In some cases, a “computer services” tax will cost jobs. Small businesses could decide to keep certain tasks in-house, even assigning them to less than qualified personnel (the famous scope creep). While there remains a great deal of ambiguity regarding the law, what is clear is the losers are the IT sector and businesses within “Tax”achusetts.

Rather than waste precious legislative time (is there such a thing on the taxpayer's dime?), legislators could have studied where this tax was enacted before, namely to the south in Maryland in 2007. There, a similar outcry led to the repealing of the tax not long after it became law.

Link to the tax FAQ’s from theMassachusetts department of Revenue