Presentation by Armando D’Accordo

The Long Island Chapter of the Project Management Institute will be having their monthly meeting on December 8^th, 2010. CMIT of South Nassau Owner Armando D’Accordo will be their keynote speaker next week. The topic will be “Disaster Recovery—Protecting Your Data and Business”. Learn about proper planning so that you are prepared if your office faces a disaster!

Who: Armando D’Accordo, Keynote Speaker

What: December PMI Long Island Chapter Meeting

Where: One CA Plaza, Islandia, NY

When: December 8^th, 5:30 PM (Presentation at 6:45)

To learn more about the meeting and to register, click here.

A New Social Networking Tool: Foursquare

Foursquare is increasingly becoming a popular social networking tool, particularly for those who have data plans on their phones. Users can “check-in” to the various places that they are physically at. On a personal level, the site allows you to see where your friends are at the moment. However, companies are using this website to offer certain promotions to their customers. Once you are a Foursquare user, you can enhance your “status” and rank in the program. For instance, the most frequent Foursquare user at a certain place becomes the Mayor and is then eligible for possible rewards.

While it definitely isn’t applicable for every company to use Foursquare, it may be useful for small shops or eateries. It generally should be used for places where customers or clients often visit. Coupons or incentives can be used and you will be able to see how many people take advantage of this. To set up your Foursquare business page, visit here: http://foursquare.com/businesses/

To learn more about Foursquare, visit the CMIT Home Office Blog.

NCCPAP Symposium 2010

CMIT Solutions was a vendor at the NCCPAP Symposium 2010 on November 17, 18 & 19th!
We were accompanied by Best Buy, ADP Solutions and Intuit.

It was a pleasure to meet so many new people and we hope you found us informative.

Top Holiday Cyber Scams

As the holiday season approaches, the online market is sure to start booming. With the growth of Internet consumers, the amount of online scams is sure to increase as well. Hackers have created scams to try and attack these customers. With this in mind, McAfee has announced their “12 Scams of Christmas”, and topping the list are offers for free iPads, often seen through phishing scams.

As you start to partake in your holiday shopping, CMIT would like to keep you informed of these scams, so that you stay protected and don't have your personal information stolen. Here’s the top 12 list:

1. Free iPad offers
2. Messages that tempt you into wiring money to “family/friends”
3. Fake gift cards
4. Seasonal job offers with that are “high-paying” & allow you to work from home
5. Smishing – spam sent through text messages
6. Fake holiday vacation rental sites
7. Pay-in-advance credit schemes that require a processing fee
8. E-cards from false senders
9. Deals and prices that seem “too good to be true”
10. Ploys asking you to donate to charities
11. Holiday-themed downloads (screensavers, animations)
12. Public Wi-Fi in hotels and airports

Be sure to keep these scams in mind as the holidays come up! Visit MSN to read more about these holiday cyber crimes!

Time to Buy New Equipment?

It may be time to buy new equipment before 2010 comes to a close. The benefit of doing so is that one-hundred percent of your purchases this year (up to a maximum of $500,000) can be expensed. This means you can subtract the amount of money for the whole tax year instead of over several years. This is one of the new tax incentives for small businesses, according to IRS Section 179.

Qualifying purchases could be computers, servers, and accessories. While it is unknown what tax codes will look like in 2011, now seems to be a smart time to make a purchase. The current tax code is definitely appealing due to the dramatic increase in the amount to be written off.

To find out if your desired items are eligible and learn more, CMIT Solutions is here to help. We can assist with making recommendations and we suggest that you also consult with your tax professional.

Learn more about this new tax code from Bankrate.

Happy Veterans Day From CMIT!

We would like to wish CMIT's own John Gilbert and all other veterans a Happy Veterans Day! We celebrate today to honor those who have served our country in order to fight for their nation.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Office Web Apps vs. Google Docs

Many people are familiar with Google Docs, but Microsoft has something similar called Office Web Apps. The release came early this summer, years after that of Google Docs. While both services are free and offer similar programs, they aren’t quite identical. The appeal of Google Docs is primarily that it replaces Microsoft Office and presents the same type of software. The added benefit of these programs is that they allow greater mobility and collaboration. While Google Apps is a substitute, Office Web Apps appears more to be a supplement. It definitely has more features, yet Google Apps is simpler to use.

It is important to keep in mind what you will be using these programs for, such as if speed, advanced features, or collaboration is most important. If storing a file in a shared space is of primary value, then could computing software is your best bet.

Visit Lifehacker to read a more in-depth comparison.

Current E-Mail Scams to Be Wary Of

While phishing scams will always be present, CMIT tries to keep you informed on the latest ones so that you do not fall victim to them. The hoaxes vary in content and in appearance, but the key is to try and always remain suspicious. It is best to not respond or click on anything before further investigation.

One example may look faulty to most, and comes from a 419 Advance Fee scam, which will ultimately try and trick you into sending money their way. The subject line merely says “Hello” and looks innocent, but with some quick investigation you can find that the e-mail address is listed as a scam.

A second example looks much more reputable and claims to be coming from the UPS Corporate Headquarters, and also tries to get you to send money over. The subject line looks like a tracking number and the text says that your package is being held in Spain due to inefficiently describing the contents of the package. Again, a simple Google search of the supposed claims officer leads to fraud listing. Keep in mind to never send money anywhere that seems skeptical.

These are only two of the latest phishing scams, but it is important to always keep an eye out for anything that seems doubtful. Often a Google search is all it takes to verify your suspicions.

Staying Protected When Using Public Wi-Fi

Approximately two weeks ago, we told you about a Firefox extension, Firesheep, that allowed nearby users in unsecured networks (i.e. coffee shops and college dorms) to log into some of your accounts. For instance, if you are in a café and are logged into Facebook, someone else in the café can get into your account without ever knowing your password. Essentially the people using Firesheep are stealing cookies and can gain access to various accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and more. Regardless of whether adjacent users may have Firesheep, it is important to keep your information safe anytime you are using public Wi-Fi.

Since the announcement of this extension and the trouble it was causing, some tips have been released on how to protect yourself when using public Wi-Fi.

• If possible, use a VPN connection and try to avoid sites that require you to log-in.
  

• Try to use a Webmail system with HTTPS for the entire time you are using it—not just while you are actually logging in.

• Remember that even if the Wi-Fi you are using isn’t free, this doesn’t ensure your security.
  

• It is best to assume that anyone in these places can see what you are doing, and it is important to be aware of this. Keep this in mind when in public places like hotels and airports as well.

To read more in-depth information about these security measures, read this full article from Computer World.

Guidelines for Establishing Social Media Networks for Your Business

As social networks continue to grow in popularity, many small businesses are starting to partake in this trend. Using sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be a great way to promote your company while also keeping your customers informed. They may not be a place for sales, but they give you the opportunity to enhance levels of communication. There are a few guidelines you should keep in mind when engaging in these networks.

Consider what your ultimate goal of social networking is. Do you want to spread information about your product? Do you want to communicate relevant information to them? A main goal is awareness – to let people know that your company exists and what you do. Sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can definitely do this. They provide a way to interact while also delivering content. Hopefully this will spark interest in your products or services.

In order to interest your customers further, you want to make sure that your site is streamlined and attractive. Your visitor should be able to easily navigate through your site. Functionality is definitely key. Make it simple for your customer. Often times, companies may offer exclusive promotions through a given social network. Finally, if given a link to “Like” or “Tweet This”, your customer may start marketing your business for you! Remember to keep these advocacy options available.

To read more about these guidelines, visit Mashable.

Be Alert For Social Networking Viruses

A prevalent social networking worm, Koobface, is present in sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, and Friendster. On these sites and various operating systems, this may appear in various places such as wall posts and direct messages. A new deviation of the worm, called Boonana, has been released and is aimed at Mac users. Boonana posts a message on these social networking platforms that says something suspicious like “Is this you in the video?” and includes a faulty link. When clicked, a prompt to run a Java applet will appear. This has the capabilities to issue commands, steal usernames and passwords, and hide it from security software.

Boonana works similarly to Koobface (an anagram of Facebook) through the use of spammed messages. Many Mac users may choose not to have Java enabled on their computer, especially since it seems to be the subject of various malicious attempts. Apple is in the process of discontinuing it from their operating systems.

As social media networks continue to grow in popularity, they will continue to be the subject of viruses. Therefore, it is important to keep these worms in mind so that you do not fall vulnerable to them. In order to keep your computer safe, you want to remember certain safe browsing techniques. Try to stick to familiar websites and be careful when seeing links on social media networks. Always be careful on what links you click and items you download. When using OS X, be sure to turn on the Firewall as well as security software.

Read the full article at Computer World.

Microsoft Office 2010 Offers New and Exciting Features

Microsoft 2010 offers a lot of new advanced features that aim at appeasing all the user complaints that stemmed from Microsoft 2007 and Vista. Many found it lacked a sense of user-friendliness. Office 2010 tries to improve usability and grant the ability to do more within each individual program. This includes options like editing photos or videos within PowerPoint. Within the application, you can add artistic effects that you previously may have relied on an outside program for. In the screenshot below, you can see the added capabilities that are available.

Changes to Microsoft Outlook include a new feature called the Ignore button which essentially allows you to put unwanted threads in the Deleted Items folder. Another attribute of Outlook is called the Social Connector, which basically embeds social networking options. This means profiles and updates from Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace will all be located in your inbox.

OneNote is now a part of every level in Office 2010. This application is set up just like a notebook with different sections and allows you to import items from other Office programs. It continues with the goals of Office 2010 to enhance the functionality of each program. If you need help or advice deciding if your company should upgrade to Office 2010, CMIT can assist you in this process. Give us a call at (516) 208-4161.

USPS Suggests How To Protect Yourself From Fraud

The United States Postal Service helps provide information about how to prevent yourself from becoming a fraud victim. The first step is to keep yourself and your computer on the lookout. Be sure that your spam filters and antivirus software are installed and updated. When trying to protect yourself from any kind of fraud (not only online), it is important to watch out for anything that sounds too good to be true. Along the same lines, make sure that it has the appearance of a real business. This is especially important when it involves money --- don’t send money to a company you don’t know or provide your banking information through phone or e-mail. Faulty links are also present in most phishing scams, so rather than clicking them, type them into the address bar yourself.


Other preventative measures that are helpful are checking your monthly statements and also reviewing your credit report at least once a year. Check for accuracy or any charges that you don't recognize. Be sure to shred any unwanted documents that contain personal information.

If you do find yourself a victim of fraud, it is important to report the crime in order to prevent it from happening to others. This includes contacting the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and/or the Federal Trade Commission. Continue to share your experience with friends and family to help them from being vulnerable to the same scams.

To learn more, visit the USPS site.