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Business Briefs
Remember to practice
safe computing!
By Joseph Amaral
Your PC is slow… real
slow. Every time you startup or login you get tens of pop-ups, lots of traffic
is headed outbound even when you’re idle and the PC has become almost useless
because of the slowness. What is wrong!?!? The bad news is that your PC is most
likely compromised with some form of a Worm/Virus, SPAM, ADWARE/SPYWARE and/or
other Internet attack. What can you do about it and how can you try to prevent
it from reoccurring? Easy – follow my tips below!
Ok, so now you have an idea why your PC is soooooo slow. How did it happen? You
try to be proactive and practice safe computing. You have a firewall (right?), a
virus canner (right?), are somewhat careful opening emails, browsing the web and
installing programs. What went wrong? The problem is that today the bad guys
have become better and better at getting around the rudimentary roadblocks that
worked a year or two ago and unless everyone who uses your PC is conscious of
the dangers you will get infected and comprised.
Below I’ll briefly describe the threats and then some tips on how to protect your PC.
VIRUS/WORM: Suffice it to say that neither of these you want on your PC. They are scary anywhere, but they can be downright costly on your hard drives! There is a difference between a worm and a virus, but all we really care about are what these bad boys can do. And they can do some very bad things like delete files, shutdown your system, consume disk space/memory and waste all your network bandwidth.
What can you do about Viruses/Worms?
If you already have an antivirus software solution please make sure it is up to
date and you have downloaded the latest virus definition files. If you do not
have an antivirus software package – get one now. They’re relatively inexpensive
at ~$50.00 (I bet your data is worth more than $50, right?!!) from some of the
major vendors like Symantec (Norton antivirus 2005), McAfee (VIRUSSCAN 2005) and
Trend Micro (PC-CILLIN Internet Security 2005). We usually recommend Trend
Micro’s solution as we feel it is fast and really does a good job blasting those
worms/viruses.
SPAM: What is more annoying then hundreds of emails about magic pills, questions asking for your bank account #s (phishing) and get rich schemes from Nigeria? In one word - nothing. Beyond finding them and taking the SPAMMERS to court for millions -- good luck finding them! -- then your only options are to use common sense (if an offer is too good to be true – then IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!), good practices (never REPLY as it just validates your email address and you’ll get even more SPAM), run an email security scanner (see: http://www.windowsecurity.com/emailsecuritytest/) to see how infested you may already be and – yes – invest in anti-spam software (SPAM KILLERS). Most SPAM killing software runs around $50 and again the major vendors Symantec (Norton anti-spam 2005) and McAfee (SPAMKILLER 2005) offer nice packages.
ADWARE/SPYWARE: Rouge marketers have run amuck on the Internet – that is the only explanation I have for the tens or even hundreds of pop-ups we see on some systems. Spyware/Adware may have started as some benign marketing idea to capture a consumer tastes/shopping preferences, but some of these nasty guys have morphed into programs that grab what you type (key stroke capture) and can be used to steal your identity, credit card information and system passwords. It’s getting hard to find a PC that does NOT have some form of spyware/adware somewhere on the hard drive.
What can you do about ADWARE/SPYWARE?
Avoid clicking YES to any popups unless you are absolutely sure you trust the
source (Hint: those popups saying they’ll clean your PC of spyware/adware –
won’t do anything but give you lots more). Also you should consider investing in
anti-SPYWARE/ADWARE software – these run from free to $40. We recommend and
install Etrust’s solution (Pestpatrol 2005) for our small clients and home
business based users.
INTERNET ATTACKS/TROJAN HORSES: If you’re connected to the Internet without any protection (Firewall) than you are very susceptible to having your PC attacked and controlled by some nasty people or HORSES! Yes… horses! Trojan Horses are programs that masquerade as another program or can even be embedded inside of another legitimate program. This is one of the most common forms on Internet attacks and they can be very malicious by deleting files (or your whole hard drive), send private information out to the bad guys and even shutdown your system.
What can you do about Internet
attacks/Trojan Horses? Ideally you would have your firewall device
built into your router and between your Internet connection and your PC(s). If
you are directly connected to the Internet and do not have any protection
(hardware router/firewall) then you will need to invest in a separate software
firewall for each PC connected to the Internet. I’m no huge fan of the free one
that comes with the latest Microsoft Operating Systems, so you should consider a
3rd party solution from Symantec (Norton Personal Firewall 2005) or
McAfee (Personal Firewall Plus 6.0). They do a much better job than what
Microsoft offers for free and again relatively inexpensive.
Another important tip we give to our small business clients and home based business clients is to isolate your children from the PC that you use for business or other important tasks. Kids gravitate to the flashiest sites (Spammer are marketers and they know how to get “clicks”) and will often click YES to popups. And we don’t want that. This also gives you a nice justification for buying that nice fully-loaded laptop you’ve been thinking about!
Will doing all of the above guarantee that your PC will never be infected or compromised? No, but these steps will certainly help and not practicing safe computing just about guarantees a slow and potentially a compromised PC.
Joseph Amaral, is president of The Amaral Group, LLC (TAG) www.amaral.com, headquartered in Acton, Mass. The Amaral Group, LLC (TAG) is a Microsoft Certified Partner specializing in providing design, implementation and Information Technology and Wireless support service.
Keeping the Dream Alive
How many of you think your business is doing great and come year-end, your accountant has disappointing news to tell you?
Many of you have become small business owners because you want to be your own boss, want to be involved in the community, want to serve the public, want name/brand recognition, and of course we all want to earn a living.
It doesn’t matter what type of business you are involved in, they all have the same basic building blocks to success. Did you know that many small businesses fail within five years, and a high percentage fail after one year? Do you want to keep your dream of owning your own business alive? Can you honestly answer these ten questions?
1. How much money do I need on a monthly basis to pay all my personal living expenses?
Go through your bank and credit card statements for the past year to get an accurate picture of where you spend your money. Create categories of spending, such as car loan, student loan, mortgage, home utilities, meals, etc.
Once you’ve answered question one, then you’ll know the Bottom Line. The Bottom Line is how much income you’ll need to meet your living expenses. And as you go through this process, you’ll become aware of your discretionary spending. Coffee, muffin, and lunch everyday can easily add up to over $3000 year. Knowing how much you spend and where you spend it will help you plan for lean months in your business because you’ll have the knowledge to know what you can trim from your budget.
2. How much money do I need to run my business?
Here’s where your business plan is key. Your plan should include your expenses to operate your business, breaking it down by category is helpful.
If you have a business that sells a product versus services, then you need to determine the actual cost of the product. Actual cost will include the product cost, packaging material cost, shipping cost, and labor to package it, administrative labor to receive order and manage customer relations. Actual cost plus your profit margin will equal the selling price of the product.
3. How much income does my business need to generate in order to sustain both my living and business expenses?
4. How much income does my business need to generate to allow me to save for my retirement, children’s education, future investments, and improved quality of life?
5. Do I have a well defined and written plan describing how I intend to generate the required income? Be sure to include 3, 6, 12 month goals and stick to them. Define long-term goals as well, 1,3, and 5 year plans.
6. Where will my customers come from?
7. What type of customer is interested in my product/services?
8. How will I reach my customer base?
9. Who are my competitors?
10. How do I differentiate myself from my competition?
These are just a few of the many questions a small business owner needs to answer as they develop their business plan. Your business plan is your roadmap to success, but remember the route to the destination is always changing, because our economy is always changing. The most successful business plans are the ones that are most adaptable.
Keep your dream alive by having a solid financial understanding of your business. This is a fundamental building block to your success.
Laurie J. Proulx is a sales associate at Acton Real Estate, Co., Inc. She was formerly a senior executive in the high tech industry managing a team of over 40 employees and increasing product service revenue from 3.1 million to 7.2 million in less than 3 years. She attributes her successful real estate career to her loyal customers who continue to refer clients to her.
Laurie J. Proulx "Working with Buyers & Sellers West of Boston"
office: 978-263-1166 cell: 978-505-5825
Buyer/Seller Tips www.BeaconHomeGuide.com
Reducing your Healthcare Costs
By Christopher R. Ritter
A study recently released by Employee Benefit News and Genworth Financial shows that most small to mid sized employers believe that good benefits attract and retain quality candidates and increase job retention. The study also shows that more than seventy five percent of the groups surveyed feel that a good benefits package improves employee attitudes and performance and increases productivity. Companies continue to be focused on offering high-quality, broad-based benefits, whether to attract new talent or out of genuine concern for employee’s welfare. Unfortunately, today companies have not been able to afford the double digit percent increases in premiums and have had to cut back on the benefits they can afford to offer to their employees.
A creative idea to mitigate costs led to the creation of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) approved by congress in 2003.
What is a HSA?
A health savings account is a tax-sheltered savings account similar to the IRA, but earmarked for medical expenses. Deposits are 100% tax-deductible and can be easily withdrawn by check or debit card to pay routine medical bills with tax-free dollars. Larger medical expenses are covered by a low-cost, high deductible health insurance policy. What is not used from the account each year stays in the account and continues to grow interest on a tax-favored basis to supplement retirement, just like an IRA—it’s a medical IRA.
With an HSA, all unused balances are carried over from year to year. Also an HSA is an employee’s own personal account and is portable from one company to another.
When combined with a low-cost, high deductible health insurance policy, the health savings account is meant to replace a traditional high-cost health insurance policy. A health savings plan will restore a high degree of freedom of choice by allowing you to choose your own physician (typically from an extensive PPO directory) without the extensive restrictions imposed by HMO-type plans.
Who Qualifies?
To participate in an HSA, you need to be covered by a high-deductible health plan. For self-only coverage, the policy must have an annual deductible of at least $1,000. For family coverage, the annual deductible must be at least $2,000.
Who may contribute to an HSA?
An established HSA can be contributed to by an employee, the employee’s employer or both may contribute to the HSA in a given year.
What can you contribute?
Every year you may contribute to an HSA the lesser of your insurance deductible or certain amounts set by law. For 2004 these amounts are $2,600 for singles and $5,150 for family coverage. (2005 amounts will be released shortly)
How do you set up an HSA?
To set up an HSA, you need to have a high-deductible health care insurance policy and open a health savings account with a financial institution. There are relatively few guidelines about how HSA funds can be invested, so it is especially important to choose a reputable firm to handle your account.
What can HSA’s do for my Business?
The biggest advantage of an HSA is the reduction in premiums without a decrease in benefits. Companies can expect to experience 20%-30% savings in total premiums. In addition companies have the ability to design a completely flexible level of medical benefits to best meet their objectives at the price they want.
Health Savings Accounts are a very new and innovative approach to dealing with healthcare costs. It is very important for both the decision maker in the company and the employees to understand how a Health Savings Accounts works and the advantages/disadvantages that go along with it.
Christopher Ritter is an Employee Benefits Specialist at HRB Benefits Group in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Chris formerly worked for New York Life where he worked with small businesses and individuals.
| Office (781-235-9500) | Email: chrisritter@hrbbenefits.com | www.hrbbenefits.com |
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