Archive for July, 2009

Switching Key Clients to Managed Services

WingSwept, a leading local technology solutions firm, has recently been focusing on letting their customers know how they can be better served through Managed Services.  All of their clients truly value their data and uptime in the workplace, and now WingSwept can provide an even more advanced service at a lower overall cost.

As a Managed Services provider, WingSwept offers network management through best-practice bundled solutions.  With the state of the economy, more and more businesses are turning towards this proactive and cost-efficient approach.  Waiting until network issues to arise can cause disruption in the workplace which leads to downtime, not to mention network repairs that can be very costly.

“We chose to transition to one of WingSwept’s Managed Service plans because we want our network to be running efficiently and at an optimal level at all times.  We are more confident and at peace than ever with the stability of our network,” says Jerry Jones of Jones Insurance Agency.

In these lean times, getting the most done with the least effort is important for a business’s overall budget.  The cost of not investing in Managed Services may be down time, loss of data, and not performing at an optimal level.  Higher reliability makes a monumental difference in this economy.

“Managed Services is such a great and practical advancement in the IT industry, because it allows us to better serve our clients at a price they can afford.  Before Managed Services your system could cry out for help and no one would hear it,” says WingSwept’s president, Jay Strickland. “We now have the ability to constantly monitor machines and stop crisis before they happen.”

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10 Types of Malware

The dynamic of today’s IT environment makes it easy for computer malware (malicious software) to exist, even thrive. Being educated about what threats are out there is the first step for every computer user.  Did you know there are 10 types of malware?

  1. Infamous computer virus
  2. The ever-popular computer worm
  3. The unknown backdoor
  4. The secretive Trojan horse
  5. Adware/spyware
  6. User-mode rootkits
  7. Kernel-model rootkits
  8. Firmware rootkits
  9. Malicious mobile code
  10. Blended threat

To learn more about what malware is and read about the 10 types of malware, WingSwept recommends you read this informative article.

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WingSwept Employee Throws First Pitch at Mudcats Game

Senior Account Executive at WingSwept won the chance to throw the first pitch at a local baseball game for the company’s monthly outing.  Coworkers competed for this chance with a friendly pitching contest held earlier in the month, but only one could win.  The night was a great success, and the Garner Citizen was there to report.  Read the article here.

Technology Tip: Stop Advertising for BlackBerry

Have you noticed that every email you send from your BlackBerry ends with the line, “Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld”? Would you like to change that? Below are three possible ways to do it:

  1. Connect your BlackBerry to your PC via your sync cable (or use a Bluetooth connection). Open the Desktop Manager by clicking its icon or by navigating to it from your computer’s Start menu. Click the Redirecter Settings icon in Desktop Manager. Click the General tab. Here you will see the Auto Signature field containing the message “Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld.” Edit this message or simply delete it if you don’t wish to use an Auto Signature.
  2. Just open the “Messages” application, click the menu button and go to “Options”.  Then open “Email Settings” and make sure “Use Auto Signature” is set as “yes”.  You can then modify the signature in the area below that option.
  3. If you are attached to a Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES), then you can also have your BES administrator modify it from the server.

Look out for more tips brought to you by WingSwept, helping you master technology!

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Lack of Computer Security Results in Twitter Exec Getting Hacked and Business Exposed

Top Twitter Executive’s account was recently hacked into, and the hacker now has its hands on Ev William’s personal information along with internal corporate data.  Some of the stolen data has been posted, and the hacker plans to release the rest of it in the near future.  Information hacked into included company growth plans, an unreleased show pitch, and HR documents.  It has been reported that the executive found the attack “highly distressing” and security has been tightened since.  Click here to get the full story.

Though we are glad to hear his security has now been increased, this should be a lesson to all business leaders.  Don’t let this happen to you!  Computer security is highly important for you to consider before a disaster like this occurs.  Put your internal business data into professional hand’s you can trust, because it isn’t enough to hope this doesn’t happen to you.  At WingSwept, protecting our client’s business is our top priority.

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Managed Services Offer Stability in a Rocky Economy

The economy is causing most all businesses to tighten up spending, only spending on products and services they find necessary to the running of their business.  WingSwept, as a managed services provider, is in a position to provide its valued service to small and medium sized businesses that can’t afford internal IT staff.  Experts predict that the managed services industry will continue to grow in spite of, or perhaps as a result of the recent changes in the economy. In tough economic times, WingSwept offers to handle all or most of a company’s IT needs from a remote location at a monthly fixed cost that is attractive and affordable to those in need of a dependable network. Read more here.

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Spam Has New Approaches to Get You to Click

Several spam and malware campaigns have used the recent death of Michael Jackson as captivating way to capture new spam victims.  As the news continues to surround Jackson’s death, spam will also likely continue to do so.  Spam related to July 4th holiday was also highly visible recently.  Symantec’s July 2009 State of Phishing Report states there was a 21% increase from last month in all phishing attacks.  To see that report and more, click here.

WingSwept wants to remind its customers and the general public to beware of these more creative and appealing approaches, including the use of prominent news stories.  Remember, spammers will use anything notable to distribute their unwanted messages.

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Technology Company Continues to Grow

WingSwept, local IT consulting company, has leased an additional 975 square feet close by to the other Poole Drive locations to ensure that there will be enough office space to allow WingSwept to continue to grow. There are not any immediate plans to move anyone to the added space, but everyone is eager for the anticipated growth over the next 6 to 12 months.

Capacity is expected to be met for insides Vertical Markets sales representative within the next month.  With the leasing of the additional space, WingSwept will not face growth restrictions due to space.

WingSwept has already welcomed eight new hires within this past month. The company is taking action in preparation for continuation of growth and is readily prepared to for any additional space the expansion calls for.  Jay Strickland, President at WingSwept, is currently looking at options for expansion that will allow the company to continue in its growth.

“This has surely been an exciting year for WingSwept, and I’m especially grateful to all the staff for allowing me the enjoyment of having such things to worry about in a down economy,” says Strickland. “We are so fortunate to even have the possibility of not enough space to continue our current growth.”

Understanding your Blackberry- One Tip at a Time

We know how connected most people are to their blackberry. It’s an important business tool to many people, and WingSwept wants to make being connected even easier for you by supplying you tips for your blackberry on a regular basis. First and foremost…Stop Paying to Use 411!

Install the program Beyond411 to get FREE instant access to yellow pages, white pages PLUS you get straight to Google, movie times, weather and an encyclopedia. You will impress your friends with the knowledge of a concierge at your fingertips. Plus the results are formatted to fit the Blackberry. Go to this website for full instructions: Click here or you can dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411). Look out for the next blackberry tip coming soon.

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Today’s Technology Trend

It has now been reported that Mozilla Firefox has become the most used internet browser today.  Internet Explorer has fallen from the top-spot, although there are still a large amount of users.  Why? It may be due to people’s hesitation to update their programs and comfort with sticking to what they know.  Read more here.

Although this is just one recent change, it makes you realize how fast things really do change in technology.  It is a job in itself to keep up with these changes, and may be one of many reasons your business has an IT provider.  A new web browser is a trend that may not modify the way you do business day-to-day, but there are new and more advanced things that do pop up all the time, like viruses, that can prevent your business from running at all.  At WingSwept, it is our job to understand these changes and keep you from worrying about them.

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