Can the Boss Read Your Email?
Most of us have known for years that anything sent over company email may be monitored and probably archived. After all, the employer needs to insure that intellectual property
and other privileged information is not going out the electronic door. However, the courts are still deciding how far the right of privacy of an individual extends when using company supplied equipment.
In Boise, Idaho, U.S. District Judge Shira A. Schedindlin rejected a claim of attorney client privilege because the person send email to their attorney using his work email address. The court found that privilege did not apply because a company policy states that email will be monitored. According to the ruling, “It is unreasonable for any employee in this technological age–and particularly an employee receiving the notice Kirkpatrick received–to believe that her e-mails, sent directly from her company’s e-mail address over its computers, would not be stored by the company and made available for retrieval.”
However, on March 29th, the New Jersey Supreme Court declared in a similar case to uphold attorney client privilege. The difference in this case is that the employee used a company laptop to access her own password protected webmail. According to the New Jersey court, ” A Massachusetts decision, National Economic Research Associates v. Evans, is most analogous to the facts here. In Evans, an employee used a company laptop to communicate with his attorney through his personal, password-protected Yahoo account. The emails were automatically stored in a temporary Internet file on the laptop’s hard drive and were later retrieved by a forensic expert. A company manual permitted personal use of e-mail, to “be kept to a minimum,” but warned that computer resources were the “property of the Company” and that e-mails were “not confidential” and could be read “during routine checks.” The court denied the company’s request to use the e-mails. The court reasoned that, while the manual warned that e-mails sent on the network could be read, it did not expressly state that the company would monitor the content of e-mail communications made from an employee’s personal e-mail account when they were viewed on a company-issued computer. Also, the company did not warn employees that the content of such e-mails is stored on the hard drive and capable of being read by the company. The court found that the employee had a reasonable expectation of privacy in e-mails with his attorney. (pp. 17-19)”
For now, the best policy is to email private communication from home on your own computer. If you must use your company laptop to email, use your own web based email such as Yahoo or Gmail. Check your companies policy on use of company equipment for personal use.
Need an email solution? Prime Networking can securily and affordably host your Exchange email. Click here to read more about hosted Exchange.
Millions of People Knowingly Open SPAM Email
How many users access spam emails, click on the links found within, and open attachments intentionally? Why are they doing it, and who are they holding responsible for the spread of malware and spam in general, while conveniently excluding themselves?
A newly released survey from the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), summarizing the results of the group’s second year survey of email security practices, offers an interesting insight into the various interactions end users tend to have with spam emails.
Key findings of the survey:
- Nearly half of those who have accessed spam (46%) have done so intentionally – to unsubscribe, out of curiosity, or out of interest in the products or services being offered
- Four in ten (43%) say that they have opened an email that they suspected was spam
- Among those who have opened a suspicious email, over half (57%) say they have done so because they weren’t sure it was spam and one third (33%) say they have done so by accident
- Canadian users are those most likely to avoid posting their email address online (46%). Those in the U.S., Canada and Germany are most likely to set up separate email addresses in order to avoid receiving spam
- Many users do not typically flag or report spam or fraudulent email
- When it comes to stopping the spread of viruses, fraudulent email, spyware and spam, email users are most likely to hold ISPs and ESPs (65%) and anti-virus software companies (54%) responsible
- Less than half of users (48%) hold themselves personally responsible for stopping these threats
It’s interesting to see the paradox of end users blaming ISPs and antivirus vendors, whereas 43% of the surveyed users said that they have accessed spam emails, and that they do not typically flag or report these emails.
What the majority of the survey participants appear to be unaware of, is that, despite the fact that since early days of spam, spammers have been attempting to verify the validity of the emails, by attempting to unsubscribe themselves, the users are confirming that their email is valid. In short, it means even more spam. (read more of this article)
The best way to block 98% of SPAM destined for you mailbox is to sign up for Secure Mail by Prime Networking. (Read More)
3 stubborn PC problems you can fix
Ever notice how each PC has a personality of its own? Or maybe even multiple personalities? In the course of a week, your computer may act friendly, moody, and sometimes downright mean.
However, don’t take a hammer to your PC just yet. The following is a list of common symptoms and treatments to help even the most troublesome PCs. You don’t even have to be a psychologist (at least not yet) to deal with your PC’s neuroses.
Windows 7 and Windows Vista usually manage this automatically, but overall you’ll find that these tips work for all versions of Windows, from Windows 95 to Windows 7.
1. You keep getting a “your system is running low on virtual memory” message
Perhaps you’re more than familiar with this scenario: You’re working on your PC and notice performance getting gradually slower and slower. Programs become harder to open and close. You wait forever for Web pages to be displayed. And then, you get some serious-sounding “virtual memory is too low” message, like the one in the following graphic.
Don’t worry: This message isn’t as scary as it sounds.
Virtual memory low messageVirtual memory is the space your computer uses when it’s short of RAM (Random Access Memory), which is the memory used when running programs like Microsoft Office Word or Microsoft Office PowerPoint.
So what can you do to correct this problem and prevent this message from coming up in the future? The following are some solutions to keep your computer from displaying the “virtual memory minimum is too low” message.
Solution 1: Bump up the virtual memory size on your computer
The first solution is to increase your computer’s virtual memory settings. To do so, you first need to determine how much RAM you currently have.
Windows 7
- On the Start menu, click Control Panel, then click System.
- In the left pane, click Advanced system settings. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
- On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
- Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.
- Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.
Clearing the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box
Note Increases in size usually don’t require you to restart your computer for the changes to take effect, but if you decrease the size, you’ll need to restart your computer. We recommend that you don’t disable or delete the paging file.
Solution 2: Add more RAM to your computer
If you keep getting that dreaded “Your system is running low on virtual memory” message—even after you increase your computer’s virtual memory—then you may need to buy more memory for your computer. To really work well:
- Windows 7 needs at least 1 GB of RAM to run. See more system requirements for Windows 7.
- Windows Vista needs at least 512 MB of RAM to run, but for some applications (like gaming) 1 GB or more of RAM is recommended.
- Windows XP needs a minimum of 256 MB of RAM.
The more RAM you have, the better.
Find out how much RAM you have in your computer
- On the Start menu, click Control Panel, then click System.
- Under System, next to Installed memory (RAM), you can see the amount of RAM your computer has.Note In some cases, Windows reports both the amount of memory that’s installed on your computer and the amount of memory that’s usable. If you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows, the amount of usable memory might be less than the total amount of memory installed.
If you’re at work, contact your company’s IT administrator before updating the memory on your computer. They may have some memory available and can help you install it.
If you do need to purchase some more memory, fill out the contact information below
2. Your windows slide off the desktop—and you can’t grab them
We’re all familiar with moving program windows around the desktop. You can click-and-hold the window’s title bar to move it around. But what do you do when you accidentally move a window’s title bar off the desktop so you can’t grab it anymore? The window is stuck in that inconvenient position.
Solution: Use your keyboard to help move your window
The trick to moving these stubborn program windows is to use your keyboard.
Use your keyboard to move a window:
- Select the program window you’re trying to move, and then press ALT+SPACEBAR on your keyboard. The program’s shortcut menu is displayed.
Accessing shortcut menu
3. Your taskbar has disappeared
The taskbar is that horizontal bar at the bottom or your computer screen that displays open programs on your desktop. The taskbar also contains the Start menu, which allows you to navigate to various programs installed on your computer. In many ways, it’s your command central.
Thus, there’s nothing more frustrating than going to start a program, only to find the taskbar gone. A computer without a taskbar will bring you to a grinding halt.
The good news is that the taskbar never disappears—it just hides. It may be hiding behind other open windows, or at the top or side of your screen. You can also (unintentionally) make the taskbar so thin that it seems invisible.
The following are possible reasons why your taskbar has vanished, as well as solutions to keep your taskbar from ever running away again.
Solution 1: Find your taskbar behind other windows
- If you don’t see your taskbar, minimize all windows on your desktop. See if your taskbar is hiding behind your open windows.
Finding your taskbar behind maximized windows
- Right-click the taskbar, and click Properties.
- Select the Lock the taskbar check box.
- Make sure the Auto-hide the taskbar check box is not selected.
Locking and keeping the taskbar on topNow your taskbar will always be visible, no matter how many windows you have open. Locking your taskbar also keeps you from accidentally moving it around.
Solution 2: Find your taskbar elsewhere on your screen
If you have tried minimizing all windows on your desktop and you still don’t see your taskbar—perhaps it has been moved. Maybe you’ve moved it yourself by accident. Or, perhaps someone’s playing a practical joke on you. Regardless, the following will help you get your taskbar back to its proper size.
- As you did in the previous steps, minimize all windows on your desktop. If you don’t see your taskbar at the bottom of the screen, perhaps it’s hanging out to the side or at the top of your desktop.
Finding a hidden taskbar
Solution 3: Thicken your taskbar
You can make your taskbar a thin line—so skinny it’s hard to see. To see if you’ve done this unintentionally, perform the following:
- Minimize all windows on your desktop. Look at each side of your screen. If you see a thin strip, that’s the taskbar.
Finding a thin taskbar
Where to find more help
This article covers three common PC problems. But if you’re still unable to find the solution to your particular PC problems, please fill out the contact information below and we will contact.
Chris Tull is a freelance writer and designer based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He is the author of Web Designer’s Guide to Adobe Photoshop (Wordware, 2006).
Laptop Tracking Software Provides Remote Access to Stolen Laptops
Missoula, MT, March 26, 2010 –(PR.com)– One in ten laptops is stolen in its lifetime. Over 800,000 laptops are lost or stolen in US airports each year. NsideTrack, an advanced
laptop tracking and data security application, not only tracks the location of a stolen laptop, it also allows the owner to access the stolen laptop remotely to encrypt or delete sensitive files. Now, users can even retrieve important files before deleting them from the stolen laptop. Several laptop location applicatio
Several laptop location applications identify a laptop’s location. However, NsideTrack brings laptop security to a new level by giving the laptop owner remote access to the files on the laptop.
“NsideTrack pushes personal and corporate laptop security to a new, affordable level,” notes NsideTrack co-founder and chief engineer, Steve Guerreri. “By providing remote access to the stolen laptop, NsideTrack recognizes that the data on a laptop is an important part of stolen laptop recovery.”
Northside Software, developers of NsideTrack Laptop Tracking Software, have partnered with Skyhook Wireless to provide laptop owners with detailed laptop tracking. Skyhook Wireless drives NsideTrack’s location tracker with its XPS Hybrid Positioning System.
NsideTrack uses Skyhook’s XPS technology to provide detailed location reports, including a digital map, of the laptop’s location. In addition, NsideTrack takes webcam pictures of the laptop thief and screen shots of the thief’s activity. Local police state that NsideTrack’s location reports contain sufficient data to obtain a search warrant.
Click here to read the full story: Laptop Tracking Software Now Provides Remote Access to Stolen Laptop
Press Release Distributed by PR.com
Ants Instead of Anti-virus?
Soon your computer could be crawling with ants. Not the kind that show up in the cracks in 
your driveway, but little digital pieces of code that crawl your network and may someday replace that cumbersome anti-virus program. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, and Wake Forest University, North Carolina have developed a concept they call “swarm intelligence.” The concept is that these digital ants will crawl through a network looking for worms and other malware and attack it before it can infect the network.
“Our idea is to deploy 3,000 different types of digital ants, each looking for evidence of a threat,” explained Errin Fulp, researcher at Wake Forrest. “As they move about the network, they leave digital trails modeled after the scent trails ants in nature use to guide other ants. Each time a digital ant identifies some evidence, it is programmed to leave behind a stronger scent. Stronger scent trails attract more ants, producing the swarm that marks a potential computer infection.”
The digital ants offer several advantages over traditional “static” anti-virus programs. Digital ants move throughout the network looking for threats instead of waiting for the intruding malware to come to them. This does away with those annoying scans that rob resources and slow productivity. Further, digital ants learn and adapt to malicious code variants. There is no need to continually update, unlike today’s anti-virus.
Could digital ants be the answer to the PC owners anti-virus prayers? It is to early to tell, but the concept definitly holds promise.
Steve Marks
Wordpress Tutorials
Below are a series of tutorials to aid in adding content to your Wordpress Blog site. I hope that you find them to be helpful. Please comment or submit questions below.
Prime Networking offers affordable web hosting for wordpress and custom sites. Click here to get started on creating a custom Wordpress site for you business or organization:
How to create a Wordpress Post:
How to create a Page:
How to edit a Gmail Calendar event:
How to edit widgets on the homepage:
For further information or questions, please contact us using the form below.
Email Solutions – Hosted Exchange
Prime Networking is proud to roll out our new offering of hosted Microsoft Exchange email. We’re putting the finishing touches on the new hardware and software at the data center for this service. Microsoft Exchange is the king of small and medium business email and communication today.
Exchange offers many productivity enhancements and state of the art features for all of your day to day email activities. From enhanced web mail, centralized mail storage, and the best smart phone integration, Exchange can’t be beat.
In addition to the great technology Exchange has to offer, Prime Networking complements it with our technical expertise and ability to give you a smooth migration to Exchange from your existing email system.
Please fill out the contact form for more information on plans we offer.
Budget Websites – $50 a month
Have a big need, but a small budget? No problem!
Prime Web Solutions is your answer.
You-Build-It Template Website – The site you are viewing is an example of our very affordable template websites. This site is based on the blog platform. The blog site is the single most underutilized tool for business marketing. Using the power of the web, a blog can help make your company the experts in your field. It is highly customizable, easy to use, and Google friendly. If you can use a word processor, you can edit your site.
We offer two tiers for our template sites:
Tier 1: $20 month with a $100 one time set up fee. This site comes with 3 template choices pre-installed and hundreds more available for download. You supply the content.
Tier 2: $50 month with no set up fee. This site comes with 3 template choices pre-installed and hundreds more available for download. You supply the content.
Both tiers come with our ala carte services:
Custom Homepage on the template of your choice – $500.00
Contact Us page that will email your customer requests. This is an import feature as email addresses on websites are guaranteed to make the spam lists. – $200.00
Custom E-Store with Secure Online Checkout – $500.00
Site SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – $500.00
Other Custom Pages – Submit for Quote
Need more information? Contact us today!
Have a bigger project in mind?
Custom Web and Application Design - We can design anything from applications that can be accessed via cell phone, to a completely custom website, and anything in between. Contact us today for a quote and references.
How to Install RAM in an HP Laptop
Need to order memory for your computer? Don’t know what you need?
Call the friendly technicians at 574-266-6868 or fill out the form below:
Professional Computer Repair and Information Technology Specialists Servicing Elkhart, Goshen, South Bend, Warsaw, and southern Michigan
Windows 7 Quick Tips
Professional and Courteous Technology Professionals
Windows 7 has some great keyboard short cuts.
Here a just a couple of the more useful tricks.
Win+Left Arrow and Win+Right Arrow dock (Make the Window perfectly fill half of the screen)
Win+Up Arrow and Win+Down Arrow maximizes and restores / minimizes
Win+Shift+Up Arrow and Win+Shift+Down Arrow maximizes and restores the vertical size.
Win+Shift+Left Arrow and Win+Shift+Right Arrow to move windows from one monitor to another – keeping them in the same relative location to the monitor’s top-left origin.
The side -to-side docking feature is particularly invaluable on widescreen monitors – it makes the old Windows way of shift-clicking on two items in the taskbar and then using the context menu to arrange them feel really archaic