The introduction of Windows Vista was a mess — Microsoft did a ham-handed job developing and marketing that operating system, which was supposed to universally replace Windows XP. It didn’t — many large organizations decided to hold off and sit tight on Windows XP for several more years.

Microsoft has tried to make good with these organizations by finally releasing Windows 7 in October, 2009.

I’m very happy to say that they did a very good job on this operating system, and it’s finally ready for business use.

Windows 7 is a streamlined, faster version of Microsoft Vista. It combines new interface improvements that will be instantly noticeable to the end-user with a lot of necessary back-end improvements designed to complement modern technologies & improve security and administration.

Microsoft received lots of negative feedback about Vista’s interface changes — there were too many places to find things in the OS; attempting to perform a simple task could take minutes of wading through menus. To address this they simplified the entire menu structure and cleaned up the Start Menu, the Desktop and the Control Panel. Out of the box, Windows 7 presents a cleaner, simpler interface that’s very reminiscent of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system. (Like Apple, Microsoft also decided to bundle in some very beautiful high-quality photographs as background images!)

Microsoft added some new taskbar functionality as well: multiple windows of the same program now show up as a single tab on the taskbar, reducing clutter. Hovering over running programs in the taskbar shows a thumbnailed image of the application. And as many people have seen in the commercials, dragging running programs to opposite sides of the screen will resize the windows automatically so that the programs can be quickly viewed side-by-side. There are numerous small improvements that when taken together can really speed up a person’s navigation of the operating system.

Things are even more interesting under-the-hood — Microsoft built a fault detection & repair system into the OS; it tracks (in great detail) every time a program fails or crashes, then attempts to locate information on how to repair the problem in a giant online database. The OS will even track how often this happens and give advice on how to stabilize things if it feels programs are crashing frequently. Part of the reason for this subsystem is designed to show that Microsoft is not the culprit in most crashes — it’s usually due to badly-written software or device drivers from a third party — but regardless of the reasons for it it’s a worthwhile system that has lots of potential. And for the record, no similar system exists in Mac OS X (and yes, programs crash in Mac OS X too, despite what you may have heard.)

In addition to this, they’ve improved all of the features that were added to Vista, such as better memory handling and cool geeky software technology such as SuperFetch and ReadyBoost — all of which can squeeze the most performance out of your hardware as is physically possible.

Microsoft has also improved the interface for their networking features which will be a great time saver for people who regularly switch from wired to wireless networks or move from office, to airport, to cafe, to home.

DEPLOYMENT

We are (finally!) specifying computers with Windows 7 installed as a default, instead of Windows XP – and this is a major change for us. While not every third-party Line of Business application is certified to be compatible with Windows 7, we haven’t encountered any major problems yet in our deployments. Still, you should check with your vendor (or ask us) before you purchase a computer with Windows 7 pre-installed. (There are many creative ways around compatibility issues as well–I can think of several very interesting workarounds Microsoft has built-in to Windows 7 itself to try to ensure very old software will still work correctly.)

We really think Windows 7 is a worthwhile upgrade for many businesses, but not necessarily across the board. If you are interested in upgrading (and there are many good reasons to do so) it’s a pretty clean and straightforward process on computers that are 1-2 years old. Hold on to anything older than that until the next PC refresh cycle and just replace it with a Windows 7 computer in a couple of years.

Incidentally, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 will interoperate without issue on the same network, and all three operating systems can connect to Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008.  (You’ll gain more network functionality with the newest versions of the client (Windows 7) and server (Windows Server 2008) operating systems.)

I’d like to specifically mention that HP has some really fantastic new desktop business computers (with shiny new Intel i-series processors) out right now with Windows 7 preloaded — if you are interested in those please let me know.  (We are an authorized HP Agent — this means we specify HP hardware & set up the quote so you can order directly from HP.)

Have you upgraded to Windows 7 or do you have questions about it?  Please leave feedback in the comments below.

-Brian

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This threat shows up in the form of ‘Fake’ antivirus software – it’s usually inadvertently downloaded by someone casually browsing the web with Microsoft Internet Explorer – and alerts the user that “Your computer is infected” or “Your computer is not protected with antivirus software.” The graphics are very realistic and are designed to look like legitimate security software. The “software” (it’s actually spyware) can be called ‘Antivirus 2008,’ ‘Antivirus 2010,’ or ‘Antivirus Pro’ or some variant of those names.

(Click the pictures to see a detailed view of some actual examples of what this threat can look like.)

Recently, we’ve seen the software become more convincing, and harder to remove. One variant of it literally locks up your operating system -  holding it ransom (claiming that the entire OS is infected with viruses or spyware) until you pay to upgrade to a “Premium” version of the software. This “Premium” version “removes” these non-existant viruses.

“Fake Antivirus” software is somewhat difficult to remove, but it can be done — though it’s far easier to prevent it. While we’re finding that many popular antivirus packages won’t block it (because it uses many tricks to get around them) you can do a few things to keep it at bay:

• Know what your Antivirus software looks like! It may look similar to — but not exactly like — the fake stuff.
• Be very cautious of any pop-up message coming in while you’re browsing the web, even if it claims your computer has been infected by a virus.
  Close your browser and manually scan your computer with your legitimate antivirus software if you are concerned about this.
• Don’t use Microsoft Internet Explorer to browse the web.
  There are some websites which require Internet Explorer, however 99% of all websites these days will render fine in Mozilla Firefox.
  Firefox is a free browser that is structurally very different from Internet Explorer and is thus more resistant to these types of tricks.

If your computer is behaving very strangely or trying to scare you into thinking it’s loaded with viruses, CALL US ASAP — we know how to get rid of “Fake Antivirus” safely.

Our service plans at BDPNetworks employ a multi-pronged approach to computer & network security. While there’s no such thing as perfect security our tools & methods can prevent your corporate data & employee productivity from being compromised by security threats such as “Fake Antivirus” spyware.

Do you have questions or comments on  this article?  Or do you just want to vent your frustrations about this problem?  Please leave feedback below.

-Brian

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Before the year finishes up, I just wanted to drop you a line regarding a few items:

Microsoft Patches
A few weeks ago, Microsoft released the largest set of patches in some time during their monthly “patch Tuesday.”  About a week later, Microsoft issued a new critical patch to their Internet Explorer web browser.  We’ve covered this routine before but I’ll say it again: it’s important that you visit the Microsoft Windows Update website frequently and often to install critical & recommended updates.

Even if we manage Windows patches on your network or you have set your Windows patches to automatically install, it’s still a good idea to launch Internet Explorer once in a while to check for new updates.  On all modern versions of Windows, open Internet Explorer, then click Tools->Windows Update.  Remember to keep an eye on your virus protection software as well.

We recently sent around a short primer on Safe Computing which discusses spyware and viruses as well–be sure to check it out here if you haven’t already:
http://bdpnetworks.com/blog/2008/11/13/safe-computing/

Snowed In?
This holiday season has been very challenging here in Seattle.  Like many of our customers we have had a difficult time getting to our office, so we’ve been working from home instead.

It is probably no surprise that the vast majority of helpdesk calls & tickets we’ve received over the past few weeks have been related to problems remotely connecting to an office network over a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection.

The VPN systems our customers use (from Microsoft, SonicWALL and Cisco) are reliable, secure and easy to set up on your end.  Even so they can be particular about network configuration and firewalls.  In fact some consumer-grade firewalls simply do not work with these types of VPN connections.   If you set up a VPN connection to your work at home, we recommend checking it once a month to make sure it works the way you think it should.  If not, please let us know and we’ll help you get it working.

Over the past few years we have seen a new type of VPN surface which addresses some of the problems with non-standard network environments, such as at home or hotels.  Called an SSL-VPN, it allows employees to simply login to a secured website in order to connect to company resources.  It doesn’t require complex client software and works through nearly all firewalls.

If you would like more information on available SSL-VPN solutions please let us know.

Happy New Year!
This year has been quite a ride.  We’ve made a lot of progress and really could not have done it without our customers’ support.

The economic conditions next year look challenging–but we think there are exciting opportunities for everyone during times like this.

Companies are going to want to stretch their infrastructure investments further in 2009–and I believe that means we’re going to be deploying a lot of server virtualization in the coming months.  This is a fantastic way to get a lot more mileage out of your existing expensive server hardware.  You can deploy additional network services without buying additional equipment.

There’s also going to be a harder push to move non-essential services (which don’t need to be especially secure) to hosted facilities or “the cloud” in order to cut costs.

Of course there are pros and cons to these solutions, but we look forward to continuing to work alongside you in 2009 to help you make informed business decisions about new technologies.

From all of us here at BDPNetworks, thank you again for your support in 2008.
And we wish you the best of luck in the new year!

-Brian

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We here at BDPNetworks are skeptical about anything bleeding-edge: does it really deliver?

Reviews & feedback are sparse, but I was able to find some good feedback at Broadband Reports – click hear to read it.

Do you know of anyone who has had direct experience with it here in King County, Washington?

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Note: This is a very popular article with a lot of technical information in it.  For your convenience, it is divided into these sections:

• Overview
• Determining what type of computer you need
• Buying a computer for your business
• Basic recommended configurations
• What about Windows Vista?
• Executive summary

OVERVIEW

We are often asked some of the same questions by many different customers. Of these, one of the most important that we can answer is, "What kind of computer should I buy?"

There are thousands of different computer systems available for purchase, so this seemingly simple question can have a myriad of right answers. Unfortunately, much of the information about buying the right computer is murky, driven by relentless marketing techniques and distorted by companies more interested in making a quick buck than in producing a quality machine that’ll lead to a long-term relationship with their customer.

But luckily, through observing industry trends and tracking our customers buying patterns, we’ve been able to come up with some basic guidelines that we use to steer our customers in the right direction. Because we don’t resell hardware or software, you can feel confident in the knowledge that we really believe that these recommendations (and the specific systems we’ll discuss) will help give you a reliable computing platform.

DETERMINING WHAT TYPE OF COMPUTER YOU NEED

Not all computers are created equal. So you should ask yourself these questions before picking a system:

Does it need to be mobile?
Laptops are more expensive and more apt to be broken or stolen, but they will let you work from anywhere. This is a very important question. Review your needs carefully before proceeding with the other questions.

How much use will it get?
A light-duty computer would run web, e-mail, and word processing software for a few hours per day. A heavy-duty computer could crunch spreadsheets and perform database queries for ten hours per day without ever skipping a beat.

Will it be located in a hot or dusty or accident-prone environment?
Ruggedized specialty computers (like the Panasonic ToughBook) are available for these environments. They may cost considerably more but they’ll last considerably longer.

Does it need to have wireless capability?
Desktop computers should be hard-wired into a network whenever possible if they’re not going to move around. Wireless should only be used on a desktop computer when there are no other options available. But laptop computers should almost always be purchased with a wireless option nowadays, almost without exception.

Does it need specific software loaded on it?
The manufacturer will often offer significant discounts for specific software packages preloaded onto a new system, such as Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Office System 2003.

Do you need a tablet?
Tablet notebooks are special configurations with a reversible touch screen designed for professionals who need to take written notes "on the fly" – especially great for doctors annoting patient charts.

Is your computing task better handled by a server?
If you need to run an application that acts more as an "engine" – i.e. processing large batches of data with minimal user input, you may be better suited by server-grade hardware which is not covered here. 

BUYING A COMPUTER FOR YOUR BUSINESS

We find that many people don’t understand the difference between different grades of computers available from some of the largest manufacturers. This often leads to companies inadvertently purchasing substandard systems that underperform because the machines don’t mesh with the day-to-day business demands placed on them.

Business-grade computers
The little-known secret is that most computers available for purchase from consumer outlets are not designed for heavy-duty business use. Computers purchased directly from Best Buy, CostCo, CompUSA and other big-box stores are designed specifically for the home. These computers are often very inexpensive and come bundled with lots of extra software. Unfortunately, this extra software usually carries a lot of advertising with it (which helps subsidize the price of the computer) and often clogs the operating system up, slowing the computer down to the point of being ineffective for any real work.

A better solution for most companies is the business-grade desktop PC, available from most manufacturers. We’ve been happiest (and have the most experience) with business-grade computers from HP (Compaq) and DELL. These systems aren’t as flashy as consumer-grade desktop PCs, but they generally include less extra pre-loaded software and have better-quality components in them. They’re designed to run smoothly and efficiently for at least four solid years–about two years longer than the average consumer-grade desktop PC. They also include extra security features & management systems for better problem reporting and resolution. Finally, business-grade desktop PCs are built to a consistent standard: if you purchase ten business-grade desktop PCs, then purchase ten more a few months later, most of the components (and thus the software drivers) will be identical. This improves the ability for large IT organizations to use imaging in their desktop deployments.

Here’s a chart that shows how these different models stack up:

Several companies focus solely on the consumer market and thus make systems that are not a good value for business use.  These include Sony, Gateway, Acer, Averatec, eMachines, Systemax and any local "white box" clone computer maker.  (I used to work for a "clone" PC maker many years ago and would never recommend them for anyone…)

Here’s another explanation of the differences between DELL Dimension & OptiPlex systems.

BASIC RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATIONS

Here are some recommended basic hardware configurations (as of November, 2006) for any desktop or laptop computer purchased for business use.  Your needs may be greater, but this is a good place to start:

WHAT ABOUT WINDOWS VISTA?

Windows Vista should ship near the beginning of 2007.  When it does, we recommend people wait a minimum of 6-9 months before purchasing it to upgrade their existing systems. 
We believe that while Vista will bring a number of interesting new features none of them will be deemed "essential" so it will pay to wait to upgrade.  Even so, many systems being sold now are marked "Vista Ready" but this term is thrown around loosely: Vista will require more memory and lots more video horsepower than most of the configurations currently being sold today.  If you really want to upgrade to Vista and experience its benefits, we recommend waiting until you can purchase a new PC with Vista preloaded.  As with any new software, you may pay a high price for being an early adopter–but more on this in another article.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Consumer-grade systems are widely available but unsuitable for business use.
• Don’t buy computers for your business from a retail store or a TV ad.
• Stick to computer resellers who have access to business-grade PCs available from major manufacturers, or order them directly from those manufacturers via their websites.
• Though business-grade computers may be slightly more expensive (maybe 10-20% more) than consumer-grade systems, they will last longer, run more smoothly and require less maintenance (and thus save on support costs) than consumer-grade systems over the lifespan of the unit.

Questions?  Call or e-mail us – we’re here to help!

[This article is continuously updated; please leave your feedback below.]

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Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7, the first major upgrade to their web browser in many years. Microsoft has been behind the curve for quite some time in the browser market, so it includes some features such as "tabbed browsing" to bring it more in line with Firefox, Opera, Safari and other browsers. It even includes some neat new features such as the Quick Tabs feature that shows thumbnail images of all open websites (in case you get lost!)

More importantly, Internet Explorer 7 includes some badly needed security features that should cut down on spyware and "spoofed" websites. This is definitely a feature that is sorely needed and long overdue.

If you use Windows XP, you will automatically receive the upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 starting next week if you have Automatic Updates turned on. There’s no good way to disable this feature; turning Automatic Updates off will prevent you from receiving security patches down the road. We recommend accepting the upgrade, though it does take quite some time to install.

Because it is new code, it may handle some websites incorrectly at first. Don’t worry- because everybody is getting the upgrade the onus is on the web application developers to fix their code as soon as possible. But if you know Internet Explorer 7 is not going to work with your web-based application, or banking application, or other critical service, DON’T upgrade – and turn Automatic Updates off for a few weeks while the developers sort out the problems. If you’re not sure contact your application vendor.

If you’d like to download & run Internet Explorer 7 now, visit this link:

http://www.microsoft.com/ie

Firefox 2.0

Firefox, the free browser that runs on any computer (even Linux and Mac OS X) just reached a huge milestone – version 2.0. It outdoes Internet Explorer 7 across the board, and doesn’t behave differently to websites (unlike Internet Explorer 7) so it should be safe to upgrade to this. Besides, it weighs in at a fraction of the size and download time as Internet Explorer 7, and installs in a flash.

Firefox includes all previous features and adds a number of excellent anti-phishing features (like Internet Explorer 7) and lots of new speed & user interface polish. I highly recommend everyone use this as their default browser.

http://www.getfirefox.com

Questions? Please post them below – we’ve got answers!

              -Brian

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Server-grade machines, as a rule, are better-built than their consumer-grade counterparts. High quality branded servers from companies such as HP, IBM & Dell include many redundant features that further attempt to prevent network downtime.

But even the best branded servers with multiple redundant systems can and will fail eventually. Hard drives will often fail long before the life of the server is up, and power supplies frequently fail as well. Luckily, most servers have redundant hard drives and power supplies which mitigate this giving you time to replace the failed part without any downtime.

When another part fails, what exactly does your warranty cover? It is easy to assume that the 36-month warranty included on an HP server (such as a ProLiant ML350, ML370, DL360 or DL380) covers parts and labor and includes next-business-day support which means you will be down for no longer than one full business day.

But our recent experience with a particular problematic server led us to realize that there’s a catch: the stock warranty is next-business-day depending on availability. That means, if the part is not in stock you have to wait.

We were originally told we’d have to wait a week for a system board for a small law firm here in Seattle. This is completely unacceptable as the law firm is dependent on their server for all of their critical business functions. It’s only through exercising multiple contacts at HP that we were able to get the part shipped only one day later than we were originally expecting.

HP, DELL and other companies do have a solution for this through an extended warranty plan. Their extended warranties will give you access to a separate distribution network of parts should your server fail. HP offers an upgraded “Call To Replace” (CTR) warranty that will actually stock a separate server locally earmarked for you should your server fail. If things get incredibly bad, they will come out onsite within six hours to replace failed parts, or even simply replace the entire server with a newer one. These warranties are not cheap – around $2500 for five years of coverage on a $4000 server. But they may give you added peace of mind.

Our Maintenance & Support Plans do not cover hardware warranties, though we work closely with vendors to ensure failed hardware is replaced as quickly as possible. But we will be stocking several spare servers in-house should customer servers fail. These servers will be outfitted with the most common hard drives and hardware array (RAID) controllers that most of our customers use. If you are interested in adding this spare server service to your plan, please contact me at bdp@bdpnetworks.com.

As always, if you are unsure of your server’s warranty and want clarification, please contact us and we’ll help you get it sorted out.

SUMMARY

• Even good-quality name-brand servers with multiple levels of redundancy will eventually fail.
• Hardware warranties from top-tier manufacturers may not get you a replacement part in a timely fashion.
• Major manufacturers offer extended warranties that will expedite part replacements in the case of a failure.
• BDPNetworks offers a spare server service that can be added to existing MSP plans.

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