Featured Tech Tip

 

Virus Alert: "Gameover"

A new malware called “Gameover” infects recipients’ computers and allows access to their bank accounts.  A variant of the Zeus malware created several years ago, Gameover steals usernames and passwords and is able to defeat common user authentication methods used by financial institutions.  Victims receive unsolicited email from the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), the FDIC or the Federal Reserve notifying that there’s a problem with their bank account.  The email contains a link to a phony website that downloads the Gameover malware. 

Protect yourself:

  1. Make sure your antivirus is up-to-date.
  2. Don’t click on email attachments from unsolicited senders.  NACHA, the FDIC and the Federal Reserve all do not send unsolicited emails to bank account holders.
  3. Read the FBI warning for full details:  http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/january/malware_010612/malware_010612.
  4. Attend the February GWg Nonprofit IT Forum to discuss computer viruses, find out about different solutions and share ideas among other nonprofits.

 

GWg Tech Tip Collection…helping you to use your technology better…

What is New in MS Office 2010?

With the substantial changes from MS Office 2003/2007 to MS Office 2010, we want to highlight a few of the key upgrades and improvements.  As with any major software upgrade, we recommend a full training to maximize the available benefits – but following are some pointers on new features to look for and to help you in transition…

  1. There are now video triggers available in PowerPoint.  Control movies within your presentation!
  2. Full photo editing capability in Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook and Publisher.  All previous versions had limited and differing levels of capabilities.
  3. New Email "Essentials" that include 4 new features: Conversation, Cleanup, Ignore Thread, and Mail Tips.
  4. Sparklines.  Mini charts, inserted into text of cells of an Excel worksheet, that summarize data.
  5. Simplified Print Menu Capabilities.  The Backstage combines print and print preview, page layout and other print options.
  6. Edit Menu Fixes are very clean.  No more pasting to a messy clipboard, as a line preview has been incorporated.
  7. Automatic correction is fully integrated with the spellchecker.
  8. Windows Live Wire Integration; blog postings options are now available in 2010 applications.
  9. Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is 100% fully customizable.

There are many more new features available with MS Office 2010.  However, as with anything that's unfamiliar, we wanted to share a few of the new bells and whistles, so that you can begin to visualize some of the ways you can use the rejuvenated tools. 

(November 2011)


What is Your Backup Plan?

Disaster can strike at any time.  And we're not just talking about flooding or fire.  Disaster can be failed hard drives or RAID controllers or hardware malfunctions causing data loss.  So having a good backup plan for data is only part of the solution.  A good backup plan for hardware is extremely important also.  It is critical that every organization have a documented backup plan for both data and hardware!

The two key aspects of a backup plan are Data and Hardware/Software:

DATA

  1. Daily Full Backups.  Depending on the size of your organization, full data backups should happen weekly at minimum.  Having nightly or even real-time backups are good options depending on the critical level and need of your data.  External hard drives are becoming a more economical way of backups, compared to tapes.
  2. Keep backups off site.  At minimum, have backups at two separate locations.  Choosing the right method of data backup can be key, but don't limit yourself to a single solution.  Having an onsite backup solution, such as tape, is a good backup source.  Also keep an updated copy off site, in a safe place, and regularly rotate an updated version.
  3. Remote backups.  Offsite backups are becoming more popular.  Utilizing a third-party resource to remotely backup your entire server and data does come with a cost, but is also a good way of automatically having backups accessible off site.  Be sure to understand all the costs and capabilities of your vendor.  Consider keeping a copy of your backup on site so that you can access it quickly if you need to restore files.  Check backups regularly.  Be sure that the backups are running, are backing up the right data, and that the backups can be restored.

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE

  1. Hardware and Software Details.  Keep detailed records of your servers' hardware, warranty, and software information and configuration.  Once documented, be sure that this information is kept safely off site.  If you ever need to restore the entire server, you will need this information.
  2. New Hardware Warranties.  If you are in the market for a new server, look at purchasing a good warranty for an additional 1-3 years.  Depending on the primary service your new hardware is to provide, having next day replacement can limit organizational downtime.
  3. Include Hardware RAID or Mirrored Drives on Servers.  An additional backup solution with any server infrastructure is to have multiple hard drives on the server.  A hardware RAID solution or even mirrored drives help – if one hard drive fails, the other hard drives can continue to provide service while the bad drive is replaced.
  4. Hot swappable drives.  A more expensive option for servers is the ability to have hot swappable hard drives so that if a drive does go bad, the drive can be swapped out very easily with no downtime.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

  1. Cloud computing.  Becoming more popular, cloud computing may or may not be a good option for your organization.  Having your entire infrastructure located off site, at a data center, or in the cloud, is one way to minimize or even eliminate the need for backup plans from a hardware/server perspective.
  2. Document your plan.  Keep a process record of your backup plan safely off site.  Have a copy with at least one other staff member, and remember to review and update it regularly.

(July 2011)


Virus Protection Measures to Consider

Has your nonprofit been plagued with computer viruses lately, even though you have anti-virus software?  GWg technicians have noticed an increase in virus problems, malware, etc.  And we have a relatively inexpensive solution that provides much greater protection than anti-virus software alone.  For about $50/month, your organization can have an Internet Gateway device installed and activated.  All Internet traffic passes through this device, protecting your network, servers and equipment.  A basic package is sufficient for most nonprofits and could include: web filter, virus, spam, phish & spyware blockers, protocol control, captive portal, firewall, intrusion prevention, VPN and basic reports.  Consult with your IT technician about the possibility of installing an Internet Gateway device.  Questions?  Contact GWg, info@groundworkgroup.org.

(March 2011)


Strategic Planning for the New Year

The beginning of the year is a great time not only to create your strategic plan for the new year, but also to think strategically about how your IT capability is supporting your business operations.  Is your IT plan consistent with your strategic plan?  When you develop your strategy, do you have the technology to support your plans?  If you are not sure, just follow these simple steps.

  • Identify your business priorities by the following business functions –

    • Strategic Planning
    • Marketing
    • Constituent Management
    • Communications
    • Fundraising
    • Service Delivery
    • Reporting
    • Day-to-Day Operations
    • Training and Education
  • Assess your current IT capabilities –

    • Go to www.groundworkgroup.orgClick on "GWg Technology Questionnaire" in the "Don't Miss This" box and fill out the GWg Technology Questionnaire.
    • You will receive an email placing your organization on the GWg Continuum of Technology Maturity.
    • This will give you an understanding of your current IT capabilities.
  • Compare your business priorities to your current IT capabilities.
  • Develop an understanding, by business function, of gaps in your IT.
  • Prioritize your IT gaps and take action to achieve your business priorities.

If you need support in this process, please contact us and we would be more than happy to help, info@groundworkgroup.org.

(December 2010)