IT Support Services and Tips by ZONE-X

Over the last few months, ZONE-X’s partner data recovery provider, DriveSavers, have a noticed a steady increase in the number of hard drives received at their facility that have severe media damage, making them unrecoverable. While it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of media damage, experience tells us recovery attempts on these drives may have been made using utility software, or perhaps the drive was left running and a minor head slap became major media damage.

In many cases, the customer’s data had been scraped from the hard drive’s platters, turning it into magnetic dust. While it’s a fact that DriveSavers has the highest data recovery success rate, even we have our limits!

As we are fond of saying, “The first data recovery attempt is the best.” Sometimes, it’s the only chance we get if the drive develops media damage during the data recovery process. To minimize the risk of making a bad situation worse, if your customer’s data is valuable or irreplaceable, do not run software utilities.

If for some reason you must attempt a hard drive data recovery, follow these important guidelines to avoid permanent data loss:

• If a hard drive makes any repetitive clicking or grinding, do not attempt a data recovery. The drive may have media damage. Operating the drive in this state will make the situation worse.
• If you connect the hard drive to a computer and it is not recognized in the setup, stop the process. The drive may have a damaged circuit board and should not be swapped with an identical model, as it could remove the bad sector table.
• Avoid utility software that makes changes to the drive’s firmware or bad sector table. This can permanently corrupt the data.
• Avoid home remedies such as placing a hard drive in a freezer. This will create condensation buildup inside the drive mechanism creating further problems.

Find out how ZONE-X can solve your Small Business IT Support needs: (877) 779-6639

We have recently found a new issue with Microsoft owned domains being rejected when relaying your outbound mail through Postini.

It’s a two fold issue. Postini is combating current clients acting as an open relay, which causes Microsoft to blacklist Postini IP address.

The second problem is Microsoft; they don’t have a way to white list the Postini IP address or any other IP in there filters. Each time they block Postini, a Google rep calls a Microsoft account rep, and it takes days for Microsoft to find all the Postini IP address and un-list them. While they are delisting the current address, more addresses get blocked, and we are stuck in a vicious circle.

The best fix, which isn’t a real fix, is allowing mail for MSN, Live, Hotmail and Microsoft to go out through your local DNS/SMTP before hitting the outbound Postini service. Everything else will still go outbound through Postini. To recap, this isn’t a real fix but it’s the best that we can do to stop the sending issues experienced when sending to these domains.

Set Up MAN/Hotmail Connector – Exchange 2003

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manger.
2. If administrative groups are enabled, expand the administrative group that you want to work with.
3. If it is available, expand Routing Groups, and then expand Connectors.
4. Right-click Connectors, point to New, and then click SMTP Connectors.
5. In the Properties dialog box, click the General tab.
6. In the Name box, type a descriptive name for the connector.
7. Next select: Use DNS MX records for routing, click Use DNS to route to each address space on this connector.
8. Specify at least one bridgehead server: Click Add.
9. In the Add Bridgehead dialog box, click the server that you want to use, and then click OK.
10. Click Add.
11. Click the Address Space tab, and then click one of the following: Set the connector scope as Entire Organization.
12. Click Add.
13. In the Add Address Space dialog box, click the SMTP address type, and then click OK.
14. Enter the e-mail domain/s and the cost. Here you will add [msn.com, hotmail.com, Microsoft.com and live.com]. Connector costs range from 1 to 100, with the lowest cost having the highest priority for routing. Make this the LOWEST PRIORITY!
15. Set the connector scope as Entire Organization.
16. Click Add.

Set Up MSN/Hotmail Send Connector 2007, SBS 08, Exchange 2010

After you have set up Reinjection and registered the IP of your outbound mail server in the Administration Console, create and configure a Send Connector on your Hub Connector Server.

1. Choose Organization Configuration -> Hub Transport.
2. Select Send Connectors.
3. Right click in the actions pane and choose New Send Connector.
4. Name the connector “Microsoft Outbound”.
5. Under “Select the intended use for this Send Connector” select Internet.
6. Click Add and enter the address space “hotmail.com, live.com, Microsoft.com and msn.com” so that these domains will be routed through the new connector.
7. Under Network settings, select “Route mail through the following smart hosts.”
8. Click Add.
9. Set the radio button to DNS, and finish out the connector.

This is the list needed to get a clean and wide-open Windows SBS server running smoothly, forward the following ports at your router or firewall:

SMTP 25 - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

HTTP 80 – Home Page Web

SSL 443 – Home Page Web Secured

HTTP2 444 – Second SSL Secured on alternate port for SharePoint

PPTP 1723 – VPN Connections

RDP 3389 – Remote Desktop Protocol (only needed for direct access, if using RWW website, only 4125 is needed)

RWW 4125 – Remote Web Workplace

Optional:

POP3 110 – If using POP3 mail connections

IMAP 143 – Good for iPhones (1st Generation)

IMAP SSL 993 – Even better for iPhones (1st Generation)

Google, or better known as G-this and G-that… I mean honestly, who doesn’t know Google and its astounding market share (NASDAQ: GOOG) and creating billionaires out of anyone standing near or around Stanford University.

They’ve given us wonderful (FREE) tools like (in no particular order):

• G-Mail - the first web based e-mail system to break the 2GB barrier
• Google – the world’s “best” search engine
• Google Maps – a great mapping tool that can show you who’s car is parked in your driveway or with street view, who is in your window
• Google Medical Records – Keep and store your records “safely” online – wow!!!
• Google AdWords – Pay per click advertising with a ton of tools and ease of use features to help drive traffic to your website
• Google AdSense – Ad revenue that you can place on your website and get PAID for your web traffic visitors clicking on ads
• Google Apps – Trying to bust up Microsoft’s monopoly on share/collaboration tools for document editing (Similar to Word), presentation (Similar to PowerPoint), spreadsheets (Similar to Excel), etc.
• Google Toolbar – Appends itself to your Internet Explorer or Firefox browser window to “make searching easier”
• Google Analytics – Free website traffic monitoring, statistics and more for website and e-commerce

No doubt Google has pioneered many advances that make our on-line lives more connected, integrated, and simpler to get where and what we want.

Now, here is where Google begins to scare me:

• Postini – Google has bought Postini, the world’s largest e-mail filtering service for junk mail and viruses. Many small, medium and large (i.e. Fortune 500) companies use Postini. It allows junk and virus laden e-mail to be filtered at Postini’s server farm before it gets delivered to the company’s mail servers – which for those non-techie types is a HUGE lifesaver!
• Grand Central – Google has bought Grand Central which is (currently an invite only) a service that gives you a phone number “for life”. With this phone number, you get some new and amazing call handling capabilities. It allows you to give an individual profile to your friends and family, giving them a unique ring tone, greeting, and a behind-the-scenes way to reach you anywhere at anytime. If you want Grandma to be able to reach you at home, the office, the cell phone or the hotel in Taipei where you are staying she only has to call one number, your Grand Central number, and it will find you. You can even record a special greeting just for Grandma – “Hi Grandma, I am running around at work in Taipei, if I don’t answer just leave me a message and I will call you right back”. You can also send those telemarketers off to the virtual cyber trash can by blocking their number – sending to voicemail or playing the “disconnected number” tone/message.
• G-Drive – Not yet announced at the time of this writing, but supposedly in the works. Google wants to offer an on-line storage/backup service (similar to X-drive, Carbonite, Mozy, etc.) that will allow you to backup your computer and files on their servers – keeping it safe from theft or computer crashes.
• Android (G-Phone) – Google announced a development platform for a new cell phone (whether the phone or the software) called Android.

Why does this scare me? Simply put, Google has its hands in so much of what we do on-line – and will do. And is slowly creeping into the non-traditional tech (telephone) that used to be quite secure from prying eyes/ears.

With the above, Google will be able to:

• See 100% of what we search for – Using Google Search Engine and Google Toolbar
• See 100% of what people who visit our website are looking for – Using Google AdSense/Analytics
• See 100% of what we want to sell on-line – Using Google AdWords
• See 100% of our ailments, medical records, births, deaths, etc – Using Google Medical Records
• See 100% of who calls us, and what messages they leave us – Using Grand Central & Android (G-Phone)
• See 100% of who e-mails us, its content, how often, etc – Using Postini
• See 100% of what files we have stored on our computer – Using G-drive

Now, whether Google will actually use or harvest this information and create individual profiles on each citizen of the world – who knows. Save that for the conspiracy theorists… My gut reaction is that Google is spreading itself into so many small niches of my life. I feel anxious that every Saturday some guy up in Google HQ decides to pull up my harvested profile and have some buddies over for a good chuckle – reviewing the entire week of phone calls, e-mails, web searches and files that I have created. Wouldn’t it be nice to be so important that it actually occurred? Maybe it does.

With the Department of Homeland security wanting more information from more citizens, maybe they should just embed themselves in the corporate culture of Google. With so much access to so much information, Google seems to be the best place to get information. Maybe the big “G” stands for Government? Careful now, Big Brother is watching!

Find out how ZONE-X can solve your Small Business IT Support needs: (877) 779-6639

We receive a great deal of questions from our clients about the safety and security of their customer data. While a layered approach always seems to be the best practice, we find that most of our clients make assumptions about certain methods of communication – especially e-mail and electronic faxing. We at ZONE-X felt compelled to share our insight on one of the many misconceptions that is prevalent in current times.

What is electronic faxing (E-Faxing)?

Electronic faxing, or E-Faxing, is a method used to convert traditional faxes into electronic format (either TIFF, JPG, GIF, or PDF) that can be accessed via a computer. Most times it is subscription based, meaning you pay an outside or 3rd party service provider to utilize the service. Rather than relying on a physical device to receive your fax and transfer it to paper, E-Faxing can deliver a document that will show up on your computer screen. Not only is this a great time saver, but it is a great resource to make an effort towards “going green” by conserving paper, electricity and eliminating an extra device to maintain.

If I am the only person who receives the E-Fax, isn’t it secure?

A common misconception is that something that can only be seen on your computer screen is safe from prying eyes. Most people feel that as long as no person can physically see the item on their computer screen, then it is safe from unwarranted access. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everything that is carried over your company network, let alone the Internet, can be accessed by a clever individual. Assume that anything that opens up very easily, or can be accessed by a few clicks, is more than likely an insecure data source or document. Here’s why…

Why is my E-Fax not safe & secure?

Most electronic faxing occurs with the help of an outside service. Some of the popular services are J2, E-Fax, and FaxMicro. All offer different levels of service, depending on your specific needs. But there is a common link – they all primarily use e-mail to deliver the faxes to your computer. This is where that warm fuzzy feeling starts to fade. With a traditional telephone line, it would require direct physical access to either the receiver or the sender’s telephone line (at the building or inside the office) for someone to intercept a fax communication. E-Faxing is secure up until the point it becomes an e-mail message and is delivered to your inbox across the Internet.

Why is this an issue?

As a result of the fact that faxes are held with high regard to be legally binding documents (by faxing a signature, you can be held liable for most legally binding transactions), you can easily see the need to safeguard the information contained therein. But, as most people (at unfortunately) do not understand, e-mail is one of the most INSECURE methods of communication on the Internet. It is the non-physical counterpart to sending a postcard through the postal service. Anyone who wants is able to read your postcard (and you will never know). Just the same, anyone who wants, and has the technical ability, can read your e-mail. As such is the case, they have access to all that juicy information contained within each and every e-mail you feel is a one-way link to your intended recipient – and we mean ALL OF IT!

This basic fact arises – E-mail is insecure; therefore anything received via e-mail is insecure.

With the exception of encrypted e-mail (certificate/key based encryption), 100% of your private communications via e-mail are in fact… NOT PRIVATE. If someone really, really, really wants to take a peek at those personal photos, videos, or E-Faxes you are sending as attachments, they CAN and they WILL.

Should I use E-Faxing for my fax needs?

The answer is YES and NO – as it depends on your specific situation. If you have a duty to your customer to protect their private data/information that is a regular part of what you receive via fax, then you should absolutely NOT USE an E-Faxing service. If you only receive basic documentation and nothing exceptionally personal, private, or copyrighted, then using E-Faxing is a great tool. There are methods to receive E-Faxes to a device at your office, which does not traverse the Internet. This is much more secure than using a 3rd party service. However, that crafty co-worker who wants to steal your business leads may simply access your files and see what is in that E-Fax – but corporate theft is a different topic all together.

I am confused & concerned… What should I do now?

At ZONE-X, we are problem solvers. Send us a brief message with your specific issue. We can help you find a solution or walk you through your concerns until you arrive at a 100% satisfactory resolution.

Find out how ZONE-X can solve your Small Business IT Support needs: (877) 779-6639