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Five Simple And Really Useful Google Search Tips

Posted on: September 10th, 2012 by under Apple, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Software | 1 Comment
Simple and Useful Google Search Tips

Simple and Useful Google Search Tips

Wait, I know… There is no shortage of articles about Google search tips on the web. Frankly, most give you too much information – you’re just never going to remember it all.

So I decided to go through them all and come with five tips that are so simple and useful, you’re bound to remember them.

 

1) Phrases: Perhaps the most powerful tool that I’m amazed more people don’t know about is the use of double quotes around phrases. Let’s say you are searching for cars that double as boats.

 

cars that double as boats  –  Without the quotes, you’ll get a wide variety of search results – most not what you’re looking for.

 

“cars that double as boats”  – With the quotes, you get the results you want.

 

2) Definitions:  If you need to quickly look up the definition of a word or phrase, simply use the “define:” command.

define: plethora

define: passive aggressive behavior

 

3) Calculator: No need to search for your calculator or open up the calculator program on your computer. Just use the google search box like a calculator:

Type in 24/3+2=

and you get  back: 24/3+2=10

 

4) Flight Status Finder: Enter the airline and flight number into the Google search box and get back the arrival and departure times right inside Google’s search results.

delta flight 1223 status

 

5) Conversions: Quickly convert just about anything:

24 teaspoons in cups

100 dollars in euros

1255000 megabytes in bytes

 

Have some of your own Google search tips? Let’s hear them!

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Hackers & Cyberthieves Continue to Target the Under-Protected: Small Businesses

Posted on: July 23rd, 2012 by under Computer Security | No Comments
Hackers, Cyberthieves, Cybertheft and Cyber Security

Prime Target: Small Businesses

As a small business owner, most state laws will put the responsibility completely on you if you are a victim of cybertheft. If your company bank account is hacked and your money is stolen, tough luck – you should have had better controls in place. Surprised?

Conversely, if your personal account suffers a similar fate, most state laws will hold the banks responsible.

The general reasoning here is that companies should be more sophisticated and knowledgeable than individuals and should have the proper controls and security measure in place.  Of course, we all know the reality of the situation is that there is a big difference between a large company with it’s own I.T. staff and a small business. Hackers and cybethieves know this as well and are exploiting the vulnerability of small businesses with fervor. Small businesses have proven to be “soft targets” for cybercriminals.

The Wall Street Journal has been all over this this topic lately and I encourage any small business owner to read the following articles referenced. The knowledge and awareness you gain could very well save you from experiencing a major cybertheft incident.

First came an article about the general problem of hackers targeting small businesses.  Standing out in that article is this quote:

About 72% of the 855 data breaches world-wide analyzed last year by Verizon’s forensic analysis unit were at companies with 100 or fewer employees.”

Are you looking over your shoulder yet? Are you wondering how this can happen?  Here is a case study of a company that had 1.2million wiped from it’s accounts by cyberthieves in the course of several hours. They thought they had protections in place (firewall and anti-virus), but the systems were not all current and they had no controls on their online banking accounts that would restrict such large withdrawals.  (Call your bank NOW and discuss what controls can be implemented)

As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, historically small businesses have been left to fully bear the burden of cybertheft committed upon them. But there is some good news. Two recent court rulings went in favor of small businesses suing their banks to recover funds lost due to cybertheft.

From that article is this quote that sums up the problem small businesses face: “The truth is there are millions of small businesses that have no clue of the sophistication of the threat that is out to get them,” says Brian Krebs, author of Krebs on Security, a blog that covers cybercrime and Internet security. “You’ve got one lady who’s in charge of payroll, and she works nine to five and…God bless her, she’s up against the Russian mob.”

So what can small businesses do? I’ll tackle that topic fully in my next post, but in the meantime, call your bank and put some controls in place that would limit your exposure to theft.

 

Cyberthieves Hit Owners:

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Cut IT Spending in Tough Times? Not so fast.

Posted on: February 29th, 2012 by under Company News, Hardware | No Comments

Information Technology SpendingInformation technology spending has always been an easy target for CFOs when budget-crunching time comes around. Delaying projects or doing without the latest technology can offer significant savings. But what will cutting IT Spending do to your business?

In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, the companies that are thriving are the ones that are truly technology-driven. Investments in technology boost productivity and profits. Falling behind in use of technology has been the final tipping point for many failed companies.

While this could certainly be considered a self-serving position, that doesn’t mean it’s without value. What brought this topic to mind was an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, called “Cut Those Costs! (But Not Tech).”

The article lays out the new landscape that companies are presented with; how to cut costs without losing your competitive edge and hurting the business. One example given is an Engineering firm in Colorado, CH2M Hill. From the article:

 The Englewood, Colo., engineering firm is cutting back on expenses like corporate events and bonuses for employees, yet it plans to boost its $100 million-a-year information-technology budget by as much as 20% this year. In part, the money will go to fund new systems that will make it easier for workers to use a variety of mobile devices on the job.

“We’re very concerned about the economy and trying to take some measures to cut costs,” says Mike Lucki, CH2M’s chief financial officer. “But this is an investment that we need to make to stay competitive. If you don’t do it, you’re not in the game.”

Mr. Lucki is not alone. A recent survey by Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business found that CFO’s are planning to increase IT spending on average by 10% in 2012. Compare this to 2008, when plans were to hold even or decrease spending. Needless to say, the tech explosion has opened more than a few eyes of financial decision-makers who were once quick to make technology their sacrificial lamb.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy or fool-proof. Increasing IT spending in tough times requires careful planning and even more careful evaluation of specific technologies and the potential returns to the business. But if you’re not thinking this way now, as Mr. Lucki says in the article, you’ll never make it to your 2015 plan. I recommend you read the whole article (link above). It’s a worthwhile 5 minutes out of your day.

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