Welcome to the New Year!

It comes so fast, doesn't it?  Feels like we spend ages preparing for Christmas and now it's passed, along with holidays for some of you. Mine are still coming up - at the end of January and I am really looking forward to it.  I've already made contact with Virtual Assistants in Ireland and I look forward to meeting with them and putting faces to names.  But if there are others (VAs or business persons) reading this who would like to meet - please send me an email. I'll also be travelling (briefly) to London and Paris. 

Just a reminder - if you were planning to make contact for work to be done during the period of time I'm away, please do get in touch before 20th January so I can make arrangements for you with a member of my team to carry on in my absence.

Our guest article this month I became aware of after my December newsletter went out, or I would have used it then. But for many holiday mode is still in place, often till the end of January when school goes back after the summer holidays.  And so, the following may give some food for thought.

Will your computers and business survive the Christmas break?

If you suffer a computer problem over Christmas-New Year, will your computer Mr. Fix-it be available to help? Maybe he’s taken a few weeks' holiday?

If your computers and all the important information they hold are lost in a fire or stolen whilst your offices are unattended over the Christmas-New Year break, will your business survive?

According to the Insurance Council of Australia, “it is a sad fact that more than 70% of uninsured or under-insured (small) businesses that suffer a major loss by events such as fire, fail within the following year.”

Unfortunately, home and small business users operate in blissful ignorance of the 67% exponential growth in computer crime last year.

• A recent survey showed that 80% of business computers have spyware. Yet most users are unaware of spyware.
• Phishing is growing 366% year on year. Very few people even know what “phishing” is let alone what to do about it.
• Online fraud is out of control around the world, and is estimated at over AUD$100 million in Australia.
• Approximately 80% of Small Business in Australia use online banking, and most transactions that are made are unsafe!

Most people do not read or hear about these alarming facts in the media, yet every day the computer security news forums overflow with stories about new scams and more victims.

When hearing all this, a typical response is: “I’ve been operating like this for ages - and I have never had a major problem”. What people forget about is that the world of technology and computers continues to change at an ever increasing rate, and what was safe yesterday is not safe today.

Computer crime today is being driven by organised criminal gangs and their motive is money – everybody’s money. It’s no longer just some bored teenager or computer nerd seeking notoriety, instead organised crime gangs are bankrolling skilled hackers to develop ever more complex scams. The main targets for these scams are small business and home users because most have only minimal computer security in place.

Some recent headlines underline just how serious the problem is:

• “Online fraud ‘ahead’ of credit card companies: experts”
• “Banks (ANZ, NAB) warn of new scam”
• “Cyber cons, not vandals, now behind viruses: report”
• “Phishing costs nearly U$1 billion (in USA)”
• “Virus flood threatens home users”
• “Spyware now seen as top security threat”
• ““Stealthy” worms, Trojans seen tripling in number”
• “Phishing attacks show 6-fold increase this year”
• “Dramatic growth (65%) in password-stealing keyloggers”

If you are like most small businesses and run on the basis of “wait ‘til it breaks– then hope I can fix it”, you and your business are seriously at risk!

A half-baked approach to computer security - relying on anti-virus software, a firewall, and a computer guy who visits once a month or even once a week - is not only a disaster waiting to happen, but it’s probably costing way too much.

Now, there is a cost-effective solution available.

TechOnline is the first to offer a complete computer management service for small business that focuses on “preventing problems”. The TechOnline services are delivered for a fixed monthly fee, and in most cases the total annual cost will be less than what it is currently costing.

The bottom line for small business: computer risks are real and increasing at a rate that is out of control. Avoiding these risks is impossible and, if the worst happens, you could be out of business.

The time to act is now, to secure your computers and your business.

About TechOnline

TechOnline is a new type of Managed Service Provider (MSP), offering a low cost, subscription based computer management service designed to address the computer risks faced by micro/small businesses. 

TechOnline is the first MSP in Australia focused exclusively on delivering automated, remote computer services to small business. Its comprehensive set of services are delivered each and every day and cover computer security including virus, spyware and identity protection, a 24 hour x 7 day helpdesk and the backup of all critical business information.

TechOnline – Your Technology Risk Partner. www.techonline.com.au

For further information please contact:

Peter Philipp – TechOnline
Tel: 03-9886-9630
Mobile : 0417-546-509
Email: info@techonline.com.au

Editor's note:  Scary information?  I met Peter at a recent business expo and was impressed by what he has since shown me with respect to computer support and advice.  We are currently discussing support arrangements for the ACS team and our clients.

Must Read/Must See….

Websites:
Search Term  This site helps you determine how difficult or easy it would be to get placement in search engines using search queries.  Worth checking out.

Blog Explosion - I've been on an exploratory exercise regarding Blogs.  Many businesses and corporations are now using these as a way of promoting their businesses but also to invite public commentary and discussion.  Each new post actually has its own URL so this is excellent for search engines and blog directories - the more often you post, the more you show up. I'm happy to expand further by email if you want to know more.  And please feel welcome to visit mine!

About Our Organisation…

What is a Virtual Assistant?
It's a term for home-based secretaries, administrative and secretarial support, and others who supply remote or virtual support.

We are as close to you as your computer and can do almost anything traditional support staff do - except virtually. You don't need to provide office space, equipment, software or furniture - we have our own!

Location no issue as the work is carried out 'virtually' no matter where you are!  See our newest members listed at VA Directory