Its finally time to upgrade that old Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 to the new Microsoft Small Business Server 2008.  Microsoft has announced the product is slated for shipping the second half of 2008.  The new “SBS” takes strong solutions and incorporates them into a fully integrated product for your small business needs.  SBS is designed to give you an all in one solution to help protect business data, increase productivity and present a professional image for clients.  This affordable solution integrated it’s robust server 2008 technology with MS Exchange 2007 for e-mail and calendar functionality.  They have also added new and approved features like MS ForeFront Security for Exchange Server and Windows Live OneCare for the server.  Microsoft ForeFront Security gives you built in anti-virus and anti-SPAM while MS Windows Live OneCare helps to protect, maintain and manage your server.  Other products included are Windows SharePoint that helps you share internal documents as well as coordinating calendars, managing issues and participating in discussions all when on the road.  For more information please feel free to e-mail chris@alphakor.com

Chris Brenner

I am asked time and time again about securing a clients computer or network.  My usual answer is I need to send out a technician with some software to install or to update the anti virus software they already have. The problem is not usually the software they are running but the users themselves.  Security software is only as good as the weakest link and 99 out of 100 times it is the user and not the software’s fault it failed.

Here @ AlphaKOR Group we take great pains to ensure our client is safe against viruses, worms, etc.  It is not only our job to keep up with the latest software and appliances but we also have to educate our clients to be safe on the internet and e-mail.  Here are some simple rules to go by.

1.    Do not open e-mail from people you do not know.
2.    Delete those e-mails that have been forwarded again and again.
3.    Be very suspicious of e-mails with a vague subject line of “Free Vacation” or “I Love You”, etc.
4.    Keep your anti virus software updated with the newest virus signatures.
5.    Don’t forget that most anti virus software needs to be fully upgraded every year.

Just by doing these simple things you can save yourself a lot of grief and money.

Chris Brenner