Category: IT Support Page 4 of 6

October 29, 2013

A vast majority of virus attacks on personal computers happen while traveling, which emphasizes the need to adopt security measures while using your computer on the go. Thankfully, it just takes a few simple steps to significantly increase your computer’s protection, and keep it safeguarded from viruses and other internet bots. Here’s a look at some of the best ways to keep your computer safe from viruses and other security issues while traveling:

Do not update software on public Wi-Fi systems: Before setting out on your trip, make sure that you have updated the operating system and software on your computer. Do not carry out any updates while accessing the internet through a public Wi-Fi hotspot, such as that in a hotel room. This could lead to cyber criminals installing malware that grants them access to all the data on your computer. Some of these programs can even enable the hacker to turn on the webcam on your computer and monitor all your activities.

Make sure you have an antivirus system intact: As obvious as it might seem, a large number of people tend to overlook the need for installing antivirus software on the computers. While this is important for your computer’s security in general as well, it is especially important for the increased protection you need while traveling.

Have a data backup: It is always a good idea to ensure that you have a backup for all the important data you need, before travelling with your computer. This data can be stored on the cloud or in a hard drive, and can be easily retrieved in case your computer gets stolen or gets infected with a virus.

Only use WPA2-encrypted networks: Before using a hotel network, make sure that it is encrypted with WPA2. You can easily tell whether a network is WPA2-encrypted or not, while adding the password for the network in your wireless settings. WEP and WPA networks are best avoided, and should be used only if you have no other option and desperately need to access the internet.

Use VPN to access your company’s network: If you need to access your company’s network while travelling, it is a good idea to do so through the VPN, or Virtual Public Network. Since VPNs only allow authenticated remote access, this will keep your private information protected.

For planning your office network and to know more about how to keep your computer secure, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Tips On Planning A Big Office Network

By centexitguy

On October 11, 2013

In IT Support, Networking

October 8, 2013

The first step while planning a big office network is to evaluate the capacity needs of your current network. For this, you need to perform an inventory of all your network locations, which should include the available internet bandwidth, internet access type (VPN, DSL, etc.), and the location name. It is also important to take into consideration the building blocks of your office, which might influence the strength of a wireless network. You must consider the number of access points and bandwidth that your business will need to achieve the expected productivity gains. Along with this, you must also take into account the long-term maintenance of these access points, through centrally-managed controller appliances.

Once you have decided on the number of WLAN access points for your large business, you need to determine the power requirements of these access points, which is usually less than 15 watts. You can consider using power injectors placed along the line within 100 meters, as these provide greater flexibility than conventional power sources.

The next important consideration should be the security of your network. This is critical, considering that you depend on your network for a vast majority of your business functions, including communication, billing, inventory, sales, and trading. A network security breach could cost you heavily in terms of lost revenue and customer litigation.

While it is important to ensure that your network is highly secure, you must ensure that the security of the network does not come in way of its usability. Having a well-drafted network security plan is a good way to ensure effective network security. This should include all the major aspects of network security, such as email and communications activities, identity policy, remote access policy, encryption policy, password policy, antivirus policy, and acceptable use policy. Your network should be equipped with security technologies like firewall, Virtual Private Network (VPN), identity management, content security, and compliance validation.

Avoid interchanging home access points with multiple access points at the office. Even though these might be cheaper, they are likely to interfere with the seamless connection required at the workplace. Also, remember that just because an access point is at an easy location, does not mean it is the best location.

We at Centex Technologies design and implement computer networks for medium and large businesses. For more information call us at – (855) 375-9654

What is Google Glass?

By centexitguy

On August 30, 2013

In Internet marketing, IT Support, SEO Marketing, Tech Buzz

August 30, 2013

In the beginning of 2012, when rumors of Google’s ambitious project of wearable technology began doing rounds, few could believe that this was such a close reality. The intuitive spectacles, which have been developed with a vision of becoming the ubiquitous device of the coming decade, are all set to hit the market, and are available for developers to test for just $1500. So what exactly is Google Glass, and how can we expect it to change the world in the years to come? Put simply, Google Glass is an attempt to make data completely hands-free, enabling users to access the internet and other apps through voice commands.

This coming-of-age device wears less than an average frame of sunglasses, and can be worn discreetly, just like a regular pair of eyeglasses. Each such frame has a camera, display, touchpad, microphone, and battery built into its chassis, enabling you to view the display within your field of vision, and perform all sorts of functions through voice commands- including taking pictures, sharing live streaming of events, recording videos, translating, searching the web, using navigation, etc.

Here’s a look at some of the tasks that Google Glass will be able to accomplish:

The embedded camera will be able to click pictures of things as you can see them from a first person’s perspective, eliminating the need for a viewfinder.
The microphone and touchpad on one side of the frame will enable you to select the function that you want to be performed from the screen that will appear in front of you. Google Glass will be able to interpret your commands through a brief gesture or voice command.
The device will also be capable to provide sound through bone-induction technology, which will be a lot less cumbersome than normal headphones.
Google’s voice-to-text functionality will enable you to pair your headset to your Android phone, and then view text messages on the display, and respond to them through the microphone. This feature will also make it possible to dictate emails.
You shall also be able to access a variety of other Google features, such as Google Maps, Google Hangout, Google Translate, etc. through the device.
In addition to these in-built features, there are expected to be a wide range of apps that users will be able to access through the headset, including one that makes it possible to identify your friends in a crowd.

Centex Technologies is a leading IT support company in Dallas TX. For more information on latest technologies, computer networking, online marketing and SEO, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Android Phones Versus iPhone

By centexitguy

On August 23, 2013

In IT Support, Mobile Apps

August 23, 2013

Android or iPhone- the question of who wins the battle of the smartphones is a long-running one that no one quite seems to know the answer to. Here is an attempt to breakdown the numbers governing this staple debate, to see which of the two really is the winner of the mobile platform war.

The first question in this regard, is of course, which smartphone has more buyers. According to a research conducted by the Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, Android is the clear winner, outspacing iOS by a margin of a whopping 52.1% in the United States alone. Talking of the worldwide market share of the two smartphones, Android dominates with a share of more than 70% versus 21% for the iPhone.

However, when it comes to tablets, the statistics favor iOS, which enjoys a market share of 53.8% versus Android’s 42.7% share in tablet shipments. Interestingly though, when we talk of the money being made by Apple versus Samsung, the former is the one raking in the bucks, accounting for 72% of the industry’s profit.

Talking of superiority in terms of apps for both the platforms, even though this is usually a completely subjective analysis, a company called uTest carried out a comparison by collecting user reviews and ratings, according to which iOS apps are more superior, with an average score of 68.5, versus a score of 63.3 for an average Android app. While iOS ranks higher for app availability (Android had to struggle for months to get Instagram), Android offers higher flexibility for its apps, allowing them to run on multiple browsers.

Another advantage that Android offers over iOS is better sharability. The sharing function called “intents” enables users to share all forms of data in between their apps simply by long-pressing the text or image. This makes tasks like sharing photos or carrying out Google searches undeniably easier. iOS on the other hand, scores high in terms of portability, with the average iPhone being lighter and more compact than its Android counterpart. Another perk to the iOS is higher consistency, which though, is balanced out by the increased customization, which Android, being an open-sourced system offers.

We at Centex Technologies create mobile applications for iOS and Android platforms. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654

How To Reduce Network Congestion

By centexitguy

On July 21, 2013

In IT Support, Networking

July 21, 2013

Congestion in a data network has a direct impact upon speed, significantly slowing down the performance of each system in the network. A congested network has a high rate of latency, which is the term used to describe how long the data takes to traverse the network segment. This is especially undesirable in applications that are time-sensitive, where even short lags in the network speed can have a high impact on performance and end-user satisfaction. Here are some tips on how to reduce network congestion:

The first step is to analyze the trend followed by network congestion, with the help of network monitoring tools, which shall better help in effective troubleshooting. You need to know when the congestion is at its peak. For instance, this could be at the beginning of the day. It is also important to take note of when the congestion began- was it caused by an increase in the number of employees or other reasons? This data can help to pinpoint the most effective solution to reduce network congestion.

Another important consideration is in which segment of the network the major congestion occurs.. You could also consider increasing the bandwidth capacity of the affected segment.

If a small cluster of IP addresses is sending a large number of packets, this could be the underlying cause of network congestion. In this case, you might need to replace the malfunctioning network card, or turn off the service in the application that is responsible for generating these packets.

It helps to reduce the number of protocols being used in the network, and reduce the use of broadcast protocols. Using proper tuning techniques for the TCP/IP protocol can help to boost performance by up to 5 times.

Prioritizing the network traffic that you need can help to increase the performance of the data network. You can do this by enabling the QoS (Quality of Service) feature that is a part of typical small business networking nodes. In case of medium businesses, this can be achieved by reprogramming the network nodes like switches and routers, so that they give higher priority to the desired traffic.

Identifying the right solution for congestion in your network is a long process, that might require a significant amount of hit and trial, before you can choose the right approach to boost your network’s performance.

Centex Technologies provide complete computer networking solutions to businesses. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654

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Category: IT Support Page 4 of 6

How To Protect Your Computer From Viruses Or Other Security Issues While Traveling

Tips On Planning A Big Office Network

What is Google Glass?

Android Phones Versus iPhone

How To Reduce Network Congestion