Category: IT Support

Tips To Keep Your Website Secure

On July 25, 2011

In IT Support, Security, Website Development

July 25, 2011

With the development in the web technology, the number of web sites that are being hacked is also on the rise. Keeping the website secure is an intricate issue that the web site designers and owners often fail to notice. Here are some important tips that you should always keep in mind to keep your web site safe and secure.

Keep your software updated: To prevent other people from taking advantage of your software ambiguity, make sure you update it from time to time and also download the patch program. If you are using the old version of any software, your web site is likely to be in a state of high insecurity. Thus, instead of manual updating, turn on the automatic updates of the software if it is available.

Use strong passwords to host account, FTP and control panel: Short and simple passwords are likely to be very easily accessed by the hackers. It is advisable to make your password as difficult as possible. The password should never contain your name, date of birth or any relevant information. Try to keep changing your password after every two or three months.

Update your antivirus: Make sure that you have updated antivirus software. Scan your computer frequently for any sort of viruses. It is possible that the hackers gain access to your passwords through any sort of viruses in your computer.

Backup your web site: Always have a complete backup of your web site. Even if it is hacked, you would not lose your files or the web site. Do not expect your web host to guard you if there is any blow. Do not store the backup files in the web servers. Instead, store them in the PC or USB.

Monitor your traffic regularly: Check your log files on a regular basis and monitor the visitors to your site. If there is anyone unusual, you need to be very careful. This could be a hacker.

Choose a trustworthy web host: Always go for a reliable web hosting service providers who offer customer support round the clock.

These are the important steps that you, as a web site owner, must take in order to keep your web site safe and secure. It is better to be cautious than be remorseful afterwards.

To know more how you can keep your website secure, feel free to contact us at Centex Technologies. We provide IT Support, Web Application Development, SEO and Internet Marketing services.

Web Development Austin – Web Design Austin

How To Choose The Best Web Hosting Provider?

By centexitguy

On June 13, 2011

In IT Support

June 13, 2011

Choosing the best web hosting provider can be a very difficult task. There are numerous things that you need to be careful about while selecting the best web host. The most important of them is to prevent yourself from entering into a trap dwelling on the cheapest monthly cost. Given here are some important considerations that you should keep in mind if you want to get the best web hosting provider.

Bandwidth: This is extremely necessary for the future of your web site. It would be the worst thing if your web site gets shut down due to exceeding the Bandwidth. It is wise to select the web hosts that provide unlimited Bandwidth but at the same time you have to be sure that the “unlimited” part is not a cheap marketing tactic of hosting company. In such a case, you will land up with frequent website shut downs as the server resources will be used by multiple websites without any limits to bandwidth.

Add On domains: In future, may be you expand your business and need another sub-domain name for that. Make sure that the web host you choose does not charge extra for any additional sub-domain name.

Hosting space: As you expand your business, you would need ample amount of hosting space. For example you may want to add videos, photographs or animated graphics to your web site. It is wise to go in for a web hosting company that clearly defines your web hosting space limits. Free web hosts or unlimited web hosting plans can be tricky and may land you in trouble of frequent website shut downs.

Domain transfer: In case you want to move to another web host, make sure that you get a domain transfer without any additional cost. Also the procedure for domain transfer should be an easy one.

Sufficient email accounts: The web host should provide ample Imap and POP email accounts. If you have separate email accounts for different customer concerns, it would be much easier for you to answer their queries.

Scripts: Make sure that the hosting you chose has the desired environment for your web applications to run. In some cases you may find it beneficial to have pre-installed scripts within your web hosting accounts.

Should have control panel: Make sure that your web host has a control panel. It will enable you to make additions and adjustments in your web site.

Free web site promotions: Some web sites also offer free promotion of your web site which allows you to move forward towards a profitable business enterprise. But this should not be the criteria for selecting a web host.

Great support: Make sure that your web host provides you with a 24X7 customer support through telephone/ live chat also.

There are numerous more things that you should consider but keeping the above given points in mind will definitely help you to get an excellent web hosting service provider.

We at Centex Technologies not only create state of the art web applications but also help you choose best web hosting provider for your web hosting needs. Contact us today at 800. 236. 1497.

Web Development Austin – Web Design Austin

Common Computer Hardware Problems And How To Solve Them

By centexitguy

On December 20, 2010

In IT Support

December 20, 2010

Computer hardware is an important part of the system that needs to function efficiently at all times. Although most problems related to performance occur due to software problems, sometimes, your computer may develop a snag due to a lapse in the working of the hardware attached. It can take quite a lot of time to call in a computer technician to solve your problem. Most of hardware problems need to be resolved manually and cannot be done from a remote location. In order to save yourself from this hassle, you should be aware of a few common hardware problems that may arise and learn how to solve them so that your work remains uninterrupted.

Whenever your computer develops any problems, the first and foremost thing that must be done is conducting a thorough check of all the plug points. You must check if all the plugs are attached to the proper sockets and all the different devices like mouse, keyboard, CPU, etc. have been plugged to the proper places. You can also try tightening these attachments to enable your system to function smoothly.
In case your computer refuses to boot or boots problematically, you should open up your CPU casing with the help of an ordinary screwdriver and check the memory chip, video card, graphic card, RAM etc. Sometimes, these elements may get loosened up over time and all you may need to do is detach them and re attach them in their proper places. After doing so, you should try booting your system again.
If your computer simply refuses to start and there are seemingly no problems that you can see, you should check the hard drive of your computer. It may be damaged or full to such an extent that there is not enough memory for the system to start up. You may need to replace your hard drive and get a new one fitted in such a case. Problems related to the mother board can be detected if your system is leading you to the BIOS.

Hardware related problems should be fixed as soon as possible as they can cause you to lose important system files and result in a system crash.

We at Centex Technologies provide complete hardware and software support for businesses. For more information, please feel free to contact us at – (254)213-4740

IT Support Central Texas – Security Consultant Central Texas

Tips On Data Storage Housekeeping

By centexitguy

On November 6, 2010

In IT Support

November 7, 2010

Data storage housekeeping is a crucial part of regular system maintenance. It is done to make sure that your whole network of systems or individual systems run smoothly. There are several important elements of data storage housekeeping that should be addressed properly. Below are some of the points that should be regularly taken care of.

Backup administration – Keeping the proper back-ups of data is the most important task for all networks. The data back-up can be done in compressed form so that it does not hamper daily operations of network system.
Anti-virus update – For obvious reasons, anti -virus system needs to be up-dated. One of the issues with it is the hard drive space used by the updates. It is advised to periodically uninstall the anti-virus and reinstall with updated version to free up the updated space.
Operating system updates – In comparison to new updated version of operating system, regularly updated (over years) operating system software consumes a lot of hard drive space. It is important to safely remove the debris from the past updates so that you can create some free space on your hard drive. You can do so by reviewing and renewing the operating system.
Old archive data – Archives are created in order to back up data so that it can be used when needed. Most of the times the archived files stay on the computer system for long, even when they are of no use. As a result they consume considerable hard drive space. To release up the hard drive space, these archived files should be removed from the hard drive to other storage devices. Even if they are to be kept on the system, they should be stored in compressed form.
Email boxes – It is important to regularly monitor email folders on the server to remove the unwanted emails/ junk mails/ attachments that consume server space.
Unused software – Softwares that run in background but practically are of no use should be removed from the system. Such softwares can affect the performance of the system.
File saving – It is important to save the files in proper folders with correct names. Doing so will make sure that you can easily retrieve the data from archived files/ folders latter on.
Keep it tidy – All files and folders should be kept in a simple, easy to retrieve structure. This is important to make sure that you or anyone else who uses your system can conveniently access the files when needed.

For more information on how to manage your data, files, folders and softwares etc for optimum system usage, please contact us at Centex Technologies. We are Central Texas located, full-fledged IT support and administration firm, visit us at CentexTech.com.

Internet Marketing Guy – IT Support Central Texas