What Elements Should Your Internet Usage Policy Contain?

When planning your Internet use policy, it should contain certain key elements such as:

• The company Internet is for company business only and to be used only during company business hours
• All work done on company computers during business hours, including all emails, is company property and can be accessed by the employer at any time.
• Establish what type of computer use is unacceptable such as accessing personal social media accounts, persona

With computers and Internet access such an integral part of every business, and the Internet filled with everything from gambling to x-rated websites, it is critical that every business has an Internet use policy in place. This policy can help prevent your employees from accidentally or intentionally causing harm to your company or your company’s reputation. While you don’t want to give your employees the idea that they are living in George Orwell’s 1984, you want them to have a clear understand

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If you've been to 85Under's website before, you've already noticed the new look for the site! One thing we'd like to call your attention to is the new "Partners" page.

85Under is already working with some partners to get them discounted services that they can then resell to their clients. We love being able to offer a high quality hosting solution from our underground datacenter through resellers to clients all over the the nation. If you're interested in becoming an 85Under partner, contact usto

How many times have you purchased new software or hardware, and avoided the help menu or user manual? Experts reason that about 90 percent of all features included with software go unused! Much of this comes down to lack of training for individuals using the technology - they use what they know and need most, and avoid anything that would require study or practice to implement. It's human nature to take the path of least resistance, but with a little motivation you could better benefit from the

This data taken from Trend Micro's latest assessment.  See all 12 predictions.

Ready for some predictions on security threats in 2012?  Here are a few from the list of top threats coming our way this year, according to Trend Micro:

1) The consumerization of IT - more and more devices in the workplace are customer owned.  The likelihood of data loss increases with every device that comes onto the network that is improperly secured.

2) Increasing complexities of securing physical, virtual and cloud-

The U.S. Office of Homeland Security recently put out a brochure with some basic security guidelines on how to protect your workplace environment.  Here are some quick tips for IT managers that they included in that document:

1) Implement Defense-in-Depth: a layered defense strategy that includes technical, organizational, and operational controls.

2) Establish clear policies and procedures for employee use of your organization’s information technologies.

3) Implement Technical Defenses: firewalls,

This is part two in this series for troubleshooting your network connectivity. Confirming the connectivity with the Internet was the focus of the first three steps in our process. We now continue with the remaining steps to help you discover what the problem with your Internet connection might be.

1. Check functionality. Once the network cable has been confirmed to be working correctly, we need to see if the router is working correctly. Since you have already unplugged and re-plugged the router i

To most computer support persons, having problems connecting to the Internet via a home router and a high-speed connection is not a major issue. However, for those who do not understand some basic technology concepts, solving connectivity problems will be a struggle. The following will give you some tips of where to look for network connectivity problems and how to perform some basic trouble-shooting tasks.

Most of the initial steps of this process are common-sense and incredibly basic, but you w

Whether you are launching a start-up, or several years into operating your business, you need to continue to maintain an innovative mindset that will allow you to grow your business creatively. This means exercising your creative thinking skills in order to develop and explore new ideas, opening the doors to new and better opportunities. In order to foster a creative mindset, here are some tips to help you stay on the cutting edge of thought innovation:

Ask Yourself More Questions

When you first s

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) do not consider themselves targets of cyberattacks, and thus are not implementing safeguards to protect their information, a Symantec survey concludes.  The survey of 1,900 firms found that half of SMBs think that because they are a small company, they are not in danger from cyberattacks.

“Most SMBs don’t believe they would be targets of attacks, that it is something that would happen to large enterprises”, said Kevin Haley with Symantec Security Response.

We just wanted to write a quick blog entry today to let everyone know how much it meant to us to have such a great turnout at our open house last week. In all, we had over 100 people show up, including the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, to whom we are extremely grateful for the wonderful ribbon cutting ceremony. We were truly honored and overwhelmed by everyone's attendance.

If you were able to come to our event, you know that cloud85 is coming very soon. It's been in the works for some ti

Let's face it: when it comes to IT, your business is going to be good at some things and bad at others. So what are some of the most glaring gaps in IT for businesses like yours? Take a look at this list and see how you stack up.

1) Backup and Disaster RecoveryJoshua Liberman, president of a systems integrator in Albuquerque tells a story of a $10 million company who had a server crash and they lost everything. Their goal was to save on the $150/month backup contract that they were running and, s

People by nature are inclined to trust others, and criminals use this to their advantage again and again. Take the case of the fake social networking profiles established earlier this year for “Robin Sage,” supposedly a young, attractive woman working in the national security arena. A security expert created the fake profiles as a test to see how many security professionals might be fooled by Sage’s persona and share information with her. About 300 people within the United States military and go

PCnet is in the process of expanding our office. When all is said and done, we'll have about twice the space that we've been using and everything will be updated and improved. You'll love the look of our new office!

Thanks to Williams Construction, American Glass and Pinnacle Sign for helping us with our major facelift!

We just put out a new edition of our PCnet newsletter.

In it, you'll learn how we've been bowling for kids' sake, attending conferences to get ready for our new Cloud85 offering and getting excited about products like the Barracuda Web Filter. Also, meet some of our new staff and learn how one of our own is in the running for a NASA competition!

Take a look at it!

Every dollar a small business spends needs to have an immediate and quantifiable return. This is especially true for critical services such as I.T. support. If you are one of the millions of small businesses that depend upon your technology to keep your business running, proactive Managed Services will save you money, improve your efficiencies and reduce your downtime.

The Solution

With the advent of new monitoring tools and the ability to remotely deliver help desk services to small businesses al

When corporate America realized that they could save money by having their sales force work from home rather than occupy expensive office space, the world changed for sales across the country. If you are on the road a great deal for your company, Ford will soon make your job a little easier. In December 2009, Ford announced that they will be turning some select Ford Vehicles into “WiFi hotspots.” If you have ever been on the road and needed to send off a quick email to your boss or client, findi

There are several stories circulating on the Internet regarding bandwidth (the speed at which you access the Internet) and how it is going to begin to reach capacity very soon unless something is done. This will render the Internet almost completely useless for everything but the simplest and slimmest of applications.

The reason given is because the demand for high-speed Internet access is growing at a rate of 60% each year. Estimates tell us that by as early as 2010, we could begin to see excess

Most business entrepreneurs have great talent and the means to run a very successful business. The snag they most often run into is the belief that they can do it all. This mindset can be detrimental to the overall success of their business. Trying to do it all can lead to hindered growth, lower profit margins and in some cases failure.

In order to create a business that is structurally sound, expandable and profitable, business owners should focus the majority of their time and energy on their p

During times of economic struggle, most small businesses end up making cuts and changes to keep their businesses in the green. From laying off staff to decreasing business travel, reducing marketing efforts and ending bonuses and raises temporarily - there are a variety of ways small businesses look to cut their expenses. At the same time, they look for ways to increase profitability - especially when operating with reduced staff. Technology becomes even more useful as small businesses strive to

When it comes to anti-virus applications and protection from other web-based threats, it really only makes sense to use the absolutely very best platform available; after all, the information stored on your business's networks is some pretty crucial, sensitive stuff.

Fortunately, Trend Micro AV protection leads the pack. This is great news for PCnet, 85under and Pulse customers. Why? Trend Micro is the only AV product we use.

Why mess with anything else?

Read more about the recent real-world online

When it comes time to cowboy-up and just outright ASK people for money, look no further than our fearless leader, Greg Clift...especially when it's for the kids. Really.

Greg is participating in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters "Bowl for Kids' Sake." He needs a good team, and a lot of help. Trust us.

Regardless of your bowling prowess level (or sub-level), please visit Greg's donation pageand do what you can to help.

Big Brothers, Big Sistersis one of those organizations actively shaping the future. I

Three final points really hit home the advantages of Microsoft Exchange Server Services:

One of the really great features of a Microsoft Exchange Server--especially considering the way increasing numbers of people are working today--is the mobile compatibility.

The Microsoft Exchange Server's complete mobile access allows you to:

Work anytime, anywhere

Get full access to all your email folders, contacts, calendar and files from any Mircosoft Outlook or browser.

Keep up-to-date

Changes made to your email, contacts, calendar and files are automatically updated when accessed via any other m

Here's the first of a three-part blog featuring Microsoft Exchange Hosting.

At PCnet, we're always seeking services and tools that are both super-functional and super-powerful. Microsoft Exchange Hostingfits into that category. It's a very empowering solution to email, contacts, calendars, folder sharing, and more. Here are some details:

Freedom

For just a few dollars a day, you can seamlessly access and synchronize all your mailbox data, including contacts and calendar, across a variety of platfor