February 2017

630.850.9039 R yan loved tweaking photos on his Android phone. He’d heard rave reviews from his friends with iPhones about Prisma, a new iOS app for image editing. So when he heard Prisma would soon be released for Android, he logged into the Google Play Store to see if it was there yet. To his surprise, he found one that looked just like what his friends were describing. Delighted, he downloaded and started using it. Meanwhile, the app—a fake—was busy installing a Trojan horse on his phone. When he got to work the next day, he logged his phone into the company network as usual. The malware jumped from his phone to the network. Yet no one knew. Not yet, but that was about to change… Now, this isn’t necessarily a true story (at least, not one we’ve heard of—yet…), but it absolutely could have been. And similar situations are unfolding as you read this. Yes, possibly even at your company… Fake apps exploded onto iTunes and Google Play last November, just in time for holiday shopping. Apple “cleaned up” iTunes in an effort to quell users’ concerns, but hackers still find workarounds. Unfortunately, these fake apps pose a real threat to the security of your network. Especially if your company has anything but the strictest BYOD (bring your own device) policies in place. And the more your network’s users socialize and shop on their smartphones, the greater the risk of a damaging breach on your network. Fake apps look just like real apps. They masquerade as apps from legitimate merchants of all stripes, from retail chains like Dollar Tree and Footlocker, to luxury We love this stuff! Our passion is helping businesses use technology to run their organization successfully and profitably. Your Image Here What’s New This monthly publication provided courtesy of Catherine Wendt, President of Syscon Inc. February 2017 Happy Valentine’s Day! This my not be your favoriate holiday, but any special day that includes chocolate, champagne, flowers, and cards is worth enjoying, so have some fun! Very soon, we plan to have a Client Portal for service requests; interested in the Beta testing group? Call Cindy and she’ll put you on the list. We have a Town Hall Web meeting planned for our clients that use Sage 100 Contractor. We’ll focus on version 20 questions, so reserve Thursday February 16th at 11:30 CST. We love taking care of your IT so you can take care of your business! - Catherine Wendt That Fake App Just Stole Your ID Continued pg.2 -- 1 of 4 - All Things Tech February 2017 Sage 100 Contractor—Updated Tax Tables (version 19.8) (continued from page 1) purveyors such as Jimmy Choo and Christian Dior. Some of the more malicious apps give criminals access to confidential information on the victim’s device. Worse yet, they may install a Trojan horse on that device that can infect your company’s network next time the user logs in. So what can you do? First, keep yourself from being fooled. Anyone can easily be tricked unless you know what to look for. Take the following advice to heart and share it with your team: Beware of Fake Apps! In case you weren’t aware, one of the latest and most dangerous Internet scams is fake apps. Scammers create apps that look and behave like a real app from a legitimate store. These fake apps can infect your phone or tablet and steal confidential information, including bank account and credit card details. They may also secretly install malicious code on your device that can spread, including to your company network. Take a moment and reflect on these five (5) tips before downloading any app: 1. When in doubt, check it out. Ask other users before downloading it. Visit the store’s main website to see if it’s mentioned there. Find out from customer support if it’s the real thing. 2. If you do decide to download an app, first check reviews. Apps with few reviews or bad reviews are throwing down a red flag. 3. Never, EVER click a link in an e-mail to download an app. Get it from the retailer’s website, or from iTunes or Google Play. 4. Offer as little of your information as possible if you decide to use an app. 5. Think twice before linking your credit card to any app. Most importantly, get professional help to keep your network safe. It really is a jungle out there. New cyberscams, malware, and other types of network security threats are cropping up every day. You have more important things to do than to try and keep up with them all. We are happy to help and really want a chance to answer your questions while you try to balance these great conveniences with necessary security—educate your staff; have policies for personal equipment on the company network. Let us help; We love this stuff! Cathy and Larry Sightings Catherine attended a marketing conference in Florida focusing on Managed Service Providers in the IT Industry and industry trends. Larry passed his Sage 100 Construction version 20 recertification test; no small feat! ‘When you can’t stand any more, kneel’ — Anon 630.850.9039 “Fake apps can infect your phone or tablet and steal confidential information.” We’ve supported this software (previously Master Builder) for over 21 years, before Sage, before Intuit, back when it was owned by Omware. For some great stories, check out our ‘20 Years with Master Builder’ videos on our website to hear Larry’s fun stories from the old days. Back to 2017 tax tables—everyone should move to version 19.8 sometime in late January or early February. When the tax update is installed, TAKE THE EXTRA FEW MINUTES TO UPDATE THE OTHER DATASETS. Update the current data, then release Exclusive Access so everyone can get back to work. Then, log into one of the archive datasets as Supervisor with Exclusive Access, and go to the 7-5 screen. Choose a few datasets and start the Reindex process, then keep working your way through ALL of the datasets. Make sure you’re using one of our Datto backup units or have some other backup before you start. DON’T CHEAT—A client recently needed a 2009 dataset and had not updated it several versions ago, so they are out of luck; they can’t upgrade from that old version to the new one! We wouldn’t ask you to waste your time—this step just needs to be done... -- 2 of 4 - Shiny New Gadget Of The Month: A single static video camera can make for some pretty boring storytelling…but who’s got multiple cameras, a crew to run them, and a team of editors? Well, now your videos can look like you have an entire crew behind the scenes, with Mevo. Mevo is a new type of video camera and app that lets you shoot and edit multiple video shots on the fly, all while recording and/or livestreaming. Let’s say you’re shooting a band concert. You get to mix in shots of the guitarist, the drummer, and bass player together, and a wide-angle view of the whole band. Plus Mevo follows their faces as they move around so you don’t have to. You just sit back, and cut and zoom on the fly. On the downside, Mevo’s battery lasts only an hour, and image quality is limited to mobile viewing. Still, with all the cool possibilities you get with Mevo, you may start getting ideas about becoming the next Spielberg. GetMevo.com Construction Corner Mobile Devices for your Field Personnel Part I: Which Devices? You turn on the TV or look at the online ads and it looks so easy. The person just opens their device— Surface, tablet, cell phone, etc.—and starts working with a smile on their face; if it were only that easy! I still remember a call just a few years ago from a client who had just purchased about a dozen tablets. They were so frustrated that none of them would connect to the internet when they were out in the field. Turns out they had not purchased a data package. It just never occurred to them to ask about a data package. They thought, you buy the devices, turn them on, setup a user, and you’re off and working. So, for all of the mobile devices, a data package or Wi-Fi is required in order to access the internet. There are a number of options depending on the type of device you intend to use. That takes us back to the original question, ‘Which device?’ Android and iOS phones are amazing ‘computers’ that also have phone capabilities. Android phones tend to be less expensive hardware than iOS. The iOS phones provide a more uniform user experience since they are controlled by Apple. Android phones have many manufacturers so there are differences in the user experience, but that also means more competition and usually more options. To reduce frustration and limit the learning curve time for the Field Personnel, we recommend you stick with cell phones that are most familiar to the users. There are a lot of business apps for both platforms, so the user experience and cost are the two driving decision factors. Phone versus Tablet—If your Field Personnel are used to paper, using large screens and scrolling, tablets will be adopted more quickly and with less grumbling. The screens are larger than phones, making Excel or Word more usable. The trade is that if you choose a tablet, they’ll also need a phone for calls, two devices for one person. The tablet will require a data plan or wireless access in order to perform its functions. A cell phone can often be used as a mobile hot spot for the tablet which might help limit the number of required data plans for the users with both devices. Plan on buying a case for the tablet and other large mobile devices to protect your investment. Otterbox and LifeProof are two of the biggest names in ruggedized cases. The Microsoft Surface can be a great tool for someone who really needs a workstation in the field, something with business-specific software, and other features specific to using a workstation. These devices require internet access, so wireless internet is needed, or a mobile hot spot, but watch out for data package sizes on the cell phone hot spot. Some models of the Surface have a data plan option, others do not, so ask specific questions and get pricing. This should give you a good place to start when it comes to choosing which mobile device to provide in the field. Next time we’ll talk about managing them, how to keep track of them, various software options, and some hints to be sure the initial setup is done right, saving you a lot of time later! Can’t wait for Part II ? Check out our website under News>Blogs for the Mobile Device series, or the Business Ledger newspaper to see my Tech column.—CMW All Things Tech February 2017 630.850.9039 Mevo Puts You In The Director’s Chair -- 3 of 4 - All Things Tech February 2017 Other Stuff FDIC and Business Bank Accounts I’m not an expert, but I can tell you that the rules for commercial bank accounts with regard to theft (cyber left, fraud, etc.) are very different than our personal accounts. The FDIC insures personal funds up to a limit and there are options to recover stolen funds. This is NOT the case for commercial accounts. Check with your bank for more specifics. In the meantime, think about a Positive Pay software option (we offer one) and/or business insurance. Consider limiting the amount of funds in specific accounts; get informed and take some pro-active steps! —CMW Changing or Adding an Internet Provider? Call your IT company first! Every few months we get an emergency phone call. A client changed their Internet Service Provider (ISP) or added a second ISP as a backup (which we recommend), but didn’t think about letting their IT Company (us) know about the plan. Now they’re completely down and need help right away. Your computers go through your network and firewall to get to the internet, so if you’re making any changes, get the Tech scheduled for the same day as the change; this will limit your downtime, and give you a resident expert (us) to make sure the work is done right, and you’ve received the level of service (upload/download speeds) you signed up for! - CMW Your phone may be spying on you warns Edward Snowden. While TV is a medium you watch, the Internet is a medium that watches you, as you watch… For example, intelligence agencies—or anyone else, for that matter—can run a nifty little piece of malware called “Nosey Smurf” on your phone to listen in on everything going on all around you. And it’s not just phones. Internet-enabled devices—from Amazon’s Echo to your new toaster—can have “ears,” waiting for your command…or be used for more nefarious purposes. Snowden’s warnings presaged last year’s DDoS attack on DNS host Dyn that used connected devices like DVRs and even baby monitors to take down major sites like Twitter, Spotify and Amazon. -Forbes No bigger than a water bottle when folded, this “personal drone” is packed with features. DJI’s new “pro-sumer” drone, the Mavic Pro, crams lots of excitement into its compact size. Unlike other, more confusing foldable drones, it’s a snap to fold or unfold. Yet, at $999, including a light yet rugged remote, it’s not just a toy. The Mavic Pro can climb at 16.4 feet per second up to 1,640 feet, and can fly as far as eight miles away at speeds up to 40 mph, though you’ll start in newbie mode, at a top speed of 27 mph and max height of 400 feet. Its camera features obstacle detection and gesture recognition, and shoots 4K video, stored or streamed. 630.850.9039 This month’s trivia question: Who was the classic Hollywood ϐilm star and avant‐garde composer who helped invent WiFi? a) Hedy Lamarr b) Arnold Schwarzenegger c) Clint Eastwood d) Judy Garland Congratulations to last month’s Trivia Contest winner, Mary Zoss, with The Orchard Evangelical Church, in IL! Mary’s name was drawn from the ϐishbowl for last month’s correctly answered question: The very ϔirst Apple logo featured what famous person sitting under a tree, with an apple about to hit his head?: a) Sir Isaac Newton Who Else Wants To Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card? To enter: Go to www.Syscon‐inc.com/Trivia and type in your answer. All correct answers will be put into a ϐishbowl and we’ll randomly draw the winner. The Winner will be contacted shortly after the deadline and will be announced in next month’s newsletter. Deadline: February 20, 2017 -- 4 of 4 -