Funny, true story… A Swedish couple typed Carpi into their GPS and it took them to Carpi, an industrial town at the north end of Italy instead of Capri, a famous island tourist destination.

Their typo — and blind faith in technology — sent them on an 800-mile wild goose chase.

Is Technology Leading Your Company in the Right Direction?

That’s a damn fine question, if I do say so myself. It’s also completely wrong.

Technology shouldn’t be leading your company anywhere. Technology should be supporting your company’s goals, not defining goals. Technology should be your accelerator, not your rudder.

Unfortunately, many consultants in our industry focus too much on technology and selling the latest (high-margin) products and not enough on your business goals. If your technology consultant or your internal IT staff doesn’t try to understand your business goals as well as you do, it’s time to find someone new.

You don’t want technology working in parallel with your business. You want your business up front leading and technology in back plowing the fields or pushing you along.

Find a Partner and Adviser for your Business Technology Needs

DedicatedIT doesn’t know your business as well as you do… yet.

The first thing that we do for any new client on our computer network support and managed services plans is to get to know you.

Before we recommend anything, we’re going to sit down with you and have a long discussion about your immediate business needs and long-range company goals. Invite us to your strategic planning meetings. Only once we have a good understanding of those goals will we be able to help you with your technology road map. For instance, when was the last time your computer networking support and services company offered to help you land new business by helping you with social media.

Let us be your travel agent as well as your GPS. Call today: 561-491-5725.

The next time you’re at the local mall or office complex, keep an eye out for security guards. You’ll find there are more of them and they are working longer hours.

Bad Economy Means More, Not Less, Security Needed

One of my friends works in the corporate offices of an international security firm. (Think: mall cops, not hired mercenaries ala Blackwater.) I commented that business must be bad for her industry because so many stores and offices are closing. What is left to guard?

Her company is having a record year.

When business is booming, there is enough legitimate traffic that criminals have fewer opportunity to vandalize and steal. Also, fewer people have the need to steal because they have real jobs and better things to do. When an office building or mall is half empty, well, that just invites the criminal element.

Malls are adding additional officers for day shifts. Office buildings that may have only had night security are now adding a day shift to patrol unoccupied or under-occupied floors.

What About Your Computer, Network, Data and System Security?

There are a lot of out of work programmers and technologists out there. They have time on their hands and skills that could be easily leveraged to gain access to your computing infrastructure.

While the physical world is adding to its security presence, companies are reducing their security bugets while at the same time facing more threats.

If you don’t have someone in your organization who has protecting your data and systems as a job responsibility, you have a problem; now more than ever.

Call Today for Full Network Assessment and Audit

You have holes in your network. Some of those holes should be fixed. In some cases, you may make a reasoned business decision not to plug holes because of cost or potential for exploitation. Here’s the key: you need to know which is which.

Call today (561-491-5725) for a complete network audit and advice as to what holes need to be plugged.

Who installed your network’s switches and routers? Who installed your Oracle database? Who installed your Cisco firewall? Who installed your phone system? Who sets your passwords?

Default Passwords Bring Security Problems

If your network equipment, databases or servers are still using their default passwords, your entire business may be at risk. It is not uncommon for us to find critical pieces of technology infrastructure unprotected from the most simple of attacks.

Network, Server and System Security Audit Required

If you haven’t completed a complete network security audit and performance review in the last 18 months, you need to order one today. If you can’t tell your shareholders (and customers) your network (and their data) is secure, you have a problem.

Internal Staff Great Resource but Second Set of Eyes Needed

Your internal IT staff is likely well-versed in your technology systems but they are not the best set of eyes to find security problems. After all, if they knew about problems or security holes, they’d likely fix them. What you need it someone from the outside — a trusted third-party — to perform the audit and find what your internal staff has missed.

Our wide range of experiences with a large number of companies has helped us to become focused on where common (and uncommon) security problems are located. This breadth of knowledge is something that can only be obtained by seeing hundreds of companies and installations.

Network Monitoring is More than Traffic Analysis and Notifications

Need more than just a company to review your network once every year to 18 months?

We call this server ‘network monitoring‘ but our 24/7 remote system monitoring is so much more. Not only will we find problems with your servers, network devices and workstations, we fix problems remotely. We monitor more than just your routers and switches, we monitor your Microsoft Windows servers, printers and workstations. We identify configuration problems and can apply security patches. We do this remotely, professionally and securely.

Remote Network Monitoring: Free 30-Day Trial, Money-Back Guarantee

Call today, 561-491-5725, to setup monitoring and trouble alerting for your network, servers and workstations or for a full network assessment. We are accepting clients from Miami to Palm Beach to Jupiter and most of South Florida. With professionals monitoring your network and servers, you company will be more productive by day and you’ll sleep better at night.

Citrix Systems [...] unveiled a groundbreaking new version of Citrix® XenServer™ – the company’s enterprise-class, cloud-proven virtualization platform – that will be offered free of charge to any user for unlimited production deployment. (SOURCE: Citrix Systems)

Full XenServer Hypervisor For Free Even For Commercial Use

Welcome to the new software model: sell high quality software for a high price. Then, when you get a foothold in the market as XenServer has, start giving away the software for free.

When Citrix decided to release XenServer, they did it correctly. This is not a crippled version fit only for educational, non-profit or non-production use. This is the real XenServer hypervisor for free. Virtualization.Info has a good writeup on what it means that Citrix XenServer is available for free.

XenServer is the Good Type of Free

XenServer’s release is great news. It will allow your company to dip its toes in the server virtualization pool without a large up-front investment. If you have been considering a migration from VMware to XenServer, now is that time to setup a test environment.

Once you have completed a proof of concept and are comfortable with the XenServer software and related tools, you can move into production (also using free XenServer) without having to worry about glitches related to XenServer versions. The fact of the matter is, the free XenServer version you test is the same free XenServer version you put in production.

Help With Your XenServer Evaluation or Production Roll-Out

DedicatedIT (call today: 561-491-5725) has been a Citrix partner since 2002. We are certified in the following:

• Citrix Access Gateway
• Citrix Essentials for XenServer
• Citrix XenApp
• Citrix XenApp Fundamentals
• CCSP 2008 for Dynamic Datacenters
• CCSP 2008 for Windows Application Delivery
• Citrix Administrator for Citrix XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003
• Citrix Administrator for Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 4

The Bad Type of Free

While XenServer is a good kind of free, other frees are not so good.

When it comes to looking for bad frees, check Craig’s List. For example:

Also, unless you have a vegetable garden, this seems like a bad free. But, hey, at least they will load it for you:

DedicatedIT: Your Citrix XenServer Solutions Provider

If you have any questions about the good kind of free, please contact Adam Steinhoff with DedicatedIT: 561-491-5725.

The latest version of the Windowsâ„¢ OS for both desktops and servers are on their way from Microsoftâ„¢. As always this news is met with equal shares of excitement and trepidation. Every company has its share of missteps sprinkled in with its successes. Even Microsoft admits that Vista was not the runaway success that they had anticipated. (This is evident by the fact that Windows XP is still the most popular operating system in use. People are even paying extra to have newly shipped systems downgraded to XP instead of Vista.)

Microsoft promised to learn from its mistakes. Windows 7 combined with Windows Server R2 boasts many new features that are specifically designed to address issues that have plagued businesses and consumers who upgraded to Vista.

Microsoft Learns from Past Windows Mistakes

One of the most glaring and annoying issues with Vista was the compatibility between software, hardware and the Windows operating system. Upon Vista’s release, drivers were simply not available for Windows Vista. There were fewer than 20,000 included drivers packaged with the original release and there were over 75,000 included with Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

Remote Connectivity, VPN for Mobile Users: Microsoft DirectAccess

One common problem facing many organizations is remote connectivity for their mobile and off-site users. One of the most widely used solutions for connecting remote users is a virtual private network (VPN) . Depending on the type of VPN, users may need to install VPN client software on their mobile computer and then establish the VPN connection over the Internet.

As most network engineers will tell you, managing a VPN has its own unique set of challenges and these challenges tend to be amplified when you take into account that the majority of your end users are people with limited technical experience with computers beyond the applications that are required for their jobs.

Microsoft has introduced the DirectAccess feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 which allows Windows 7 client computers to directly connect to intranet-based resources without the complexity of establishing a VPN connection. The user has the same connectivity experience both in and outside of the office.

Advantages of Microsoft DirectAccess for Remote Access

The primary advantage of the DirectAccess feature in Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 is that it allows for a seamless, always-on remote access solution that removes user involvement and complexity without any security compromises. DirectAccess achieves this through authentication, encryption, access control, integration with NAP (Network Access Protection) and the separation of internet from intranet traffic.

First, DirectAccess authenticates the computer, enabling the computer to connect to the intranet before the user logs on. DirectAccess can also authenticate the user and supports dual authentication using a smart card along with the user’s login.

Second, DirectAccess uses internet protocol security (IPsec) for encrypted communications.

Third, network administrators and IT departments can configure which intranet resources different users can access using DirectAccess. It is possible to DirectAccess users unlimited access to the intranet, or only allow them to access specific servers or subnets. Additionally, you can apply custom security policies to specific applications. For example, you can require an application sending and receiving sensitive data to use IPsec encryption, while requiring that other applications are available with no IPsec protection.

Network Access Protection (NAP) with Windows Server 2008

Network Access Protection (NAP), built into Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7, can be used with DirectAccess to verify that client computers meet your system minimum security requirements, such as having installed security updates and anti-malware definitions, before allowing them to make a DirectAccess connection.

Finally by keeping a separation of intranet and Internet traffic, only traffic destined for your intranet is sent through the DirectAccess server. With a traditional VPN, Internet traffic is typically also sent through your intranet, slowing Internet access for users. You can also change this default behavior to match that of a typical VPN.

DirectAccess Connections Established Before User Login

DirectAccess connections are established before the user is logged on as opposed to a VPN connection which requires handles security upon and after logon. This allows for your IT department to manage a remote computer connected by DirectAccess even if the user is not logged on; for example, to apply Group Policy settings. However, for the user to access any intranet resources, they must be logged on.

When running a network with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 with DirectAccess, your organization should see improved performance and management through the seamless connectivity – DirectAccess is on whenever the user has an Internet connection, giving users access to internal network resources whether they are traveling, at the local coffee shop, or at home.

Best Microsoft Windows 7 Features for Network Administrators

• Enhanced remote management – IT administrators can connect directly to DirectAccess client computers to monitor them, manage them, and deploy updates, even when the user is not logged on. This can reduce the cost of managing remote computers by keeping them up-to-date with critical updates and configuration changes.
• And Enhanced Network security through IPsec – DirectAccess uses IPsec for authentication and encryption. Optionally, you can require smart cards for user authentication. DirectAccess integrates with NAP to perform compliance checking on client computers before allowing them to connect to internal resources. IT administrators can configure the DirectAccess server to restrict the servers that users and individual applications can access.

Ready for Your Windows 7 or Server 2008 Deployment?

DedicatedIT is your South Florida Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Less than 3% of all Microsoft Partners reach the gold standard. Not only is DedicatedIT Microsoft Gold Certified, we have special endorsements for Microsoft Security and Microsoft Networking. Please contact us today: 561-491-5725.

Microsoft Hyper-V Virtualization Overview

Microsoft Hyper-V is a virtualized server computing environment using a technology that is part of Windows Server 2008. It’s the next-generation hypervisor-based server virtualization technology available as an integral feature of Windows Server 2008.

Hyper-V enables server virtualization. It provides a simplified, reliable and optimized virtualized computing environment to improve the efficiency of your computing resources by utilizing more of your hardware resources. Each virtual machine is a virtualized computer system that operates in an isolated execution environment. This allows you to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on one physical computer.

When to Use Microsoft Hyper-V in your Company

Hyper-V provides software infrastructure and basic management tools that you use to create and manage a virtualized server computing environment. This virualized environment can be used to address a variety of business goals aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs.

• Reduce the costs of operating and maintaining physical servers by increasing your hardware utilization. You con reduce the amount of hardware needed to run your server workloads.
• Increase development and test efficiency by reducing the amount of time it takes to set up hardware and software and reproduce test environments.
• Improve server availability without using as many physical computer as you would need in a fail-over configuration that uses only physical computers.

They Key Features of Microsoft Hyper-V

• 64-bit native hypervisor-based virtualization.
• Ability to run 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines concurrently.
• Uniprocessor and multiprocessor virtual machines.
• Virtual machine snapshots, which capture the state, data, and hardware configuration of a running virtual machine.  Being able to revert the virtual machine to a previous state.
• Virtual local area network (VLAN) support.
• Microsoft Management Console (MMC) management snap-in.
• Documented Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) interfaces for scripting and management.

Citrix Essentials to Manage Hyper-V Virtualization Environments

Citrix Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V provides you with a powerful set of advanced virtualization management capabilities that extend the enterprise management capabilities of  Hyper-V and system center to help make virtualized environments more scalable, more manageable and more agile.
Unlike basic hyperviosrs that have been free for years, XenServer sets an entirely new standard for free virtualization with powerful features such as centralized multi-node management, built-in storage and full live motion.

With the new 5.5 release of Citrix Essentials for XenServer and Hyper-V, providing advanced Server virtualization managementcapabilities for us using Citrix XenServer. Citrix Essentials 5.5 enhances high-growth virtualization platforms by adding expanded storage intergration , automated lab and provisioning and dynamic workload balancing.

“The new XenServer 5.5 release is a clear demonstration that Citrix will continue investing heavily in makeing XenServer the most compelling open virtualization platform on the market today. ”

“We see Citrix Essentials as a powerful extension that enables customers to accelerate their Hyper=V adoption in the enterprise in much the same way Citrix XenApp has extended the Windows Server platform for nearly 20 years in the application delivery arena.”
- Mike Neil, general manager, virtualization strategy at Microsoft Corp.

By combining the free XenServer with the advanced management capabilities in Citrix Essentials, you now have a proven alternative that meets all the requirements for enterprise-class virtualization at a fraction of the cost.

Citrix StorageLink for XenServer

StorageLink is available to you as part of the Citrix Essentials for XenServer and Hyper-V product line, which offers a broad range of advanced virtualization management capabilities for both XenServer and Hyper-V environments.

“With the StoragLink capabilities in Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V, Microsoft customers will be able to obtain even more value from their existing investments.”
“By enabling our customers to use higher performance storage array capabilities with System Center Virtual Machine Manager and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, it makes it even easier for them to integrate virtualization into their existing IT framework, and allow them to create more scalable, manageable and agile virtual infrastructures.”
-Zane Adams, senior director of virtualization and System Center, Microsoft Corp.

Citrix Going Above and Beyond

In addition to the availability of the 5.5 product release, Citrix also has a XenServer Central community website, a new resource for all things XenServer to help users like us enhance their use of the free enterprise-ready virtualization platform. The XenServer Central website features the latest product information , tips and tricks.

DedicatedIT Implements and Supports Virtualized Networks

We currently have several clients that are hosted using virtualization with Windows Server 2008 and XenServer. Give us a call and we’ll preform a complete network assessment and see if it would benefit your company to move into the next generation of computing. Virtualization and cloud computing is coming, why not get on the boat now and be in-front of the crowd?

Give DedicatedIT a call today: 561-491-5725.

The request seemed like a routine home user workstation setup for one of our clients.  I needed to configure her personal computer and VoIP phone for access to the company network. I would configure a modem and router to setup a home network for the user. After confirming that the home user had all the required equipment I was ready to start.  I attempted to remotely access her computer through Internet Explorer. This is when the problems began.

MrFreeze: New Home Page

The user said her Internet Explorer home page had recently changed to “MyFreeze.com”, and she hadn’t changed it. At the time, I didn’t think it was a problem. I figured a family member might have changed it, in that it was a personal home computer.

My attempts to  access the computer were blocked, and the errors were not normal.  Now, I started to wonder about the “MyFreeze.com” site. I did a quick search and found ”MyFreeze.com” to be the newest version of a browser hijacker, malware or spyware.  A well-known version is “CoolWebSearch (CWS)” or “Morwill Search”.

Browser Hijacker: Malware or Spyware

A very good definition of a “browser hijacker” comes from Wikipedia. It is “a form of malware or spyware that replaces the existing internet browser home page , error page, or search page with its own. These are generally used to force hits to a particular website and allow the collection of information from the hijacked computer.”

Having to remove this hijacker remotely with the help of an end user with minimal technical computer knowledge made troubleshooting extremely difficult. I asked the user a few questions. Were there any anti-virus programs on the computer? “I don’t know.” How old is the computer? “Three years.”  When was the last time computer was serviced or had a virus scan? “I don’t think it has every been serviced or had a virus scan before.”

MyFreeze Removal Difficult

I was faced with a browser hijacker active on the computer, and I needed to use the browser to configure a modem and router.  Without antivirus programs or a special tool called CWShredder, created to specifically remove hijacker malware, removal becomes very technical. It requires accessing the Windows Registry for total removal, and I didn’t feel comfortable enough with this user to access the registry.

A lesson learned here…  before attempting to work remotely on a personal computer, make sure there is an antivirus or antispyware program installed on the computer and make sure the user has run the program before remote support begins.

Remote Computer Support, Miami to Jupiter

Don’t waste an entire day trying to remove spyware or a virus. Many times, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could cause collateral damage beyond the initial infection. Call DedicatedIT today, 561-491-5725, for all your computer support needs.

We all need help sometimes, especially when it comes to our networks, servers and desktop computers.

If you have questions or headaches from your network, feel free to post a quick comment here and we’ll post back. Chances are, we’ve been there and can point you in the right direction. If not, we’ll tell you we don’t know. Where else can you get a straight and honest response but DedicatedIT?

Remote Help

We provide approximately 85-90% of our assistance remotely using some combination of VNC, LogMeIn, TeamViewer, HP iLOs, Dell DRACs and Cisco Web/Java ADSMs. Just a phone call away, we’re generally able to fix your problems immediately while you are still on the phone. While other companies may take an hour or more just to get to your location, we generally have your problem solved before you can refill your coffee cup.

On-Site Help

For the other 10-15% of problems, on-site assistance may be needed. For instance, reloading a Desktop PC from scratch, installing new hardware or working on a server that has no remote console access. With technicians located in three South Florida counties, we are never more than an hour away from you office, whether your office is in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or Jupiter.

Network Support and Monitoring for South Florida

No matter what your IT needs, remote or on-site computer assistance is available from DedicatedIT for all of South Florida. Please contact us today, 561-491-5725, for more information.

Business is heavily dependent on its computer systems. You need over 99% uptime guarantees from your IT Department.

This is a major undertaking for any team, especially with good people being hard to find — or, at least in today’s economy, hard to afford. Most IT staffs implement a monitoring system of some sort or need to for that uptime guarantee to be even close.

Even with monitoring being your first line of defense against failures, proactive monitoring and remediation is time-consuming and requires specialized resources on your teams.

Network Monitoring Software, Systems and Tools

Do-It-Yourself vs. Managed Services Providers

In days past, I would have told you to find a best of breed product and just do it yourself. It may cost you less in the long term, it may not. At least you have complete control of the environment. It takes a working knowledge of advanced networking and management along with a team to stay on top of issues. Knowing full well that teams cost the most out of any budget, these days you just can’t afford to sustain that many high-end personnel.

This being the case, working here at DedicatedIT, I know more about the ROI of out-sourcing the management and monitoring of your systems and can say with complete confidence, this is the way to go. It brings with it the systems, tools, team and knowledge to handle any situation you may find yourself in. It allows you to focus on your business and not worry about the ‘oh crap our backup was not working for the past six months and I need to get that email the CFO deleted yesterday that will make or break a $100,000 deal’.

It allows you the comfort to know that you can go on vacation and your users are in good hands that don’t need to be held on a daily basis. It allows you to finally take the IT budget from that blood red splotch on the GL to a friendlier shade of black as you don’t consume HR with insurances and payroll taxes. Basically, you get the peace of mind that only a top rated IT team with project specialists and top level support engineers can provide. Keep this in mind while making your decisions.

Open Source vs. Proprietary Software

While we all love open source systems. I have found that specialized applications for network monitoring always come with more functionality or, at the very least, less headache in setup and support. I’ll give you a few at the bottom of this post.

Client Application vs. Web Based

We all hate that dreaded 3am call, “the server is down”, from a user who never works that late but what they are doing tonight happens to be critical.

You got the call because your first level technician was sick and being the responsible IT manager that you are, all calls end up at your cell phone even though you are actually across the country on vacation. Now, I know that I don’t always have the ability to get my laptop online and sometimes need to use someone else’s access.

If you utilize a client based monitoring/management system, you rely on getting to that application before you can do thing 1. However, even if the client based application looks pretty, a web based application is more reliable. All of our management systems have a web based interface which can be logged into securely from any location that has internet access. This has saved me in the past and I’m sure it will do the same for you.

Monitoring the Internet

The Internet is a vast network that no one can truly monitor it all. What can be monitored, however, is the use of the internet by your users. When it comes to your company’s internet usage or bandwidth monitoring tools, DedicatedIT has selected a few elite vendor’s products. I personally don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all mentality’ and have seen first hand that no single product fits all clients’ needs.

Free Monitoring Tools

At the bottom of this post, I’ll give you a list of a few cool free tools. Please remember that tools alone can only do so much. To truly get that 99% uptime, you will need a team to back those tools and systems… that is where we come in (see… THE SECRET).

Free Monitoring Services

When I was a kid, I was always taught that ‘nothing in life is free’. This is not always true. I have provided you a list of some free stuff to prove it. So after years of experience I have refined that to ‘nothing worth anything in life is free’ which brings me to our secret I mentioned earlier:

*THE SECRET*

We take our network monitoring, server monitoring and proactive remediation services seriously which is why we provide you with a 30-day, money-back satisfaction guarantee. Learn more about our basic 24×7 Remote Monitoring and full Proactive Network Management.

Open Source Monitoring Systems:

Free Monitoring Tools:

Yes, using Citrix XenDesktop to turn your Apple TV into a real computer seems a bit frivolous. That’s not the point. (But it is a pretty darn cool Apple TV hack.)

Citrix XenDesktop Allows for Innovation

Anytime, anywhere, anything is what you make of it. Citrix XenDesktop is the means to an end, not the end in itself.

You’re at home for the night catching up on TV shows, and something you see triggers a waterfall of innovation for that big project you’re working on. Your office is on the other side of the house (away from the TV), and your laptop bag is still in the car. How are you going to get this cascade of creative goodness out of your brain and onto (electronic) paper before it vaporizes? Your set-top box!!

XenDesktop on the Apple TV

Where Does Your Company Need Technology Innovation?

Innovation is not dead. In fact, it is alive and well at DedicatedIT. While you probably don’t need to hack an Apple TV to make your business more productive, some virtualization and other aspects of anywhere, anytime, anything computing could give your company a competitive advantage.

When you need creative innovation or just good, solid technology help, please contact DedicatedIT: 561-491-5725.