How Often Do You Backup?

Backing up is an absolute necessity in the office environment. Nevertheless, we have come across businesses with no backup solution all too often. When we setup a new server, we try to incorporate a backup drive into the setup. We have written a batch file that goes through the common locations that data is stored (Desktop, My Documents, Photos, Videos etc.) and duplicates them onto the backup medium. This is perfect for situations where you have dozens of gigabytes of data or, like many of our medium sized businesses, where you have several workstations that need to be backed up to the main server.

The drawback however is that you need to take the backup medium off site at the end of the day. To make things easier, we have an off-site backup solution that is not only convenient, but the best protective method against hackers, fire, theft or simple hardware failure. For more information, have a look at our Off-site Backup Services here or contact us directly at backup@dcnsolutions.net

Windows 8: The lowdown

Yesterday was my first attempt at Windows 8. I'm not a big fan of change, especially with operating systems. When Vista came out a few years ago, I recommended to all of my clients to wait until the bugs had been ironed out before upgrading. Good thing I suggested that, as Vista was possibly the worst operating system Microsoft have ever made. When Windows 7 came out, the speed and reliability issues are pretty much fixed, and so far with Windows 8, I'm quite impressed. The major difference is the new "Metro" interface. It essentially replaces the desktop and start menu with an Android like tiled interface. If you have a tablet or touch screen, this can be quite useful, as you can put your favourite programs, bookmarks and files in one easily accessible place. However, if you are a fan of "Homeostasis", then check out this guide on making the desktop the first thing you see when you log in. 

As for the explorer interface, nothing seems to really have changed between Windows 7 and Windows 8. You can still access the control panel, browse the contents of drives, install games etc. as per usual. I recommend having at least 4Gb of RAM in any computer/laptop you get with Windows 8 (same recommendation as Windows 7) as the Metro interface saves a lot of info in the background (in a manner of speaking, you have 2 desktops running at any given time). The graphics requirements are also higher than Windows XP, so do not go installing Windows 8 on a computer more than 7 years old, as the graphics requirements then were quite low in cheap computers compared to now.

Something to keep in mind too is that Microsoft have already started phasing out Windows 7. If you want to get a computer with Windows 7, you have about 6-12 months to get it, otherwise your only choice will be Windows 8. Already, I can only source the x64 versions of the software from my suppliers. Having said all of this, I personally will not be getting Windows 8 for at least a year. As with the previous operating system upgrades, it is extremely wise to wait for all the bugs to be found by other people before jumping in and finding your productivity suffers.

We are Back!!

Well, it has been a while but we are back to updating our blog! We have been concentrating on automation (program that do your work for you) for the last 12 months and have done some amazing work for our clients! Technology has also improved, so there are more reviews coming. Stay tuned over the next couple of days!!

Gaming Machine Review

Check out our quick review of a Gaming Machine we built for one of our clients:

http://www.facebook.com/dcnsolutions

Save Your Precious Data!

Who here has had a computer crash and lost data?

Who wants to prevent data loss in case your computer crashes?

I have several backup servers and special software so all your photos, documents, videos, financial docs etc. are automatically duplicated over the internet to my secure servers. It is a no-brainer for businesses, but think of your personal photos and documents? If there is a fire, or someone steals your PC, it is gone for good!

Find out more here:
http://dcnsolutions.net/products-and-services/off-site-backup/

Unlimited Calls/Text!

New Offer from ACN: $70 unlimited call/text and $100 international credit.

ACN use the Optus network and their office is in Sydney, so awesome coverage and quick Aussie support when you need it!

Get more info:
http://www.acnpacific.com.au/products/australia?ibo=storefront&ID=7250292900&handle=dcnsolutions

Who is reading your Emails?

A recent study was able to get many trade secrets of large companies in America. This was done by purchase very similar domain names and waiting for someone to send an email that was slightly misspelled. The results were astonishing! Stock reports, passwords and even employee's personal details were retrieved, all by someone misspelling the recipients email address!

Be weary of the spelling of email addresses, as if you do spell it incorrectly, it may not bounce back to notify you.

Stay up to date with IT in Perth! Visit dcnsolutions.net and signup for our email newsletter

DCN Solutions' Sister Website

We have created a new page dedicated to our webdesign, custom software and hosting. You can see the site at www.joondalup-web-design.com.au/

New Website: tarullistone.com.au

We have just launched our latest website: www.tarullistone.com.au!
This site, includes photo galleries, google map and sweet graphics!

Keep your eyes peeled on dcnsolutions.net for the latest in our designs!

Hacker Charged with NBN Attack

A self taught hacker has been charged with hacking the new National Broadband Network. See the full article at www.news.com.au

New "Indestructible" Virus!

Kaspersky has revealed there is a new virus going around called TDL-4. This one is special, in that it is designed to hide in peoples computers without their knowing, and is extremely hard to remove. Infections occur when visiting rogue web sites (usually pornography or pirated content). Be very cautious when visiting a website that you have not gone to before!

See the full article at cnet: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20075725-17/tdl-4-the-indestructible-botnet/

DCN Solutions: Winner of the 2011 MDBA Awards

DCN Solutions is proud to announce our win of first place in the 2011 Malaga and Districts Business Association award for the category of Professional Services.

This award was won due to our business ethic of absolute honesty, quick response times, and of course our technical expertise in every IT field.

My thanks to our team members, Sarah, Peter and Beau, as this is a great achievement for our team!

Acer Travelmate 5742 on Special!

Get the Acer TravelMate 5742, with a 15.6" screen, Corei5 2.66GHz processor, 4GB of RAM and Win7 Pro! Normally $1299, down to $1099! Only before June 30 2011!!!!

Get more info here!

New to DCN Solutions: Online Backup Service!

DCN Solutions is proud to announce our new off-site back up service! We have a piece of custom software that schedules a backup of your data, compresses and encrypts it, and sends it to several hosting data centres in Perth. By backing up your mission critical files (such as MYOB, Quickbooks, Project Documents etc.) you have peace of mind that your data is safe from hackers and any disaster that might affect your office. For more information, please visit dcnsolutions.net/products-and-services/off-site-backup/

Virus Alert: Old one still doing the rounds...

A fake virus has been doing the rounds for several years now. It goes under many names, but it incorporates "XP Anti-Virus", or "Vista Anti-Virus" in its name. It pops up repeatedly saying you are infected with many Trojans and other Malware, and prompts you to purchase the full version to remove these threats. All this does is collect your credit card details for unauthorised purchases!

Most anti-virus programs don't detect or remove it, but we have found one piece of software that does: Spyware Blaster! As this fake-virus infects your computer when you visit compromised web sites (via google searches etc.), Spyware Blaster blocks known sites from being accessed! This prevents these type of bugs from being installed at all! The link to Spyware Blaster is on our web site at dcnsolutions.net/about-us/links/

Web Site Update: reefkitchens.com.au

The Reef Kitchens web site layout has had a bit of a face lift, with a new light box based photo gallery, 3D page border and basic SEO optimisation!

Does your sight need a face lift? Get in contact with us, we have graphics, programming and SEO specialists awaiting to assist!

New Website: villaggiowoodfiredpizza.com.au

We have just launched our lastest website: http://www.villaggiowoodfiredpizza.com.au/!
This is a fairly simple site, but includes a photo gallery, google map integration, and a full menu!

For more designs, see our re-designed web site at
dcnsolutions.net/products-and-services/web-site-design/

Beware of Phone Scams!

In recent months, we have heard of scams where people are called up and told that they have a virus and need to run a scan on their computer. They are then directed to download or run software which actually infects the computer, or they are directed to a web site to download software. Be wary of phone calls like this! Only use trusted anti-virus software, like AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials, McAfee etc.

If you feel that you way have been compromised, contact us as soon as possible! These people may have access to your computer!

The Next Generation in Online Business Directories

It has been a busy month for us at DCN Solutions. We have a new technician named Peter helping us out, have several websites in the works and we have started a beta testing campaign on willhelp.com.au. Any suggestions are welcome!

Stay tuned for the launch of our new web site designs at dcnsolutions.net/webdesign!!

New Website Services!

A while ago we did a website for Jeska Design - jeskadesign.com.au. We have now updated her website with an online ordering system, new graphics and slide transitions. We made her graphical vision become a reality! Are you a graphic designer, wanting to broaden your horizons and offer web design amongst your services? We can help! Have a look at our other web designs at http://dcnsolutions.net/webdesign and our new outsourcing page at http://dcnsolutions.net/outsourcing!