Small Businesses Can Get Screwed by Their Technology Providers

It's terrible but time and time again, I meet clients who were bamboozled by their computer support provider.

This last week alone:

• I met a new client who had been offered a suspicious proposal: spend $5,000 up-front and obtain a network and server then pay a monthly retainer for maintenance; for their size and complexity, they shouldn't have been spending more than $2,000 in capital costs and I questioned what value does a retainer provide on a workgroup server that should be configured to generally manage itself.
  

• I met a client who received an invoice for $3,000 from a computer guy. $2,000 was for things like "planning" and "research" and "developing a solution"; the remaining balance was for the actual hardware and time necessary to implement. WTF?
  

• Another client was over-spec'd a high-end firewall product for a workgroup of five people who needed need it. They were told by the computer guy that they needed a very expensive firewall solution, yet, the customer expressed no need for that level of capability to the provider.
  

• And one of my clients actually had a software provider download a virus to their server which started generating spammy email to people all across the Internet.

I mean holy crap.

What we're witnessing here is, regrettably, all too common in my field. 

It is the direct result of fear, ignorance, and greed. And sometimes: just pure negligence.

With respect to ignorance, the customer simply doesn't have the technical where-with-all to question the recommendations offered by the solution provider. And why should they? They're trusting the provider to select the best solution to meet their needs, not gouge them because they don't understand their options.

With respect to fear, the customer doesn't want to receive a solution that's only going to work half-way. They want something they can rely upon and they don't want it to fail. Thus they're willing to pay a little more to receive that benefit, but their willingness to pay a premium is being preyed upon by the provider.

And that's where greed comes in. The provider knows that they can squeak out just a few more bucks from the customer because they aren't experts. The provider is taking advantage of their position. 

Unfortunately, this kind of stuff happens all the time in many fields. That's the value of a second opinion. Obtaining a second opinion from a qualified technology and/or computer consultant can be a real benefit to consumers who're not familiar with what they're buying in to.

When I'm validating pricing or providing proposals of my own, I will provide links to actual pricing online so that the customer can see for themselves how something costs at either retail or wholesale pricing, outline it's benefits or risks in plain and simple language, and then allow them to formulate an opinion on the actual cost of labor. Like, say, is $2,000/hr of time "studying" a problem a reasonable amount for implementing what would be a turn-key technology? Jesh, no! I work with my clients to deconstruct pricing to arrive at a potential cost model for the provider. I help educate. I help eliminate fear.

If you're a small business looking for a computer consultant that's all about transparency, accountability, and fairness, talk to me. I might be able to help, even if it's just some advice on a proposal some other guy gave you. I'm always happy to help.

R

ADVISORY: GASMO 3.5x Stops Working on March 1, 2016

Some of my clients may be using the Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GASMO) client. It's what allows them to use Google Apps with Microsoft Outlook; GASMO synchronizes email, contacts, calendars, and notes to the cloud.

On Monday March 1, 2016, Google is retiring an older version of this product. Users who haven't upgraded to a higher version may experience a situation where they won't receive their email - and/or their Notes won't synchronize - in Outlook.

Note: This situation only affects users who are using Microsoft Outlook. If you don't use Outlook, you can disregard this advisory. It also would not affect any user that I recently helped with Outlook since January 2015.

How to check what version of GASMO you're running:

1. Go to the System Tray. It's next to the time on your PC, lower left hand corner.

2. Look for the white and green round swirly icon. Right click on it. Select About.

3. The GASMO splash screen will show the version. 

If the version is equal to or less than 3.5.385, then your GASMO must be updated.

Please take a moment today to:

1. Browse to the sync tool website.

2. Close Microsoft Outlook.

3. Click on the Download Google Apps Sync button.

4. Run the file.

5. A process will install the latest version of the tool.

6. When the installation finishes, it'll say so, and provide a dialog for an email address. You can just cancel at that time; you do not need to provide it; you are already configured to use Outlook.

7. Re-open Outlook.

You'd now be using the latest version of the sync tool.

Also, it is not harmful to update your current version of GASMO. You may do so voluntarily if you wish.

If you need assistance or find yourself with email issues come March 1, 2016, please feel free to contact me. I can remote in and help you.

Thanks again.

R

Google Apps Makes Email Even More Secure

In honor of Safer Internet Day, Google announced that they'll be introducing a security notice to users when composing email. The changes will be implemented over the next few weeks.

The change is subtle and will only affect users who use their web browser to access Gmail. Those who use legacy mail clients like Outlook and Thunderbird will not receive this warning.

When a user receives a message from - or, is in the process of composing a message to - a party that doesn't support encrypted connections for email, they may see an open lock icon in the message. 

This icon is advising the user that the party they're conversing with isn't using encrypted email transfers and thus the information that's being exchanged is at risk. 

Encrypted email exchanges are already performed for Gmail and Google Apps users. 

A second security feature involves displaying a question mark for the user's avatar in Gmail when the sender can't be confirmed:

Generally speaking, a user should exercise caution when responding or acting upon email from an unauthenticated sender. It could potentially mean that the senders mail account was hacked, or, they're a spammer.

These notices are advising the user that the exchange is with a party outside of the Google ecosystem who haven't implemented forms of mail control called DKIM/TLS/SPF to encrypt email and authenticate senders/receivers. If you're wondering, all of my mail setups for clients include these settings so that their mail is as secure as possible.

There's nothing users need to do take advantage of these new features. They will be rolled out in the coming weeks. Any and all questions from my clients can be directed to me and I'll be happy to assist you.

R