IT Solutions Blog | Trigon Technology

Disaster Recovery| Remember to Back Your Data

Computers are nowhere near perfect.  They fail, they crash, and they become infected with nasty viruses that can make your life more than miserable.  What's even worse is that they don't give you any warning signs - no slight cough or scratchy throat - it's often a one and done deal.  However, as imperfect as they are, computers sure are convenient if you use them properly.  This is why it is extremely important to back up your data. 

Having your computers fail and not having backups is a badge of your stupidity (or your IT Company's in some cases), don't wear it proudly.  Business and service disruptions due to a loss of data are no joke.  In fact, they can sometimes be bad enough to put an organization out of business.  In IT Support, we don't take backing up lightly.  Too many people don't back up; despite being told to constantly.  If something crashes or goes down, you better hope that you are backing up.  Backing up will allow you to recover most, if not all, of your data.

Make sure you back up some if not all of your data, but most certainly backup what is important.  A recent Microsoft article I read noted that the two most important items to back up are your Customer Databases and your Payroll Records.  Be sure to back these up because they are the driving force behind your organization.  Also, remember to store your backups off site.  By taking the backups off site, you are preventing the possibility of losing all of your data if something physically happens to your office.  Backing up is one thing, but storing your data in a safe location is another.

All in all, you should be backing up.  Does it sound too difficult for you to do on your own?  Maybe.   And that's why Philadelphia IT Support Company, Trigon Technology, and other reputable IT Service providers in your local area can help make your backup process easy.  For more information or to have Trigon setup a backup plan for you, reach out to us today by calling 1-888-494-TRIGON or by emailing us at solutions@TrigonIT.com.  If you're not backing up - do yourself and your business a favor and make the call today!

Disaster Recovery: Backup, Backup, Backup

You know the three most important things in Real Estate are Location, Location, Location, right? Well, in the IT Support world, the three most important things are Backup, Backup, Backup. And not only should you complete backups, you should also make a regular habit of testing those backups.

I was recently involved in a Disaster Recovery situation where a server needed to be restored from backup. Recent backups that were available allowed a zero data loss to the system and it was completely restored and fully operational the next business day. Using the most recent Symantec BackupExec software and utilities available, the system was able to be built "from scratch", the system restored, and all network services made available with minimal issues to the end user in a matter of hours.

So if you are not completing and testing your backups regularly, maybe you should place a call for a Trigon IT Health Check and a Disaster Recovery Solutions review. 

 

Spring – A Time to Kick Back and Relax in IT Support...Or is it?

One does not have to work for an IT Solutions Company to truly appreciate the Spring season. . .  especially this one.  I am quite confident that we are all overjoyed at the thought of waving ‘Bye-Bye' to this past winter - Bon Voyage - Arrivederci - Sayonara - I mean c'mon did you really want to spend your days shoveling out of the record 70.3" of white  wonderment that befell the Philadelphia area??  It wreaked havoc  on  so many obvious things - the roads, our homes,  our personal property, our sanity and , for a few, their IT equipment.  Yes my friends,  our poor IT equipment also suffered  the wrath of Old Man winter.  How effective is that VPN connection when the Network that you are tunneling to is down due to a temporary power loss and your Battery Back Up strategy was non-existent?  Ah, who cares?  We have another few months to prepare an effective battery back up strategy  or disaster recovery solution -Winters wrath  has hit the pike and taken the bad weather and intermittent power outages with it! Sanity restored!  Right?? 

A-Hem, you may just want to grab a chair and take a seat, for while we can say goodbye to the cold temperatures and the snow, we are in no means, free and clear of bad weather and intermittent power outages.  While spring does normally conjure up positive images - more hours of daylight, warmer temperatures and fields of daisys that we can run through, please do not fail to recognize the darker side of spring's finest - torrential rains, violent thunderstorms, tornadic winds and even the occasional blackout.  These WILL definitely wreak havoc on an ill-prepared  computer network environment. 

Fortunately, there are solutions available that your company's IT partner is more than likely familiar with that will establish power and system redundancy, and ensure that your  network can be risen from the depths of a direct hit from a lightning bolt to your facility.  While I am sure that your company has invested wisely in insurances to cover possible catastrophes, can you, in the same breath, say that you have done the same for your IT Network?  While the premiums that you pay may cover the hardware and software replacement, can you estimate, at any given time, the cost of business that is lost because your system is down?  Often the cost cutting is done at the expense of effectively protecting your network with the idea that ‘this will never happen to me!'

Pro-active implementation of IT Strategies will drastically minimize a company's down time. These solutions, though they may initially seem expensive, will prove their true worth in the event that you find yourself on the wrong end of mother nature's  wrath.  With a well thought out recovery plan, you will be able to more easily overcome an IT hardship and not be left to stare at potential business walk out your door while you scratch your head saying ‘I should have. . .' (Remember our friend Ben Franklin - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure).   There is no doubt  that business moves at the speed of light.  Business owners take every precautionary step to ensure that they hire the right staff, set up shop in a manner that will be profitable and offer more than one solution to accommodate their clientele.  If you are a business owner, small or large, ask yourself if you have taken the time to truly invest in your number one client - yourself and your business -especially when it comes to protecting your IT Network.  If you haven't, you may want to consider an IT consultation from a trusted IT Services Company today, not tomorrow or next week but TODAY!   Is that thunder I hear in the distance?

IT Health Check Solutions: “How Do I remove the Security Center Malware Defense Virus?”

As an Engineer providing IT Support and IT Services for a Philadelphia Area Managed Services company I have seen an increase in support calls related to the "System Center Security" Malware Defense/Virus in the past few weeks. Often times we are able to remove the virus quickly and without too much trouble, but there have been a few cases where the person using the PC did not realize what it was and then either executed it by clicking "Scan Now" or simply by clicking the "X" to close it in the window. By doing either one of these the virus is launched and the infection begins. Almost immediately it will take over your PC and render it useless.

What does it do? and How did it get into my PC?

Malware Defense is a fake anti-spyware program that is downloaded and installed via exploits in Internet Explorer, Java and Flash. The program will automatically begin to perform a scan and report that you are infected by a variety of Trojans and malware. Sometimes, it will even flag legitimate programs or system files as spyware, malware of Trojan. It will redirect your Internet Explorer settings (through a Proxy Server) as well as disable any existing anti-virus or anti-spyware software previously installed. It even goes so far as to try and get you to purchase it so that it can remove the infections for you. Ultimately, it is a scam that is trying to get a hold of a valid credit card and in the process can bring your system to a halt.

How Do I remove it?

First of all, if you get the pop-up that you have an infection and it's not your current active Anti-Virus software DON'T CLICK ANYTHING! Even if you click on the "X" to close it; it will start to execute the program. The best bet would be stop and contact your IT Support Company for immediate support for this issue. If you don't have a dedicated IT Solutions Provider you can follow these steps to remove it on your own:

Step 1: Stop the Process

Go to your "Task Manager". There are several ways to get there:

1. Control + ALT + Delete and select "Task Manager"
2. Right Click on your system tool bar and select "Task Manager"

Once you open the Task Manager click on the "Applications" Tab.

 

 

Select the Application that is running the rogue software and click on "End Task".

Step 2: Disable "Internet Proxy Settings" in your Internet Explorer Settings.

Part of the infection will enable Proxy Settings for Internet Explorer which will effectively prohibit you from going to any legitimate websites.

Open Internet Explorer - Go to: "Tools" then Internet Options

Click on the "Connections" Tab.

Under "Proxy Server" uncheck the box "Use a proxy server for your LAN"

Press "OK" to close this screen and then "OK" again to close the Internet Options screen.

We will now be able to get out to the internet and download the application to remove the rogue application.

Note* - You many need to continue to end the application via Task Manager until you have successfully installed and performed a scan using Malware Bytes.

Step 3: Download and install "Malware Bytes"

Go to this link to download Malware Bytes:

http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button

This link is for the Free Version of this application. Once downloaded; click to install.

Once you have successfully installed Malware Bytes click to open the program. Below is the default screen that it will open to:

Select "Perform full scan" and let it scan your PC. Be patient; this may take up to an hour to complete.

As the system is scanning it will show you a progress screen that includes the file directory, number of files and how many total infected objects have been found. As shown below:

Once the scan is complete the following pop-up will appear:

Click on "OK" to then go to the next screen where you will be able to remove the infections found on the PC.

Select the Files under "Vendor" and then click on "Remove Selected". Malware Bytes will now remove the files and place them into Quarantine. Upon removal of the files it may require a reboot of the PC. Please be sure to allow the PC to reboot as needed to complete the action of removing the infected files.

Upon reboot your system should now be free of the "Malware Defense" malware. If for some reason that the infection did not remove then you will need to perform additional steps to remove the executable file that is causing the application to run.

In Part Two of IT Health Check Solutions: "How Do I remove the Security Center Malware Defense Virus?" I will explain how to manually remove the file.

The best defense against this type of infection is to make sure that your PC is up to date (Windows Updates, Java and Flash updates) and that your Anti-virus software is up to date with current definitions and that you also have an active Spyware or Malware software running. (Malware Bytes registered version)

For more information contact Trigon Technology to consult you on IT Strategy Solutions and Disaster Recovery Solutions for ways to help prevent this type of infection from affecting your office PC's and Laptops.

Hey Philadelphia Businesses, Do You Have a Disaster Recovery Plan?

What would your organization do if the worst case scenario was no longer a scenario, but real life? Often times, we find that Philadelphia's small and midsized businesses find out the answer to this question too late. Philadelphia area organizations must have a disaster recovery plan ready at all times.

Does your small to midsized business have a plan to get back up and running? If so, is your disaster recovery plan up to date and ready to go?

Having a disaster recovery plan is an essential element to running a business here in the Philadelphia region. If you have a plan thought out, or an idea of how your organization would handle a disruptive event, do you and your staff have the actual protocol on how to do it? Do you have a set guideline detailing the elements and procedures of your plan? If you do, is everything up to date for your current situation and setup?

Trigon Technology, an IT Support company in Philadelphia, can help you set up a disaster recovery plan, and can help you ensure that your business has the necessary details included in your disaster recovery plan to remain running during a setback. If you need help with disaster recovery, contact Trigon Technology, Philadelphia's IT Support Company. Trigon has experience helping numerous organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia area when it comes to planinng for disaster recovery situations.

For more information on how we can help you, call us at 1-888-494-TRIGON or email us at solutions@TrigonIT.com.  

Preparing for the Unexpected: Disaster Recovery & Back up

In my previous life, I played the role of a mildly successful branch manager for the nation's 4^th largest bank and during this time, I participated in many a campaign and many initiatives to drive business into my branch, bolster my monthly sales results and single handedly feel as if I was positively affecting the price for a share of my company's stock.  Why does this matter?  It doesn't, other than to provide a base to present an idea that stuck with me over the years and to provide a nice seguay on how to practically apply this concept in the world of IT Support.

Preparing for the unexpected.  As part of our internal profiling strategy at the bank, this was a question we would ask our clients as a way of probing deeper into their financial ‘hey nows' in the hopes of attracting them with additional services that the bank provided.  Preparing for the unexpected is not a foreign concept to most, though I am sure that when you are with your friends, it is an idea that NEVER comes up. No one likes to talk about the unexpected, let alone prepare for the unexpected.  We are all going to live until we're 100. . .maybe longer. . . right?

If I asked you to associate the concept of ‘Preparing for the unexpected' to the IT Services world, I am confident that our conversation would take an express elevator to the floor where we would get off and begin discussing your company's back up strategy. I am certain this is what the phrase conjures up, and rightly so.  In the world of IT, the ‘unexpected' would in no doubt take the form of some sort of data or information loss and ‘Preparing for this' would in no doubt be identifying the best (albeit ‘best' may = most cost effective)  type of back up strategy and disaster recovery plan to  put  in place.   But I ask you, and challenge you to consider that this concept can be and should be applied to all spectrums of your IT environment. Whether it be a large arena like implementing a sound back up strategy that will affect everyone or a one on one interaction, perhaps with a principal of your company, where you thought      that you had done your due diligence, but in reality may have been blindly walking through the paces, we can all benefit from the idea that we need to prepare for the unexpected.  Emphasis is clearly placed on those ideas that will most certainly negatively impact a large audience, but many of us forget, including myself, that it is often the small one on one interactions that, if done with true thought and purpose can have resoundingly great effects but, if overlooked and neglected, can have an unsightly ripple effect that may seem to never end.   I offer that preparing for the unexpected does not always need to be an overly involved, multi-tiered process involving input from many different resources.  In reflecting on incidents and interactions from my past (I say that tongue in cheek), planning for the unexpected can be something as simple as a 10 minute meeting with an associate to review, plan and confirm or even checklist or work order sign off document.  

This concept is not new, ‘Preparing for the unexpected', but in writing this, I am overwhelmed at the idea that I (I will only speak for myself on this point!)) continue to overlook the easy things in life, the things that should be absolute ‘gimme's', and still  cannot understand why.  It is dawning on me that perhaps rather than ‘Prepare for the Unexpected', I should begin ‘Planning for the Expected' -  I may just surprise myself with the results.

Sign up for your free IT Consultation and find out how Trigon can help you with your Disaster Recovery Plan!

IT Advice: Test Your Backups, Philadelphia!

It is essential for all businesses in the Philadelphia area to have a backup and disaster recovery plan.  If you already backup your organization's data, than good, you're on the right track.  However, have you ever tested your data?  If you're not testing the validity of your data, if an event were to occur, you may not have any data to restore!  Trigon Technology, a Philadelphia Computer Consulting company, can help your organization remain effective and efficient throughout a disruptive event. 

Interested in more information on Philadelphia backup and disaster recovery solutions?  Be sure to check us out!

Off Site Backing Up; A Necessity for Philadelphia's Businesses

In order for your business to stay up and running during a catastrophic event, your organization should be backing up its information.  It is essential to take backups off site.  If a disaster were to occur in the Philadelphia area and something happened to your headquarters, backing up off site would allow your organization to continue its daily operations. 

When backing up off site, it is important to make sure that your data is stored safely, and that you will have easy access to it should a disaster occur.  Trigon Technology, a Philadelphia IT Solutions company, helps Philadelphia's small and midsized businesses plan and prepare for business disruptions.  Trigon Technology's backup & disaster recovery solutions for Philadelphia implement new technologies that allow for online backups, making backing up easy and worry free.

For more information on backup solutions for Philadelphia area businesses click here: Backing Up with Trigon

Disaster Recovery Tips from an IT Expert

Disaster recovery...we have all heard this term and some of us may actually have plans in place. I am betting even fewer of us test the disaster recovery plans on a regular basis, to make sure the plan is current and viable. I found a statistic that only 55% of the CIO surveyed by CIO Journal felt confident that they could recover mission critical systems in a disaster! Disaster are not an "if they happen" event, but rather "when it happens" event.

Regular planned testing of the disaster recovery plan is a must; to even approach being successful in the recovery. No recovery is ever without issues, but testing your disaster recovery plan will allow you to account and reduce variables which could lead to a failure or delay in the recovery. I know I would rather find the issues during the test with my coworkers looking over my shoulder then during an actual disaster recovery with a stressed client looking over my shoulders!

Testing the plan has other benefits as well:

• Each time the plan is tested, the staff involved gets more exposure to the plan and better trained on it. The more the staff works with the plan, the better they will be with the plan.
• You build the confidence in the plan with Management with the plans stated readiness. They can see it in action and not as an abstract exercise of "what if".
• You produce records for auditors of vendors or certifications who may ask for the latest testing of the plan.
• You justify the time and energy spent on developing the plan and maintaining the plan.

Reasonable testing of your disaster recovery plan is a win-win situation. Even if the test falls apart, you can learn from it and correct the issues BEFORE a real disaster strikes.

Find out more on Disaster Recovery IT Solutions!

Backing Up of The System State Information

Everyone backs up the system state in their nightly backups of their critical systems. It is a best practice that anytime you make changes to the hardware or the software on a Windows 2003 Server or an XP workstation, you should be backing up the system state before you make the changes.

The system state includes the following files: the boot files (boot.ini, NDTLDR, NTDetect.com); the registry (including the COM settings); the SYSVOL (group policy and logon scripts); the active directory NTDS.DIT (on domain controllers) and if the certificate service is installed on the server, the certificate store.

As you know these are the critical files you will need to restore the operating system configuration to its previous working state if something goes wrong during your enhancement of the server. Having these backed up will give you a good fall back position.

To many times I have seen people make major changes to their servers or workstations without taking the simple precaution of backing up the system state. Having good backups from the night before is an adequate precaution, but to restore from the backup media might take time and it may not be the most recent system state. This is time in which the server is down and costing the company money because it is down. Having a recent copy of the system state will save you time, money, and give you a piece of mind when enacting changes on the server.

I like to use the ntbackup that is resident on the Windows 2003 Server OS and the XP workstation OS to backup the system state locally. The job will take between 3-5 minutes on average. Backing up the system state across a network can greatly increase this time to unacceptable ranges. With an investment of about 5 minutes you have taken an additional step to guarantee a successful rollback.

I have found that some companies even backup the system state during the day to catch any changes between backup jobs that run at night. Again, the system state is backed up locally, but some even transferred the backup file to a designated web share using a third party software such as Robocopy.

For those who are using Window Server 2008 variants or Vista variants, you will not find the ntbackup. The methods you will use will be the command line wbadmin.exe utility. An example of the command to use would be:

               Wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:D:

               In this command example, the system state is being backed up to the D: drive.

By taking these simple extra steps you can enhance your recovery success from a bad install. A couple of minutes before you make changes to a system can make you a hero in the eyes of the users and clients!