Orlando Family Attorney Rhonda Parnell

We just finished up the new website design for Rhonda Parnell's law office. The site color scheme was based on Rhonda's office just outside Orlando in Winter Park. We think the site turned out great!

When you get a second, check out the site and leave us a comment.

Google Analytics and your website.

If you've talked to us before about building a website, you've probably heard us mention Google Analytics at some point. Google Analytics is the free suite of tools that we use to track visitors to your website. Think of it like the turnstalls at Disney, only more accurate. With Google Analytics, we can not only track who comes to the site, but also how long they stay, what they look at, where they live, and alot more.

If your website doesnt have Google Analytics monitoring, you need to call Hughes I.T. Solutions soon. You'll never know how your website is doing, or what it could be doing without this information. Our Search Engine package includes the setup of a variety of Google tools, along with link building and other SEO changes to your site. We make sure that your website is as Google "Friendly" as possible.

Why am I getting viruses on my computer?

I've had a handful of clients who asked me similar questions. They are always curious how these viruses get onto their systems. One of the tacticts used to get viruses on your computer is called "Malvertising". It's a technique where a advertiser pops up an ad that looks like it's a security warning about your computer. When you click on that "warning", the virus or scareware is installed.

This technique is becomming more common, with a recent study concluding that 1.3 million ads are viewed per day. 1.3 MILLION!!

Here's some more information below from the ZDNet article that I read.

New research released by Dasient indicates that based on their sample, 1.3 million malicious ads are viewed per day, with 59 percent of them representing drive-by downloads, followed by 41 percent of fake security software also known as scareware

The attack vector, known as malvertising, has been increasingly trending as a tactic of choice for numerous malicious attackers, due to the wide reach of the campaign once they manage to trick a legitimate publisher into accepting it.

More findings from their research:

•The probability of a user getting infected from a malvertisement is twice as likely on a weekend and the average lifetime of a malvertisement is 7.3 days


•97% of Fortune 500 web sites are at a high risk of getting infected with malware due to external partners (such as javascript widget providers, ad networks, and/or packaged software providers)


•Fortune 500 web sites have such a high risk because 69% of them use external Javascript to render portions of their sites and 64% of them are running outdated web applications


The research’s findings are also backed up by another recently released report by Google’s Security Team, stating that fake AV is accounting for 50 percent of all malware delivered via ads.

Thanks to Dancho Danchev  for the great article.

Which web browser should I use? Not IE6

Afternoon Gang,

As web developers, the one thing that drives us nuts is the amount of users still using old web browsers. They fail to provide security and a rich experience online, and they're just plain out-dated. You just dont know what your missing when you're browsing the web. When I can across the IE6 funeral page, I couldnt help but post it up here.

Check out the Funeral site at the link below.

http://ie6funeral.com/


If you're still using IE6, please visit this site and upgrade your browser today. You wont lose any settings, and your experience online will be improved dramatically, both in security and content richness!
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer/default.aspx


Thanks for stopping by,

Dave
Hughes IT Solutions

Designing with HTML 5 - What it means now.

Since Steve Job's announced to the world that Apple would never support Adobe Flash on it's mobile devices, the design world has become energized by the concepts of HTML5 and CSS3. I've seen more articles on the subject in the last 2 weeks than I've seen in the last 6 months. This momentum is slightly premature, because the majority of older browsers simply don't work with HTML 5.

Where this new standard in web design comes in handy though is when you are developing for mobile users. For the most part, modern smart phone browsers will support HTML5, which means that you can encode video on your websites that your mobile visitors should be able to watch without the use of Flash. This has been on of the biggest complaints amongst mobile users (and iPad users).

There are some extra bits of code that need to be included on the site in order to make this work, but this is just the beginning. When all the grandparents of the Internet switch from their outdated Internet browsers to something a little more up to date, I hope to see a real change in the way we view our browsing experience. It's going to be really amazing!

Hughes I.T. Solutions will be there on the forefront of HTML5 and CSS3, designing sites that are modern and standards compliant. We look forward to making your design ideas a reality. Give us a call anytime to discuss your needs and how we might be able to help!

Thanks,

Dave Nevill
Hughes I.T. Solutions Inc.
407-284-1192
dave@hughesitsolutions.com

Adobe Security Problems - What To Do?

If you use any Adobe products, like Flash Player, Adobe Reader, or Acrobat, it would be a good idea to run your updates. Several patches in the last 6 months have clearly indicated that Adobe is having trouble keeping their products safe.

Adobe Reader users could fall prey to PDFs loaded with malware warns Adobe

Adobe is working on a permanent security fix for its Adobe Reader software after a security researcher demonstrated how users could be attacked with PDF documents loaded with malware.

The attacks use the "launch" functionality of the Adobe Reader/PDF technology, with the attacker able to bypass the security warnings given to users when they choose to open PDF documents from unknown sources.

"This is a good example of powerful functionality relied upon by some users that also carries potential risks when used incorrectly by others," said Adobe in a blog on the threat.

"The warning message provided in Adobe Reader and Acrobat includes strong wording advising users to only open and execute the file if it comes from a trusted source. The default option within the dialog box is to not execute," it said.

Adobe has offered workarounds to mitigate the risk of attacks while it works on a full fix.

The iFail

Thanks to the crew at ZDNet for this great article that really helps me to sum up my feeling around the iPad.

March 8th, 2010 iPad: Perfectly flawed
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 5:09 am

This Friday Apple begins taking pre-orders for the new iPad, which will be available April 3rd. While I really like the device, I’m very aware of the fact that the device is flawed … perfectly flawed.

Nowadays $500 buys you a lot of hardware, and since I’m not obsessed by having a particular logo on my hardware, I try to make rational decisions when it comes to spending my cash.

I like the iPad, a lot. I like the screen, I like the form-factor, heck, I even like the broad base of apps already available for it from the App Store. But there are aspects of the device that I don’t like, and which I find really hard to overlook.




DRM, DRM, DRM
Just because Apple’s given up on DRM for music, don’t think for one moment that it’s given up on DRM. Expect audio books, movies and other stuff to be locked away nice and tight.

The lock-in
Basically, the device is one big lock into the Apple ecosystem. Sure, there’ll be jailbreaks I’m sure, but that puts my device in the middle of a tug-of-war between Apple and the jailbreakers.

No Flash support
I hate Flash, but web minus Flash is a pretty poor web experience.

No removable storage
It would be really cool to be able to store files and on a removable media, such as an SD Card, and swap that data between other iPads and other devices. It would be a good way to bring photos from digital cameras onto the iPad without having to have a PC or Mac as a go-between. Alas, this is not possible.

No USB support
I know that Apple likes to have an iron grip over its hardware, and that it likes the revenue stream it gets from licensing the dock connector to third-parties, but I’d really like a USB port on the iPad because it would offer interoperability between my existing hardware and the iPad.

Built-in battery
Yes, I still hate the built-in battery.

I think I’ll be holding onto my money for a little while … maybe another vendor will come out with a tablet that offers most of the upsides but without so many downsides.

Thanks for stopping by!
Dave Nevill
Hughes IT Solutions

Where can I get a cheap used computer?

In the last year or so, i've had a variety of business clients looking for a good deal on a cheap computer. The options used to be ebay, craigslist, or hand me downs from home computers.

Well, now you've got a real option. Southeastern Data is the place to go for used desktop and laptop computers, as well as monitors and printers. They have an entire warehouse full of used equiptment. The best part is that they offer an additional warranty. For $20-25 you can purchase a one or two year warranty. That's better than any of the retail stores in town!

Check them out at http://www.southeasterndata.com/. Desktop PC's start around $125.00 for a decent system.

When you call them, ask for Jon and tell him Dave from Hughes IT sent you :)

Orlando Criminal Lawyer

Should I fix my old computer or buy a new computer?

Should I fix my computer or buy a new one??

This question comes up at least once a week with clients of mine. They often don't know when to call it a day and purchase a new system. With prices at an all time low for new computers, it's becoming a much easier decision. You can head to your local retail store and purchase a desktop PC for under $400.00 any day of the week. If you need a high performance system, they can be custom built for under $1000.00, which would have been hard to pull off 4 years ago.

The general rule of thumb that we use is...

A Business Computer - If it's older than 3 years, replace it. The cost of repairs and the fact that reliability starts to become a concern around this time period make it a no brainer. You can write it off on your taxes anyway. A new system will make you and your employees more productive and new security features will keep your office network safer.

A Home Computer - 5 years is about the average lifetime of a home computer. They get used far less than a work computer, and for most people, are just for email and surfing the internet. After 5 years, consider donating it to charity and writing it off on your taxes.

If you've got an aging computer, and don’t know which road to take, just give us a call at 407-284-1192. We can go over all the options, costs, and can hopefully get you going in the proper direction. And don’t worry about your old data. We offer services to destroy that information so you can safely dispose of your computer without all your information going along with it :).

Thanks for stopping by,

Dave Nevill
Hughes IT Solutions Inc.
[email protected]
http://www.hughesitsolutions.com/
407-284-1192

Save a few bucks on your Internet

Cutting expenses has been a personal hobby of mine for a long time. When I start working for a new client, one of the first things I usually discover is that they are paying way to much for their Internet service.

Not surprisingly, Internet service providers are content for companies to continue using previously negotiated plans. With the cost of Internet connectivity on general decline though, it is downright foolish to continue relying on these old arrangements.

I was able to successfully renegotiate the Internet connectivity costs for a couple of the organizations I work for. In the cases I encountered, the market rate for Internet connectivity had dropped quite a bit in the couple of years since their previous contracts were signed.

Because the terms of their contacts had already been completed when I took over, I was able to reduce the cost of the Internet service quite a bit. On top of that, I was able to double the speed of the Internet, thanks to improvements that the Internet provider had "forgot to mention" to my clients.

The process of changing Internet service providers or making changes to your existing plan can seem a bit overwhelming. That's why were here :) . Give Dave or Gary a call at 407-284-1192 or email [email protected] if we can help.