EF Fall 07.indd - National Association of Professional Allstate ...

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technologyProtect Your ElectronicCustomer InformationBY ROBERT MILLERIt is late Friday afternoon you areworking on a quote for a customer. Asyou click away at the keyboard, insertingthe customer’s information, your systemfreezes without warning. “Not now,” youmutter. Alas, it’s too late. All of your attemptsto unfreeze your system go unnoticed.Then reality sets in, you have avirus. “How could this happen?’ is the firstthought that comes to mind. After all,you only use the Internet for work, don’tdownload any files and only open e-mailfrom people you know. As these thoughtsflash through you mind, you cry out in despair“What did I do to deserve this? I’vebeen so careful.” Startled, your office staffturns your way only to see you with yourhead buried in your hands, mumbling obscenitiesunder your breath.The fact is, there are over 100,000different viruses circulating on the Internet.It is just a matter of time before oneinfects your system. As a business owneryou are faced with many expenses, frompayroll, to advertising. Unfortunately,one of the most overlooked and forgottenexpense is computer security. In thisday in age, there are viruses and hackersthat can bring computer networks totheir knees. It is best to be proactive andstop an attack before it happens. WithoutAlstar support you, as a business owner,will have to take on the responsibility ofprotecting your office computers.Protecting your computer from Virusesand Spyware. A virus is a programthat can copy itself and infect a computerwithout permission or knowledge of theuser. Viruses can damage programs, deletefiles and even format computer harddrives. To prevent virus attacks, a goodantivirus program is recommended. Afirst-rate antivirus program will warn youif a file has a virus and clean or quarantinethat file. It is also recommended youconsider an antivirus program that willcheck e-mails. Even if the e-mail senderis known, there is still a chance that e-mail could contain a virus.As important as it is to have an antivirusprogram, it is also important to havethat program up to date. Antivirus manufacturersfind new virus threats everyday. In order to protect your computers52 — Exclusivefocus Fall 2007
form these threats, your antivirus programneeds to be up to date with the latestvirus definitions. Most antivirus programshave a schedule feature that willdownload these updates automatically. Ifthe program you are using does not, youneed to update it manually. Make surethat you update your antivirus programat least once a week.If a virus is found on your system,follow the instructions of your antivirusprogram carefully. Some viruses will requirea little more effort to remove, butmost will be removed with little effort byyour antivirus program.Spyware, unlike a virus, is not sentout to destroy your system, but rather togather information about you and yourcomputer. A spyware program can installitself without the knowledge of the user,collect information about that user andsend it back to the creator. Not only canthese programs cause identity theft, butthey can also slow down the computer.Some anti-spyware programs can bepurchased separately, but most good antivirusprograms will also protect againstthese threats.Stopping Computer Hackers. Unlikethe movies, computer hackers are notthe good guys trying to infiltrate the evilgovernment computer system. Computerhackers are people on the Internet tryingto connect to your computer to stealyour information, delete files and crashit. The way a computer hacker accessesyou computer is through your Internetconnection. The best way to secure thatconnection is with a hardware firewall.A hardware firewall is a piece of hardwarelocated between your high speedInternet connection and your networkcomputers. Most firewalls are incorporatedinto the routers that connect yourlocal network to the Internet. If installedproperly, firewalls do not require maintenanceand will work without the user’sknowledge. Some firewalls can even scanfor viruses on files and e-mails whendownloaded.Wireless security is also important.A firewall can stop people from hackingyour computer on the Internet side, butif you do not have a secure wireless connection,they can connect on your localnetwork side. To stop these unwantedwireless connections, it is important touse wireless security encryptions. Thelatest in security encryption is the WPA2802.11i standard, which was developedby the WiFi Alliance, a group of wirelessproduct manufactures. When usedwith a 64 character key, the WAP2 encryptionwill stop any wireless hackersfrom attacking to your wireless network.In addition to using WAP2 encryptionfor your wireless network, some wirelessrouters can be set up to allow only connectionsfrom programmed MAC addresses,a twelve character identificationnumber set by the manufacturer. Settingup your wireless router with these twosecurity features will assure you that yourwireless network is safe.Windows Security. Updates foryour Windows operating system are notonly helpful for fixing problems withthe program, but are also responsiblefor fixing security holes in the Windowsoperating system. As hackers get moreadvanced they find more ways to connectto your computer. Microsoft hasteams of people securing its productsdaily and, just as it is important to updateyour antivirus program, it is equallyimportant to update your Windows operatingsystem. Microsoft offers automaticupdate programs in its WindowsXP and Vista operating system. It alsoallows an automatic update program tobe installed in its Widows 2000 operatingsystem. Another way to keep MicrosoftWindows secure is to run thelatest version of Internet Explorer 7.Microsoft has enhanced the securityfeatures in the latest version of InternetExplorer and is continually updatingthat security.Most of all, don’t forget to use securepasswords. Children and pet names areeasy to remember but they do not offerthe protection that a long multi characterpassword will provide. Also, make sureyour computer does not boot directly tothe desktop, but prompts you instead foryour multi-character password.Work with the professionals. Thebest advice is to find a reputable companythat can setup your network and provideyou with the computer security that youneed. Stay away from the electronic chainstores that claim to be computer experts.If possible, ask your business customersor other Allstate agents who they recommend.Remember, the best insurance foryour computers is stopping an attack beforeit happens.Robert L. Miller, Networking Specialist,Holland Computers Inc. Authorized AllstateService Provider, providing technology solutionsfor over 18 years. For more informationcall Robert Miller 1-800-656-2561 ext 144or e-mail him at rmiller@hollandcomputers.com Check us out on the WEB at www.hollandcomputers.comFall 2007 Exclusivefocus — 53
Page 1: ExclusivefocusFall 2007An Official
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Page 6 and 7: to find quality vendors who offer a
Page 8 and 9: I want to congratulate you all on a
Page 10 and 11: and stay involved. Come up with som
Page 12 and 13: featureWill Your AgencySink or Swim
Page 14 and 15: Smaller agencieshave a more difficu
Page 16 and 17: featureIs the Grass Really Greenero
Page 18 and 19: association benefitsIndustry Leadin
Page 20 and 21: marketingFinding the RightMEDIAf o
Page 22 and 23: to direct marketing, the EMAF study
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Page 26 and 27: technologyExclusive Interviewwith M
Page 28 and 29: That sounds so Lex Luther…AS: Wil
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Page 32: marketingA Small Business Perspecti
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Page 40 and 41: NAPAA AnouncementDear Agency Owners
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Page 44 and 45: usinessStepping Stones to Purchasin
Page 46 and 47: technologyAnatomy of aToner Cartrid
Page 48 and 49: association benefitsAnother Brick i
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Page 58 and 59: featureSix Keys to a Winning TeamTh
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Page 64: “Coaching is an invaluable resour

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