LANcom Technology Blog

Looking for a great free audio editor? Audacity is free open source software which allows you to record or import sound files and then edit them in a number of ways. This software could be very useful if, for example, you needed to edit some audio for your website or a PowerPoint presentation.

With Audacity you can:

1. Record from your microphone, line input, or other sources. You can even dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
2. Import and export in a number of different file formats.
3. Easily Cut, Copy, Paste or Delete sections of you recording
4. Fade the volume up or down
5. Change the pitch or the tempo
6. Eliminate static or other continuous background noises.

If you would like to read more about all of Audacity great features click here. To visit the Audacity download page click here.

Due to the strong interest we had in the Avert Code Red seminar we held at the Crowne Plaza last month, we have decided to hold another for those that were unable to attend the first.

This second seminar will take place here at LANcom at 4:00pm on the 19th of November and will cover the same topics.

Part 1 of this seminar will cover how you can protect your business from Trojans, viruses, and spyware, as well as unintentional damage caused by staff misusing the internet or email. Part 2 will look at how you can implement email continuity to prevent email outages in the event of a natural disaster or server failure.

If you are interested in attending please contact Owen Redmond on 09 3778282 ext 112 or at owner@lancom.co.nz

LANcom has just released a new hosted desktop service, which could mean you never have to buy a server again. With this service LANcom will run your business applications for you on our servers, relieving you of the costs and responsibilities of maintaining server equipment.

How does this work?

The LANcom hosted desktop service uses Microsoft and Citrix technology to create a fully functioning desktop for your employees, with access to all the applications they need, which they can login to from any computer connected to the internet.

What are the main benefits of a hosted desktop solution?

1. Reduced Cost – With the LANcom hosted desktop solution you can avoid paying for server hardware as well as the associated costs of running a server like storage, cooling, and warranties. This service is a fixed monthly cost based on your exact number of users, so budgeting is easy.
   
2. Peace of mind - With this solution you no longer need to be troubled by: backups and tape rotations, keeping your software up to date, or storage worries. All your backups and software updates will happen automatically and you will have access to as much data storage as you require.
   
3. Flexibility – The LANcom hosted desktop solution can scale to all sizes of businesses, easily grows with your business, and can even work across platforms.
   
4. Mobility – Users of a hosted desktop can access their applications and data from any computer, anytime, anywhere. This feature makes remote working extremely easy.
   

To find out if this solution is right for you please contact Owen Redmond at owner@lancom.co.nz or on 09 377 8282 ext 112.

We have just this morning switched over to our brand new website, which can be seen at www.lancom.co.nz. This new website is designed to be easier to use and includes much more information.

All our free information reports can now be accessed from the LANcom Library page on this site, and all our old newsletter can be accessed from the newsletter sign up page.

If you have any comments on our new site we would love to hear them.

Need to quickly and easily create a flowchart? Here are 3 free online tools you could use.

1. LovelyCharts- LovelyCharts is a really easy to use online tool which allows you to create professional looking flow charts, sitemaps, network diagrams, people diagrams and wireframes. LovelyCharts allows you to export your charts as either JPEG or PNG image files and also allows you to save a chart online, letting you can come back and finish it later.
   LovelyCharts is great for when you want to quickly and easily create a simple, professional looking flowchart. To visit LovelyCharts click here.

    

2. LucidChart – With LucidChart you can create flowcharts and organisational charts and save them as a PDF, PNG, or JPEG. You can also publish your chart to a publicly viewable webpage with a single click.
   Another great feature of LucidChart is that you can invite others by email to edit your charts making it perfect for when you need to collaborate. To visit the LucidCharts site click here.
   
   
3. Bubbl.us – If you looking to create a chart that’s a bit more like a mind-map than a structured flowchart then you might want to check out Bubbl.us. Bubbl.us requires no registration, is very easy to use, and allows you to export what you create as a JPEG, PNG, XLM, or HTML file.
   To learn more about Bubbl.us and see an example chart click here.

According to a report just released by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) the number of unique phishing websites is once again on the rise. This report covers the first 6 months of 2009 and shows a steady increase from March to June (see graph below).

So what is a Phishing scam?

A Phishing scam is when a scammer sends out emails claiming to be reputable companies in an effort to gain your personal information e.g. passwords and credit card numbers. For example, a phishing email may claim to be from your bank and ask you to click on a link and then verify your account information in order to keep your account active. While this website may look just like your banks one it is actually a fake.

How can you protect yourself?

The best way to protect yourself from falling victim to a Phishing scam is to know what to look for.

One of the easiest ways to tell if an email is phishing is to look at the URL of the website it is sending you to. Look at the address part of the URL between the http:// and the first / , look to the right of it, is this the correct site name for the company that supposedly sent you the email? If you are unsure whether the address is correct, Google it to find out.

If you would like to test and improve you skills at identifying Phishing email, you can take the Phishing and Spam IQ quiz on the SonicWALL website. This quiz shows you 10 emails which you have to mark as either phishing or legitimate. At the end of the quiz you get your results as well as the reason your answers were right or wrong. Click here to take this quiz.

To see the full report from APWG click here.

Just learning how to use a Mac? MakeUseOf.com currently has a great free manual available on their site full of tips and ticks for using Snow Leopard.

This manual is 69 pages long and is designed specifically for those that have just recently made the switch to a Mac.

To visit MakeUseOf.com and download this manual click here. You can also view this manual online at Scribd.com.

Today Google announced that they have added more search options to the side panel of Google which lets you filter and refine your search. The new search options allow you to: search by a specific date range, show more shopping sites, show fewer shopping sites, only show pages you have visited, only show pages not yet visited, search books, search blogs and search news.

These new options could make finding exactly what you’re looking for much easier. To use search options to refine or filter your search all you need to do is click on Show options at the top left of your search results. A panel will then appear down the left of your results.

All the options mentioned above will be available globally by the end of the day. To read more about Google’s new search options from the official Google blog click here.