September, 2003
NETSYSTEMS NEWS
Network Computing News for Business
Welcome to the first edition of the
NetSystems News, our newest way
of keeping you informed about
business technology news, tips,
and products. We love to hear
from you, so if there is something
you'd like to know more about,
NETSYSTEMS
please let us know! We'll be
Network Computing for Business
sending these newsletters to you
2519 E. Lincoln
Wichita KS 67211
quarterly, and we hope you'll find
them valuable.
A Note from Dave
Some days, I think I hear, "I didn't know you
guys did that!" a hundred times - even from our
old friends and clients. It's almost impossible to
contact everyone each time NetSystems adds a new
service, product, or skill set. Then there is almost
always some new challenge from the darker parts
of the Internet. Patches, viruses, spam, the list of
things you need to know goes on and on.
Although we could easily fill a daily conference
call with such things, we thought a newsletter
might be the best way to touch on the most
important points, on a regular basis. So, here is
our first round. Let us know what you think, and
especially tell us about any items you would like
to see in future issues. Of course, if you want to
discuss any of this in greater detail, call us! And
as always, thanks for your business!
Dave Perkins
3COM Phone Systems:
Exciting Features, Easy To Use
Your phone system is one of the most important components of your business
equipment. Wouldn't it be nice to have a phone system that was always reliable,
and so easy to manage that all of your employees could fully customize their own
phone? How about a system that dramatically reduces long distance charges
between your office locations?
NetSystems is proud to announce that we are now 3COM NBX authorized, and we
would love to tell you more about the NBX networked telephony solutions! 3COM
NBX phone systems use your existing network lines to provide computeradministered phone services, with an operating system so reliable, it's the same one used in artificial hearts and
pacemakers. You'll be surprised at how easy these phones are to set up, move around, and administer. Call us
today for more information, or to sign up for our upcoming lunch seminar!
NETSYSTEMS
Win Chiefs Tickets!
Network Computing for Business
NetSystems is giving away four Kansas City Chiefs football tickets at our latest lunch
seminar, featuring the new 3COM NBX telephone systems. Dan Nemechek, our area
3COM representative, will be giving a brief demonstration of this exciting new
networked telephone system. The seminar will be on September 10 at 11:30 a.m.
Call us at 316.691.9400 to reserve your spot!
September, 2003 Volume 1, Number 1
Copyright 2003 NetSystems, LLC All Rights Reserved
If additional copies of this newsletter are needed for your co-workers, or if you do not wish to continue receiving the
NetSystems News, please let us know by calling 316.691.9400.
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NetSystems News
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NETSYSTEMS NEWS
September, 2003 Volume 1, Number 1
Junk E-mail is Piling Up
14
billion
junk
E-mail
messages were sent out
yesterday - did you get some
of them?
According to Message Labs,
Inc., junk E-mail, or spam, now
outnumbers
valid
E-mail
messages. Think it's bad now?
Some predictors are saying
that number could reach 35
billion by 2005! If even onethird of the E-mail your
company receives is spam,
imagine how much time and
productivity are being lost
every day.
Here are some tips on getting
your inbox under control from
GFI,
a
leading
antispam
software company:
Don't use your main E-mail
address to sign up for
mailing lists, chat rooms, or
bulletin boards.
Even better, keep an extra
"disposable" E-mail address for
signing up for anything you are
uncertain about.
Hotmail and
Ya h o o b o t h o ff e r f r e e E - m a i l
accounts that can be useful for
this purpose.
Watch out for deceptive
unsubscribe and opt-out links.
If you receive junk E-mail that lists
an unsubscribe
E-mail
address, it's
best to ignore
it, since many
spammers use
these replies
to confirm
active E-mail
accounts.
While these
steps can be
helpful in protecting a new E-mail
address, most companies need a
technology solution to filter the Email that does come in.
Antispam Software
To e ff e c t i v e l y b l o c k s p a m ,
NetSystems recommends a
more
robust
server-based
antispam product. This type of
product evaluates the content
of the message using keyword
filters, checks the message
header to find out whether the
E-mail is from a known
s p a m m e r, a n d c h e c k s t h e
source of the E-mail to make
sure it is verifiable.
If a
message is flagged as spam, it
is sent to a holding account,
which can be periodically
reviewed for false positives.
A
server-based
antispam
technology can significantly
free up your computer users'
time and resources.
NetSystems can help
Call NetSystems today at 316691-9400 for more information
or to discuss getting help with
your spam problem.
All About Spam...
1937- The Hormel Corporation introduces Spam, a canned spiced ham dish.
1978 - The first mass unsolicited E-mail is sent out through ARPANET, a predecessor to
today's Internet.
1994 - The term "spam" is first applied to unsolicited junk E-mail.
The association comes from a Monty Python sketch, where a
waitress at a restaurant that made all of its food using spam
describes various menu items, including: egg, sausage and bacon;
egg and spam; egg, bacon and spam; egg, bacon, sausage and
spam; spam, bacon, sausage and spam; spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam.
(Pythonline.com)
2001 - A list of 209 million E-mail addresses is offered for sale. (Keith Lynch, November 23,
2002)
2003 - 14 billion spam E-mails are sent daily - two for every person on the planet. (Bob
Is Your Computer a Tortoise or a
Hare?
When you first purchased it, your computer
responded like a jackrabbit to your every mouse
click. Now, though, you find yourself wondering
if your programs will ever open - click an icon,
get a cup of coffee, discuss the morning's
schedule, then come back and see if your
program's up. How did your speedy computer
get replaced by a tortoise?
One of the most common reasons for computer
slowdown is something called "spyware."
Spyware is a type of software that is
downloaded to your computer, usually without
your permission, that silently runs in the
background on your computer. These programs
often gather information on your Web surfing
habits, or cause extra pop-up ads to come up
when you browse the Internet. Sometimes,
they will reset your homepage, or even cause
pop-up ads to come up when you weren't
browsing the Web.
While these functions
are irritating and even
infuriating in their own
right, they're also
slowing your
computer down!
Many types of spyware attempt to run every
time you turn on your computer, and then keep
trying to run throughout the day.
These
functions can bog your computer down, causing
it to run slowly, or even lock up completely.
Fortunately, it's not too hard to deal with
spyware once you know it's there.
There are several freeware or shareware
utilities available to help you remove spyware
and keep it from coming back. Ad-aware can
be downloaded from www.lavasoftusa.com.
Spybot can be downloaded from www.safernetworking.org. Both programs are easy to set
up. Read the instructions located in the Help
section of the program, and be sure to run the
program on a regular basis to keep spyware off
your computer.
Ask A Tech
How do I change my home page?
Frustrated because your home page in
Internet Explorer has changed? To change it
back, choose Tools from the drop-down
menu in Internet Explorer, then choose
Internet Options. Under the General tab,
there is a setting for Home Page. You can
place an address in this box, or you can
choose Use Current, which makes the page
you are currently viewing your home page.
Have a question for our techs? E-mail
[email protected] and we'll try to
answer your question in a future newsletter.
Have you noticed the new
computer your NetSystems
technician is using?
They're Tablet PCs, and they're taking mobile
computing where it's never been before! Use
them in your office, in a meeting, in a patient
examining room, or sitting in your easy chair at
home. Plus, the Tablet PC works with your
handwriting, so
computing is as easy
as using a pen and
paper.
Ask your technician
for a quick
demonstration, or for
Sullivan, MSNBC .COM, August 6, 2003)
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