Category Archives: Information

Would you believe that people are using these cables!

They have now been made safe but it shows how important it is to regularly check the tools that you have access to.

Why pay for an Expensive Phone System when you can have a virtual PBX at a much lower set up and on-going cost. Today we have been setting up another customer’s site with our phone system which will mean they aren’t tied to BT or a particular telephone exchange and can have ultimate flexibility when it comes to phone location. In this instance the MD will be having one in his house to ring at the same time as the office phones.

Get in touch if this is of interest to you and we will gladly answer any questions you may have: 0191 303 8237 or inbox@pctrends.com

This Is Why…

Don’t let your electrical items get in such a dangerous state, contact us for a quote: 0191 303 8237 or email: inbox@pctrends.com

Many people ask us how they can stay safe online, more specifically, how can they tell if an email is suspicious.

Using the information below, it will help you identify which emails are genuine and which are not:

• The ‘from’ name and email address on close inspection do not seem genuine
• The email is addressed to something generic, such as “Valued Customer” instead of your real name
• The email has an urgent tone, catching your attention and encouraging you to act without thinking
• The email contains poor spelling and grammar, or re-purposes genuine emails from your bank
• The email prompts you to click on links to login to your account.This may, for example, take you to a fake replica of your bank’s website. Legitimate links from your bank will not take you directly to the online banking login page
• There is a form attached to the email, possibly containing malware. A genuine email from a bank would never attach a form to fill out in an email
• The URL looks genuine, but when you hover over it you can see it’s a domain that is trying to look like your bank

Virus checkers are FAR from perfect – users need to be careful!

As soon as AV software picks something up (which may take a week or more after its first seen in the wild), the creators can make a small change to the virus effectively resetting the clock.

Advice for users:

• Don’t open attachments from unknown sources. Reply – ask if they’ve sent you it.
• Even if from a known sender, be careful – Does the email look/feel like one the sender would usually send?  i.e., all capitals, use of particular language, etc.
• Think about who the sender is – i.e., why would Barclays contact you if your account is with Santander?
• Think about the message content – i.e., why would a mobile number registered in America be trying to send you a picture message to your work email address?
• Avoid websites not work related. Many sites, including legitimate ones, are compromised daily and are used to send malware to machines. This happened to AVG (the anti-virus people!) in the last few days. If they can’t stop this sort of thing, what chance have we got?
• Avoid sites like Facebook etc at work. Although the sites themselves are fine, they are often used to spread viruses. Junk disguised as something interesting from a friend etc.
• Avoid “funnies” at work. Often these have a malicious payload, so as well as a funny video or PowerPoint, you get a virus at the same time.
• Avoid file-sharing sites.
• Keep number of devices you plug USB drives in to a minimum, and where possible, don’t use these on 3^rd party sites where you’re not aware what state a machine is in.
• If you notice any odd behaviour/windows/programs on a PC, or “corruption” in any files, let us know immediately. If we aren’t contactable straight away unplug the machines network cable.
• Careful with links/buttons on such windows. They may do the opposite of what they say!
• Viruses rarely work “cross-platform” i.e, a Windows virus won’t work on an Android phone. With this in mind, say you receive a mail you’re not sure of, it may be possible to give it the once over on your phone before opening it on your PC.
• Remember you’ll annoy the boss if their machines are out of service…
• …more so if data is lost.
• The same advice stands at home. There you won’t lose all your company’s data, but you might lose important personal docs/photos etc. Always be careful what you’re clicking on.

In future viruses will almost certainly get worse – both to remove, and in their demands! Note that it’s not always possible to remove viruses remotely. Visits may be required, people may be without PC’s and access to certain data may not be possible.

Also if we don’t check your sites backups, please ensure you do yourself regularly. Something like this NEEDS a backup to fall back on. Virus + no backup = No documents, no accounts, no payroll…… no nothing.

Download our handy poster to stick next to your PC

What is Backup?

Backup automatically mirrors everything you’ve chosen from your system; your data is ready to access at any time, from anywhere and exactly as you left it.

Working in the background, backup is your safety net and enables you to retrieve your important data, even if you accidentally delete or don’t save it. You control how it works and when and how often you backup. Whether this is when you turn your device on, or connect to the internet, backup gives you complete piece of mind that your data is safe.

Why backup?

Backup is like an insurance policy. Working in the background, it ensures that your data is safe whenever you may need to access it.

Flexible and predictable, you can add more users or capacity as your business grows, and with unlimited licences for one cost, you can budget for this growth with confidence.

Backup is quick and effortless, working as you work and only on the changes that you make.

Why Choose PC Trends Ltd?

Not everyone works from one location, that’s why our Backup is accessible whenever and wherever you need it.

With prices from £5.99 for 50GB you know you are getting a great deal.

Contact us for more information.

0191 303 8237
inbox@pctrends.com