Bryley Basics: How to determine what Google knows about you

Gavin Livingstone and Anna Darlagiannis, Bryley Systems Inc.

If you ever wondered why those pop-ups are becoming more targeted (and more invasive), you might be aware that your profile information (name, email address, location, etc.) and web-surfing habits are being shared with others.

It is an unwritten agreement:  Google helps you search the Internet and gives you handy applications (Gmail) and websites (YouTube), but it shares your information with others (i.e.: advertisers).  And, it collects and retains everything!

There are two main sites used to review what Google knows about you:

  • Web and App Activity – Details that you provide when you sign-up for a Google-owned web-site or application.
  • Ads Settings – Data that Google derives from your web-usage behavior.

The former is typically required, but voluntary (as in you can choose to not visit the website or not deploy the application); the latter is always collected and analyzed.

After logging in to Google, I discovered my Web and App Activity data included:

  • Name
  • Email
  • Gender
  • Age

From Ad Settings, it was pretty clear that Google stores years of information on every site visited, with implications that are Big Brotherish.  (I wanted to pull out my aluminum-foil cap and relocate to a cardboard box in the forest, but cooler heads prevailed.)  I found out that I had these interests (which were previously unknown to me):

  • Hair Care – My hair is mostly intact, but graying with age.
  • Bicycles and Accessories – Too old for that; probably get hurt.
  • Hygiene and Toiletries – Isn’t everyone at least a little interested in hygiene?

Basically, you can access and delete this data, but it takes some effort and you will endure constant nagging from Google when doing so.

 

Please visit Julie Bort’s excellent article (5/6/2016) from TechInsider: How to find out everything Google knows about you.

Why no-one wants to pay for IT support

Gavin Livingstone, Bryley Systems Inc.

I’d be rich if I had a $5 dollar bill (inflation) every time I heard:

  • “My son/daughter/niece/nephew (pick one) who is only 2/4/6/8 (pick one) years old was able to solve my computer problem; why do I need you?”
  • Lisa, a senior VP in our marketing department, handles our IT.”
  • “I’m moving to the Cloud, so I won’t need IT support.”
  • “I looked up the answer on Google; it was easy to fix.”

Sure, anyone with technical interest and aptitude can address IT-support issues, particularly those at the lower, end-user level (comprised of printers, computers, and mobile devices).  Many organizations have that one Lisa/Joe/Patty who helps with IT-support issues (in addition to working their full-time job) or is the dedicated IT resource within the organization; they feel it is cost-effective to have an internal IT person or an IT department, often citing the need for a warm body onsite who can respond instantly, particularly when the President can’t sync her iPhone.

However, IT is a complex field with many moving parts; it is difficult to be proficient, let alone expert, in all areas.  For example:

  • Lisa designed the computer network to be reliable, secure, and robust, but is overqualified (and not cost-effective) helping someone print a document.
  • Joe can change toners, but does not know what to do when the Internet is down; especially troublesome when your primary application is Cloud-based.
  • Patty configures Windows desktop computers and iPhones for employees, but cannot verify that the firewall is doing its job.

Basically, IT is a multi-facet discipline; successful IT support personnel have:

  • An understanding of the components (desktop computers, mobile devices, servers, firewalls, routers, Cloud, etc.) and their interdependencies.
  • A step-by-step troubleshooting mentality that works well under pressure.
  • A willingness to stay current with constantly changing and emerging topics.

IT is an expense, but also an enabler; it is usually fundamental to an organization’s success, often representing an opportunity to get ahead of a less-savvy competitor.  Given the breadth of technology options and the potential to develop new business or reduce costs, more organizations trust (and outsource) their critical IT functions to a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) or a Total IT Services Provider (TSP).

Truly effective MSP/TSP companies are dedicated to remaining IT savvy while focused on the business requirements and concerns of their clients.  These companies share similar characteristics:

  • A broad, experienced service team with varying levels of competence:
    • Technician (Level-1) – End-user oriented and experienced in the devices common to end-users: Mobile devices, PCs, MACs, printers, scanners, and the like.  They should work well with others, be experienced in end-user operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Google Android, MAC iOS), and have excellent troubleshooting skills.
    • Engineer (Level-2) – Network-device oriented and experienced in Cloud, servers, virtualization, Ethernet switches, firewalls, routers, Wireless Access Points, and other network devices. They must be good troubleshooters and understand network-level IT components.
    • Consultant (Level-3) – Implementers of Cloud-based solutions and local and wide-area networks. Social skills are expected; business skills are a must.
    • Chief Technical Officers (God-level) – Architects of Cloud-based/ hybrid-Cloud solutions and wide area networks. They must understand the technical functionality of all of the moving parts, while keeping the business needs and consequences in clear focus.
  • A proven, capable management team that can focus technicians, engineers, and consultants on the tasks at hand while preparing them, skill-wise, for an ever-changing world.
  • A defined set of business-oriented processes designed to manage, optimize, and secure (coincidently, Manage ● Optimize ● Secure is our tagline) their client’s network environments. These processes are not static, but tend to be ever-evolving and striving toward proactive automation and perfection.

In sum:

  • IT is a complex, changing discipline of multiple levels,
  • IT can enable new opportunities or reduce costs,
  • IT can make or break an organization, and
  • MSPs/TSPs can maximize your IT potential!

Gavin Livingstone interviewed by CRN®

Gavin Livingstone, President of Bryley Systems, was interviewed by Richard Whiting in CRN’s 2016 Managed Service Provider 500 in the February 16, 2016 online issue of CRN®. Highlights:

“We’re doing really well,” said President Gavin Livingstone, noting that 2015 was the second-best year in the company’s history (2000, in the midst of the dot-com boom, is hard to beat). Today about 70 percent of the company’s revenue is services (and just more than half is recurring revenue) while 30 percent is hardware and software.

Demand for Bryley’s services is being driven by IT complexity, the need for end-user support, security needs and compliance requirements, Livingstone said. “Manage, optimize and secure” is how he sums up his company’s work, which uses the motto “Dependable IT at a predictable cost.”

Anna D. promoted to Manager of Client Relationships

Anna D., a member of Bryley Systems’ Business Development team, has been promoted to Manager of Client Relationships – a new position designated to proactively monitor and enhance client services within the Company.

Anna joined the firm in 2010 and most recently served as an Account Executive. In her new role as the Manager of Client Relationships, Anna will oversee Bryley’s Premier Clients, handling all aspects from account management, updates, training, and proposals through Client Business Reviews. Building high-value, long-term relationships with clients is a top priority for Anna and for Bryley Systems as the Company continues to grow.

Anna is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and has achieved industry certifications for VMware VSP and Cisco SBAM.

Michelle Denio promoted to Technical Support Supervisor

MAD_prfMichelle Denio, a key member of the Bryley Systems’ Technical Services team since 2008, will continue to support the Company’s clients in this newly created position.

With a look to the future of Bryley Systems’ continued growth, she will also take an active role in the supervision of the Technical Services team during its expansion.

Ms. Denio, a graduate of Quinsigamond Community College, is an expert in ConnectWise and Kaseya, two primary tools of Managed IT Services Providers.

Bryley Basics: How to remove Windows 10 updates

Anna Darlagiannis and Gavin Livingstone, Bryley Systems Inc.

The Windows 10 update can be removed from a computer with these steps:

  • Go to Control Panel
  • Select Program and Features
  • Select View Installed Updates
  • Right click on each update below and select Uninstall:
    • KB3033583
    • KB2952664
    • KB2990214
    • KB3012973
    • KB3044374
  • Go to Control Panel
  • Select Windows Update
  • Select Check for Updates
  • Select ### important updates are available where ### is the current number of updates available on your computer
  • Right click on each update below and select Hide update:
    • KB3033583
    • KB2952664
    • KB2990214
    • KB3012973
    • KB3044374
  • Restart the computer
  • Go to Control Panel
  • Select Windows Update
  • Select Check for Updates
  • If the following do not appear then you have successfully uninstalled Windows 10 updates:
    • KB3033583
    • KB2952664
    • KB2990214
    • KB3012973
    • KB3044374

If no updates appear except for Install Windows 10, then a group policy needs to be created to remove Windows 10 updates.

Best practices to deploy Windows 10 across your organization

Microsoft has been bombarding end-users with free-upgrade ads for Windows 10; their goal is to bury older Windows operating systems, which should reduce support requirements while enabling future capabilities. (Click here for specifications on Windows 10.)

The free-upgrade process works reasonably well for individual users, particularly those with compatible applications (Microsoft Office 2016) and modern peripherals (printers, monitors, etc.). However, upgrading in a multi-user environment across many different PCs with older peripherals can be problematic; these upgrades require a planned approach, with significant testing before implementation.

Windows 10 is a major upgrade to the Microsoft Windows franchise, which started back in 1985. It is an operating system (OS) which controls system functions and provides the basic, under-lying glue that unites end-users with their applications, peripherals, and the organization’s computer network. (See “Can Windows 10 revitalize the PC?” from the November issue of Bryley Information and Tips (BITs).)

Because of their complexity and the disruptive impact on the end-user’s desktop environment, we typically delay OS upgrades for at least a few months; we like to see a body of evidence that suggests the upgraded operating system is actually behaving as advertised. This is a two-part concern:

  • We want to ensure that user experiences match the manufacturer’s claims.
  • We need to verify that supporting parties – relevant vendors with installed applications and peripherals – have caught up with the upgrade and have made their products compatible with the new version.

These are the recommended steps:

  • Planning
  • Testing
  • Training
  • Deployment

Planning

Planning should include all of the steps necessary to ensure a successful upgrade throughout the organization; it is particularly important to discuss and review all relevant applications, older peripherals, and the impact on end-users.

Applications are critical: If the upgrade does not work with existing applications, something will need to change. With compatibility issues, typical choices include:

  • Upgrade the application to its latest version – This works if the application vendor has upgraded to work with the new OS.
  • Launch the application from within the OS in compatibility mode – This does not work for all applications, but should be evaluated and tested thoroughly.
  • Delay the OS upgrade – This option does not solve anything, but might provide time for the application vendor to upgrade or to select a new app.
  • Replace the application with a compatible application – A difficult choice, particularly if the application is organization-wide, but might be a welcome change if the existing application is a bit dated and under-performing.

You will need to identify and locate installation media, license keys, and product software for all applications; these applications may need to be verified and/or reloaded during the upgrade.

Peripherals are controlled via device drivers; a driver is a small, software-based application that interfaces the peripheral to the OS, enabling access without requiring detailed knowledge of the peripheral. For compatibility, the driver is typically upgraded. However, if the peripheral is old or the overall need for compatibility is limited, a manufacturer might choose to not upgrade a driver. (Click here for a list of manufacturer support pages.)

If uncertain, end-user peripherals are often cheaper to replace than upgrade, particularly printers, scanners, etc. However, large-scale equipment (high-volume printers, CNC machinery, and the like) will need to be tested and verified.

Don’t forget to check the Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade requirements:

  • Do I have enough available disk space and Internet bandwidth to deploy the Windows 10 upgrade? (It is a 3 GB download.)
  • Do my computers qualify for the Windows 10 upgrade? (Upgrade is only available for the latest Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 versions and must be applied within one year of availability, which ends 7/29/2016.)
  • Do my computers meet the minimum hardware requirements of 1 GB RAM, a 16 GB (or greater) disk-drive, and a modern video adapter?
  • If my computers are old, should I consider a wholesale replacement rather than trying to upgrade hardware?

End-users will need to be informed and trained before deployment.

Deployment schedules and dates must be considered:

  • Do we hit everyone at once, or upgrade department-by-department?
  • Can we schedule individual upgrades during the day or must they be performed (at greater expense) after-hours?
  • Can I meet the free-upgrade deadline of 7/29/2016? (Click here for Microsoft’s Windows Lifecycle schedule.)

Testing

The only way to ensure compatibility is to test everything:

  • Test all applications and their modules
  • Test all peripherals and their drivers; be prepared to replace when needed

Unfortunately, thorough testing takes a lot of time. An alternative is to upgrade or replace whenever possible, especially peripherals. However, core applications will need to be thoroughly vetted, either by the manufacturer or internally, to ensure that post-deployment users can operate without restriction or obstruction.

Testing should take two forms:

  • Test the upgrade process directly on an application-equipped computer.
  • Test a clean installation of Windows 10 with a reinstall of all components.

Although Microsoft has taken great pains to provide a clean upgrade, we find that a clean rebuild, although it takes longer, can reduce some deployment issues.

A clean rebuild requires these steps:

  • Document all applications and peripherals for all users on a computer
  • Install Windows 10 as a fresh installation (rather than as an upgrade)
  • Reinstall all applications and peripherals
  • Test thoroughly

Training

Not as well understood, but extremely important, are the changes to the end-user interface and how it will be received within your organization. For example: When Microsoft introduced Windows 8, its Tiled approach was extremely different from the Start Menu in earlier versions of Windows. As such, its adoption was poor, even though its core components improved on Windows 7.

Most end-users see their computers as a tool; they’re not particularly interested in upgrades unless they receive significant benefits. It helps greatly to introduce the differences and train end-users before rolling out a new OS.

End users should be trained not only on the new interface; they also need to know how to perform basic functions that may have changed, like loading applications, printing, retrieving files, accessing the Internet, etc.

Rollout timing should also be considered: I suspect most folk would want to be trained separately and then come to work with the update completed rather than try to work around a computer person in their office.

We find it helpful to have advocates; those internal end-users who are enthusiastic about the new version and willing to assist their co-workers. These advocates should be upgraded first, so they can spread the word.

Deployment

At last, we have done our homework, the users are trained, and everything is ready to go.

Although critical data should never be stored on an end-user’s computer, a backup is always a good first step; a backup provides recourse in case anything is missed.

Disk cloning is an excellent tool; it is a process whereby a computer’s disk image is first replicated and then redeployed on multiple computers, adjusting for differing components (video adapters, etc.) and the input of valid licensing keys. It works well, particularly if your computers are fairly similar and, preferably, are from the same manufacturer. Even though commercial-grade disk-cloning-software licenses cost about $50 per computer, disk cloning can save a lot of time and effort when deploying multiple new computers or upgrading many existing computers. (Click here for a list of disk-cloning software.)

If you are not cloning, create a detailed checklist that documents every step of the upgrade or clean-rebuild process. Ensure that the checklist is followed in its entirety for each computer.

Try to work systematically, but efficiently. If possible, line-up all similar computers and work your way down the line, performing each step at the same time on all computers, but verifying completion before moving on to the next step.

As always, we’d be glad to help or to do it for you. For assistance, please email ITExperts@Bryley.com or call us at 978.562.6077.

OneNote: A hidden gem in Microsoft Office

Gavin Livingstone, Bryley Systems Inc., January 2016

Microsoft first introduced OneNote with Microsoft Office 2003; since then, it has gone through five iterations and has become a useful utility to record free-form ideas and collaborate with others on any device, from Windows to iOS to Android. (See Wikipedia’s write-up on OneNote.)

Microsoft says that OneNote is “…a digital notebook for your to-do lists, lecture and meeting notes, vacation plans, or anything you want to organize.”

Key benefits:

  • Use anywhere, on any device
  • Work collaboratively with others
  • Keep all your ideas, notes, images, everything together in one place

I have been using OneNote for the past two months to replace my old, spiral-bound notebook. I setup my major groupings by Tabs (Executive, Meetings, Archive, etc.) and I then setup Pages within each Tab for my major task-groupings (Planning, Setup KPIs, ToDo, etc.). Within each Page, I setup a task list with task items.

For example, within my Executive Tab in the Page named “Planning –2016” I have:

  • Five-year plan:
    • 2016
    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
  • Quarterly-plan
    • Q1
    • Q2
    • Q3
    • Q4

Each item within a task-list has a checkbox (called a To Do Tag), so that I can check it off when completed. When all items within all task-lists are completed, I move the Page to my Tab that I named Archive.

Within OneNote, I move Tabs left-to-right to arrange by priority. Likewise, within a Tab, I constantly shift higher-priority task-groupings (Pages) upward as their urgency increases.

I can include emails, documents, handwritten notes, and graphics within each Page.

Because it syncs securely and works with different devices, I have OneNote on my Ultrabook and on my Android tablet to allow use anywhere, anytime.

Bryley Basics: Apps that send an “I’m busy” text from an Android phone

You can’t always be there to respond when you receive a text, but you might want to send an automated “I have received your text” message; much like an “out of office” email response. You can even setup a schedule that provides a response that switches on when your calendar shows a current meeting and switches off after the meeting ends.

Two Android applications, each of them $2.99, accomplish this task:

Both apps are available at GooglePlay.

Please see Sharon Machlis’ How to automatically send an ‘I’m busy!’ text from your Android phone from the 1/6/2016 edition of ComputerWorld.

Data-Backup Guidelines for 2016

Our Data-Backup Guidelines for 2016 discusses backup technologies (like our Cloud-based Backup/Data Recovery service) and includes a helpful Backup-Rotation Calendar and a Backup-Event Log for those with on-premise backup systems.