Disposable Email Addresses

A nice article on avoiding the spammers has been published in the library of the main eBusiness Gateway site. Click here.

Low Cost Computer Training

One of the most effective ways of building skills over time is to use a trickle-feed approach. In conjunction with Training Masters Limited we are offering a two-level service aimed at achieving productivity gains using computers and software already on most office workers desks. The base level service comes at less than 10p a day per employee. Read more...

"I didn't get it..." excuses increase

The age old statement that "I didn't get it" might have been down to a poor postal service but, more likely, it was an excuse used by lazy or inefficient office workers. Similar statements about non-receipt of e-mail could often be quickly dismissed by informing them that since mail had not been 'bounced' back to the sender, it was probable that they had received it.

However, we are starting to see a considerable increase in the number of e-mail messages disappering into black holes because of understandable, but misguided, reactions to virus, worm and other security attacks.

Bad implementation of Spam Filters, Firewalls, etc. has led to many businesses simply not being aware that valid mail is neither being received by the addressee NOR is it being bounced back to the sender. The result is starting to become a serious disruption to what has become normal business communication. We predict that this problem will grow.

If you are being alerted by business contacts that your mail is not getting through or visa versa, do not ignore the problem - it will not go away. Get a qualified person to look at the email delivery and receipt systems to make sure that they are set up correctly.

Please post comments on this issue if have experienced these problems.

Remote Email Access

At this time of the year, we regularly get asked by infrequent computer users how they can access emails whilst abroad or away from home or office.

If you have an individual account (say with BT Internet) and normally download messages directly to your PC, you should check to see if your service provider has Webmail. If so, sign-up for that service and you can access your messages whilst they are still on the online (i.e. before you download them). You can respond to them or send new messages. Hint: send a copy of new messages to yourself so you can download a copy when you get back to your PC.

Alternatively, open a Hotmail account or try Google’s new G-mail service, where the emails are retained on the Internet, and ask your contacts to use that address for the time that you are away.

If the email that you wish to access will have already been downloaded through your PC or company’s server (therefore no longer residing on the Internet), then you should consider signing up for a service called GoToMyPC. This is an excellent facility that allows travellers to dial straight into their own office PC and use it remotely in the same way as you would do in the office.

Click on the GoToMyPC ad on the right side of this screen for more details.

Security Briefings

eBusiness Gateway is working in conjunction with a couple of other Scottish companies to prepare senior management briefings on information/data security issues. They will cover both in-house security as well as external issues.

The briefings will use as much plain language as possible and could be a stand-along service or act as a pre-cursor to a security audit, testing the safeguards and assessing the education needs within your organisation. They will NOT be scary stories just to gain sales - that is not our style.

To help us to pitch our services at the right audience, we would welcome any comments (attributed or anonymous) that you have on this subject. Please use the Comments facility to post your remarks.

If you want to contact me directly, please use this link: Contact Bernie Vincent

Sasser Worms and Variants

For information and a clear list of actions required click the link below.

Microsoft Sasser Actions

BT/Microsoft Service for SMEs

BT has joined forces with Microsoft to launch a one-stop-shop business software and broadband solution designed specifically for small and medium sized businesses.

BT Connected & Complete (catchy name eh?) will provide small businesses with secure broadband access, applications, services, support and maintenance, all from a single source and on one bill. Provided by BT, the complete solution will be sold and supported in conjunction with local partners and will cost about £50 monthly per user.

The features include:

- A secure broadband connection with firewall and anti-virus software, updated daily so businesses are always protected from the latest viruses.

- MS Solution for Hosted Exchange 2003, providing secure email using your domain name with spam and virus protection, together with a calendar, contacts and folders which can be shared with colleagues. Available from your PC & via your mobile.

- MS Office Small Business Edition 2003: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook and Business Contact Manager. Including continuous access latest releases.

- Online help and user guide and access to a one-stop-shop help desk providing a single point of contact for all technical advice and support.

- A six monthly system health check performed on-site by a BT Channel Partnerm providing a complete review of a business’ current I.T. infrastructure and assessing their future needs.

In our view, the key to success for these type of services lies in the answers to these questions:

(a) How do the costs compare with traditional software licence costs?

(b) How good are the local support arrangements? (It's not worth dealing with companies who only have one or two technicians.)

(c) How confident are business managers over security arrangements?

(d) How effective and costly are the so called "one-stop-shop" help desks (I wonder whether BT people have ever tried getting through the mesh of the telephone help facilities?)

As always, we will keep you informed about developments. Post a comment below if you have something to say.

More Google Tips

Following on from the previous post, here are a couple more tips to do some Internet spying. In both these tips you use the search box on Google.

To see which pages of your site are listed on Google, type site:yourdomain - for example in the case of our main the entry would be site:www.ebusiness-gateway.co.uk

To see which sites link to your own, type info:your domain - again using our example, this would be info:www.ebusiness-gateway.co.uk

Of course, since you are all very sharp-minded, you will have realised that you can type in the domain name of your competitors any see how well referenced their site is.