Useful Tech Tips

Back it up!

A few years ago there was a great Australian anti drink driving campaign that used the slogan ‘If you drink and drive, you’re a bl**dy idiot’. The same could be said for not backing up.

The simple fact is that every hard drive that contains data will at some point fail. And what do you think is the the most important asset in your or your small business’s IT infrastructure? You got it – information! That is why it’s called Information Technology!

So, given that every hard drive eventually fails and it is a hard drive that contains your data it is not a stretch to reach the conclusion that backing up is of utmost importance!

Apathy is not an excuse in this instance. And neither is ignorance for that matter.

So, if you’d like to implement a simple backup strategy for yourself, get yourself an external hard drive (preferably usb powered as it’s simpler) or flash drive (see the GEEK GIVEAWAY this month), download the excellent software syncback free and start today. Alternatively, give GEEK a call and we’ll do it for you.

The Marketing tool most underused by small business owners

A recent survey conducted by insurantz.com revealed that of the 1000 SME owner’s interviewed, only 16 percent had facebook or twitter accounts. Wow!

That is excellent news! It means that if you utilise this avenue to market your business you are ahead of 84% of your competitors!

What is more significant about this statistic is that it indicates a general lack of participation by small business owners to make use of a very powerful, cost effective and, most significantly, MEASURABLE marketing tool – the internet!

If you don’t yet have a website, this is a good place to start as you can build everything else around it, like your links into social media such as facebook and twitter and newsletters to keep in touch with your clients and test ideas and strategies at as little as a couple of cents per recipient.

To recap then, it is an excellent idea for small businesses to utilise this resource for marketing as is not only cost effective but highly targeted and extremely measurable. And the best part is that most of your competitors aren’t properly utilising this platform yet meaning you’ll be way ahead of the pack!

In the upcoming months GEEK will be covering the different aspects in more detail so keep checking up or easier yet, sign up for the GEEK Newsletter and you’ll get a taste first hand of how useful it can be.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

What it is about the world wide web and email that makes individuals lose any semblance of common sense is a mystery.

Chain mail. Or the modern equivalent of the chain letter. If you send this email to 8 of your friends you’ll get a free blackberry. If you send it to 16 you’ll get 2. It continually amazes. perplexes and boggles the mind that normally intelligent and rational beings buy into this. C’mon!

Online lottery. Yes, your email address has just been randomly selected and you have won 10 millon pounds sterling. Ahem. What is more sinister about this particular scam is that it is designed to ultimately swindle you out of your hard earned cash. After all they only need your bank account details and then the millions will be deposited poste haste into your account!

Fortunately most people cotton on to this scam since the spelling and grammar of the letter received is usually far from convincing.

Again, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! And if you need further proof, google the subject line followed by the word ‘scam’. Simple.