Back Up Your Data!

Recovering data is a lot more stressful and expensive than having an existing data backup system in place. Whether it's a daily online data backup or a periodic backup to an external hard drive, make sure you don't lose critical data! Contact us at 303.596.8567 or at support@52890computers.com for a consultation and estimate to backup your data.

Your Computer: Leave it on or turn it off?

We frequently get asked whether a person should turn their computer off, or leave it on when they leave their desk every night. A July 24, 2009 article by Mina Shaghaghi gives three good reasons why you should turn your computer off.

Nearly half of all U.S. workers leave their PCs on overnight. Here, three urgent reasons to turn off before you head out:

1. Hackers spend their waking hours prowling for vulnerable computers. Don't assume your firm has up-to-date security—a third of small businesses don't.

2. Your computer is a carbon-spewing beast. Computers left on standby will emit 20 million tons of carbon dioxide this year—roughly the same amount as 4 million cars.

3. Powering down may save your job. U.S. companies waste $2.8 billion annually keeping computers on after hours—in tough times, that's a heck of a lot of salaries.

NY Times Anti-Virus Blooper

In May, The New York Times published an article in the Gadgetwise section recommending to disable your anti-virus to speed up your computer. While there are anti-virus programs that do slow down your machine, we do NOT recommend you work on your computer without anti-virus protection. Read more at Computerworld's blog, as well as view the original article. As we've stated many times, we recommend AVG virus protection. It's free for personal use, and it works (and, it won't slow down your computer like other programs do)!

The Skype is Ringing

More and more people are moving to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), such as Skype, vs. traditional phones. The advantages? You have unlimited calling anywhere for a small monthly fee (local or internationally), you call from your computer, and it's very easy to use. Read this article about how to use Skype - or simply visit Skype's Web site at Skype

Twitter...what's it all about?

Everyone is atwitter about Twitter but many people still don't quite understand what Twitter is or what it's all about. The quick definition? Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Everyone seems to be using it, both personally and for business, and it is the fastest growing social networking site.

If you're interested in a brief history about Twitter and how people are using this technology, read Wall Street Journal's, Twitter Goes Mainstream. A good recap about the founders and how people are finding innovative uses for tweets. Or, simply check it out for yourself at www.twitter.com.