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Have you ever wondered why there is a huge increase in online fraud? Well the main reason its happening, is that most computer users are not protecting themselves properly.

When you follow the top 10 tips for online and offline protection, you will discover were your computer system weaknesses are.

1. It is a proven fact that 75% of American PC users do not use an up to date anti-virus program, this is a program that scans the PC searching for any malicious software, when it discovers them they can either quarantine them or delete them. Some AV programs even scan sites you visit and detect any phishing sites.

2. Phishing sites are websites that have been created to look similar to a bank or payment processor such as PayPal. We have all received the emails from our bank stating our account is empty and to log in immediately, the hyperlink in the email you click on looks real, however the site you are taken to is fraudulent, they are after stealing your money! Always make sure your banks website has a padlock image on the toolbar, this shows that it is a secure site for logging in. If you have any doubts contact your bank immediately.

3. We all need a firewall to hide behind. This is a piece of software that prevents anyone hacking into our computers, either at home or at work. Once the software is set up it runs in the background. It basically blocks the ports on our computers that hackers use to gain access through the back door. Like the AV, there are plenty of free firewalls.

4. Is your computer operating system up to date? When did you last update it? Most people will answer, never. The main reason software manufacturers such as Microsoft provide updates, is to plug any security vulnerabilities in the software, this is why when they issue an update, its wise to update your system.

5. Check any public computers you use, as there are products out there called key loggers, this is an electronic device that logs all keystrokes and can be downloaded. So if you use the library for your online bank or eBay, make sure the keyboard lead connects directly into the computer, if it connects to an extra piece of cable, it could be a key logger. The person who put it there only has to download the information and they have all your details and access to your money! Always log out and do not save any passwords on a public computer – Ever!

6. Check public WiFi connections are public! Make sure it is not just another computer acting as a gateway, so you pass your details to them such a credit card and address, then they grant you access to the internet. While you are sending emails, they are using your credit card details to purchase products online!

7. Do not share games, as this is how some viruses were transferred from computer to computer. Always run your anti virus software to scan the disc first.

8. Do not let anyone one use a flash drive on your computer, as soon as someone plugs a flash drive into a computer a virus could be transferring to your computer, this may or may not be done on purpose, but the problem is still there, it will take information from your computer and can even email it from your computer, at a later date!

9. Physical protection at home and at work, this is essential for preventing your computer and the data stored on it falling into the wrong hands. The PC enclosure is a special steel box, that has been designed for protecting computers, so heating and security issues has been addresses, these units are fully welded and normally bolted to walls, (this is how banks protect their computers).

10. Physical protection on the move is essential for laptops, so Kingston Security offers the best option, this is a high grade steel cable that locks into the laptop and ties around a leg of a table, this prevents your personal information being stolen along with the laptop, in a smash and grab robbery.

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Filed under: Careers

It seems that there are more and more people nowadays who seem to feel the need to seek out opportunities for travel abroad volunteer work. Such an adventure means that they will have quite a change in their lifestyle and will need to get used to new people, surroundings, customs and probably languages as well. Leaving a job or putting schooling on hold, as well as leaving behind beloved friends and family members, is all part of the deal when people have the courage to travel the path less taken.

Even with all of these major considerations and changes, venturing out on a volunteer work project abroad will more than likely turn out to be the experience of a lifetime for those who put their heart into their charity volunteer work overseas. Charity work abroad gives people unique opportunities to live and work in another land and experience the people and the culture, not as a tourist but on the same level that the local citizens live their daily lives. This in and of itself provides those who undertake overseas volunteer work with a unique perspective on the world and other countries that will be with them throughout their lives.

In addition to the experiences and perspectives that will endure in their memories, a person who embarks on travel abroad volunteer work will also expand their horizons by learning new languages, making new friends, and feeling like they have a second home in another part of the world. With all of this in mind, it is no wonder why international volunteer work is becoming a more popular pursuit for those who have the ability to get involved.

Choosing to participate in a volunteer work program abroad is a wonderful idea for a number of very positive reasons. On a more self-centered note, anyone who gives up their time and energy to offer their services and expertise to a voluntary charity organization will have a wonderful entry to include in their resume. At the same time, most administrators of charity work overseas programs are more than happy to write you a glowing letter of recommendation as a token of thanks for the services you rendered.

For those who are planning to go on to graduate school of some type after their overseas volunteer work, it can be noted that volunteer work is something that is well respected in school admissions offices. This one factor alone can be something on which your whole future hinges in the most positive of ways. There are many people who have returned from a break from schooling or a sabbatical from work where they took advantage of a volunteer work opportunity to find that their school or job prospects had improved greatly because of their desire to use their time serving other people.

There is really no lack of choices when it comes to travel abroad volunteer work opportunities in this day and age. No matter what your particular interests are or what type of charitable efforts you are most inclined to support, you will no doubt find options that will feel right for you. While rendering service of any type to any kind of voluntary charity organization is satisfying, working with a program that you have a special connection with will be even more gratifying.

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Often we get caught up in a flurry of to-do lists, people we have to meet with, sales to be made, meetings to set-up and countless other small details and commitments that need to be fulfilled without taking time to breathe and focus on the present. Our lives are increasingly hectic and require an amount of multi-tasking never seen before. By failing to stay present we actually harm our businesses and by extension our future growth and expansion. You will be better able to ignore the recession by staying present in mind and giving your full attention to the “now.”

Do One Thing At A Time Really Well

You can only focus on one thing at a time. If you are giving your attention to many tasks at once you are spreading yourself too thin and producing inferior results. If you disagree with this statement let’s take a quick example to help explain this concept. Have you ever been on the phone with someone who is watching t.v., paying attention to their children or is otherwise working on something? You can tell right? Even if they deny it, you know that they are not giving you their full attention because they respond slower to your questions or answer you with “uh-huh” one too many times. Multi-tasking in the end makes projects take longer to complete and potentially makes your results worse than they would be if you were giving the project your full attention.

Master The Details

Your brain has to switch between channels to move back and forth between the different projects or tasks that you’re working on. Each time you switch, you have a mini-delay while your brain processes information to get you back up to speed with where you were in the task. If you have enough distractions this process could take you several minutes to complete. This accounts for the sensation of losing your train of thought when writing or an inability to focus on a task after coming back from a distraction. By focusing one task at a time you are better able to handle all the requirements of a project. You are less likely to forget a step or a crucial detail. You will also get your work completed faster because you will not have to constantly make switches in your brain back to the task at hand.

The Future Will Be Better If You Focus On The Now

You cannot act in the past, you cannot act in the future, you can only act now. Regardless of how many projects you have to complete or how many fires you have to put out at any one time, you cannot be in two places at once and you cannot do anything about a problem that hasn’t happened yet. While you can set up systems to help you deal with potential problems in the future, your energy and focus needs to stay with the present. Worrying about future contingencies sucks energy from your present ability to handle and accomplish your current objectives.

Don’t Dwell In “What If’s”

Stop thinking about and letting your mind energy dwell in “recession-land.” The more you think about the recession or bad economic times the more you will actually create failing conditions for your business. You’ll subconsciously sabotage your business if you continuously think about the market dropping or the financial crisis on Wall Street.

You’ll start to think things like “my customer won’t buy our product because of the market” and your actions will start to match that mentality. You will make less sales calls, you’ll lower the amount you ask people to buy or even lower the price of your products without any real need to do so, all to keep up with the mental image you have in your brain of a slowing economy. Don’t tell yourself “no” before your customer has even heard your pitch. Let them tell you “no” and then redo the offers to match their expectations if need be. Your first and only thought should be that you have a superior product, that is worth its price and that the customer will benefit greatly from your service or good. That’s it. Ignore the recession and press on.

Pick Your Five Things To Accomplish Each Day

Start out each day by making a list of the five most critical things you need to accomplish and then start working your list. Begin on number one and do not work on number two until number one is complete. Do not open e-mail, take phone calls or engage in any other distraction while you are working on your list. If you have meetings or other interruptions, come back to your list each time you have quiet time to work. If quiet time is a problem then set up some boundaries with your employees or co-workers. Shut your door and put a sign on it saying you are in a meeting. By engaging in this process you will be able to focus completely on the ‘now” and your actions will be much more effective. If you do not finish all your five items, then just start the next day with the rest of the projects on your list and repeat the process.

Breathe and Push Through Problems One Step At A Time

If a crisis or fire does pop up, just mentally relist your five most critical tasks. Take the problem and place it at the number one spot. You will not be able to focus on anything until you calm your mind and put out the fire. Once extinguished, your ability to focus will return to normal and you can breath and move on with your productive day.

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If you’ve decided it’s time for a new career, making that move can be a bit overwhelming. After all where do you start. Well, start right here with these 8 steps to a successful career search.

1. It all begins and ends with networking. Make a list of everyone you need – friends, family, extended family, co-workers (past and present), church members, neighbors, acquaintances, and anyone else you can think of. Talk to everyone on your list. Of course not all at once but 5 to 10 people a week.

2. There are hundreds of job search engines online like Monster.com, all with hundreds of career opportunities. So review what’s available and try to apply for at least 10 postings each week.

3. Jump the gun and apply for a position before it’s actually posted. Jumping the gun like this before others know about the position is a great way to move yourself to the front of the line and increase your chances.

4. Respond to every newspaper ad that interests you. Over 95% of all resumes received or tossed so you can’t apply for too many positions when you’re on a new career search.

5. Find new employers that have just opened up shop by using the internet, networking, checking new phone listings, and watching the papers for press releases. Depending on where you live there may be several a week that apply to the type of work you’re looking for. Even better if you can find out about them before they do their big hiring campaign.

6. Follow up calls are essential to any business that you have sent off a resume. That means you should keep a log and then two weeks after you send the resume you should be following up with a personal phone call. If you received an interview you need to send out a thank you letter 2 weeks after the interview. You can see how you’ll need a log to keep track.

7. Contact employment agencies and recruiters, also called headhunters. They can be a valuable resource in your career search so don’t forget about them.

8. Your references are very important. In fact, more so than most people realize. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that their contact information is up to date.

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There are many benefits to providing employees with easy access to key business data, but it’s important to examine whether your procedures are making it easier to control your iSeries data access while minimizing the time spent exporting that data into useable reports.

Many solutions on the market provide effective ways to manage your company’s iSeries data, but which one is right for your environment? More often than not, business intelligence (BI) and document management solutions require a lot of technical expertise and/or programming skills. Implementing and maintaining the software can be an overwhelming task. But many companies are finding that they can bring key iSeries data into a program that their users already know, providing them with timely access to information.

When it comes to easy report-generation, the first solution that comes to mind for many users is Excel. When this ubiquitous spreadsheet and reporting application is paired with software that can easily transfer iSeries data into spreadsheets, users can obtain the information they need and manipulate it with the powerful tools that Excel provides for analysis, communication, and results-sharing.

Many facets of your company’s reporting procedures can generate cost savings. As an IT administrator, you may be creating numerous reports for employees throughout your organization: one report for your executive team, a different report for accounting, and others for administrative users. Often, these reports are created by copying and pasting data from hard-to-use file formats into Excel spreadsheets. By using a solution that easily and rapidly exports your data into pre-designed Excel templates, you can save aggravation and expense.

Other savings may occur if your company is currently using preprinted forms. By moving from preprinted forms to a simple solution that exports data into Office products, companies can save thousands of dollars each year by eliminating wasted, outdated forms. Major savings occur when your users can save their documents, print them on plain paper, and easily email them using Outlook.

It is IT’s responsibility to provide tools that improve employee productivity. When data is held up because users have to depend on IT to create their reports and IT is busy with other significant business tasks, problems can arise-particularly when mission-critical data is needed immediately. Having both easy access to key information and the needed tools to analyze that data are necessary to an organization’s growth. When users are able to create their own reports, they have access to the information they need when they need it.

With some reporting, BI, and document-management software programs, valuable time is spent learning and training new staff members to use the products. Software that can export iSeries data into Excel gives users the ability to manipulate the data in a program that they already know. Many BI software products on the market require extensive time and knowledge from the IT staff, which, again, takes IT away from critical projects.

The distribution method that you use for your internal documents can contribute to many headaches. The best solutions provide the ability to distribute your documents with applications that you already use. With programs that transfer data into an Office product, users can easily send the documents via email or fax, using the applications they know best.

A versatile solution provides the ability to transfer iSeries data into various document formats. A solution that offers the flexibility to create forms in Word or present information in a PDF allows users to tackle many tasks.

Once data is in a Microsoft Office document, the ways to customize that data are endless. Users can create formulas, charts, graphs, and tables to make documents visually appealing and to help them more efficiently analyze the data. Programs that allow you to set up an Excel template in advance-with all of the formatting already created-can be especially helpful because they can save the user a great deal of valuable time. iSeries data is imported quickly with one step, and the completed report is immediately available.

Ideally, your iSeries-to-Excel solution should allow you to set it up and forget about it. Look for a product that lets you easily set up jobs that automate your reporting process.

To eliminate strains on your network, some solutions offer the ability to save IT resources by working in batch overnight. Those solutions allow optimal performance of your iSeries during peak daytime periods.

As with any BI or reporting solution, your iSeries-to-Excel solution must limit access to sensitive data and easily control access to the reports that users can see.

Users with no authorities on the database can receive iSeries data easily in a spreadsheet format. This prevents you from having to provide authority to everyone who needs access to this data. You don’t have to manage the access authorities because the data is sent to the user from the system itself.

The widespread knowledge of the capabilities of Excel make it easy to explain the benefits of moving iSeries data into spreadsheets. When evaluating BI and reporting solutions, find one that can perform all of the tasks your company requires in one complete solution while making it easy on your users.

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Filed under: Careers