What makes a good password?

Is your password based on your name or one of your family members?  How about some number related to your birthday?  Your favorite Disney character?  A pets name?  The numbers to your home or office?  I’ve seen all these approaches, and unfortunately so have the hackers. 

Choosing-a-password
In recent weeks Hackers have stepped up their attacks on the Internet.  One of their latest exploits includes using other infected computers as Robots (Bots) to attempt to login to computers connected to the Internet with RDP Remote Access enabled (see my other blog article on the details of this, and how to defend yourself from it).  They can make a try every one or two seconds, easily more than 40,000 tries per day.  They don’t get tired and they don’t give up easily.  If you have a simple password, it increases the chances a hacker could get through.  This is just one of many reasons to have a good password.

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Filed under: Password Safe Passwords
 

Locking your PC: How to keep your data safe when you are away from your PC

I’m often asked “What should I do with my PC at the end of the day?  Turn if off or leave it on?”   The On or Off debate will be another Blog article, but in short I usually favor just leaving the PC on (the least amount of effort needed by the staff). If you choose to leave them on, you should always close out all your work and applications (don’t leave programs open and running).

Lock-my-pc
The Problem
If you leave them on you have to consider a secondary security risk I call the ‘Janitor Factor’.   If you leave the computer logged in at night, anyone with access to the office could use your computer.  There have been multiple times in my career that the night Janitors have been the source of computers on the network getting infected while they leisurely peruse the adult oriented sites on the Internet from the large screen fast computers in the Consult room.  What if someone was to break into your office, they could sit down at any PC and start to access your patient data – a HIPAA violation for sure.

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Filed under: Lock Screensaver
 

The Difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Why You Should Care

Windows732vs64
If you’ve bought a PC lately, you may have been confronted with the decision of whether to get your system with Windows 32-bit or 64-bit.   What the heck does that mean anyways?

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Filed under: 32-bit 64-bit Windows 7
 

What Version of Windows 7 is Right for You? (and why you should care)

One problem I see all the time is people (or practices) purchasing a new computer with the wrong version of Microsoft Windows 7.  You might not be aware of how big a problem this can be.

Windows_7_editions

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Filed under: Windows 7
 

Does the Processor choice in your PC really matter anymore?

The last time you bought a PC, did you really spend any time deciding what processor to get with it?  I bet not much if any.

The processor is one part of your PC that is impractible to upgrade in a PC today, the solution is just to get another PC. 

I’m often asked if someone’s 4 year old PC will work well enough to run the latest Practice Management application or CBCT imaging app.  Often my answer is “It will work, but it won’t be the same as on a newer PC”.  “But it’s only 4 years old!” is the usual comment they plead in reply. 

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Filed under: CPUBenchmark.net Intel Processor
 

How to keep that iPad safe in the Lobby

Many Practices are offering iPads in the patient waiting room area.  The uses are seemingly endless:

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Filed under: Mount iPad
 

Retiring that Old Computer - How to Recycle a PC

Do you have an old computer stuffed away in the closet or basement?  Perhaps it is sitting, unplugged, beside the new PC that replaced it.  Old, obsolete computers are a side effect of our technology age. Yesterday’s hottest technology is replaced, sooner or later, with the coolest new gadget.  We love the speed and features of our new computer, but what should we do with the old one?  Is it worth anything to someone else?  Can we just throw it in the trash?  What about old data on the hard drive?

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Filed under: Green IT Recycle
 

How to tell what movies arrived in the latest Dolphin Aquarium update

One of the features Dolphin Aquarium users love is the constant stream of new content being developed.  Aquarium updates arrive automatically over the Internet using the Dolphin Update Service (DUS). 

I was recently asked by a long time Dolphin user “How do I know what new movies just arrived?”  I didn’t know the answer.   I knew the movies automatically join the list, but there are over 300 at the moment and how would you notice what’s new?

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Filed under: Dolphin Aquarium
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