Facebook has rolled out yet another change. The Timeline feature was officially launched yesterday. After quite a bit of hoopla, the new format is receiving mixed reviews. Some people love it, others hate it. Personally, I was very skeptical, so I decided to check it out. I’m usually resistant to change, but this is actually pretty cool! It allows you to easily revisit your past and highlight specific incidents of importance.  While converting my personal page over I found some funny pictures, quotes and wall posts that I had completely forgotten about. I found it enjoyable to relive my past year on Facebook (yes, I only joined a year ago. I wanted pictures from a friend’s wedding, now I am a complete addict).

I could, however, see where there would be quite a bit of backlash to this new format. It would be unpleasant for those who post (or have friends who post) embarrassing, personal and hurtful material to their walls. This is why the wise folks at Facebook have given us 7 days to review our Timelines and delete or hide any posts that we do not want others to see. Of course, you still have to rehash and filter through EVERYTHING you EVER posted on the social network.

If you think the new Timeline is not for you, well that’s too bad. Change is a ‘coming. You can delay the inevitable shift for another week. Timeline goes live for all Facebook users on 12/23/2011. Below is a link to an article from PC World that gives you some tips on how to handle the shift. What do you think? Is it a change for better or for worse? Let us know at www.Facebook.com/OnePowerfulSolution

http://www.pcworld.com/article/246371/facebook_timeline_the_7day_countdown_mustdo_checklist.html

How would it affect you if your computer was struck by lightning? What if your laptop was stolen? How much valuable data would you lose? Would you have to spend hours sifting through old CD’s to rebuild your media library? What about your e-mails, financial records and personal documents? Think of the painstaking measures it would take to recover from such a loss! Now apply these same scenarios to a business. They aren’t simply losing photos and songs; they are losing mission-critical data, employee time and effort, and money.

Of businesses that have a major data loss, 43% never reopen, 51% close within 2 years and only 6% survive long term! This means that data backup is more crucial now than ever before. Backups can be either stored onsite (local) or offsite (remote). Many companies rely solely on a local backup (or as Dylan likes to call them “cross your fingers that your building doesn’t go down cause then you’re out of business” backups, CYFTYBDGDCTYOOBB for short). Remote backups are much more secure. Companies who provide this service usually house their equipment in highly secured, bunker-type buildings with several locations. Check out Servosity’s impressive list of infrastructure and security measures: http://www.servosity.com/tour/infrastructure-security

It is imperative for businesses of all sizes to have a disaster recovery plan in place. Companies like Servosity offer stream-lined, easy to use and affordable backup solutions through IT service providers such as PowerOne. Individuals can easily backup their data for very little cost (and sometimes even for free) at sites like Mozy.com, Carbonite.com and Dropbox.com.

It’s so easy to protect your data from theft, natural disaster, equipment malfunctions and human error. Not backing up your data is like not having a fire extinguisher in your home. Are you protected?

You love your wireless home network. You can surf the web with multiple devices from anywhere in the house. Hey, you even have connectivity outside so you can listen to Pandora Radio while lounging on the patio. Well guess what? Hackers love your wireless home network too! Why, you might ask? You don’t have any “important information” on your PC. They have no reason to target you. There are many reasons why a hacker would attempt to access your wireless home network.

 
The first reason is obvious; a free internet connection. Your neighbors or passersby may access your internet connection without paying a cent. This may seem harmless enough, but it could slow down your internet connection, increase your bill (if you pay by bandwidth used) or even unknowingly infect you with a virus or Trojan!

 
Hackers may also hide behind your IP address to conduct criminal activity online. All devices on your wireless network access the internet through the access point which has a public IP address (assigned by your Internet service provider).  Any activity from the network is linked to that IP address whether or not the device is legitimate.  That means if someone gets into your wireless network and subsequently sends out illegal material, it’s going to show up from your IP address.

 
There is also the concern of your private information being out in the open. Things such as bank statements, wills, tax records and so forth contain information that could be used to steal your identity. So how do you protect yourself and your wireless network from intruders? There are several relatively easy steps you can take to secure your network:

 
1) Change ALL the manufacturer defaults. Your router/access point will come with a default login and administrator password, a default SSID (Service Set Identifier) and a default subnet. All of these need to be personalized to deter hackers from accessing your network.

 
2) Disable the SSID broadcast. SSID is basically the name of your wireless network, which is required to connect to it. If you don’t disable SSID broadcasting, your access point will display your network name making it more susceptible to hacking.

 
3) Enable encryption. When data is encrypted, only devices that have a matching encryption key can communicate with the access point. This makes it much more difficult for nefarious characters to hack into your network.

 
4) Disable DHCP. DHCP uses a pool of IP addresses and assigns them to a device when the device connects to the network. By assigning static IP addresses to all devices on your wireless network, you make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to it.

 
If you follow these measures, your wireless home network and all of your information will be much more secure! If you have any questions, please feel free to post them on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/OnePowerfulSolution