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What to do about your out-of-date Joomla site
We’ve noticed there are several Joomla sites out there which have not been updated to the latest version of the Joomla software. This is alarming since many security exploits have been discovered in Joomla over the past couple of years. Sites running older Joomla software are vulnerable to being taken over by cyber-vandals or crooks. The Joomla authors have done a great job of releasing new versions quickly as exploits are found. However, older versions of Joomla (1.5.x especially) are somewhat difficult to update. It’s not a simple button-push. Depending on how extensively the site has been customized, portions of the update may need to be applied file-by-file to avoid breaking functionality of the site. It’s tempting to just ignore the problem and hope your site won’t be found by hackers or vandals. However, the bad guys are quite adept at scanning the internet for sites running vulnerable versions of various software. If you don’t update your site, there is a very high probability that it will get defaced, or worse. At SWCP we have seen three Joomla sites compromised in the past month. So what to do? If you have a Joomla 1.5.x site you have 3 options: 1. Update to the latest 1.5.x Joomla release This is the simplest and probably cheapest option in the short term, but may not be good for the long haul. Have your web developer apply the latest Joomla update to your site. … Continue reading
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Announcing Mail Minder
Southwest Cyberport is pleased to announce that our iPhone app, Mail Minder, is now available in the Apple App Store! Mail Minder – Intelligent Push Notifications for Email Mail Minder alerts you when important messages come in. Tell Mail Minder what to watch for: messages from a particular person, or location, or with certain key words in the subject. Then relax and let Mail Minder watch for them while you get on with your life. No more obsessively checking email every few minutes, wondering if the client has replied to your proposal, or your brother has emailed about the new baby, or the airline changed your flight after you left the hotel. The app is free (ad-supported) for up to 3 Minders, with in-app purchases avaialble for subscriptions. Paid accounts can add more Minders, get more frequent polling for new messages, and have no ads in the app. Mail Minder works with any standard POP or IMAP account (SWCP, GMail, etc.). Follow this link to download Mail Minder for free from the App Store!
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Don’t bother backing-up your computers
(unless you’ve actually tested recovery)
This post is from guest blogger Peter H. Mantos of Albuquerque business consultancy Mantos Consulting, Inc. (Also a long-time SWCP customer) The business community is well aware of the need to backup critical computer systems. However, very few small businesses have actually tested their backup system by performing a recovery. Business managers operate under a false assumption that they are protected from the worst. This article explains some common reasons that “successful” backups fail to meet business continuity needs. It encourages business owners to ensure that information technology (I.T.) systems can be recovered through actual testing. 1. INTRODUCTION You’re smart. You know that while wise use of computers (information technology, or “I.T.”) offers competitive advantages, they have now become a requirement, a “necessary evil” to stay in business. You also know that I.T. sometimes fails and without it, you are dead in the water. So, being smart, you do your backups; perhaps even regularly and even automatically. Perhaps you don’t back up every computer in the office every day or every week, but at least you back-up your important data; maybe even using an offsite service or by taking copies offsite. Good for you! But have you ever tried to recover using those backups? If not, don’t be smug about being backed-up! Many people have been unpleasantly surprised when the fickle finger of computer fate strikes. Some find that the backups don’t really restore the data or the functionality they … Continue reading