kinetik IT blog spot

We have all heard stories about what’s lost during natural disasters – homes, businesses; in cities waterlogged during southern hurricanes, California and Colorado wildfires that consume entire communities. While major events like these, which cause millions of dollars in damage, occur on a limited basis, a different kind of disaster catches businesses by surprise every day: data loss. Seemingly mundane in comparison and you may think that the chance of this occurring may be relatively small, yet this type of disaster can have a huge impact on your business, resulting in loss of time, loss of productivity, revenue and, potentially, clients.

Data loss can occur in any number of ways including human error, computer virus, hardware or system failure, software corruption, data or cyber theft, as well as natural disasters. The remedy is to have a Disaster Recovery and Implementation Plan in place, to ensure data is adequately protected and can be recovered in a timely manner after the system breach.

Your disaster recovery plan is an important part of your business and the consequences of not having one can easily be underestimated. When disaster hits, the question is: Will you be ready?

A How-To Guide

Human beings tend to act like the proverbial ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand when it comes to preparing for unpleasant events. But when disaster strikes, regardless of the cause, the feeling of being able to recover data will offer peace of mind and allow you and your team to confidently move forward. What are the first steps you should take? Where do you turn? This quick overview can help.

1. Choose responsible people. You cannot properly get your disaster recovery plan off the ground if you don’t have great people around you to help. As you build the actual plan, be sure you have responsible people in charge of the process.
2. Upgrade regularly. Over time, your company is going to change. As it does, your disaster recovery plan has to change too. Be sure it’s updated as often as is necessary to keep up with your company.
3. Get the right help. Planning for disaster recovery is not as simple as pulling a template off the internet. Instead, choose an IT consulting firm to help.

When you’re ready to get serious about disaster recovery planning, there is no better place to turn than Kinetik IT, where we’ll walk you through every step of disaster recovery planning.

To learn more about services and products – including implementing your tailored plan if and when it becomes necessary – visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedInor Twitter.

At a time when so much information is stored in the cloud, and many companies  operate remotely, Microsoft Access may not be the first program to come to mind when thinking about database management. But in fact, Access is one of the most mature Microsoft products released in 1992. 

Microsoft Access is a powerful and useful information management tool which systematically stores information for reference, reporting, and analysis.  The way the data is organized allows for in-depth analysis, and management – far better than is possible with spreadsheet applications. More than just a list or table, a database is a formidable tool, allowing for relationships between tables and dictate which data is mandatory to be entered by the user and much more. This allows a user to easily retrieve, sort, analyze, and report data without compromise.

These points are moot, however, if a client doesn’t understand how a database can help them achieve their end results. When working with this type of client, start with the why.

If ten Access developers were asked what they do, the answer would, most likely, include several variations on this response: "I deliver custom business solutions for companies using Microsoft Access."

The above answer is correct – that’s technically what the developer does, and the how is by using Microsoft Access VBA. But what about the why? Why is it that they do what they do?

Data is the lifeblood that drives a company.Every company relies on accurate data to run their business. Without accurate data, there is no business. From orders, customers information,  to appointments, sales, inventory etc., it's all data and it's all vital in the operation of a business.

If data is the lifeblood of the business, a professional database development company can help by creating a solid database design and architecture which is the foundation of any database, ensuring integrity of the data. . Lack of data integrity has substantial consequences such as duplicate records, lost data, and orphaned records. Eventually lack of data integrity will affect your business operations. Access Developers are in a unique position to help business, from small to midsize using an amazing tool without parallel.

Thinking about the question again, a better answer would be something like this:

"Because data is one of a business’s most important assets, our passion is helping you protect and discover its power."

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

It often starts out small – a five-dollar purchase that shows up on in the bank statement, a strange email notification, a hacked social media account. Day in and day out, personal information is scattered around the web, in places you might not even realize. From broadcasting our location on Facebook and Foursquare, to extolling our professional credentials on LinkedIn, and expressing opinions on Twitter and Wordpress, our lives are more of an open book than ever before.  So how, as individuals, can we ensure our information is safe? Kinetik I.T. President Josette van Stiphout offers some suggestions. 

The most fundamental step, she explains, is making sure no one is spying on you. “For individuals, let's start with something simplistic – really making sure that your computer doesn't have spyware installed. What can happen ‑‑ if you're an individual, and you do online banking, and you're not aware that there is spyware on your computer, they can obtain your bank account numbers, your personal information, and they can access your online financial data.” Take these steps in verifying the security of your computer and accounts:

Computer safety: Make sure that your computer is clean before you do any online transactions related to banking or personal information – install a good anti-spyware software and regularly download the anti-spyware definition updates, or set up automatic updates. 

Create a strong, complex password. Microsoft suggests that the stronger your password, the more protected your computer will be from hackers and malicious software. Create an effective password following these guidelines:

·      At least twelve characters long.

·      Does not contain your user name, real name, or company name.

·      Does not contain a complete word.

·      Is significantly different from previous passwords.

·      Contains characters from each of the following four categories: Capital letters, lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. 

Ensure data security: When online, only deal with secure and encrypted websites that are from a credible source. For this final step, van Stiphout explains that simply looking for the https in front of the domain will indicate if your data is encrypted. “Especially when making online purchases, you want to make sure that https prefix is there, and you should see a little lock on the bottom of the toolbar that shows that the session is encrypted,” she said.

She adds, “If you do online purchases, never order from a company that doesn't have a name or address that is verifiable. I always research the company before I do any online transactions with that company.Verify that the company indeed has an address, contact information, that's all verifiable.  You should also find out the safety rating of a web site before visiting it. Norton and TrendMircro are good will have safety ratings.  When in doubt, don't visit the site.  Better safe than sorry. Spyware and viruses can be hard to get rid of.  Your personal information can be compromised and you could lose date if your computer has to be rebuilt with no adequate data backup.  This all takes time and can be very costly. 

Last but not least: Be aware of phishing emails/scams, where you make receive fake notifications from an organization that is posing itself as a legitimate company. These notifications are designed to encourage you to click on links and steal your identity by acquiring information such as your username, password etc. 

Kinetik Information Technology is a premier provider of internet and information technology solutions and resources that move our clients forward. Kinetik I.T.'s mission is to design and develop world-class web sites, internet marketing strategies, web, database, custom software & online shopping cart applications; as well as to provide the resources and network technology that move our clients forward, enabling our clients to reach their full business potential.

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik I.T., visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik I.T. on Facebook, LinkedInor Twitter.

In any sport, being called out as Most Valuable Player, or MVP is a big deal. Being awarded the title by a group of one’s peers holds special significance, because colleagues understand the dedication and challenges an individual faces in becoming skilled in a particular line of work. While typically used in sports, the term MVP has come to be used in completely unrelated fields of endeavor such as music and business – as well as the technical community.

According to Microsoft, the MVP award is given to "exceptional, independent community leaders who share their passion, technical expertise, and real-world knowledge of Microsoft products with others.” The awarded are those who "actively share their ... technical expertise with the different technology communities related directly or indirectly to Microsoft". An MVP is awarded for contributions over the previous year. One such person can be found in the offices of Kinetik I.T.: Tom van Stiphout, Microsoft Access MVP.

Tom is the Software Development Manager of Kinetik I.T. Having earned a degree from Amsterdam University, he moved to the United States in 1991. After a few years with C++ and Windows SDK programming, he gradually shifted his focus on database programming. He worked with Microsoft Access from version 1.0, and Microsoft SQL Server from version 4.5, when both products were first released.

In 1997, Kinetik I.T. became one of the 27 Regional Directors in the United States, a title it held for three consecutive years. In this capacity Tom attended several conferences in Redmond and was one of the presenters at the annual Developer Days conference in Phoenix. During the last several years Tom has added .NET programming to his repertoire and he is particularly interested in hybrid applications that combine the best of what various platforms have to offer. Tom has been a frequent contributor to the Access newsgroups for many years, and was recently awarded the title of Access MVP.

To learn more about services and products – including how Microsoft Access can help your business – visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

A quotation by author John Gardner proclaims, “Mastery is not something that strikes in an instant, like a thunderbolt, but a gathering power that moves steadily through time, like weather.” To work toward a mastery of our chosen craft, at Kinetik I.T., we maintain the training and knowledge base that comes as a Microsoft Certified Partner. 

To the layperson, the distinction may not sound like much; within the I.T. world, however, gaining the Microsoft Partner status is an accomplishment that exemplifies a dedication to quality and continuous improvement, as individuals and as a company.  To become certified, a company must be established in business for a minimum of five years, demonstrate exemplary customer service, have attained advanced training and passed certain exams. 

The program was launched in October 2003 and offers special access, training, and support to members of its Partner Network. Microsoft describes these partners as independent companies that can provide customers with the highest levels of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and hands-on skills. They encompass a broad range of expertise and vendor affiliations and their real world perspective can help customers prioritize and effectively deliver technology solutions. 

In 1993, Kinetik I.T. became one of the first Microsoft Certified Solution Providers in the Valley and we have maintained the partnership for over 18 years. As such we have direct access to Microsoft’s Solution Channels. Our full-time staff includes Microsoft Certified Professionals, Microsoft Certified Solutions Developers, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers, Microsoft Certified Computer Network Technicians and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVP).

Located in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, Kinetik I.T. is a full-service information technology and internet services provider, offering a wide array of technology and internet strategy solutions, as well as sound advice.  To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

To ensure online safety, users should start with the basics – whether it’s for business or personal use.  Namely, users should make sure the computer is clean from data compromising software such as spyware before completing any online transactions related to banking or personal information; users need to have a complex password; and, when online, users must verify websites are secure and sensitive information is encrypted by the provider.  For business-specific security, a few more considerations apply.

While tips for business security are similar to those for personal use, businesses need to view things from a more comprehensive enterprise-minded level.  For businesses, it’s imperative not only to have anti‑spyware and anti‑virus software installed, but also maintaining security updates and patches are installed in a timely fashion.  It’s also imperative for businesses to ensure that backups of data are performed on time.

It’s not enough just to back up data, either.  At Kinetik I.T., we recommend trying once a month to restore a file from a backup to verify it was done correctly, ensuring that data is accessible when needed.  “We have often seen it happen where a company, after doing years of backups, has never tried to restore a file. Then, when they lose data and try to restore it, it’s very disappointing to find that all the time and effort they’ve spent on backups has been for naught.  And restoring a file is a quick and simple task – and it can make all the difference,” said Kinetik I.T. president Josette van Stiphout. Businesses should make sure data is backed up correctly, and that the restore is successful.

Businesses can also have a network assessment performed, which, in addition to assessing security, includes ensuring that employees only have access to the appropriate information and files, that the Active Directory is set up correctly, and that external vulnerabilities are being identified and taken care of.

Feel like your company’s online security isn't what it should be? Talk to a member of the Kinetik I.T. Team today to see how we can help.