No need to rush out and buy a box of tissues for your computer when it gets a virus. A computer virus is simply a tiny computer program designed to perform mischief.  The program alters the way your computer operates without your permission (or knowledge). Once your computer becomes “infected,” the virus can delete, modify or damage your files.  A computer virus is a special little program, though, in that it can copy itself over and over again to other computers that may be connected to yours, thereby infecting your entire network. A virus can be transferred to another computer over a network, via the internet or email, or carried to a new host on a removable medium such as a USB Drive or DVD.

The term “virus” is often used as a general term to include all types of malware that may infect your computer, including those types that do not “reproduce” or copy themselves.  Malware includes all types of computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, malicious adware and unwanted software.

So now you may be asking yourself, “What exactly are these malicious infections and how do I know if I’ve got one?”

A computer worm is similar to a virus in that it uses the computer network to send copies of itself to other computers on your network. However, unlike a virus, the worm does not need to attach itself to an existing program and may replicate itself without any user intervention.  A Trojan horse, also just called a “Trojan”, may allow unauthorized access to your computer system. You may experience uncontrollable pop-up ads, or notice a new toolbar on your Web browser that you don’t remember installing.  Like a secret agent, spyware on your computer collects bits of information about you, a little at a time, without your knowledge. While spyware can collect personal information, it has also been known to change computer settings which may result in slow connections speeds, or loss of functionality on the Internet or other programs.

Luckily for you, an entire industry has sprung up to deal with all this nasty malware.  Other than being annoying, contracting a virus or other malware can be potentially dangerous as they are often designed to steal your personal information such as your credit card numbers, social security numbers and financial information. Many businesses are implementing computer security practices and policies for your protection. Of course, the best cure for the common computer virus is prevention. Here are a few precautions you can take to avoid contracting a virus or other malware:

• NEVER open an attachment from a source you don’t recognize. If you weren’t expecting an email attachment or don’t recognize the sender’s name, don’t open it. Most viruses are contracted via email attachments sent over the Internet. Viruses are clever these days, and they may even scan your inbox for a name that is familiar to you to include in the Subject line of the email so you will be more inclined to open it. Use your best judgment and, when in doubt, don’t open it.
• Run regular back-ups. Whether you use a tape drive, a CD, cloud storage or something else, don’t forget to back-up your hard drive. In the unfortunate event that you contract a virus that wipes out your computer hard disk, if you don’t have a copy of your data, this could be devastating.
• Install an anti-virus program.  It is our best-practice recommendation that all our clients have reliable anti-virus on all their workstations. Make sure you sign up to receive the virus protection updates, as well. They may arrive an inconvenient times, but the two minutes it takes to update your anti-virus protection is well worth it in the long run.
• Only download files from people and companies that you know and trust… Especially when it comes to the executable program files that are ready to run on a computer upon download. These files, usually having the “.exe” extension, are most often scanned by your anti-virus software before downloading, but it’s always good to take precaution.
• Keep your computer up-to-date.  Make sure all the current Microsoft patches have been installed on your computer and that all the applications that you use the most frequently (such as Adobe Acrobat and Flash) are patched as well.

It's summertime and that means family vacations, camping and the Annual MITC Summer BBQ! We gathered up our toys, our families and our friends and headed down the the 5 Mile Recreation Area in Bidwell Park (a favorite place in Chico, CA). With our Chief Financial Officer, Sean Isom at the BBQ's helm and a croquet course set up in the grass we were ready for some fun.  After we feasted on delicious grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, the kids cooled off in the creek while the MITC team played a hot game of croquet. Once we were sufficiently stuffed and the tots were tuckered out we all headed home looking forward to doing it all again next year.

On Friday August 27th, 2010, our office will be closed for a company meeting and retreat. If you need assistance on August 27, please call our office at (530) 891-9146 and leave a detailed message in our general mailbox stating your issue and severity. We will be checking this voicemail throughout the day and, should you require immediate assistance, we will be in contact with you that day. If your support issue can be addressed upon our return to the office on Monday, August 30th, please note that in your message as well and we will schedule your ticket accordingly.

For clients who have ProSupport agreements with active monitoring of servers, workstations or other devices, we will continue to monitor these items and will respond to issues if any occur.

If you have any questions, please contact our office at (530)891-9146 prior to August 27th.

Thank you,
Your Technology Consulting Team

Please join me in congratulating Chris Harp on his promotion to Consultant here at Matson & Isom Technology Consulting (MITC.) Chris was hired in January 2009 and has served on the front lines of our Service Desk for the past year-and-a-half. Chances are, if you've called in for support from our team, you've worked with Chris. He is consistently recognized by our clients and partners for providing efficient, fast, friendly, and valuable service. If you haven't worked with Chris, give us a call to see what you've been missing!

Chris also recently earned his Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification in the newest version of Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. If your current server is slow, noisy, running out of space, out of warranty, or you just plain don't have one, Chris is your guy!

Here is what our clients are saying about Chris:

"Chris Harp was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend anyone in need of an IT company to use Chris.  What a great experience.  He was personable, intelligent, and spoke clearly.  Not every day the average computer user is able to communicate so effectively with the technical guru." 

"Chris is an asset to the world  :)"

"You folks are great. The professional level of assistance is consistent no matter which consultant helps me. Chris was outstanding. He did it all and he did it quickly.  I really appreciate the attention to details and the assistance I receive from your staff." 

"Chris is an amazing technician. Outgoing, friendly, professional, and gets the job done right the first time."

"Chris is awesome! He was very attentive when listening to my concerns and he tried various strategies to help me with my problem. As a result, he found a solution. He saved me from writing another document, which took me a couple of hours to create. Thanks so much Chris!"

"Chris you are wonderful! Thank you sooo much!"

What more could you ask for?

Our internal mission here at Matson and Isom Technology Consulting (MITC) is to "provide a work environment that fosters teamwork, encourages continuous professional development, and gives every employee the opportunity to reach their career goals through challenging work." Since Karl J. Boercker joined the MITC Team in 2008 as an entry-level Associate Consultant, he has embraced our internal mission whole-heartedly and has moved up through the ranks very quickly. He has shown exceptional value to clients as he works with them to identify current and anticipated business goals and fuse those goals with technology to provide a competitive advantage. This Spring, after just 2 short years, Karl was promoted to Senior Consultant.  Karl also recently earned his Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certification in the newest version of Microsoft Windows Small Business Server and now oversees all of our Small Business Server Implementation Projects. Congratulations, Karl, on your recent accomplishments and many more in the future.

Here's what our clients are saying about Karl:

"Karl is great!! He not only is the ultimate IT specialist but he is an awesome customer care professsional as well. "

"As usual, Karl was very helpful, answered all of my questions, and fixed the problem! Another job well done!"

"Karl did a wonderful job! He was very responsive to our needs/questions and willing to work around our office's hours of operation to minimize disruption to us. I absolutely will (and already have) recommend M&I Tech to our professional and personal friends."

"I can't tell you how impressed with Karl I was. This project turned out to be more difficult that orginially anticipated and Karl stayed right with it through the ENTIRE night and into the morning making sure that when we came into work the next morning our business could continue as usual. You normally don't find that kind of dedication to the client as I saw with Karl."

"Thank You, Karl!!!"