Documentation - The Key To Client Support Success

Recently, we won the trust of a new client that was unhappy with the service provided by their previous IT company.  After the client notified the old support company that we would be taking over, we scheduled a transition meeting to insure that all aspects of the old environment were adequately explained and all passwords to be changed were identified, support documents were to be identified, known issues discussed and software licenses and such were in place prior to the cut-over.

Obviously, before we even agreed to take on the new client we had done some of our homework on their environment of servers, software, connections and computers.  I arrived at the meeting with our basic documentation binder already started and I hoped that the other support guy could supplement our package with his 7 years worth of accumulated information about the client and their environment.

Sadly, when the previous support guy arrived, he arrived empty-handed and the first words out of his mouth when he saw our manual was "Wow, you do documentation!  This customer is going to LOVE you."  UH-OH!  He never wrote anything down!  I could see that this meeting was NOT going to go well.

As we worked through my 4 page checklist of questions about the network, the support guy answered most of the questions from memory but he did have some glaring problems providing some answers that he "was going to have to get back to me." because he couldn't remember.

There also turned out to be some serious problems with software license ownership that he was going to have to straighten out, not to mention explaining why one of the clients servers was in his office instead on the client premises and why it hadn't yet been returned.

Too many questions received answers that included the words "probably" and "I think".  I'm not sure how uncomfortable the client was when he heard those qualifiers but it sure set off alarm bells in my mind.

Sure, we will work out all of these problems.  That's what the client hired me to do but that's not the point. 

Is there are dollars and cents consequence to not having documentation?  Absolutely!  When assignments change within a support organization, lack of documentation will increase the time it takes for the new tech to "read in" to the new situation which will cost you money.  Lack of documentation also leads to technician mistakes which will also cost you money.  If you have auditors for your business, they'll wind up spending extra time searching through inadequately documented networks which also costs you.

A significant number of IT guys are inherently "Wing it!" kind of people that don't want to take the time to write anything down unless forced to.  Everything is kept in their head with little if any paper trail.

That create problems for clients.  Regulatory compliance and good business practices dictate that everything be documented aka written down cogently and stored someplace safe.  IT support also requires a certain level of discipline to keep things organized.  Technical wizardry is a wonderful thing but without the systematic controls to keep it all organized it can create even bigger problems for an organization.

When businesses select an IT support company, it's important to make sure that their important business processes and business assets are properly documented.  If something happens to your business or the relationship with your IT provider goes south, how will you be able to continue a smooth business process if everything is kept in someone else's head and that person could disappear without notice.

As the other guy got up to leave as we finished his exit meeting, I wonder if he gave any thought at all to the fact that if he had only paid a little attention to writing things down and keeping even basic control of his support process, he might have kept that account and I might never have been invited in to take over.

Tired of letting your IT support team "wing it"?  Why don't you give us a call and we can help restore order to your network, exercise some operational controls and help reduce your IT Support costs.  Call ACT at (847) 639-7000 or e-mail me at jhoffman@act4networks.com.

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Going to the Cloud is easy, getting out is a lot tougher!

Everyone is pushing you to take your business to the cloud, right?  It's easy, right?  The sales rep used all the right words in his pitch.  Lower cost!  Let them handle the infrastructure issues!  It's in a safe off-site data center! 

All of that may be very true BUT . . . and there's a BIG but . . . what happens if you don't like the way the program operates once you're in or your needs change and you want to move on to something else?

Nobody ever talks about getting your precious data out of the cloud once you've put it out there.  Certainly the sales reps never expect you to leave so they never mention it.

We've recently been asked to help a client get out of a cloud application now that they've found that it doesn't work all that well.  Contacting the cloud vendor about getting the client's data back was a real experience.  Of course, their initial reaction was "Gee, no one have ever asked to leave before!".  I won't belabor the point that the vendor software never worked as well with live data as it did in the demo.  Let's just say that the client's staff was frustrated beyond words trying to get their jobs done with it.

After the vendor's staff got over the shock of someone actually not liking their software or their support service, they admitted that they would have to find out from their tech staff how to extract the data.  Finally, the call came about returning  the clients data and the essence of the conversation was "It's gonna cost you! And not just a little, a lot!"  Then they hit me with the kicker.  When they return the data, it will be in a format that will be virtually unusable unless we write our own data extraction program to reformat it into something we can use.

They've got our client over a barrel!  Either they pay the "export fee"/ransom or they don't get their data in electronic format at all.

A WORD OF ADVICE BEFORE PUTTING YOUR BUSINESS OUT IN THE CLOUD - Always consider your exit strategy from any application whether it be server-based or cloud-based.  Your business changes and you may need to change software someday.  If your data needs to be pulled out of a program on your server, at least you have the source data in hand.  If your data is out there in the cloud, you don't have that luxury.  You're at their mercy if you want to get it back.  Make sure you always have an exit strategy and your vendor has detailed for you the steps (and costs) of moving on to a new vendor.

PS.  Get it in writing!

Need guidance on software vendor selection?  Call ACT at (847) 639-7000 or via e-mail at support@act4networks.com.

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Server Configuration - Heaven Save Us From Well-Meaning Amateurs!

How do I tell the client what their old tech did to them?  They've got to spend a bunch of money to correct the mess he made and I'm the one that's got to break the news to them. He made some very bad decisions when building out their servers and now they've got to spend a bunch of money to fix the mess.

We just inherited 2 servers at a new client we recently acquired.  The servers are reasonably new and from the outside they looked fine . . . and then we looked inside.  Each server was running 2 virtual servers using Windows Server 2008 STD R2.  On one VM the tech had a Micr0soft SQL data base running.  On the other, he set up an Exchange e-mail server.  Both of those programs require a significant amount of RAM memory to run correctly.  Was it there?  Not by a long shot!  To fix the RAM problem is going to require the client to buy at least 3 times the amount of RAM currently installed just to meet the minimum requirements of the operating system and the loaded programs.

Uh, did I mention the old tech forgot to license the SQL and one of the Windows servers?  OOPS!  Just a small detail the old tech forgot to mention.

To complicate the matter, the old tech had the client buy two CPU's for each server.  Not a bad idea, UNLESS you skimped on the amount of RAM installed in the first place.  Because each CPU in the server requires it's own allocation of RAM memory, he had to split the already insufficient RAM into two RAM pools cutting the usable RAM in half making things even worse.

It got worse when we looked at his hard drive configuration.  He bought SAS 15,000 rpm hard drives which was good but he bought the smallest sizes available.  That's a BAD idea in today's world of exploding storage requirements.  Those drives are filling up fast and will inevitably need to be replaced soon.  For a few hundred dollars more he could have doubled the storage capacity of the servers by buying higher capacity drives or if he slowed the rpm speed of the drives down to SAS 10,000 rpm he could have saved a few hundred dollars and more than doubled the storage capacity of the server.  As it is, probably within a year, the client will be forced to replace all of those drives in each server with hirer capacity drives when they fill up.  It's very predictable that servers supporting data bases or e-mail servers will grow exponentially each year unless regulated very closely.  By nature companies seldom control or even monitor their stored data very well if at all.

Want one more example of amateur hour in the server room?  The old tech configured each server with redundant power supplies.  That's normally a great idea . . . unless you only plug one of them in and leave the other one off.  It doesn't do anybody any good that way!

Think if buying a new server?  Here's some advice from someone who's been installing servers for a long time.

1. Make sure you verify that  your application software will actually run on Windows Server 2012.  Some applications won't run on it because application software frequently lags behind the O/S and isn't compatible. Then you'll be forced into running an older version of Windows Server as a VM (virtual machine) to keep that software running.
2. Make sure you purchase enough RAM for your server.  Failure to provide enough RAM will result in lousy performance.  What's enough?  We seldom advise using less than 16GB of RAM in a new server.  More than 1 CPU in your server?  You should probably be thinking of16 GB of RAM for each CPU.  Rule of thumb should be 16GB minimum for each instance of Windows Server running on your physical server if you want decent performance, add 8GB for your hypervisor if you're running VMs and then add whatever RAM your application software requires.  Running SQL or Exchange?  Add at least 16GB for each of those and we don't recommend running them both on the same server unless you really ramp up your CPU and RAM capacity.
3. When buying Windows Server 2012 STD remember that you can run 2 instances of Windows Server but only if they are run on the same physical server.  You can't run them on different boxes so if you're running a VM environment you will save some money  vs. the way that Windows 2008 and earlier versions were licensed.  User or Device CALS (client access licenses) are NOT transferrable from older O/S versions.  Remember to re-buy your CALS when upgrading your O/S.
4. Only retain Windows Server 2003 environments IF your old application server requires it.  It's no longer supported and will be a headache if you insist on keeping it alive. 
5. Buy as much hard drive capacity as you can afford.  Don't cheap out!  Also remember that RAID hard drive redundancy (which is a must!) cuts you native capacity by up to half (1/3 for RAID 5).  Depending on the size of your organization, your needs may vary but even a small organization shouldn't consider less than 1 terabyte of available storage capacity AFTER your RAID is installed.  It's better to buy big once than have to replace your hard drives in just a couple of years.
6. Device redundancy is a wonderful thing.  Whenever possible use it - hard drives, network interfaces, power supplies, everything possible.  Just remember to use them if you buy them.  That un-connected redundant power supply we discovered was virtually worthless unless it was plugged in.

Bottom Line?  Don't trust your servers to someone who's only qualification is that he knows how to spell PC.

For help with your next server or assistance fixing the one you already own, call ACT Network Solutions at (847) 639-7000 or e-mail support@act4networks.com.
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The CryptoLocker battle continues - part 2 - paying the ransom

In my last post I talked about a client network that was devastated by CryptoLocker.  A local competitor had unsuccessfully tried to remove the malware before first determining whether the client had a good backup of their data. 

By the end of the first day, we had exhausted all possible sources of backup copies of their server and data files and it was obvious that their only option was to trust the hackers word that if we paid the ransom they would send the decryption key to restore the data.

The ransom can only be paid in one of two ways.  Send them 2 Bitcoins (value about $460) or use a Green Dot prepaid debit card to transfer $300 to them through the malware program itself.

First through, for the first time in our 25 year history, we actually had to re-install the malware that had been partially removed by the first company to pay the ransom.  Then we had to wrestle with the CryptoLocker payment screen to get it to accept the payment before finally getting the decryption process started.  The decryption program has been running for 2 days so far and has reported that it has restored over 75,000 files and failed on about 50. 

We can't tell whether the decyption is working fur sure because it's still running and it looks like it's going to run another day or so based upon a rough estimate of the number of files the client thinks are lost. 

So far, the client has lost 3 days of office and technical staff productivity. 

This was a hard lesson to learn and even if paying the ransom worked and the client gets back most of their data it's going to be an expensive one.  We've probably still got a day of work left cleaning up this mess across the network on the server and all of the other workstations and then installing a reliable data protection system.

Stay tuned, the program is still running.  Find out if the hackers were true to their word and if the data comes back after the ransom was paid.

Have similar concerns about the safety of your business data? 

Call ACT today @ (847) 639-7000 for a free consultation.

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CryptoLocker Strikes Again With Disasterous Results

The battle with CryptoLocker continued today but this time with a twist.  A client called for help today because a local competitor had visited them yesterday to remove an infection of CryptoLocker.  After working on it all day, the clients problem was worse than ever and the competitor had to leave to "deal with other obligations".  Talk about being left high and dry!

What made the problem so severe was that this client didn't have ANY backup to restore the corrupted files on their server caused by this software.   Yes, they had backup software.  Yes, they had a tape drive.  No, the backup hadn't been run in 5 years and nobody noticed!
Through normal human failure, backing up the server fell through the cracks and now they're faced with a scrambled server with no fallback solution.

This latest version of CryptoLocker is also much more aggressive in the corruption of files.  Earlier releases targeted Microsoft Office files, graphics and acrobat files.  This version wipes out almost everything it touches including WordPerfect files, AutoCadd files and many, many more.  It encrypts every file on every mapped drive that the infected PC is connected to including the server and any storage devices.  The encryption level is very high and nobody has been able to crack the encryption to-date.

Without a backup the client doesn't have many options for recovery and one of them is to pay the $300 ransom and hope that the hacker that created this malware will actually provide the decryption key to undo this mess.

We've spent most of the last day trying to undo the damage the competitor did by only "halfway uninstalling" the malware so we can get the ransomware working well enough to pay the ransom because the server contents are trashed without much hope of recovery.  We're still working on it though!   

Stay tuned for further updates . . .  we're not walking away from this customer like our competitor did!

When we get the clients server stabilized, the client has already signed on to adding our DataVault Backup Solution to their business which is fully automatic and has our technician monitoring service keeping track of their backups.  Each day they'll also get a confirmation e-mail verifying that their data has been backed up and protected to ease their mind about ever having to deal with a nightmare like this again.

Have similar concerns about the safety of your business data? 

Call ACT today @ (847) 639-7000 for a free consultation.

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Support for Windows XP and Office 2003 stops on April 8th.

All Microsoft support for Windows XP and Office 2003 stops on April 8th.

What are the risks to your business if you don't upgrade?

Let's be real here, unpatched systems are an open invitation to hackers to exploit your systems and your network.  Companies that continue to run Windows XP face the risk of increased hacking attacks. Small businesses are often targeted because they lack sufficient protection, and cyber-criminals sometimes use them as a stepping-stone to larger targets. In 2012 we saw a 30% increase in such web-based attacks.

Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security exploits. This may result in a recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information particularly if you’re in a regulated industry.

Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: A report from Gartner Research suggests that many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP.  The longer you hold off, the more common this will become and the more support hassles you'll encounter.                

 Are there hidden costs to staying on Windows XP  or Office 2003?

Yes, staying on Windows XP after the end of support date means paying for increased support costs and potential compatibility problems with new application software not to mention other organizations that use more up-to-date Office applications that your version of Office probably won't process correctly.

Just one exploit of your computer network through an unprotected PC will cost you MUCH MORE than the cost of keeping your network PC's up-to-date and protected properly.

Do you have a migration plan for upgrading these products?  Call ACT at (847) 639-7000 and we'll help you find the best and most affordable way to upgrade your network.

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Beware Hacker Watering Hole Exploits

Beware Hacker Watering Hole Exploits

What’s a Watering Hole Attack you ask?  Hackers can use either of two distinct tactics to compromise your computer and steal information by trying to infect a popular web site or a Wi-Fi hot spot.

Everyone that’s watched a nature film understands that in the wilds of Africa predators hang around watering holes looking for weaker prey.  When the prey wanders into reach, the predator pounces. That’s the principle here but in this case, they want to steal your information one way or another.

In the first type of watering hole attack, hackers take advantage of the fact that their victims often visit popular web sites like shopping sites, community sites and business information sites. Then they exploit or “poison” that location to achieve their objectives by embedding code that can infect weakly protected computers that can then be used to send spam, steal critical information from that PC or turn that computer into a zombie that will respond to remote commands for attacks on other computers or networks.   The malicious code on the infected web sites frequently use vulnerabilities in web related programs that enhance web and browser functionality like Java scripts, Acrobat Reader and Flash Player which individual PC owners are notoriously lax at keeping up to date.  You browse to a seemingly harmless looking web site and WHAM the site exploits an out of date version of one of these modules and embeds the hackers code on your PC to do their bidding.  

Another type of Watering hole exploit tactic is to infect a Wi-Fi site so that users that visit that location can be “listened to” or infected when they sign on.  For instance, many large companies have a local coffee shop, bar, or restaurant that is popular with company employees.  Attackers will create fake wireless access points for unsuspecting people to use in an attempt to get as much private information as possible.  Victims are often more relaxed and unsuspecting because the targeted location is a public or well known place.  Have you ever seen multiple open connections at a Starbucks, a McDonald's or at the airport?  These could be watering hole Wi-Fi sites just waiting for you to stop by for a brief visit.  That’s all it takes! 

The hackers can then sniff unprotected data from the data streams sent between their unwitting victims and their intended remote hosts. You'd be surprised how much data, even passwords, are still sent in clear text.  This is a perfect spot for keyloggers to intercept your sign-in information to private areas and send it to a “listening” device for later use by someone else.  They can even search through the data on your PC without you noticing.

 

Want some simple advice?  Make sure you keep ALL software components of your browser and operating system up-to-date at least weekly.  Never sign into an unprotected Wi-Fi hot spot without checking it's authenticity with the location management first.  Finally, keep your anti-virus/anti-malware software up-to-date DAILY!

Unsure if your business notebooks and PC’s are properly prepared for either of these hacker exploits?  Give ACT Network Solutions a call at (847) 639-7000 for a free consultation.

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