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Managed services let you offload specific IT operations to a service provider, known in tech parlance as a Managed Services Provider. The managed service provider assumes ongoing responsibility for monitoring, managing and/or problem resolution for selected IT systems and functions on your behalf. Managed services providers can offer services such as alerts, security, patch management, data backup and recovery for different client devices: desktops, notebooks, servers, storage systems, networks and applications. Offloading routine infrastructure management to an experienced managed services professional lets you concentrate on running yourbusiness, with fewer interruptions due to IT issues. Managed services providers usually price their services on a subscription basis. Depending on the services they provide, pricing is usually based on the number of devices, with different packages priced at different levels. Some provide customer support onsite when required. Basic services often start with a monitoring service, which notifies you of problems, which you resolve on your own. At the upper end of the spectrum, service providers offer fully managed services that cover everything from alerts through problem resolution. Typically they perform an initial assessment of your current IT environment and management requirements to help you decide what services and service levels you need. Why Should You Care? Just like larger companies,small businessesneed technology to operate efficiently and to compete effectively. But as reliance on IT grows, the resources to support an increasingly complex IT environment may not. In many small businesses, IT resources are scarce, and can be quickly overwhelmed with the day-to-day responsibilities of keeping the IT infrastructure that the business depends on up and running. If you fall behind in keeping up with things such as backups, patches and security, the odds are that you’ll face an IT outage or another problem down the road that will negatively impactyour business. For instance, if your e-mail server, customer relationship management system, financial application or network goes down unexpectedly, you face substantial productivity and revenue losses as a result. MSPs act as an extension of your IT department, taking care of routine IT infrastructure monitoring and management around the clock—freeing up your IT staff to focus on higher-value projects. By proactively monitoring and maintaining your systems, an MSP can help you avoid many technology problems in the first place. Should an issue occur, an experienced MSP can troubleshoot and resolve it more efficiently. Unlike traditional outsourcing situations, where you surrender complete control of your IT assets, you decide what you want the service provider to take care of, and what you want to handle. You retain full visibility into the process and management of your systems. In addition, the MSP subscription model gives you more expense predictability than a consultant-type time and billing model. ...read more

Spoofing:What Is It? British comedian Arthur Roberts originated the word spoof in 1884 as the title of a game he invented and called Spoof which involved chicanery and deception. The word has come to be defined as a mocking imitation of someone or something, a parody, a host or a prank.Today in the world of the Internet, it has taken on a more sinister and criminal aspect.Simply put, email spoofing is the forgery of an email so it appears to be coming from someone other than the actual source. Spammers often use spoofing to get folks to open and potentially respond to their missives. Then there are those unfortunate folks who have seen their email accounts hijacked by hackers and taken over for nefarious purposes.Email spoofers want you to look at their emails, download malicious software, or click on things you should not be clicking on and taking you places you don't want to go.Unfortunately, it's an increasingly common trick.What Can You Do?One of the first things you want to do is change your password. But really that is not enough. Here are a few things you need to do to unhijack (is that a word?) your account. As stated change your password. We have written about this numerous times. You can use a password generator like LastPass or RoboForm or you can make up your own strong password or better stated passcode/passphrase. The trick is to create a passcode that is memorable to you yet not easy to crack. First of all don't create one that is less than 8 characters. Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, symbols and numbers. Combine them in a way you will remember but make it strong using the elements indicated above. Oh and do I need to tell you to protect that passcode, don't write it down and paste it to your monitor or something equally dumb. Run a scan with antivirus software (PCS recommends VIPRE antivirus) to insure there is no malware on your machine sending emails out. There is a chance that your system has been turned into a "spam zombie", where your system is unwittingly sending out spam emails on behalf of a spammer. That's bad news, but can be fixed by thorough antivirus scanning and cleaning. Don't forget to check your alternative email address! When you sign up for a public email address like Yahoo, Gmail, etc. they ask you for an alternate email address. Don't forget to check yours because a smart hacker might have gone in there and removed yours and replaced it with his own. So make sure you take this extra step. And then there are the secret questions! Another thing email accounts ask for is a secret question like the name of your first grade teacher or first pet. Check to make sure these have not been altered. Mobile or Phone verification: Some accounts ask for your phone number and give you a code to verify your identity. Make sure your phone number has not been changed. Run a scan with VIPRE to insure there is no malware on your machine sending emails out. There is a chance that your system has been turned into a "spam zombie", where your system is unwittingly sending out spam emails on behalf of a spammer. This can be fixed by a thorough antivirus scanning and cleaning. By carrying out the above five steps, you should be locking out the bad guys who took over your account. Nothing is completely foolproof but this should give you the protection you require. Now, there are the rare cases where your email address has been used in a spam campaign (spoofed to make it look like it came from you), but your account has not been hacked. You'll have changed your password, run a scan with your antivirus software (PCS recommends VIPRE antivirus) and it still continues unabated. The spammer has simply sent an email, but changed the "from" part of the email to your address. What can you do? You'll certainly be getting hundreds, if not thousands, of "bounce-backs" telling you that your email was undelivered to some recipient. In this instance, the only thing to do is to tough it out. It will generally go away after a while, so write a rule in your email program to shovel those bounce back emails into a separate folder and carry on. Like I said, it is rare, but it is known to happen. ...read more

Googleanalysed more than 240 million web pages in the last 13 months, and found that fake antivirus programs accounted for 15 per cent of all the malicious software it detected online. Cyber criminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to trick unsuspecting computer users in to downloading and installing software laced with malicious code, which, when activated, gives hackers "back door" access to a computer. This allows criminals to use the machine to send spam emails, or to try and capture personal information and login details for online banking and email accounts. Security experts have warned that one of the most popular scams is to frighten computer users by popping up messages on their screen, warning them that a virus has been detected on their machine, and advising them that the only way to remove the virus is to download the advertised antivirus software. But users who click on the link are in fact duped in to handing over their credit card details to cyber criminals in exchange for software laced with malicious code that can put their machine at the mercy of crooks. "The fake antivirus threat is rising in prevalence, both absolutely and relative to other forms of web-based malware," said Google in its findings. "Clearly, there is a definitive upward trend in the number of new fake antivirus domains that we encounter each week. "Surprisingly, many users fall victim to these attacks and pay to register the fake antivirus software. To add insult to injury, fake antivirus programs are often bundled with other malware, which remains on a victim's computer, regardless of whether a payment is made." More than half of the fake antivirus software is delivered through adverts. Google said that although it uses special tools to filter out websites containing malicious code from its search results, cyber criminals were quickly moving the sites between different web addresses to throw them off the scent. Google identified more than 11,000 web domain names used to distribute malware-laced antivirus software. Security experts have advised computer users to ensure they only install legitimate antivirus programs from reputable companies, such as Norton and McAfee, and not to click on any unsolicited pop-ups that claim to have detected a virus, and offer tools to remove it. Professional Computer Services recommends Viper antivirus. We have seen many PC and Laptops with Norton and McAfee antivirus installed that have been infected as those antivirus companies are prime targets for the bad guys. ...read more

Do you have one of these antivirus products on your PC?If your antivirus product failed, contact PCS and we will set you up with Vipre antivirus.Here is a recent test from Malware Research Group that shows VIPRE detecting malware that multiple vendors did not detect.Threat Name: Zeus (zero-day)Threat Type: KeyLoggerRisk Level: SevereOperating System: Windows 7 32-bit Ultimate Standalone Anti-Malware Applications Avira AntiVir Premium Failed Avast Antivirus Professional Failed AVG Antivirus Failed BitDefender Antivirus Failed BluePoint Security Passed Emsisoft Anti-Malware Failed Eset Nod32 Antivirus Failed F-Secure Antivirus Failed G Data Antivirus Failed Immunet Protect Plus Failed Kaspersky Antivirus Failed Microsoft Security Essentials Failed McAfee Antivirus Plus Failed Norton Antivirus Passed Panda Antivirus Failed PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus Failed Prevx Passed GFI/Sunbelt VIPRE Antivirus Premium Passed Complementary Anti-Malware Applications Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Passed SUPERAntispyware Professional Edition Failed ...read more

The entire objective of phishing is to steal your identity and thus get your money. Knowing this can save you from a lot of trouble and pain. Don’t click on links from strangers (don’t take candy either). These scams are called phishing because they “fish” for your dough and ID. There are precautions you can take, most importantly learn how to recognize a scam when you see one.Conmen say that “a sucker is born every minute”. On the Internet, it seems that a scam is born every minute while simultaneously recycling the old. I still get emails from Nigeria alerting me to the funds they have waiting for me.The phishermen will attempt to alarm you. They will tell you the sky is falling and your account is about to be shut down. Don’t fall for it. Banks do not send emails to folks telling them their bank account is going to be closed. They just don’t operate that way.The phishermen will promise you that you can go from rags to riches with very little effort on your part. Just sign on the dotted line…The phishermen will present you with a deal that sounds too good to be true. And you know what – it is too good to be true. Don’t fall for that con.The phishermen in times of trouble like a natural disaster will humbly request your donation to some charitable organization. Make sure they are really a valid charity before dispensing your hard-earned cash.Alas the phishermen does not spell all that well and is guilty of some atrocious grammar. You don’t have to pull out your grammar text to recognize the tortured English you are reading.The phishermen love scams like tech support, lotteries or sweepstakes. They often use famous names in their emails. Keep the delete button handy.As I have discussed so many times, please watch out for the Rogue security software scams a favorite of the phisherman. Rogue security software, aka "scareware," is software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure you into participating in fraudulent transactions. These scams can appear in email, online advertisements, your social networking site, search engine results, or even in pop-up windows on your computer that might appear to be part of your operating system, but are not. These guys are most insidious so stay suspicious ...read more

HI Everyone, Tonight I am teaching a workshop on Literacy through art for LEARN.  Authors of Books for Students in Preschool and Primary Grades This list is constantly being updated. Some authors are already linked to websites and others are provided to guide your selection of good authors for this age group. Eventually, all authors listed will be linked to an online resource. Verna AardemaTeacher Resource File Chris Van AllsburgTeacher Resource File Janet&Allan Ahlberg(The Jolly Postman and many others) Frank Asch Molly Bang Stan & Jan Berenstain: Authors of the Berenstain Bears Activities, interactive books, email replies from characters and videos; visit them at theRandom House websitetoo Marc Brown: Interactive games and lesson plan ideas forArthurbooks. Margaret Wise Brown Jan Brett:an endless supply of ideas and activities Eric Carle Clifford: Read-alongs, offline activities and coloring sheets. Barbara CooneyTeacher Resource File Donald CrewsBiography and Books Tomi dePaola Leo and Diane DillonTeacher Resource File and fromKidsReads.com Dr. Seuss: Enter into Seussville with games and activities Mem Fox: Biographical information, lesson ideas and book reviews Kevin Henkes: resources from the Internet School Library Media Center Syd Hoff Eric Hill's Official Spot Website Tana Hobanbibliographyof books Pat Hutchins'stories features the popular character named Titch. Mick Inkpen Steven Kelloggand also fromKidsReads.com Leo Lionni: Literature based lesson plans, resources and biographies Arnold Lobel: Biography and books; supplemental unit from Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project on his bookFrog and Toad are Friends. Magic Schoolbushomepage andgamesto download. James Marshall (George and Martha) Interview and ideas fromCarol Hurst Bill Martin, Jr.(Brown Bear, Brown Bear) Mercer MayerLittle Critters' Website Robert McCloskeyalso has anInterview(Blueberries for Sal, lesson plan forMake Way for Ducklings) Else Holmelund Minariklinks to her Little Bear books Robert Munsch Helen OxenburyBook List Laura Numeroff Marcus Pfister: Teacher Resource File andLesson Plansfrom KiddyHouse Jerry Pollatta Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit Peggy Rathman Margaret Rey, author ofCurious Georgebooks Anne Rockwellbooklistfrom Random House for Kids Richard Scarry: Biography and List of Books Maurice Sendak Biography Jan Thornhill: View information on her books, how she makes her illustrations, and explore her "museums-in-a-bag"-items that she takes along when she visits schools. Rosemary Wells Audrey and Don Wood:Printables, directions by kids, biographies, Q & A's Charlotte Zolotow   Websites about Books, Authors and Children's Literature Authors and Illustratorsfrom Eduplace Author Spotlightfrom Kids@RandomHouse Book Hivefeatures reviewed collections of books in several categories. Caldecott Medal Homepagegiven to an illustrator for the most distinguished American picture book for children. Children's Book Councilincludes anAuthors & Illustratorssection. Children's Literature Web Guidefrom the University of Calgary is one of the best resources on this topic. Children's Literature Websitesfrom the Internet School Library Media Center includes anindex of author resourcesfor children and young adult authors and illustrators. Children's Picture Book Databaseat Miami University abstracts over 5,000 children's books. Mona Kerby's The Reading Corner, a place to find good books to read, includes among other things, great reviews of popularpicturebooksand anAuthor Corner Newbury Medal Homepagegiven to a writer for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Principia PreschoolReading List ProTeacher.com's Hotlist of websites related toBooks and Reviews Pronouncing Dictionary of Author's Namesis a helpful resource for those in need of some assistance when pronouncing author's names for children. Read-Aloud Listfrom National Network for Child Care Teachnology'sChildren's Literature ResourcesandElementary BooksCollection. The Word Poolis a children's book site for parents, teachers and writers. Young Bookworm Universityfrom Diane Corley features age-appropriate descriptions of many popular children's authors and some tips for Writing Workshop Instructional Strategies for Using Literature in the Classroom Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Websiteincludes a collection book reviews and ways to integrate them into your classroom and recommendations for readers inPreschool Susan Taylor Brown's Teaching Guides Databaseis a free searchable database that helps connect children's books to the classroom curriculum. It is searchable by name, title, and keyword. Annual Read-Inproject is an online interaction between children's authors and illustrators, and K-12 students. KidsReads.comis for kids to find information about their favorite books, series and authors. Lots of reading and writing opportunities here. Literature Based Lesson Planscategorized by author by Kiddyhouse Online Literature for Young Children A Pocket Full of Rhymespresents children with a relaxed environment to learn and enjoy poetry. Absolutely Whootie Stories to Grow Byincludes fairy tales, folk tales and other great stories for children. Chateau Meddybemps Beantime Storiesare modern stories designed for online publishing. ChildrenStory.comhas real story tellers that read aloud fairy tales using Real Audio. Follow the words or simply listen. Fairy TalesandPoetryfrom Alfy.com includes well illustrated books that are read aloud to children and links to other online sources of text. Mightybook.comfeatures read-aloud picture books, sing-along songs, video song books, poetry, story-writing and illustrating contests and learning games designed for children ages 2-12. Nursery RhymesfromEnchanted Learning, complete with rebus pictures for early readers. Preschool Libraryfrom Storyplace.org includes 4 different themes with an online story, online activity, take home story and booklist. Available inSpanishtoo. Reading A-Zspecial preview of 28 leveled books for guided and independent reading. You can download and print all of them out. Reading Zonefrom the Internet Public Library's Youth Collection links to picture books and short stories for young readers. Winnie the PoohOnline Expotition Through the Hundred Acre Woods       Booklists for Young Children Choices Booklistsfrom International Reading Association includes yearly lists of recommended books by children, teacher's and young adults. 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Knowfrom the New York Public Library Reading Lists for Gifted and Talented Childrenfrom GT-World American Library Association's list of award-winning booksand yearly summaries of "Children's Noteables" as well as their list ofsuggested titlesfor children Picture Books to Good to Missfrom the University of Northern Iowa Predictable Booksorganized by category by Monroe County Public Library Pattern Books with Repeated Linesfor shared reading selections 100 Best Picture Booksas compiled by the Stockton-Joaquin Country Public Library ...read more

A psychic reading can help you to understand what is happening in your LIFE at the moment and can give you a array of what is ahead and how to best map out the best path for you. All readings are private and confidential. Readings will tell you about your past present and future. We Are Here to help you to find your spiritual foundation and ultimately the Real you.We will show you the Devine Energy that lies within you so that you can acheive your Full potential in Life! We consult on all of Life's Matters!~Love,Business,Health,Marriage~~Fears,Phobias,Addictions,Depression~Just To name a Few.Your Spirit is Integral to every part of your being.It is which the Life Force Flows, Helping you maintain Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Balance.  we explore your energy zones Explain where there are located and How to use them most Effectively!Each session is one on one and if you have any Questions Just ask we are here To help you completely unerstand your Mind, Body, and spirit!We will start off with a reading of your energy centers. This is to find out what Has happened, what is Happening, and where your energy is Leading you! Choose From: Aura ReadingChakra ReadingAngel Card ReadingCrystal Rock RedingPast Life ReadingPsychic Reading HealingsAfter your reading we will offer the best healing that will suit your needs! ReikiAura CleansingChakra BalancingMeditationEnergy HealingLife Coaching ...read more

Spring is traditionally the time of year for renewal. Use the natural sun light to your advantage. Take a good look around your most used rooms. A new coat of paint, new window dressings, new lamp shades can make dull rooms come alive. Without the cost of a large renovation, you can make your home come alive with a fresh new look! ...read more

Great bargins throughout the store!!!!!  50% off Fashion Jewelry  50% off Pashminas and Scarves  25% off beautiful Venetian/Murano Crystal  20% off already discounted Handbags  Free Trollbead chain with purchase of premium clasp ($40.00 value)  Come see us this soon and bring your friends.  Please mention that you saw this us in Merchant Circle. ...read more

This is the time of year when many people leave for extended vacations. Please remember to place 2 or 3 lamps on a timer. It's easy to do, use a low wattage or an energy effecient light bulb in 2 or 3 easily viewed areas in the house. This will discourage unwanted break-ins. ...read more

Winter Greens, Beef&Pork; Shares Organically&Biodynamically Raised   Grass Fed BeefOption 1 10 lb Variety pack - $90 All 10 lb Variety packs will include 5 lbs of ground beef and the remaining 5 lbs will be made up of stew meat and or a roast (top round, bottom round, chuck or brisket). Option 2 20 lb Variety Pack - $195 All the 20 pound packages of assorted cuts will in-clude 9-10 pounds of ground beef in one pound packages. The remaining 10-11 pounds will include a variety of steaks, roasts, and various other miscellaneous cuts including short ribs, sirloin tip, London Broil, brisket, and stew meat cubes. The packages will vary in composition because what we are doing is dividing up all the meat from a particular ani-mal so there is not an equal number of each cut. All packages will be equal in value; the specific cuts will vary. Woodland Raised Pork  Organically & Biodynamically Raised Pork Pork Share—$150 Approximately 17lbs of pork Pork Chops - 3 lbs Country Style Ribs - 2 lbs Sausage (hot, mild or breakfast) - 2 lbs Shoulder Roast - 4 lbs Ham Steaks/roast - 3-5 lbs Bacon - 3 lbs *All our Beef is Grass fed and from Heritage Breed Devon Cattle. Our Hogs are raised in the woods and are Heritage breed Tamsworth, Hampshire and GOS crosses. Fresh Organic Greens Mild mustard greens mix and/or arugula. $8 per week for a share of 1 lb every week $12 per week for a share of 2 lbs every week. Available for pickup on Friday afternoons after lunch at Children's Tree starting next week. To sign up for a share please e-mail woodbridgefarm@sbcglobal.net & deposit an envelop with payment for the first 4 weeks labeled Woodbridge Farm into Noah Smagorinsky's mail box. Please include your name, address, phone-number and e-mail address. To learn more about Woodbridge Farm please visit our website woodbridgefarmonline.com or come out for a visit. ...read more

Dear Friends,   I am sadden to say that this week Anastasia Lapore our long time Music Together Teacher and dear friend of The Children's Tree Montessori School lost her 39 year old brother due to complication from diabetes. A local husband and father from Ivoryton, he leaves behind his wife, three young children, his parents, and siblings. It is difficult to understand and accept the loss of someone so young.   As a community I would like to adopt this family by trying to provide them support now through the holidays. CTMS will be collecting and delivering donations from now until January. Items can be dropped of at The Children's Tree Montessori School, 96 Essex Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475. You can call Marci at 860-388-3536 if you have any questions. Initially, we feel monetary donations will be the most helpful to support them through the next several weeks. For Thanksgiving we would like to collect a large basket of food, grocery gift cards, and gas cards for them. The third drive will be for the holidays to provide gifts for his children (13yr old boy, 11 yr. old boy, and almost 7 yr old girl) and continued monetary and gift card support for his wife.     Thank you in advance for your generosity and opening up your hearts to help a friend in need!   Sincerely, Marci Martindale Head of School ...read more

Fall is the time to use decorative candles!   Consumers can choose from a variety of candles.There are hand-dipped dripless candles which last longer have less soot.  For those with allergies, there are Beeswax and Soy candles which come in a variety of colors and are dripless. These candles are high quality and are made in the USA. Are you afraid of using candles? Don't be afraid any more. We have Flameless LED candles which have real wax exteriors and offer the the look and feel of real candles. They flicker and dance like real candles. They are Battery operated and last up to 300 hours! Choose from a variety of sizes and colors from taper to pillars. You will be amazed. Esty's LLC in Old Saybrook,   More Than A Lamp Store! ...read more

Here are some simple tips on how to choose your password.A safe and secure password must follow the following criteria: It should contain special characters such as @#$%^& It must be at least 8 characters long. It shouldn't be simply common words such as "password" or your login name, neither be your birth date, 123 or any words that can be found in the dictionary in any language. It must contain a variety of capital and lower case letters. Also, these are the elements that you should definitely avoid when creating your password: Logical sequences such as names of places. Common words such as ‘airplane' should be replaced with symbols, example ‘a!rPlan£s'. Family names and dates of birth shouldn't be included in a password. Finally, it's very important to use a different password for each website you register with, the reason being that should you forget your password, you will no longer have access to your email account, chat or other services which you probably make use of on a daily basis.   Always write down your usernames and passwords and keep them in a safe place.   I use a program called RoboForm password manager to store all of my usernames and passwords. It uses an encrypted database to store all of your usernames and passwords assosiated with your logons and you only have to remember the one password to unlock RoboForm.http://www.roboform.com/ ...read more