Computer Consulting Services: Protecting Client Data

By:Joshua Feinberg

As a provider of computer consulting services, you should communicate to your clients that a dedicated server generally can enforce strong user passwords. This means your clients can:

• Force users to change passwords at predetermined intervals

• Prevent recycling of previously-chosen passwords

• Eliminate the use of blank passwords

• Enforce selection of passwords that are a mixture of both letters and numbers, as well as upper and lower case characters

Protection Against "Accidental" Reboots

When a PC is used in a peer-to-peer network as both a server and a workstation, sooner or later the server will get rebooted accidentally - no matter how careful the server’s primary user is.

Let your computer consulting services clients know that whether the peer-to-peer server gets rebooted as a result of installing a new piece of software, or a buggy application with memory leaks causes system crashes, sooner or later their employees will be livid when the server goes down without warning.

This will likely cause corrupted data files and lost hours of collective work in progress. A dedicated server system is a simple way to prevent this enormous potential problem.

Centralized File Protection

With a peer-to-peer network, servers tend to sprout up throughout your computer consulting services clients’ office as multiple end users set up file and printer shares on their own PCs.

With a client/server network, files are centrally protected from data loss and corruption resulting from hardware faults, accidental deletion, power problems, hacking, sabotage, and virus threats.

Don't Forget Back Up Solutions

As their computer consulting services provider, communicate to your clients that conversely in a peer-to-peer network environment, with decentralized file storage, they should consider how crucial data files will be backed up.

Will data backup be a manual process? Will an external tape backup drive get passed from user to user (requiring each end user to take initiative)?

The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting Services

When providing computer consulting services, have clients consider how often antivirus definitions will get updated on each server. And don’t forget to think about whether each peer-to-peer server has a UPS (battery backup unit) capable of unattended shutdown if power is lost, when no one is around to manually and safely shutdown the "server".

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: computer-consulting-services, computer consulting services

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultant business owners get steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free audio training that shows you how to use field-tested, proven Small Biz Tech Talk tools at www.SmallBizTechTalk.com/blog

Top Computers Articles
1). The danger behind peer-to-peer file sharing By : Migz Mon File sharing is very common nowadays. You can get a P2P (peer-to-peer) program for free, and soon start sharing stuff like music, videos and programs. We use these applications freely and most of us don’t know the risks involved when using them. Questionable reliability of files – Once we get our hands on a P2P program, we download everything we want like crazy.
2). How To Install And Setup Noah's Classifieds By : Bedrich Omacka In this article I will explain the basic Noah's Classifieds features, show you how to install this script and how to setup it to run properly.
3). Pisa - The city of the Leaning Tower By : Jakob Jelling Although it is world wide famous due to its Leaning Tower, the city of Pisa also has many other great attractions and amazing characteristics to of
4). Is The Internet Censored? By : J Schipper When most people think about Internet censorship, the usual suspects immediately come to mind : Communist China and repressive Islamic countries. Unfortunately, Westerners have an embarrassment all their own : Australia's net censorship law, established in 2000. Freedom House, a non-profit U.S. organization dedicated to spreading human rights and freedom, undertakes regular surveys on press freedom and censorship.
5). Toshiba Libertto U100, smaller yet better than you might imagine! By : john Have you ever wondered how small a laptop can be? Well, utilizing today’s technology Toshiba does a perfect job at demonstrating it; the Libertto U100 is one of the very few laptops that have such a rich feature set fitted altogether within such a small space. Of course, if you believe that a fingerprint authentication system is too much for such a.
6). Does CCTV Really Reduce Crime? By : Robert Michael In the UK, home of twenty percent of the world's CCTV cameras, there is mounting concern about its invasion and lack of regulation. "UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign." The thought-provoking questions they ask are good ones. They want to know, for instance, why, if television programming and licensing is so heavily regulated in the UK.
7). Why Are People Cheesed Off With The Internet? By : Gary Simpson Having been connected to the "net" now for about eight years I can't help but notice the amount of deception that goes on. And it seems to be getting
8). Preparation Tips For Comptia A+ Certification By : The Industry Standard CompTIA A Plus Certification exam has two parts; approximately 80 questions for each part. * Core Hardware: $153 - min. passing score 515 * Operating Systems Technology: $153 - min. passing score 505 (CompTIA corporate members can take the exams for $98, employers that require this test are usually corporate members and will inform you of this.
9). Can Cell Phones Harm Your Health? By : D Ruplinger It seems like everywhere a person goes there is at least one person in view with a cell phone to their ear whether it is on the road, in a store, in a parking lot, walking down the street, etc. Even in places where cell phone usage is banned such as concert halls or movie theaters there is the occasional offender, or more likely, at least a few people using the text messaging feature on their phone.
10). RAM and Latency... what you need to know By : Nicholas Spriggs RAM latency is one of the most overlooked methods of optimizing your computer. Find out exactly how you can tweak your memory timings in order to make your system run quicker.

New Computers Articles
1). Why More People Today Are Turning To Notebooks For Their Computer Needs By : Gregg Hall The computer used to take up a whole room, and now all you need is a little notebook. Gone are the days of needing a desktop. The notebook now makes the desktop computer look big and bulky.
2). The Podcast for This American Life By : Andrew Manifield The podcast for This American Life allows listeners to download the shows and listen to them at their discretion.
3). Is That On-Sale Printer Really a Bargain? By : Ray La Foy he problem for many, however, is the fact that the printer itself can be found, but replacement ink cannot.
4). Finding Podcast Hosting By : Andrew Manifield For anyone who wants to begin creating a podcast, podcast hosting is the most important part.
5). If You Want Flexibility And Portability Consider A Laptop By : Gregg Hall If you are one of those who works with a computer on a daily basis like me you should consider a laptop. I have actually owned three now and I think I would be lost without mine. I still use my desktop PC quite a bit at home but the laptop comes in extremely handy when I am away.
6). Types of Music Podcasts By : Andrew Manifield Many music podcasts are available online, distributed by podcasters who want to share their collection with the world.
7). Becoming A DVD Repair Expert Online By : Maxine Schel Many conventional colleges and universities are now offering online DVD repair courses, which are the exact same as those taught on a traditional college campus, to distance learners. Online education is generally taught through the use of several different methods, including online satellite feeds, correspondence or online lessons. This technique permits the student to obtain a DVD repair degree without ever having to step inside of a classroom.
8). Compatible Inkjet Cartridge By : Isabel Rodrigues Once the printer ink runs dry it has to be replaced with another inkjet cartridge. There are many reputed companies like Canon, Epson, Dell, and Lexmark that provide the necessary cartridges to replace the empty cartridges. Replacing inkjet cartridge can add to a very big cost. It could be worse if you have to replace the empty cartridges frequently every month.
9). Best Passwords By : Richard Romando No sane person would ever like someone else reading her email. Or for that matter some other person using her password and breaking into a financial institution. You should, therefore, choose a strong, secure password in such a manner that would be a hard nut to crack for others and easy for you to remember. The more random and mixed-up you make it, the harder it is for others to crack.
10). Home Printing Machines By : Peter Vermeeren Home printing machines are available on the market today in many sizes, prices and capabilities. Many different forms of printing can be accomplished in the home. Whether you want to create unique tee-shirts using a home screen printing machine or you want to produce elegant laser printed letters, the equipment is readily available to you for home use.