This virus will then tell you that your computer has been “seized” and “frozen,” claiming that illegal activity has been detected on your computer. In most cases, the virus will demand a payment anywhere from $100 – $700 to unlock the PC.

But don’t be fooled! This is a scam and we CAN remove this virus from your computer.

Computer users who have experienced this virus will first see a full-screen warning claiming to come from the FBI, sometimes even with the official FBI seal. The warning will then demand a ransom payment through MoneyPak to get your computer up and running again – which in fact will NOT work. Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many people fall for this scam.

Another Screenshot of the virus

There are many websites out there that will provide instructions on how to remove this virus, but we highly recommend that you bring your PC to the professionals to avoid any further damage.

If you’ve been hit by this virus or think you may have a computer virus in general, please do not hesitate to contact Miken today!

With a little thought, you could probably even come up with another dozen ways to save money, at least for a few months, on your outsourced IT bill. The problem in each of these cases, though, you’re almost always going to inevitable end up costing yourself more money in the future… and more often than not, that’s going to be the near future.

Here are just a few of the ways scaling back your IT is likely to result in bigger expenses down the road:

Higher hardware replacement costs: Going with low-end technology – or hiring the wrong people to manage it – virtually guarantees that you’ll find yourself wanting to upgrade in the near future. That almost always means a bigger price tag than the one you originally paid.

Downtime that leaves your employees idle. When your technology isn’t working, your employees probably aren’t either. That means that your losses are amplified, and your best investment (the talent in your company) isn’t giving you any return.

Damaged customer relationships. Buyers don’t want to hear that your server isn’t working, they only want the products and services they are paying for. It only takes one IT mishap to lose a big sale or some of your best customers.

Emergency IT hours. It’s ironic how often trying to save money with poor IT now ends up costing you bigger repair and consulting bills later.

…And the list could go on and on and on. What quickly becomes clear is that there’s only one real way to save money on outsourced IT: by getting quality help, and equipment, from the outset.

Like any other part of your business, the best way to make good long-term investments is to begin by thinking of them as investments, rather than expenses you can whittle down and do away with. We know it’s tough, in this economy or any other, to resist the temptation to cut costs and corners. If you can make the commitment to getting the right kind of help with your technology, though, we can promise it’s going to save you a lot more money down the road.

With that in mind, it’s worth asking: Is cloud computing too good to be true?

We can understand why people think that way, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s such a great idea, and such a high-ROI investment for almost any organization. To illustrate why, we’ll break down the three biggest arguments against cloud computing, and show you why they don’t really hold up against closer scrutiny:

1. New clients are afraid that making the switch to cloud computing will cause a disruption in their business. Not only is transitioning to a cloud computing platform quick and easy (your outsourced IT team will handle the details for you), but once the move has been made, your company’s technology will probably be more stable than ever. That’s because cloud systems utilize the latest and fastest hardware, and cloud facilities are continuously monitored and maintained. That means your company can do more without worrying about updating software, replacing hardware, etc.

2. They worry that cloud computing isn’t safe or secure enough. Lots of business leaders like to know that their technology is safe and sound, right there in an office or server room. But, is it really safer there than it would be in a cloud facility? Probably not – cloud data centers transmit information back and forth via encrypted communication, and enjoy benefits like command security teams, power surge and backup protection, and heavy-duty analytics and monitoring packages. In other words, they are far, far safer than most offices and business facilities are.

3. They are afraid of the change that cloud computing represents. Some organizations have put off the move to cloud computing simply because their leaders are afraid of change. That’s understandable, but it also isn’t worth holding back the future of your business, or paying more than you should for technology. Lots of changes turn out for the better, especially when it comes to technology, so don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back from making a great business decision.

The vast majority of arguments against cloud computing aren’t based in reality, but the bottom-line benefits of saving money and getting stronger technology performance are. Why not talk to a member of our team about transitioning your company to a cloud system today?

Follow Jason Robison on Twitter – @BigJstl

You certainly can, but don’t think that you’ll never have to think about backup and disaster recovery again.

You see, just like insurance policies and other protective tools, backup and disaster recovery plans become outdated over time, and need to be revisited on a regular basis. That’s partly because technology is always changing, but also because your company is, as well.

In fact, here are just a few of the items that will have to be updated on your backup and disaster recovery plan from time to time:

Any new technology components your company relies on. If you are like most businesses, you aren’t using the same computers you were just a few years ago, much less the same smart phones, tablets, software applications, and so on. Considering how quickly technology changes, it’s only natural that you’ll need to add new parts to your plan. The same goes for new pieces to integrate into your company, new pieces of software that departments come to rely on, and so on.

Analysis for compatibility issues between hardware, software, and communications tools. As you add all of these new pieces, it’s important to ensure that they will still function correctly with the other backup tools and systems you already have in place.

Regular testing to ensure the validity of your backups. Although most organizations regularly back up files in one form or another, it’s unfortunate that most never test the validity of their backups, or practice restoring them in the ways that they would following an accident or emergency. Making sure these files will be there when you need them is an important part of the process.

Updates for personnel and details. Just as your business and your technology are always changing, so too might be IT personnel you count on. If you aren’t positively sure you would know who to call following the loss of important data or hardware, then it’s time to update your records and written backup and disaster recovery plan.

The good news is that, once you have a strong backup and disaster recovery plan in place, dealing with these issues and making the necessary updates should be fairly quick, easy, and inexpensive. The bad news is that, if you brush off these tasks for long enough, the plan you have in place will stop being an effective safety net and start lulling you into a false sense of security.

Do yourself and your company a favor, and consider backup and disaster recovery planning as something that takes a big effort once, and an occasional small effort every six months or so. Treating it that way will stop your plan from getting out of date, and ensure that you always have what you need from your technology when it matters most.

Come join us on March 20th, 2013 at the largest business expo in Missouri at booth 507!

The St. Louis Business Expo will once again bring together the brightest business leaders from the most dynamic companies throughout the St. Louis Metro region.

The Expo provides an environment for businesses to enhance their relationships, research the market for the leading products and services, and learn about the latest best business practices.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

11am – 6pm

St. Charles Convention Center

Register Here

Seminars this year include:

Kickoff Seminar, 10am-11am
Marketing Your Business
The kickoff seminar will once again deliver insightful ideas to help business owners market their products and services. The Seminar is a great way to kickoff the event and a great way to help businesses supercharge their marketing efforts for the year.

Stage 1

11:30-12:20, Why Salespeople Fail
Learn the mistakes that are keeping sales professionals from bringing in new clients.  Learn how to obtain your sales goals and succeed in selling.
-Speaker:  Jason Mainard is owner of Sandler Training at the Rubicon Institute.

12:30-1:20, Quit Prospecting and Get REFERRED!
Is your networking actually paying you dividends?  Or, are you paying for the privilege?  Are you stuck on the revenue roller coaster, forever wondering where your next client is coming from?  Do you ever WISH that you could actually RELY on a steady, predictable stream of high quality referrals instead of shouldering all the responsibility for finding new prospects for your business? Then join Virginia Muzquiz, The Referral Diva, for this information-packed interactive workshop where you will discover the 3 most common, most costly networking mistakes entrepreneurs, small business owners and sales professionals make that sabotage their success. Plus, you will walk away with 3 simple secrets and a 5 step-plan for leveraging your networking and creating client-attraction success.  If you have been looking for a way to dramatically improve the results of your networking efforts, this is one session you do not want to miss.
-Speaker: Virginia Muzquiz is the managing partner of Referral Institute of St. Louis.

1:30-2:20, Your Formula For Sales Success
Are you happy with your current sales?  Behavior, attitude and technique are critical success factors in selling.  Learn current selling behaviors and tips and techniques that will help sales professionals in their day-to-day behaviors.
-Speaker:  JoAnne Pieczynski is owner of Sandler Training|Executive Edge LLC.

2:30-3:20, Building a Fearless Brand
Your brand is your most important asset. From this presentation you’ll gain an understanding as to what branding truly is and why it’s so important to you and your business. This session provides you with the knowledge to discover and deliver your maximum value. Creating your fearless brand will deliver distinct benefits.
-Speaker:  Bill Ellis is Principal at Branding for Results, as well as a certified Go-Giver coach.

12:30-1:20-Grow Your Business Productively And Comfortably With Interactive Marketing
Interactive marketing expert Tom Ruwitch will reveal how to attract more leads, engage prospects, close sales, and retain customers — using email and other interactive technologies. He will demonstrate proven strategies and tactics to employ so you can attract, engage, close and retain more productively, comfortably, and profitably than ever before.
-Speaker:  Tom Ruwitch is owner of MarketVolt, an interactive marketing company.

2:30-3:20 –Two Ways To Make Money
This back to basics approach to financial management and wealth planning for business owners cleverly views these topics through the lens of a caveman and their strategy of hunt, gather, and protect. Topics will include: the importance of paying yourself first; tax deferred growth; retirement plans; and insurance strategies.
-Speaker:  Jeremiah Dellas, Wealth Management Advisor, Fifth Third Bank.

Rooms 104-105

11:30-12:20-Social Media Marketing-Insider tips to make your social simple
Learn the key tools to make your social media marketing simple.  Learn about social campaigns, and how to monitor, manage, and measure your success.  Attend this seminar and  receive a FREE white paper on insider tips for Social Media Marketing and invitations to many more free seminars to help you grow your business offline and online.
-Speaker:  Barry Coziahr is owner of Response Targeted Marketing.  Seminar is sponsored by Constant Contact.

12:30-1:20-Best Choice of Business Entity For your Business—Sole Proprietor? Corporation? Partnership? LLC?
The choice of business entity can have a major effect on a small business owner’s operations and profitability.  Many small business owners are  without knowledge of the ins and outs certain business entities and which structure may be best for their current and future business situation.  There are both profit and tax implications associated with the entity chosen.  This seminar will provide business owner’s with general knowledge regarding the pros and cons of the typical business entities and will aid them in determining which structure may be best for their business.
-Speaker: Apollo Carey, Sandberg Phoenix & Von Gontard P.C.

1:30-2:20-Selling To the Federal Government – A Primer for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
This high-energy and thought-provoking session is designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners.  A highly detailed and thought-provoking session on tactics and strategy for marketing and selling to the federal government.  As a precursor, we will discuss the Sequester and its impact – outlining how small businesses will still receive more than $100 Billion in contracts in 2013. Attendees also receive business templates outlined in the session.
-Speaker: Principal of RSM Federal, Joshua Frank is author of The Government Sales Manual, one of the most comprehensive and educational resources for government sales on the market. Since 2003, his clients have been awarded several hundred government contracts.

2:30-3:20-Email Marketing that Works! Insider Tips for Email Marketing Success
Learn the do’s and Don’ts of Email Marketing.  Learn what will get emails opened, how to grow your social communities, and learn the insider tips to make your emails more successful.  Attend this seminar and  receive a FREE white paper on insider tips for Email Marketing Success and invitations to many more free seminars to help you grow your business offline and online
-Speaker:  Barry Coziahr is owner of Response Targeted Marketing.  Seminar is sponsored by Constant Contact.

All Seminars are FREE and Open to the Public

Microsoft made IE10 available on its site on Tuesday and will release the update automatically for those running IE9 and the IE10 preview version Microsoft made available to Windows 7 users in November.

According to Microsoft’s “Exploring IE” blog, the new IE10 “delivers a 20% increase in real-world site performance over IE9 making IE10 the fastest modern browser on the market according to third parties.”

Security has also been updated in the new browser, the blog states a “60% increase in supported modern web standards to industry leading security, privacy and reliability.”

For those with touchscreens and tablet devices, Microsoft has launched exploretouch.ie, an interactive site built entirely in HTML5 that takes advantage of IE10 touch support. The site’s touch-screen interaction features the music of singer, song-writer, and composer Blake Lewis.

IE10 is available for download now.

A lot of decision-makers, when they first get all of the facts about cloud computing, love the concept. After all, what’s not to like about the idea of trading your hardware and software setup for a more reliable, off-site option that is comprised of lower monthly fees?

One thing that often holds them back from making a decision to try cloud computing, however, is the sense that it might not be as secure as they would like. Transmitting your company’s information over the Internet – and hosting your applications on a third-party server somewhere – doesn’t exactly sound like the best idea in the world, especially at a time when computer security is regularly front-page news for all the wrong reasons.

So, is it really safe “in the cloud?”

To answer that question, let us draw a quick analogy. Imagine that you work to take all of the money that’s in your company and put it somewhere else. You’d be leaving it for any to come and steal… or would you? Now suppose that this place had a vault, security guards, and other protection measures to stop outsiders from getting in. Would you feel differently now?

Obviously, what we’re talking about is the relationship that most companies have with their banks. By sending your data to a secure cloud facility (one with trained security specialists, on-site guards, and numerous backup and disaster recovery options), you are essentially doing the same thing. In other words, while the idea of “the cloud” might seem risky, the reality is that it’s almost always safer than your files would be in your office or facility.

To find out more about cloud computing, along with the answers to your biggest questions, contact a member of our team today.

The new site offers an intuitive and seamless navigation allowing visitors to find the information they need without hassle or clutter.  The site also highlights areas for upcoming events, latest news, and photo galleries.

“The newly launched website for the South County Chamber of Commerce is informative, eye-catching, has outstanding photos, and is filled with excellent details about the Chamber’s history and its current and upcoming events.  Every business associated with the Chamber can take great pride in this tremendous marketing and informational tool that the Chamber has developed,” stated Chamber Chairman Carl H. Hendrickson.

Miken Media, a division of industry-leading IT firm Miken Technologies, is a team of marketing professionals, developers, and project managers with over 75 years of experience in assisting organizations to leverage technology to improve internal and external communications.  Services include website design, search engine optimization, social media integration, application development and video production.