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A wise man once said, “If it’s worth doing at all, it’s worth doing poorly—the first time.”

A lot of wisdom there. I think it speaks primarily to  perfectionists in the world who want everything to be just right before launching out.  It also brings to mind that old story about driving from Los Angeles to New York City, but waiting to leave until every traffic light between turns green.  To those guys, I would say “Ships are safe in a harbor, but that is not what ships are for”!

Most of you readers are probably wondering what in the world I am talking about at this point (if you’re even still reading this!).  But my point is this:  It’s better to get this first blog out rather than wait for it to be perfect. We recently rebuilt and upgraded our website, and this is the first blog for the new site.

So, here’s a hodge-podge of items that have recently crossed my desk/email, that I thought might be of interest.  If nothing else, they are things that make me go “Hmmmmm????”.

*Big anniversary coming up—CTO Networks will be 10 years old in February.  Whether you’re a new client, someone who’s been with us a while, or just a prospective client, thanks for letting us be your small biz IT consultant.  We’re planning some special deals for existing clients around that time…so watch for them….

*Dallas Morning News Aug 10: On Monday August 9, Apple briefly became the most valuable public company in the world, surpassing Exxon Mobil.  Apple’s growth rate should push it past Exxon so that it firmly takes the number one position for good in a few weeks or months.

*Dallas Morning News Take 2: “At one point during the recent debt ceiling debate, Apple had more cash on hand ($75.9 billion) than the US Treasury ($73.8 billion).”  Not sure what to take from that,  other than Apple stock may have a better financial footing than treasury bonds!

*Dallas Morning News Take 3:  “Security researchers uncovered yet another strain of malicious software aimed at smartphones that run Google’s popular Android operating system. The application not only logs details about incoming and outgoing phone calls, it also records those calls.”  The article goes on to state that Apple’s iPhone has also had some security threats.  See below

*Words to the wise (From Dallas Morning News article Aug 10)
Protecting your smartphone from thieves and hackers:
USE A PASSWORD: Most smartphones will prompt you to set up a password the first time you turn the device on. You can also configure it in the security settings on your device.
KNOW HOW TO REMOTELY WIPE DATA FROM YOUR PHONE: This utility is pre-installed on iPhones with the latest software, but not all Android devices have a remote wipe built in. Mobile defense is a good remote wipe app for Android.
BE CAREFUL ABOUT STORING PASSWORDS ON YOUR PHONE: If you use a banking app, for example, don’t let the app permanently store your username and password.  (Note from Dan: there are several applications that can store passwords for you—I use ewallet from Illium Software)
DON’T CLICK ON SUSPICIOUS LINKS: Hackers can install malicious software just by tricking you into visiting a fake website.
DON”T INSTALL SUSPICIOUS APPS: Apple thoroughly screens all apps, but Google does not. Plus many Google Android phones let you install apps that are not in the official store. That’s convenient for those who like to tinker, but it’s also a source of a lot of bad apps.
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News Research

*Just remember, your mobile devices are not behind the network firewall, and are not being protected by antivirus and other security applications like your PC.  So you may need to be extra careful before you click on a link in an email. If you have iPhone or Android questions or need help, CTO Networks can assist.

*Another area that we’ve recently been able to help clients with is questions about the iPad2.  An attorney friend attended a continuing education class about how to use the iPad in a law practice.  She got lots of good information, but still had several questions before buying one.  As always, CTO Networks is available to consult on these and any other
strategic technical questions you might have.

And finally, another blogger today said: “We can take so many life lessons away from Blazing Saddles”.  Hmmmm…I think I’ll watch it again (at least the 100th time!) and see what life lessons I can learn….

THX>>>DAN

CTO Networks helps small businesses make sense of the ever-changing world of technology: servers, workstations, printers, firewalls, software, “the cloud”, backup and everything else IT-related.  Small businesses usually can’t afford to hire full-time IT people, yet they need a full range of IT services. That’s what CTO Networks does—we call it “Small Biz IT Done Right!”