Greetings!

Hope this finds you enjoying the second half of winter. This month, we are very excited to introduce our new website. Please check out our new look at www.e-Richards.com and see how we really are evolving even further as "a different type of consultancy."

Computers make our businesses run more successfully - whether we are managing a multi-billion dollar company or small business. There are so many advertisements that reach out to us to stop these problems. While some companies spend whatever it takes whenever they come across protection, there are others that completely ignore useful products that are out there.

We wanted to take this opportunity to outline all the areas that any business should be on top of. It is crucial to step back every now and then to make sure we are covering all the bases.

1. Backup and Recovery: Data must be backed up every day. Test yourself by restoring deliberately deleted files. Put the entire system on a different computer every six months.

2. Protect Against Hackers: File modification monitoring and other detection mechanisms are crucial.

3. Protect Against Natural Disasters: Using Uniterruptible Power Supplies and having a disaster recovery plan can save your business.

4. Antivirus Software and Firewalls: On average, an unsecured Windows XP is hacked within 40 seconds of internet connection. Need we say more?

5. Strong Passwords: Hackers will run through all the words in the dictionary, so it can't hurt to make up your own.

6. Avoid Open Wireless LAN Use: There are ways to provide secure, encrypted access - pick a method that works for you and make sure you use it.

Thanks to Dan Coutu for his thoughtful contributions to this month's article.

This website is one of a kind and for those of us in the IT industry, a definite read. All the content is submitted by readers - and 35 out of the 700 stories submitted each day are chosen by the editors to be published. The site has 5.5 million tech savy visitors per month, and about a quarter of them post comments. The site keeps track of how much each user is reading and commenting - and those who put in the time, are rewarded with more ability to moderate and comment on the site. There is an audience there, and we should be part of it.

Intern Files, by Jamie Fedorko

The book is gives clear insight on how to get, keep and make the most of your internship. Fedorko's tips and knowledge are well pulled together. This book is a definite read for anyone in college, anyone with kids in school, or anyone interested in a career change!

Click here to purchase

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins

In this riveting personal story, John Perkins tells of his own inner journey from willing servant of empire to impassioned advocate for the rights of oppressed people. Covertly recruited by the United States National Security Agency and on the payroll of an international consulting firm, he traveled the world-to Indonesia, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other strategically important countries.