Internet Marketing Report

Setting up your business on the Internet can be a lucrative way to attract customers, expand your market and increase sales. However, it is your duty to check and learn the rules and regulations, areas of privacy, security, copyright, and taxation that come with doing business on line.

Webmasters who are now on the web work overtime, researching, and building trust, which enables them to sell on the Internet. They know success does not come overnight. They have to work hard, be persistent, teachable, research. They have to make the effort and a little bit of cash helps.

If you intend on making a living on the Internet start out part time. The failing rate on the Internet is over 94 percent, mostly because they buy into the Marketer that promises all you have to do is join as a paid member.

eBay

You should also consider selling via eBay. Thousands of persons are making a good living today selling on eBay. They give you a lot of support with free information, tools and resources. Really a great way to start on the Internet part-time, as you have control on the hours you want to spend to make it work.

What I like about eBay is you can start by selling articles, products you have around your home, which you no longer have use for. The products you sell do not have to be new, but should be in good condition

Protect yourself from spoof (fake) emails and Web sites. Take the Spoof Tutorial to learn about eBay Toolbar with Account Guard, which warns you when you are on a known spoof site.

For more safe buying tips, please visit the e-bay Safety Centre

INTERNET INFORMATION

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Many persons make a living by selling books, information that are in the Public Domain.

There are many books, movies, newspapers that are in Public Domain. These are no longer cover by copyright and can be used by anyone, fully, or changed to suit the new author.

For example every issue of any magazine, which copyright was not renewed in the U.S.A. between the years of 1923, 1964, becomes Public Domain. Records show only about 1,500 ever renewed their copyrights. Every issue of any magazine whose copyright was not renewed in the 28th year of first publication is now Public Domain.

It may be noted that in the U.S.A. I believe all newsletters, information flyers, plus other material produced by the Government can be copied. In Canada Government works are copyright by the Government and can't be copied.

SCAMS

The Internet is growing in sophistication, from two dozen nations taking an "aggressive interest" in stealing our secrets to new virtual gangs pooling their talents to launch coordinated attacks and crimes.

There are partnerships that are emerging, often globally-to turn back the rising tide of cyber crime. One of our partners is the Department of Homeland Security, which has declared October its fifth annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month, to help "educate the public on the shared responsibility of protecting cyberspace."

You can make a difference-and help protect your own systems at home and at the office-by taking these basic steps:

Change your security passwords regularly.

Have a firewall in place on your computer.

Get the latest anti-virus software.

Install current security patches for your computers operating system.

Can you avoid getting caught by a scam artist working the web? Not always. But prudence pays. The FTC offers these tips to help you avoid getting caught.

Read the fine print and all relevant links. Fraudulent promoters sometimes bury the disclosures they're not anxious to share by putting them in teeny-tiny type or in a place where you're unlikely to see them.

Look for a privacy policy. If you don't see one, or if you can't understand it, consider taking your business elsewhere.

Be sceptical of any company that doesn't clearly state its name, street address, and telephone number. Check it out with the local Better Business Bureau, Consumer Protection Office, or state Attorney General.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool, used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

PayPal works hard to prevent identity theft from happening on their site. PayPal offers educational tools geared to teaching users about security theft, including a new PayPal Security code key. You can also go to my website where you will find over 3 years of Internet information in my archives.

LIGHTSIDE

Throw In The Towel

The middle-aged boxer entered the ring for his daily practice. Both of his ears were bandaged.

His coach asked him what happened.

He explained, "I was ironing my shirt when the phone rang and I accidentally answered the phone with the iron!"

"That explains the one ear, what happened to the other?" Asked the coach.

The boxer replied, "They phoned back".

DROP SHIPPERS

You can get products to sell via eBay or/and your website by using the services of a drop shipper. A reliable drop shipper will not ask you for a fee. They will allow you to copy pictures of the products they sell. Prices are about half you would pay for retail.

If you have a website they will allow you to move any listing on their site to yours. You set your price on the product/s you transfer. When an order comes in, place the order. They will ship it out for you under your shipping label and not include any of their material.

A good way to promote is join as an affiliate,(with a drop shipper), transfer a couple specials onto your site, with a link back to your affiliate page. The cost of setting up a web site is minimum.

Subscribe to a few free Internet Newsletters, and join some free forums. You will find these listed in Google or Yahoo search.

Forums are a great way to contribute ideas and post. Include your signature file at bottom. Great way to makes sales too.

Disclaimer: The Author of this article is not responsible for accuracy or completeness, nor shall he be held liable for any damage, or loss arising out of or in any way related to the information, or utilization of it. Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.

5 Steps To Block Spyware

If its not one thing, its another. That is one of those ridiculous phrases that pretty much goes without saying. Like "wherever you go, there you are." But, in this case it seems appropriate.

Allow me to elaborate. Computers on the Internet are almost constantly bombarded with viruses and other malware- so users employ antivirus software to protect themselves. Email inboxes are constantly flooded with pathetically useless spam- so users employ anti-spam programs and techniques to protect themselves. As soon as you think you have things under control you find out your system has a myriad of spyware and adware programs silently running in the background monitoring and reporting on your computer activity. Hence, "if its not one thing, its another."

The more benign spyware and adware simply monitors and tracks your the sites you visit on the web so that companies can determine the web-surfing habits of their users and try to pinpoint their marketing efforts. However, many forms of spyware go beyond simple tracking and actually monitor keystrokes and capture passwords and other functions which cross the line and pose a definite security risk.

How can you protect yourself from these insidious little programs? Ironically, many users unwittingly agree to install these programs. In fact, removing some spyware and adware might render some freeware or shareware programs useless. Below are 5 easy steps you can follow to try to avoid and, if not avoid, at least detect and remove these programs from your computer system: Be Careful Where You Download: Unscrupulous programs often come from unscrupulous sites. If you are looking for a freeware or shareware program for a specific purpose try searching reputable sites like tucows.com or download.com. Read the EULA: What is an EULA you ask? End User License Agreement. It's all of the technical and legal gibberish in that box above the radio buttons that say "No, I do not accept" or "Yes, I have read and accept these terms". Most people consider this a nuisance and click on "yes" without having read a word. The EULA is a legal agreement you are making with the software vendor. Without reading it you may be unwittingly agreeing to install spyware or a variety of other questionable actions that may not be worth it to you. Sometimes the better answer is "No, I do not accept." Read Before You Click: Sometimes when you visit a web site a text box might pop up. Like the EULA, many users simply consider these a nuisance and will just click away to make the box disappear. Users will click "yes" or "ok" without stopping to see that the box said "would you like to install our spyware program?" Ok, admittedly they don't generally come out and say it that directly, but that is all the more reason you should stop to read those messages before you click "ok". Protect Your System: Antivirus software is somewhat misnamed these days. Viruses are but a small part of the malicious code these programs protect you from. Antivirus has expanded to include worms, trojans, vulnerability exploits, jokes and hoaxes and even spyware and adware. If your antivirus product doesn't detect and block spyware you can try a product like AdAware Pro which will protect your system from spyware or adware in real time. Scan Your System: Even with antivirus software, firewalls and other protective measures some spyware or adware may eventually make it through to your system. While a product like AdAware Pro mentioned in step #4 will monitor your system in real time to protect it, AdAware Pro costs money. The makers of AdAware Pro, Lavasoft, also have a version available for free for personal use. AdAware will not monitor in real time, but you can manually scan your system periodically to detect and remove any spyware. Another excellent choice is Spybot Search & Destroy which is also available for free.

If you follow these five steps you can keep your system protected from spyware proactively and detect and remove any that does manage to get into your system. Good luck!

View the original article here

What Are Mobile Devices Teaching Your Kid?

The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.

The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.

In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:

� 59 percent have a cell phone

� 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone

� 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet

A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.

Mobile Education 101

Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.

Benefits of mobile learning include:

Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.

Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.

Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.

Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.

Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.

Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.

Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.

Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."

When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)

But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.

What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning

Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.

Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.

The Future

The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.

More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.

Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.

Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.

If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:

To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.

Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.

Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.

The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era

Mobile Learning Experience 2011

Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.

Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.

To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.

About the Author

Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.

Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Zonet Wi-Fi Camera

The Zonet Wi-Fi IP cameras provide home users with a relatively cost-effective, simple to install, and easy to use home surveillance system. The night vision lets you see even in the dark, and the two-way audio features let you communicate through the cameras as well. A great choice to watch over your child or home.In the world of security, you can't really separate information security from physical security. The CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) exam includes physical security as one of the areas that security professionals should jave knowledge of. Protecting the data on a computer doesn't do much good if a thief breaks in and just takes the whole computer.

The concerns are not quite the same at home, but they're similar. Many people have some type of home security monitoring or alarm system, but they don't necessairly leverage their computers or tie the physical security with the information security. The Zonet ZVC7630W wireless camera can change that.

The Zonet wi-fi camera is exceptionally simple to install. It can be connected via Ethernet cable, or communicate wirelessly. It took only a few minutes to connect the device to my network via Ethernet cable so I could configure the wireless network settings- giving it the proper SSID, and the encryption key that allows it to connect to my wireless network. After that, it took about 5 minutes and 4 screws drilled into a wall to mount the unit, and voila! My home surveillance system was online and ready to rock.

The simplicity of the installation might suggest a limited functionality or lack of features, but don't be fooled. Using the web interface to configure the Zonet camera, I was able to assign hot zones that trigger the motion sensor and activate video or photo captures that can then be stored on a drive or emailed to alert you.

I was able to configure multiple cameras and view them simultaneously. The picture has great resolution, and I can communicate across the house using the 2-way audio function, and monitor and capture events both in my home, and at my front door.

This product is as cost-effective as it is user friendly. I highly recommend these cameras.

View the original article here

IP Changer For Enhanced Online Shopping Security

By using an IP Changer you can make your online shopping more secure. Online shopping has grown rapidly and is finally being accepted as a major retail channel for all kinds of products. It is a multibillion dollar industry and growing so fast that it may not be too long before it becomes a measure means of day to day shopping. The concerns about secure transactions and safety of personal information that consumers need to provide have gradually been alleviated with secure sites and 128 bit or higher data encryption and transfer. Although rapid strides have been made in online shopping security there remained areas of vulnerability that have been plugged by a new technique using IP Changer.

As the security of online transactions increased so did online shopping. The important benefits from online shopping are convenience of 24/7 shopping from home avoiding traffic and crowds. You can easily comparison shop for quality and price rapidly and efficiently. You can save money from online coupons and specials and have merchandise delivered to you at times with free shipping. To top it off you save money on gas because you don't have to drive anywhere to shop.

Nevertheless, there are still strong reasons to be cautious because of scary identity theft in the form of your credit card, bank account, or social security numbers. Once stolen they can be used to create a financial, personal or medical catastrophes for you. Financial catastrophe by charging to your credit cards or taking new cards in your name or charging loans on bank accounts opened in your name or taking money out from your bank accounts. Personal catastrophe by using your social security number to take a driver's license and committing crimes under your identity. Medical catastrophe by using your social security number and as your imposter when getting medical attention at a doctor's office or a hospital. This can be extremely dangerous if the medical records get contaminated and next time you have a medical emergency you may be given medical treatment such as blood transfusion based on the imposter's medical records and history, thus endangering your life.

It is therefore very important that when you shop online and give your vital personal and financial information you take all the precautions to safeguard this information. Some of the precautions consumers can take are:

1. Use unique passwords

2. Use passwords that have 8 or more numbers, letters (both upper and lower case) and punctuation marks.

3. Make sure the e-commerce site is set up for encrypted secure transactions with SSL (secure socket level) certification.

4. Do not give out personal and financial information such as birth date, social security number, bank and credit card account numbers, security codes such as mother's maiden name over the phone or by e-mail or fax. Only provide minimal information required to complete the transaction over a secure internet connection.

5. Check out the e-commerce store's history and customer feedback and even check out online for any red flags against it including its standing with better business bureau.

6. Make sure the site has clear terms of agreement, security policies, warranties and return and refund policies clearly defined.

7. Be extra careful when shopping online from overseas companies.

8. Make sure your internet security software with antivirus, fire wall, anti-spy ware, anti phishing and anti mal ware features are updated and functioning properly.

Even with all these security features and precautions it should be noted however, that it is not fool proof especially when shopping online from public places such as hotels, libraries, airports or coffee shops over unsecured networks such as the wi fi networks. It is because there are many tech savvy cyber criminals that can find ways to penetrate your computer and network security (especially wireless networks) if they can get hold of IP Address of the computer you are using to shop online. IP address is a six digit number that is a unique identity tag for your computer provided by your internet service provider (ISP).

This is where new IP Changer software has come to the rescue. This software can route your internet connection through multiple serves called proxy servers located at a variety of locations with their own unique IP addresses. The IP changer software can rapidly Change IP with these proxy servers and at any given time present only a single IP address other than the IP address of your computer, thus hiding your actual IP address in the process. Simultaneously, all the data is transmitted in secure encrypted form. As a result you can transact online shopping anonymously and securely even over unsecured wi fi networks from home or public places.

Having been privy to very valuable insight into security concerns about online shopping immediately visit http://www.change-ip-proxy.com for more detailed information about IP Change and IP Changer.

5 Steps To Block Spyware

If its not one thing, its another. That is one of those ridiculous phrases that pretty much goes without saying. Like "wherever you go, there you are." But, in this case it seems appropriate.

Allow me to elaborate. Computers on the Internet are almost constantly bombarded with viruses and other malware- so users employ antivirus software to protect themselves. Email inboxes are constantly flooded with pathetically useless spam- so users employ anti-spam programs and techniques to protect themselves. As soon as you think you have things under control you find out your system has a myriad of spyware and adware programs silently running in the background monitoring and reporting on your computer activity. Hence, "if its not one thing, its another."

The more benign spyware and adware simply monitors and tracks your the sites you visit on the web so that companies can determine the web-surfing habits of their users and try to pinpoint their marketing efforts. However, many forms of spyware go beyond simple tracking and actually monitor keystrokes and capture passwords and other functions which cross the line and pose a definite security risk.

How can you protect yourself from these insidious little programs? Ironically, many users unwittingly agree to install these programs. In fact, removing some spyware and adware might render some freeware or shareware programs useless. Below are 5 easy steps you can follow to try to avoid and, if not avoid, at least detect and remove these programs from your computer system: Be Careful Where You Download: Unscrupulous programs often come from unscrupulous sites. If you are looking for a freeware or shareware program for a specific purpose try searching reputable sites like tucows.com or download.com. Read the EULA: What is an EULA you ask? End User License Agreement. It's all of the technical and legal gibberish in that box above the radio buttons that say "No, I do not accept" or "Yes, I have read and accept these terms". Most people consider this a nuisance and click on "yes" without having read a word. The EULA is a legal agreement you are making with the software vendor. Without reading it you may be unwittingly agreeing to install spyware or a variety of other questionable actions that may not be worth it to you. Sometimes the better answer is "No, I do not accept." Read Before You Click: Sometimes when you visit a web site a text box might pop up. Like the EULA, many users simply consider these a nuisance and will just click away to make the box disappear. Users will click "yes" or "ok" without stopping to see that the box said "would you like to install our spyware program?" Ok, admittedly they don't generally come out and say it that directly, but that is all the more reason you should stop to read those messages before you click "ok". Protect Your System: Antivirus software is somewhat misnamed these days. Viruses are but a small part of the malicious code these programs protect you from. Antivirus has expanded to include worms, trojans, vulnerability exploits, jokes and hoaxes and even spyware and adware. If your antivirus product doesn't detect and block spyware you can try a product like AdAware Pro which will protect your system from spyware or adware in real time. Scan Your System: Even with antivirus software, firewalls and other protective measures some spyware or adware may eventually make it through to your system. While a product like AdAware Pro mentioned in step #4 will monitor your system in real time to protect it, AdAware Pro costs money. The makers of AdAware Pro, Lavasoft, also have a version available for free for personal use. AdAware will not monitor in real time, but you can manually scan your system periodically to detect and remove any spyware. Another excellent choice is Spybot Search & Destroy which is also available for free.

If you follow these five steps you can keep your system protected from spyware proactively and detect and remove any that does manage to get into your system. Good luck!

View the original article here

How to Detect If You've Been Hacked

Everybody knows about hacking and its threat to Internet users, but the question is, would anyone even know that he's been hacked? The answer is no. When an individual hijacks a computer, the trick is to do so without letting the owner know. Otherwise, emergency safety software and other measures will be used, thus, making hacking no longer possible at that particular time. The trick is, therefore, to hack secretly so the hacking can continue for an amount of time significant to the hacker as he advances his selfish ends.

What makes things worse is the fact that many homes and business these days have opened up to wireless technology for convenience. Most of them do not know that this also makes it very convenient for cyber criminals to hatch their evil plots. With these wireless networks, hackers can simply be a few feet away and be able to enter the network and bully every computer in it. In fact, this type of hacking is now so rampant that one can find public sites selling known open wireless networks for hackers to target next.

Once a computer has been hacked, it will be known as a "zombie." A zombie computer would now be serving the hacker in a number of ways from sending spam emails to contaminating other computers with viruses. Some owners are even unaware that their computers have been used to spread pornographic materials or hack government systems. By this time, the computer is fully available to the hacker for control. Hackers even protect themselves from each other by healing security holes in zombie computers so that no other hacker can break in.

These days, the number of zombie computers is pegged at 450,000 around the world which are used for the lone purpose of sending spam email. Presumably, more of these zombies are being utilized for other cyber crimes such as identity thefts and unauthorized credit card use.

These days, it's impossible to thrive online without putting up a good fight against these hackers. However, since the IP address is the only thing that links a hacker to his victim, hiding this IP address should solve the problem of hacking. Why? Because without a computer's real IP, a hacker cannot trace that computer. Thus, no hacking of that computer can happen.

Get an IP changing software and discover how it feels to surf safely simply by hiding your IP address.

By far, the best option would be to hide IP address with an IP changer, so nobody ever knows how to get to your system, whether they're sending over some viruses, Trojans, worms or those nasty emails.

The latest Azure data centers

Even with the advances found in Generation 2 data centers, companies couldn�t find the efficiencies and scale needed to combat rising facility costs, let alone meet the demands that the cloud would generate. The density of the data center needed to go up dramatically, and the costs of operations had to plummet. The first Generation 3 data center, located in Chicago, Illinois, went online on June 20, 2009. Microsoft considers
it to be a mega data center, which is a class designation that defines how large the data center is. The Chicago data center looks like a large parking deck, with parking spaces and ramps for tractor trailers. Servers are placed into containers, called CBlox, which are parked in this structure. A smaller building that looks more like a traditional data center is also part of the complex. This area is for high-maintenance workloads that can�t run in Azure.

CBlox are made out of the shipping containers that you see on ocean-going vessels and on eighteen wheelers on the highways. They�re sturdily built and follow a standard size and shape that are easy to move around. One CBlox can hold anywhere from 1,800 to 2,500 servers. This is a massive increase in data-center density, 10 times more dense than a traditional data center. The Chicago mega data center holds about 360,000 servers and is the only primary consumer of a dedicated nuclear power plant core run by Chicago Power & Light. How many of your data centers are nuclear powered?

Each parking spot in the data center is anchored by a refrigerator-size device that acts as the primary interconnect to the rest of the data center. Microsoft developed a standard coupler that provides power, cooling, and network access to the container. Using this interconnect and the super-dense containers, massive amounts of capacity can be added in a matter of hours. Compare how long it would take your company to plan, order, deploy, and configure 2,500 servers. It would take at least a year, and a lot of people, not to mention how long it would take to recycle all the cardboard and extra parts you always seem to have after racking a server. Microsoft�s goal with this strategy is to make it as cheap and easy as possible to expand capacity as demand increases.

The containers are built to Microsoft�s specifications by a vendor and delivered on site, ready for burn-in tests and allocation into the fabric. Each container includes networking gear, cooling infrastructure, servers, and racks, and is sealed against the weather.

Not only are the servers now packaged and deployed in containers, but the necessary generators and cooling machinery are designed to be modular as well. To set up an edge data center, one that�s located close to a large-demand population, all that�s needed is the power and network connections, and a level paved surface. The trucks with the power and cooling equipment show up first, and the equipment is deployed. Then the trucks with the computing containers back in and drop their trailers, leaving the containers on the wheels that were used to deliver them. The facility is protected by a secure wall and doorway with monitoring equipment. The use of laser fences is pure speculation and just a rumor, as far as we know. The perimeter security is important, because the edge data center doesn�t have a roof! Yes, no roof! Not using a roof reduces the construction time and the cooling costs. A roof isn�t needed because the containers are completely sealed.

Microsoft opened a second mega data center, the first outside the United States, in Dublin, Ireland, on July 1, 2009. When Azure became commercially available in January 2010, the following locations were known to have an Azure data center: Texas, Chicago, Ireland, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Although Microsoft won�t tell where all its data centers are for security reasons, it purports to have more than 10 and fewer than 100 data centers. Microsoft already has data centers all over the world to support its existing services, such as Virtual Earth, Bing Search, Xbox Live, and others. If we assume there are only 10, and each one is as big as Chicago, then Microsoft needs to manage 3.5 million servers as part of Azure. That�s a lot of work.

Source of Information : Manning Azure in Action 2010