We all hate viruses!  You the client hates them because they cost you money and lost productivity.  We hate them because they can be very challenging and there is very little reward in it for us.  In IT when we get done with a project we like to have a system that is  faster, bigger or more reliable.  You don’t get that when you clean a virus off a computer.  You just have the same old computer you had when you started.

So at Flatwater Technologies over the years we have developed the following strategy to combat this plague.

First you have to spend some money on some hardware and software to defeat the bad guys.  We have four pillars that we depend on to address this part of the problem.

1. We have been using Watchguard firewalls at almost all of our clients locations.  These are business class firewalls, not the 50.00 ones you buy at Walmart.  These not only keep the bad guys from hacking your systems, they also have the ability to scan everything that comes into and exits your system for Virus and or Malware activity.

2. We rely on Vipre anti-virus software to scan and protect your systems from viruses.  This will protect you from any email borne virus and those that spread through file shares, jump drives and other file sharing activities.

3. We use Malwarebytes on our clients systems.  This software is particularly effective at combating Malware that infects your systems when you are surfing the web.

4. Finally it is vitally important that you keep all your software and your router up to date with the latest patches and patterns.  I can’t stress this enough.  Almost all virus and malware exploits a vulnerability in the Operating System or Software used on your computer.

When you sign up for our Managed Services Program we provide parts 2, 3 and 4 of this protection for a monthly fee.  You don’t have to worry about checking on these things, because we do it for you silently in the background.

Finally have your users follow the following steps in case they think they may have been exposed to a virus.

1. If you are one of our clients, we have already installed a antivirus program. You don’t need to install another one, even if a flashy box pops up prompting you to install one.

2. If you receive an email with an attachment and you did not ask that person to send you that attachment, Delete It, don’t open it!

If you have to, email the sender and ask if they sent it.

3. If you receive email with links that look urgent, prompting you to logon to your bank account, paypal, etc. do not click on them. Go to the appropriate web site yourself by typing the regular address into your browser (e.g., your bank). Log in. If there’s an urgent matter that needs your attention, you should be alerted when you logon. Delete the email.

4. If you’re browsing the web and a window opens up by itself, click the Red X in the upper right hand corner. Do not click . . .

  •  Yes
  •  No
  •  Accept
  •  Decline
  •  Close
  •  Unsubscribe

or anything else. Just click the Red X to close the window. If you think you have been infected, reboot your computer and start a virus scan.

5. If you get an infection, log off of your computer. If you can’t log off, restart the computer (force a power down and restart) and do NOT log on. We need the computer on to connect remotely and diagnose your computer.  If you are sure you have been infected shut the PC off so we can pick it up and bring it back for inspection and cleaning.

6.  Finally, use common sense on where you go surfing on the Internet.  There are certain sites that you can go to that you know are more prone to be questionable.  Keep it on business. Enough Said.

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