Protecting Data in Today's Fast-Paced & Uncertain Environment

Protecting Data in Today's Fast-Paced & Uncertain Environment Online server data backup and recovery takes hold   By Bud Stoddard, President & CEO, AmeriVault Corp.   Data, Foundation of Today's Business   Data is not only the foundation of businesses in all industries but remains a vital irreplaceable strategic asset.  But, this asset is threatened today more than ever, given the increasing threat of disaster resulting from the impending war and recent and potential future terrorist activities.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 93% of companies who experience a significant data loss will be out of business within 5 years.   As a result, data protection has become a critical component in an organization's disaster recovery and business continuity plans.  Today's disaster planning professionals are responsible for ensuring uninterrupted operation and immediate recovery of data.  Faced with increasingly narrow recovery windows and "zero tolerance" for disruption they will have no choice but to look outside the box for recovery solutions.  The ability of traditional disaster recovery and business solutions to fulfill corporate objectives in the overall business continuity scheme should be evaluated and a new methodology introduced.    With its ability to most quickly and efficiently perform backup and recovery, online backup is responding to the demands of today's businesses in these uncertain times.  Its no wonder a technology that used to be seen as unconventional and experimental, is quickly becoming mainstream.  IDC estimates that through 2006, rapid growth will continue in the area of remote backup.   Lawyer's Weekly, the nation's top source of legal information for practicing attorneys, has used online backup for years to protect their data.  "My feeling is that you're only as good as your last backup. Our company has many remote locations without systems administrators. As a result, we really have come to depend on online backup as a means of assuring that our backups are done on a daily basis at these sites," said Tom Bannister, Systems Manager, Lawyer's Weekly.   Data Management Evolves   Remarkable changes in the way businesses work, are being fueled by online and other electronic processes going on 24 hours a day.  Business processes are becoming more compressed, and business activities that took days now happen within hours or minutes globally. Companies without a strong foothold in technology will be disadvantaged when facing the evolutionary trend of business changes.  Disaster recovery and business continuity planning must change to coincide with the fast-paced and highly competitive business environment and offer protection against uncontrollable looming disasters. Continuity Planners must turn to solutions that are internet-based.   The recent SQL Slammer virus was a prime example of why contingency planning must change to keep up with technology-dependent businesses.  Although SQL Slammer's effect could have carried a more damaging payload, it brought down 13,000 ATM machines at Bank of America, making it impossible for customers to withdraw cash for an entire weekend and reportedly caused widespread damage at HP and even Microsoft itself.  The disaster recovery and business continuity planning industry was forced to take notice.   Myths About Online Backup   Whenever an innovative idea threatens to replace current solutions in day-to-day business practices, myths begin to sprout like weeds spotting your favorite golfing green. The uncomfortable reality is that many businesses today suffer from insufficient backup plans.  Data backup is critical for every company. Remember the last time you didn't suffer from backup headaches? You can't.   A new solution entered the market in the mid 80's but didn't launch until the World Wide Web phenomenon took off.  Only then did it catch the attention of IT professionals responsible for safeguarding mission-critical data.  Online backup or electronic vaulting, no matter the coined term, eliminates many typical backup headaches.  The ability to automate your backup and remove the data off-site to a secure vault with a click of a mouse button is now a reality. Online backup is the most innovative, cost-effective and reliable solution out there today. But dispelling the myths about online backup continues to be a challenge for companies offering this technology.    Myth One:  Online backup is too expensive.   Initially it may appear that way. Compare a tape scenario for instance. Hardware, software licenses, tapes, personnel -- and let us not forget basic human error, add to the cost of traditional back up procedures.  Additional costs accrue with traditional off-site courier service and tape solutions have large up-front and sometimes unexpected costs, while online backup costs are declining.  AmeriVault Corp.(TM) predicts a double-digit annual decrease in cost due to bandwidth and storage hardware pricing declines.  A small ten gigabyte user with daily backup would pay approximately $460.00 for traditional albeit partial service; while the same user would pay approximately $294.00 for complete, automated service. In addition, online backup technology utilizes a company's existing telecom lines.  A company can better justify the 24 x 7 cost of its dedicated Internet connection.  Online backup eliminates all these traditional cost factors. With total automation, local backup and off-site protection occur simultaneously.   Myth Two: Data is not secure on the Internet.   Online backup utilizes the same technology the U.S. Government uses for its security.  Encrypted, fragmented data is sent over telecom lines -- pieces of a puzzle in gibberish language.  Online backup vendors can offers clients a highly secure VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection.  This higher level of security ensures that all communication between the client and the vault is encrypted.  Online backup is actually more secure than storing unencrypted data tapes in a remote vault.   Myth Three: Online Backup can't handle a fortune 500 company's data.   Handling large amounts of data over relatively small bandwidth is a popular feature of online backup.  An initial backup or "seed" of the server's data is extracted.  The Delta Processing technology then seeks out updated portions of changed files.  Only the fragmented change of data is sent to the vault.  Large-volume and highly redundant disk storage systems store the data online.  Online backup providers service businesses with a responsibility to ensure that storage space is always available, no matter what the size.  To further data integrity, reliability and recovery, the massive amounts of data online are backed up to tape on a daily basis, and shipped to an underground vault for safekeeping.   An Inevitable Evolution   Despite the current myths surrounding online backup, unavoidably it is fast becoming the standard in the business of data backup storage.  Online backup has proven itself to be a fundamental component of disaster recovery and business continuity plans.  Traditional recovery solutions must be retailored to accommodate the new recovery and continuity alternatives available to businesses in this fast-paced and uncertain climate.  No longer can businesses rely on protecting their most important asset with inefficient methods.   Loss of data and disasters are inevitable, and so is online backup. The Internet has radically altered the global economy, and with it, the management of securing and restoring data.  Companies who wait until disaster strikes to implement more efficient means of backing up their valuable data, will become extinct like the dinosaurs who once roamed our planet. 

Buying the Perfect Computer - The FIRST Time

So you've finally decided it's time for a change. No matter what advice you follow that old work horse of a desktop computer you have has outlived its usefulness with slow loading applications and a continuous rise in operation noise.

Searching for that Perfect Computer can be about as much fun as purchasing a new car and about as frustrating also when sorting through the various brands while trying to decide which "bells and whistles" best fit your needs. Besides all that trying to return something that is so large can be both inconvenient and very difficult to do. So making the right decision the FIRST time is the wise path of choice.

For starters you'll need to decide what you want to do with your computer. Are you into the video game scene or are you someone who likes to just surf the internet and occasionally do some book keeping with simple word processing software?

If you're into video games you're going to want a machine that can handle the high level of graphics and superior sound quality. On the other hand if you're not into all that high adrenalin stuff you can probably get by with a less expensive system. Although, if you want to stay on the safe side I would recommend going with something more "high-end" so you don't have to spend another large chunk of change to upgrade the system you just bought.

There are two basic routes you can take when purchasing a new computer.

1) Purchase a "Brand Name" Computer 2) Purchase a "Clone" Computer

A "BRAND-NAME" computer is one that is manufactured by a company that is recognizable by name.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages of "Brand-Name" computers include:

Advantages:

Customer Support- If you are experiencing problems with your computer you will have the option to contact a representative of the company that you purchased the PC from to get help in solving your problem.

Customer support is probably the best reason to buy a brand-name computer.

Warranty- Having a warranty is always nice since it acts as a type of security blanket for you.

In case a part on your computer should fail you should be able to get the item fixed at no charge just as long as the warranty has not expired.

Read and understand a company's warranty policy BEFORE you purchase a computer from them.

This way you'll have a good understanding of the procedures to follow in case a problem should arise.

Pre-installed Software- Many companies will include software packages that are all set up and ready to go for you on your computer.

Although, a disadvantage of buying a brand-name computer with software pre-installed is that you usually end up with more than fits your needs and usually just results with the wasting of space on your storage device.

Additional Support- Most brand-name computer companies are also able to provide you with web sites that may provide you with current software updates, user manuals, or basic troubleshooting help.

Disadvantages

The use of Proprietary parts- the term Proprietary refers to products that are unique to an individual company and that company only.

So if a part was to malfunction on your computer after warranty and you needed to replace it you could not just go to your local computer store and purchase any old part even if it was intended for the same function as the item that failed.

You would be forced to buy the exact same item that came out of the computer or else the computer would more than likely cease to function correctly.

Having to buy proprietary parts usually involves the need to place an order which means you'll have to wait for the part to arrive or you'll have to send your computer into the company or an authorized dealer of that company for repairs.

People with a home based business would probably not be too happy with that situation at all.

Integrated/On-board parts- In the computer world when you hear the word integrated or on-board it means that a particular part such as the modem or sound port where you plug in your speakers, is built-in or part of the computer main board (Also known as the Motherboard).

This means that if any of these items should fail, you can't just remove them from the computer and replace them with a new part. They are usually soldered directly to the main board and are stuck there.

Although, some computers do provide a way to disable a malfunctioning device which will allow you to install your own store bought device to take the place of the broken part.

From a computer technicians point of view this is not always easy to do.

It just depends on what brand of computer you currently have. Meaning some are easier to work on than others.

A "CLONE" computer is a clone or a copy of its brand-name counterpart with the exception that instead of company specific or proprietary parts, the items used to make a clone computer are from several different companies instead of only one.

Let's say that if you were to go to a local company that builds "clone" computers, and you tell them what you need, chances are they don't use parts that are specific to only that type of computer like the brand-name computer companies do.

This is a good thing because it means that they will probably use components that are interchangeable with many different brands and are easy to come by if needed.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages of "Clone" computers include:

Advantages:

Cost- compared to brand-name computers the clone will generally be easier on your pocket book when purchasing one with similar features as its brand-name counterpart.

This is most likely due to the money that is saved by not offering the high-end customer service. Although, that may not be the only reason for the lower prices.

Easily Accessible Replacement Parts- Since the clone computer was built with parts that are not any one company specific, you can buy parts for the clone computer that can be used even if the brand is different from the one that was in the computer when you originally bought it.

NOTE: Before you buy any parts, it is necessary to make sure that the replacement parts are compatible with your particular computers system requirements.

Either consult the manual that should have came with your computer or get help from a knowledgeable friend or repair person.

Disadvantages:

Warranties- Unless you purchase a service plan you will typically not have as an attractive warranty as you would with a brand-name computer company.

Whatever you do just make sure you understand how long the warranty is for and as to what kind of repairs the warranty covers before you make the purchase.

Customer Support- With brand-name computer companies you are usually provided with a 24-hour toll free number that you can call if you have questions or concerns with your computer.

Clone computers are more than likely not going to have a 24-hour help service, but rather you will be forced to only be able to call during regular business hours.

Also, it is more than likely that there will not be any one website that you can go to in order to find out information concerning troubleshooting questions you may have.

For service it may be necessary to take the computer back to the store that you bought it at or you may have to do some research on the individual parts that went into the computer and visit the manufacturer's website for troubleshooting tips.

Finally, if all else fails you can certainly take what you have learned from this article and being that you know what you need now, but don't know where to go and get that "Perfect Computer", the best resource at your disposal are the very men and woman that work at your local electronics shop.

It is their duty to help you get hold of that "Perfect Computer" that best fits your needs. All you need to do is tell them what you plan on using that computer for and they should be more than happy to help you from there.

What Is Wardriving And How Can You Prevent It

Imagine a car equipped with nothing more than a laptop computer, a portable GPS receiver, and a wireless network card slowly strolls through your neighborhood. Unknown to any onlookers, this is no ordinary vehicle; rather, it is a wardriving machine. As the car strolls past homes and businesses, a wireless network card (available at any electronics store for as low as $25) scans for any wireless access points. Anyone with a wireless network (and there are many out there) is vulnerable. The computer is looking for what is called an SSID. An SSID is your wireless network name and it is being constantly transmitted by your access point, letting computers know of its presence. The wardriver uses software such as Netstumbler (for windows) or Cismet (for linux) to scan the airwaves for SSIDs. The program can track various access points at once and monitor the signal strength. These programs can also check to see if the network is encrypted. The wardriver will generally configure his or her software to log any strong unencrypted signals. Using the GPS receiver, the coordinates of the strong signal will be recorded. After this preliminary drive, the wardriver can return to the locations that were recorded, and connect to the access point. Once connected to an unencrypted network, the wardriver can use the victim's internet access, and can also explore computers on the network. If files are being shared within someone's private network, all of that information is susceptible to a wardriver. Furthermore, once in the network, a wardriver can sniff network traffic and can view any information such as passwords and credit card numbers you send out to the internet - even SSL secured data. Wireless network vulnerability is a major problem, and as more and more households purchase wireless technology, the problem of insecure networks increases. Sound scary? Well this happens every day, and it doesn't take an expert to pull off. It doesn't take an expert to protect against either, however.

Steps you can take to protect against wardrivers:

There are a number of very simple steps you can take to protect your wireless network. For many of these, you will have to access your router configuration utility (check your manual on how to do this, you will generally need to type an IP address into your browser such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1).

Don't broadcast your SSID. If you are broadcasting your SSID, this is the first thing a program will pickup and recognize. If you configure your router to not broadcast your SSID, it will be difficult to detect (but not impossible, for some software can sniff wireless communication, so if you are using your wireless network, the SSID can be revealed). If you are not broadcasting your SSID, but it can be guessed (such as if you are using a default SSID), cloaking is pointless. Due to this, remember to change your SSID from the factory default. This is not a 100 percent effective method to secure your network, but it is a good first line of defense.

Change the default password. When you buy a router, a factory password is stored. People experienced in working with routers know the default passwords for different routers (and the make of the router can be seen by wardriver software such as netstumbler). It is important that you secure your router with a good password.

Encrypt your wireless communication. I can't stress the importance of encrypting your wireless communication enough. Enable encryption and enter a key. Most routers are only capable of WEP encryption, but if they permit, use EAP encryption, it's more secure than WEP. Like cloaking your SSID, encryption is not 100 percent secure. Given enough time and determination, if someone wants to target you and access your network, WEP encryption can be bypassed using software such as AirSnort.

Filter the MAC addresses that are allowed to connect to your router. This would require that you enter your router configuration and input the MAC address of each wireless card you have. This will restrict access so that only your computers can connect to the router. You will need to obtain the MAC address (which is the individual identification address of a network card in the form a 12 digit hexadecimal number). If someone sniffs traffic and detects the MAC address of a computer wirelessly using your network, the wardriver could emulate that address and connect to the router, but this takes time.

If you configure file sharing on your computers, make sure it is password protected. You should not share files on your networked computers unless it requires an authenticated user to access. Set up the same user accounts on your machines so that your computers can share files.

With these relatively simple steps, wireless network users can secure their networks from wardrivers. Wireless networks are inherently insecure, and these tips will merely help you greater secure your network. If someone is really determined to gain access to your network, given enough time, a good hacker can get access. These tips will deter the average wardriver from gaining access to your network, however. Although these methods are not definite security measures, they will change your network from being something that can be hacked in a matter of seconds, to something that will take a determined hacker days if not weeks of work, all of which will have to be done while in close proximity to your network.

AIM and a Half - Give your AIM a Little More

Buttons, ads, big long menus, pictures are everywhere and they’re slowing down your AOL Instant Messenger. What is there to do? Add-ons for AIM just add things to your AIM. Aliasing, tabbed IM windows, etc. But what do you do about all of those things that are slowing down your AIM? There may be a solution. AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) is an instant messenger program that lets you talk to people all around the world - for free. Making a free utility like this comes with some cost. AIM throws ads onto the top of your buddy list, useless buttons everywhere even though there’s already 3 ways you can get to the same place, just as easily. As each version of AIM comes out, the more your AIM is loaded with extra things like this. Now, there’s a new program titled AIM ½. It gets rid of ads, those buttons on the bottom of the buddy list, shortens all of the menus to only what you need. It gets rid of all of those buttons in IM windows (warning, games, etc), it gives you more practical sign-on, sign-off, and away symbols on your buddy list. It gives you the ability to resize your buddy list to ANY size. And it does little things like easier to use away message windows, profile windows, and more.

And of course, the newest feature: skinning. Skinning allows you to change the look of your AIM by letting you choose the theme of your sign-on screen, buddy list background, sign-on, sign-off, away symbols, and the popup notifications. Currently, there are five skinning themes available: XP, Beach, Everyone Loves Raymond, and Music. You can change your theme with the click of a button in your buddy list menu or on the AIM ½ site.  To prove the effectiveness of AIM ½, I put it to a test. I downloaded the original aimres.dll for 5.5.3595. I timed how long it took for AIM to load up after I double clicked the AIM button. It took 10 seconds until it was fully ready for use on my COX High Speed connection. Then I downloaded AIM ½. It took (no joke) 2 ½ seconds. A little difference? That little difference also effects how long it will take for IM windows to load after you double click them, and everything you do on AIM and the internet while your instant messenger is open. AIM ½ is a FREE tool to help give your AIM what it was meant to have. There is NO spy ware, ad ware, or 3rd party applications bundled with AIM ½. Guaranteed. Give your AIM a little more. Give it AIM ½. www.aimeasy.tk [http://www.aimeasy.tk]

Protecting Data in Today's Fast-Paced & Uncertain Environment

Protecting Data in Today's Fast-Paced & Uncertain Environment Online server data backup and recovery takes hold   By Bud Stoddard, President & CEO, AmeriVault Corp.   Data, Foundation of Today's Business   Data is not only the foundation of businesses in all industries but remains a vital irreplaceable strategic asset.  But, this asset is threatened today more than ever, given the increasing threat of disaster resulting from the impending war and recent and potential future terrorist activities.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 93% of companies who experience a significant data loss will be out of business within 5 years.   As a result, data protection has become a critical component in an organization's disaster recovery and business continuity plans.  Today's disaster planning professionals are responsible for ensuring uninterrupted operation and immediate recovery of data.  Faced with increasingly narrow recovery windows and "zero tolerance" for disruption they will have no choice but to look outside the box for recovery solutions.  The ability of traditional disaster recovery and business solutions to fulfill corporate objectives in the overall business continuity scheme should be evaluated and a new methodology introduced.    With its ability to most quickly and efficiently perform backup and recovery, online backup is responding to the demands of today's businesses in these uncertain times.  Its no wonder a technology that used to be seen as unconventional and experimental, is quickly becoming mainstream.  IDC estimates that through 2006, rapid growth will continue in the area of remote backup.   Lawyer's Weekly, the nation's top source of legal information for practicing attorneys, has used online backup for years to protect their data.  "My feeling is that you're only as good as your last backup. Our company has many remote locations without systems administrators. As a result, we really have come to depend on online backup as a means of assuring that our backups are done on a daily basis at these sites," said Tom Bannister, Systems Manager, Lawyer's Weekly.   Data Management Evolves   Remarkable changes in the way businesses work, are being fueled by online and other electronic processes going on 24 hours a day.  Business processes are becoming more compressed, and business activities that took days now happen within hours or minutes globally. Companies without a strong foothold in technology will be disadvantaged when facing the evolutionary trend of business changes.  Disaster recovery and business continuity planning must change to coincide with the fast-paced and highly competitive business environment and offer protection against uncontrollable looming disasters. Continuity Planners must turn to solutions that are internet-based.   The recent SQL Slammer virus was a prime example of why contingency planning must change to keep up with technology-dependent businesses.  Although SQL Slammer's effect could have carried a more damaging payload, it brought down 13,000 ATM machines at Bank of America, making it impossible for customers to withdraw cash for an entire weekend and reportedly caused widespread damage at HP and even Microsoft itself.  The disaster recovery and business continuity planning industry was forced to take notice.   Myths About Online Backup   Whenever an innovative idea threatens to replace current solutions in day-to-day business practices, myths begin to sprout like weeds spotting your favorite golfing green. The uncomfortable reality is that many businesses today suffer from insufficient backup plans.  Data backup is critical for every company. Remember the last time you didn't suffer from backup headaches? You can't.   A new solution entered the market in the mid 80's but didn't launch until the World Wide Web phenomenon took off.  Only then did it catch the attention of IT professionals responsible for safeguarding mission-critical data.  Online backup or electronic vaulting, no matter the coined term, eliminates many typical backup headaches.  The ability to automate your backup and remove the data off-site to a secure vault with a click of a mouse button is now a reality. Online backup is the most innovative, cost-effective and reliable solution out there today. But dispelling the myths about online backup continues to be a challenge for companies offering this technology.    Myth One:  Online backup is too expensive.   Initially it may appear that way. Compare a tape scenario for instance. Hardware, software licenses, tapes, personnel -- and let us not forget basic human error, add to the cost of traditional back up procedures.  Additional costs accrue with traditional off-site courier service and tape solutions have large up-front and sometimes unexpected costs, while online backup costs are declining.  AmeriVault Corp.(TM) predicts a double-digit annual decrease in cost due to bandwidth and storage hardware pricing declines.  A small ten gigabyte user with daily backup would pay approximately $460.00 for traditional albeit partial service; while the same user would pay approximately $294.00 for complete, automated service. In addition, online backup technology utilizes a company's existing telecom lines.  A company can better justify the 24 x 7 cost of its dedicated Internet connection.  Online backup eliminates all these traditional cost factors. With total automation, local backup and off-site protection occur simultaneously.   Myth Two: Data is not secure on the Internet.   Online backup utilizes the same technology the U.S. Government uses for its security.  Encrypted, fragmented data is sent over telecom lines -- pieces of a puzzle in gibberish language.  Online backup vendors can offers clients a highly secure VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection.  This higher level of security ensures that all communication between the client and the vault is encrypted.  Online backup is actually more secure than storing unencrypted data tapes in a remote vault.   Myth Three: Online Backup can't handle a fortune 500 company's data.   Handling large amounts of data over relatively small bandwidth is a popular feature of online backup.  An initial backup or "seed" of the server's data is extracted.  The Delta Processing technology then seeks out updated portions of changed files.  Only the fragmented change of data is sent to the vault.  Large-volume and highly redundant disk storage systems store the data online.  Online backup providers service businesses with a responsibility to ensure that storage space is always available, no matter what the size.  To further data integrity, reliability and recovery, the massive amounts of data online are backed up to tape on a daily basis, and shipped to an underground vault for safekeeping.   An Inevitable Evolution   Despite the current myths surrounding online backup, unavoidably it is fast becoming the standard in the business of data backup storage.  Online backup has proven itself to be a fundamental component of disaster recovery and business continuity plans.  Traditional recovery solutions must be retailored to accommodate the new recovery and continuity alternatives available to businesses in this fast-paced and uncertain climate.  No longer can businesses rely on protecting their most important asset with inefficient methods.   Loss of data and disasters are inevitable, and so is online backup. The Internet has radically altered the global economy, and with it, the management of securing and restoring data.  Companies who wait until disaster strikes to implement more efficient means of backing up their valuable data, will become extinct like the dinosaurs who once roamed our planet. 

Buying the Perfect Computer - The FIRST Time

So you've finally decided it's time for a change. No matter what advice you follow that old work horse of a desktop computer you have has outlived its usefulness with slow loading applications and a continuous rise in operation noise.

Searching for that Perfect Computer can be about as much fun as purchasing a new car and about as frustrating also when sorting through the various brands while trying to decide which "bells and whistles" best fit your needs. Besides all that trying to return something that is so large can be both inconvenient and very difficult to do. So making the right decision the FIRST time is the wise path of choice.

For starters you'll need to decide what you want to do with your computer. Are you into the video game scene or are you someone who likes to just surf the internet and occasionally do some book keeping with simple word processing software?

If you're into video games you're going to want a machine that can handle the high level of graphics and superior sound quality. On the other hand if you're not into all that high adrenalin stuff you can probably get by with a less expensive system. Although, if you want to stay on the safe side I would recommend going with something more "high-end" so you don't have to spend another large chunk of change to upgrade the system you just bought.

There are two basic routes you can take when purchasing a new computer.

1) Purchase a "Brand Name" Computer 2) Purchase a "Clone" Computer

A "BRAND-NAME" computer is one that is manufactured by a company that is recognizable by name.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages of "Brand-Name" computers include:

Advantages:

Customer Support- If you are experiencing problems with your computer you will have the option to contact a representative of the company that you purchased the PC from to get help in solving your problem.

Customer support is probably the best reason to buy a brand-name computer.

Warranty- Having a warranty is always nice since it acts as a type of security blanket for you.

In case a part on your computer should fail you should be able to get the item fixed at no charge just as long as the warranty has not expired.

Read and understand a company's warranty policy BEFORE you purchase a computer from them.

This way you'll have a good understanding of the procedures to follow in case a problem should arise.

Pre-installed Software- Many companies will include software packages that are all set up and ready to go for you on your computer.

Although, a disadvantage of buying a brand-name computer with software pre-installed is that you usually end up with more than fits your needs and usually just results with the wasting of space on your storage device.

Additional Support- Most brand-name computer companies are also able to provide you with web sites that may provide you with current software updates, user manuals, or basic troubleshooting help.

Disadvantages

The use of Proprietary parts- the term Proprietary refers to products that are unique to an individual company and that company only.

So if a part was to malfunction on your computer after warranty and you needed to replace it you could not just go to your local computer store and purchase any old part even if it was intended for the same function as the item that failed.

You would be forced to buy the exact same item that came out of the computer or else the computer would more than likely cease to function correctly.

Having to buy proprietary parts usually involves the need to place an order which means you'll have to wait for the part to arrive or you'll have to send your computer into the company or an authorized dealer of that company for repairs.

People with a home based business would probably not be too happy with that situation at all.

Integrated/On-board parts- In the computer world when you hear the word integrated or on-board it means that a particular part such as the modem or sound port where you plug in your speakers, is built-in or part of the computer main board (Also known as the Motherboard).

This means that if any of these items should fail, you can't just remove them from the computer and replace them with a new part. They are usually soldered directly to the main board and are stuck there.

Although, some computers do provide a way to disable a malfunctioning device which will allow you to install your own store bought device to take the place of the broken part.

From a computer technicians point of view this is not always easy to do.

It just depends on what brand of computer you currently have. Meaning some are easier to work on than others.

A "CLONE" computer is a clone or a copy of its brand-name counterpart with the exception that instead of company specific or proprietary parts, the items used to make a clone computer are from several different companies instead of only one.

Let's say that if you were to go to a local company that builds "clone" computers, and you tell them what you need, chances are they don't use parts that are specific to only that type of computer like the brand-name computer companies do.

This is a good thing because it means that they will probably use components that are interchangeable with many different brands and are easy to come by if needed.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages of "Clone" computers include:

Advantages:

Cost- compared to brand-name computers the clone will generally be easier on your pocket book when purchasing one with similar features as its brand-name counterpart.

This is most likely due to the money that is saved by not offering the high-end customer service. Although, that may not be the only reason for the lower prices.

Easily Accessible Replacement Parts- Since the clone computer was built with parts that are not any one company specific, you can buy parts for the clone computer that can be used even if the brand is different from the one that was in the computer when you originally bought it.

NOTE: Before you buy any parts, it is necessary to make sure that the replacement parts are compatible with your particular computers system requirements.

Either consult the manual that should have came with your computer or get help from a knowledgeable friend or repair person.

Disadvantages:

Warranties- Unless you purchase a service plan you will typically not have as an attractive warranty as you would with a brand-name computer company.

Whatever you do just make sure you understand how long the warranty is for and as to what kind of repairs the warranty covers before you make the purchase.

Customer Support- With brand-name computer companies you are usually provided with a 24-hour toll free number that you can call if you have questions or concerns with your computer.

Clone computers are more than likely not going to have a 24-hour help service, but rather you will be forced to only be able to call during regular business hours.

Also, it is more than likely that there will not be any one website that you can go to in order to find out information concerning troubleshooting questions you may have.

For service it may be necessary to take the computer back to the store that you bought it at or you may have to do some research on the individual parts that went into the computer and visit the manufacturer's website for troubleshooting tips.

Finally, if all else fails you can certainly take what you have learned from this article and being that you know what you need now, but don't know where to go and get that "Perfect Computer", the best resource at your disposal are the very men and woman that work at your local electronics shop.

It is their duty to help you get hold of that "Perfect Computer" that best fits your needs. All you need to do is tell them what you plan on using that computer for and they should be more than happy to help you from there.