Microsoft Surface With Windows 8 Pro

We here at B.I.T.S. are very excited about the upcoming availability of the new Surface tablet from Microsoft. You may be saying that we have already covered the surface, and this is true. However, in January, a new model is scheduled to begin shipping. Surface with Windows 8 Pro! At first glance, there isn’t much different here. You might notice that while holding one, it is a little heavier, by just .5lbs. What’s so exciting about a tablet that is heavier?

The Surface with Windows 8 Pro runs, well, Windows 8 Pro. Why is that a big deal? First, Surface RT is only able to run applications that were written for the RT platform and purchased from the Microsoft App Store. Surface with Windows 8 Pro can run anything a Windows 7 laptop can run today. You may want to take that last statement under advisement, as storage and other resources are limited. Imagine however a 10″ tablet that could run that program you have been wishing would someday soon have an app for your android or iOS based tablet. Well soon your wait will be over. Second, those IT guys who don’t want you to bring in your tablet to work will be thrilled to have you bring this one in. It fully integrates with a Windows network, just like your desktop or laptop, so IT can manage it and support it just like existing desktops and laptops. That is a big win for both teams!

Ok, time for some of the important specs. This tablet has 2 720p HD Cameras, a full-sized USB 3.0 port, a microSDXC card slot for additional storage, 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless, 1920×1080 Full HD Display, 4GB RAM, an Intel Core i5 processor, and comes with either 64GB or 128GB of storage. Reportedly, battery life is expected to be around 4-5 hours.

There are a few disappointments with the Surface. First, the operating system takes up a good bit of storage on the device. This loss of space can be dealt with by adding a 64GB microSDXC card or attaching an external hard drive to the USB port. Secondly, there is no support for cellular data. No Verizon or AT&T version to let you surf when there is no Wi-Fi available. With Wi-Fi to be found almost everywhere, this lack of wireless Internet connectivity isn’t the end of the world. Many smartphone data plans now allow you to turn your phone into a hot spot, and since there is a full-sized USB port, it might be possible to install a USB modem to the device. Third, is the cost. The 64GB model will be $899, while the 128GB model will be $999. Accessories like the type covers start at $120, upping the cost even more.

Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro may, in our opinion, be the perfect solution for businesses looking to use tablets inside the office and out. This tablet has the support IT is looking for, the flexibility users need, and the power to run it all. Its steep price may be its only stumbling block; however, Microsoft views this tablet as a replacement for the laptop or ultrabook. This price point may just be worth it when you compare it to the price of the current ultrabooks and laptops Microsoft expects it to replace. Visit for more information about both the Surface with Windows 8 Pro and the Surface RT.

The Modern Trojan War

Much like the ancient world, the internet is filled with wonder and danger. Cities fought and wars raged. One such war was that of the war between Troy and Sparta. Most of us know the way that story ended, with the fall of Troy. The ultimate weapon…the Trojan Horse, a gift to the Trojans to signal the end of the war. The horse was a wonder, filled with danger.

Lately, the fight to keep computers safe has felt much like the Trojan War, seemingly endless. Another similarity is the use of a type of virus to infect these machines, known as a Trojan. According to SC Magazine, the Zero Access Trojan, also known as Sirefef is the number one attack used today by hackers around the world. Recent experience would tend to confirm this data, as nearly every virus infection we have dealt with at B.I.T.S. has been this Zero Access Trojan.

The Trojans would have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they had just burned the horse, like many had suggested. As much fun as it sounds sometimes, we are not suggesting that you set your computer on fire and watch it burn. We are suggesting you find the gates the horse could be dragged in through and shut them. Plug-ins for your browser may be vulnerable if they have not been updated and are an opening that is frequently exploited. As we have discussed before, unpatched software is one of the easiest ways for a hacker to infect your computer. Some applications to make sure you update often are Java, Adobe Reader (which installs a plug-in that allows you to read PDF files inside the browser), and Adobe Flash Player. Secunia PSI ( can help make this task easier by scanning your machine for out-of-date applications and updating them for you. This tool isn’t a magic fix, but it does help. This virus is distributed via infected websites and pop-up ads. Be aware of the sites you are visiting, and if they have pop-up ads, these ads may be infected, even without them knowing it. Following basic security best practices such as using a firewall and having up-to-date antivirus software will reduce the risk of infection.

The Trojans may have had no way of knowing what was in that horse, but we can learn from their misfortune and keep our systems safe on the internet by remembering to always “beware Greeks bearing gifts,” by staying wary of pop-ups, and staying away from links promising the wonders of the world,” if you just click here.” Follow these suggestions and security best practices it is likely this and other modern day Trojans will never breach your defenses.

Manage Security In The Cloud

In the past, businesses would purchase security software like antivirus as a stand-alone application for each PC. For better control and to ensure that computers were updated, a server application was also purchased to monitor and maintain this software, making sure that the software was running and up- to- date. Today, the management of security and anti-malware applications has made its way into the cloud. This cloud-based delivery of software and applications is sometimes called SAAS or Software-As-A Service.

This is how it works. A company buys a license to run a security client on their computers. This client application typically includes firewall and anti-malware tools. Once the client is installed, it begins to communicate with servers in the cloud operated by the application vendor. A network administrator or managed service consultant can then log into the cloud-based administration portal to manage and maintain the client applications on each computer, as well as monitor them for problems. Full featured reporting and monitoring tools in the cloud can be set up to notify the appropriate person of an issue, even if they are not actively monitoring the clients.

Cloud-based management has several advantages over on-site management. Teleworkers and other corporate road warriors devices can be managed anywhere they go, insuring their laptops are always protected and security is up-to-date. Cloud-based management is generally very easy to set up and configure. Management, monitoring, and reporting can be done from anywhere in the world a connection to the internet is available. Because the management application is not installed locally, you do not need to maintain a server or use your own server resources to run the management application.

Today, most of the major developers of security and anti-malware applications have cloud-based security management solutions. I recommend talking to your IT professional or trusted IT advisor about switching to cloud managed security and evaluating a few for yourself to find out if the potential cost savings and other benefits are a good fit for your organization.


The world of science fiction has created an endless number of wonders that spark the imagination. The iconic television series “Star Trek” featured prominently for years a virtual technology called a holodeck, where virtual constructs of anything you could imagine were created and could interact with the physical world then be saved for later use. This is, of course, pure Sci-Fi fantasy; however, imagine taking your computer or server and making it virtual and then running it inside a window on another physical computer at the same time. Take that a step further and imagine running 100 separate computers on just a handful of physical computer towers with the ability to access each one remotely. Over the next few issues, we are going to discuss computer and server virtualization technology and how it can impact the way you operate your business, as well as dip into a few of the technical aspects of some of the uses for this technology.

A virtual machine is really just a program that impersonates the characteristics of physical computer components to an instance of an operating system that is running in a virtual space, like the holodeck, in a computer’s memory. This virtual can have almost any operating system installed on it from Windows 95 to Linux to even Mac OSx in some cases. These virtual computers can be desktops or servers and can be run on desktops or servers. The virtual machine or VM can be paused, saved, and moved from one computer to another and un-paused and continue being used where it left off. This functionality is because all the information about the VM and what it is doing is nothing more than a file, like a word document.

That’s all really cool, but how does it solve problems for a business? Let’s look at an example for a desktop user. Your computer is 10 years old, runs Windows XP, and you have not upgraded because the software that manages your inventory only works on Windows XP. A virtual machine running Windows XP with your inventory software can be created and run inside virtualization software on your shiny new Windows 8 computer or Mac, and both your inventory software and Windows XP don’t know the difference. You can take this virtual machine and run it almost anywhere. You can back it up just by making a copy of the file. So, you can, in seconds, recover if something goes wrong with the live virtual machine. Just open the old file!

Now let’s have a look at servers. Yes, we can virtualize them, too. As a matter of fact, you could virtualize a server and run it on your desktop or laptop, but that isn’t what makes server virtualization great. Lots of offices have servers that are one trick ponies, that is to say they sit there and run one application or a database, because that is the only way the software developer would support it. The hardware on these servers never comes close to its maximum usage, so there is a lot of wasted computing potential. Imagine if you had 3, 4, or 5 servers on the same hardware sharing that computing potential and not fighting for it. This ability to run multiple servers on a single physical server is a pretty big deal, and a big savings, but what else can server virtualization do? Let’s buy 2 servers and put 3 virtual servers on each one, and hook them up on a network. Let’s say a virtual server on server one is using a lot of memory and processor time. The 3 virtual servers on server two are not using a lot of memory or processor time. We can move our problem virtual server over to server two, and some or all of our existing servers on server two over to server one, and suddenly our resource hungry virtual server has all the resources it needs to get its job done. That is known as load balancing, and can be done automatically using virtual machine management software. Since all these virtual servers are just files and we can just move them around, can we use them to make our disaster recovery more efficient? The answer is a resounding yes! A snapshot can be taken of a virtual server at any point and stored with the other virtual machine files. You can use this snapshot to roll back any changes made by an update or software installation that may have not gone as expected, disaster averted. A full backup of the virtual machine and the data accessed by the machine can be backed up and stored off site. If your building burns down overnight, just bring up the virtual machines on another server off site and you are up and running in no time. Need it to be up and running even faster? Backup and virtualization technologies are available that will allow you to fail-over to a hot site somewhere else in the world as soon as your local servers go down with the potential of having only a few minutes of downtime and lost data.

Virtualization technology is amazing and flexible and can support businesses in a number of ways. It isn’t a magic pill though. There are a few stumbling blocks on the road. Proper planning, purchasing the right software to meet business goals, licensing and license management for operating systems running on the virtual machines, backup, and storage all have to be addressed when moving to a virtualized environment. Depending on requirements and goals, the up-front cost can also be a barrier to adopting virtualization technology. Over the next few issues, we will discuss virtualization in more detail, how it fits in with The Cloud, and what you need to make it all work.