by Tony Rushin

Verizon Wireless now carries the iPhone, which means I’m finally looking to upgrade from my old, beat up BlackBerry.  However, the iPhone doesn’t support the lightning-fast LTE network Verizon just rolled out in Atlanta (and other cities).  That has many people, including me, looking at an Android phone.  If you get an Android, I strongly suggest adopting these 5 no cost / low cost tips:

1. Test it with your Key Applications – Does it work, and is it easy to support with your key applications? Does it sync correctly with your email? Most likely it will – either directly or via an app you can buy – but every company’s network is a little different. Ask your IT support company for advice. Know that Verizon has a 14-day return/exchange policy (and there may be a restocking fee).
2. Lock the Screen – Put in a simple password. This will protect your phone from unauthorized use and prevent a lot of headache in case it’s stolen. I know it’s a pain at first but you’ll get used to it quickly.  Grandma’s old saying definitely applies: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
3. Apply Updates Regularly – Like any operating system, Android keeps finding and fixing things. Apply the patches. Follow the smartphone policies and processes your IT support partner has put in place. It’s good IT hygiene.
4. Protect from Malware – There is good, free software out there to protect from malware and spyware. Lookout has a good reputation. Whatever you install, see tip #3.
5. Be Ready to Wipe – Get an application that enables you to remotely lock and wipe your phone. This protects your data if your phone is lost or stolen. There are several apps that do this; if you use Lookout for malware protection you may want to simply upgrade to their premium license for $2.99 / month to do this.

Here’s an article that may be helpful.  And remember what Grandma says.  She may not know anything about smartphones… but she has a lot of wisdom!

Network 1 is a 13 year old, Atlanta-only IT Support company.  We become (or augment) the IT department for law firms and medical practices. Of course we fix computers when things break but what our clients really value is the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firm.  This is especially important with technology – along with regulations and cyber threats – changing so rapidly.  We help our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.

You’re Asking for Trouble if You Overlook These

by Richard Stokes

In many cases the ‘thrill’ of going live with an EMR is quickly halted because the system doesn’t perform as advertised.  Assuming you chose the right application, redesigned your workflows and got all of the training you need, there are 3 main reasons why an EMR implementation fails:

1. Hardware – Adhering to the EMR vendor’s minimum hardware requirements is going to give you ‘minimal performance’ – by definition.  Generally you want to pick hardware that exceeds the vendor’s minimum requirements.  More memory, processors and higher grade components are a good thing.  It is always going to be less expensive to make the investment upfront then to have to perform major upgrades or replace systems in just a few years.  Hardware is cheap; service, downtime and lost productivity is expensive.
2. Storage and slow disks – EMR databases are constantly hit with read and write functions.  Slow disks or not enough of them will cripple the server and significantly impact performance.  In order to get best performance we find that 300GB, 15K RPM hard drives – and lots of them – are the best way to get optimal performance out of your EMR.  You also want to plan upfront and make sure you can easily scale and add more space down the road as your database grows.
3. Wide Area Networks (WAN’s) – Not all practices have multiple locations but for those that do, running an EMR across multiple locations (WAN) can be painfully slow.  This is due to the amount and size of data being sent between the user machines and the server.  In a single location, the server and the user machines are in the same building and connected via a Local Area Network (LAN).  Typically a LAN runs at 100Mbps or 1000Mbps; pretty fast.  In a multi-location environment the bottleneck for the remote offices is their internet connection (or WAN).  A T-1 ($400/month) connection only runs at 1.5Mbps which is significantly slower than a LAN connection.  A solution to get around this is to use some type of remote access like Citrix or Terminal Services.  This allows the remote locations to run the application as if they were on the same LAN as the EMR server.  Depending on the number of users at the remote location, you may still need a higher speed connection than a T-1, but you wouldn’t necessarily need an expensive 100Mbps connection.  10Mbps connections have come down in cost considerably ($950/month).

Good planning upfront – including a thorough review of your hardware, disks and WAN – can make an EMR implementation a success rather than a seemingly bad investment.

by David Gracey

We’re adding great new clients which means we’re also adding great new employees. Our newest is Darren Rose who joins us as an Engineer. We are very excited to have Darren on board.

Darren’s work as a math tutor while at the University of Georgia (where he earned dual degrees, a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Religion) helped him build a good customer service foundation. After graduating, he further developed his customer service and technical skills as a member of the support desk team at Endeavor Telecom for 3 years. His main responsibilities were troubleshooting technical issues; acting as a liaison between customers, end-users and contractors; and mentoring/training new teammates. He also earned his CompTIA Network+ certification while at Endeavor.

At Network 1 Darren jumped right in working closely with our Senior Engineers at client locations plus answering the phone at our support desk. In addition he’s accelerated his technical training earning his CompTIA A+ certification plus 3 Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) certifications: Enterprise Desktop Administrator 7, Server Administrator and Enterprise Administrator.

We’ll continue to add high-quality engineers (mostly seniors; some associates) as we add IT Support and Managed Services clients. If you know any qualified candidates, encourage them to follow Network 1 Consulting on LinkedIn – we’ll let them know when we’re hiring.

3 Features to Consider….

by Tony Rushin

The iPad 2 was announced on March 2^nd and officially went on sale March 11^th.  Sure, there was hype – Apple does hype well – but there must be more than hype to propel the kind of demand and sales Apple has experienced over the last 6 weeks.  Before I share my thoughts – and point you to some resources – on the iPad 2 I need to be clear about two things:

• When Apple announced the original iPad on January 27, 2010 (just 16 months ago? Doesn’t it seem longer than that?  Jeesh!) I was one of those who said: “I don’t get it – why would people want a big iPhone… that can’t even make a phone call?”
• I still don’t own or use an iPad (or iPad 2).

Those who have known me for 10+ years know that I was once a fairly early adopter of technology (remember the Palm Pilot?).  However, over the last 10 years, I’ve been more of a late adopter (a 7 year old iPod mini – which was a gift, and a 2 year old BlackBerry Curve – which replaced my 5 year old Treo).  One of my 2011 resolutions is to start moving back up the technology adoption curve; this blog has been good for me (personally, a new phone iPhone / Droid phone will come before an iPad / tablet).

After immersing myself in several of the hundreds (millions?) of reviews that are available, I’ve concluded that the iPad 2 is a nice, evolutionary upgrade over the original iPad.  It reinforces the already great iPad features: simple to learn and use, big application library (60,000 and growing), long battery life (10+ hours) and aggressive pricing (that $500 entry price is golden).  For professionals, here’s my list of 3 new features that stand out:

1. Lighter and thinner: Yes, the original iPad only weighs 1.5 pounds and is 0.53” thick versus the iPad 2 which weighs 1.3 pounds and is 0.35” thick.  However, being 13% lighter and 34% thinner makes a BIG difference to those who use it for numerous hours every day (like a doctor seeing patients or an attorney dictating).
2. More powerful processors:  A dual-core processor means the CPU is 2X faster and the graphics are 9X faster than the original.  Faster processing and graphics is always an advantage as apps continue to become more robust (think EHR/EMR).
3. Two cameras:  Yes, they’re not great, high-resolution cameras but you can communicate with colleagues and share ideas quickly and easily.  The camera in front is so your colleague can see you while the camera in back is so your colleague can see what you see (perhaps an X-Ray or a chart for tomorrow’s court case).

My wanderings through the on-line reviews led me to some interesting factoids and resources for professionals; here’s my short-list:

Attorneys:  Check out the “10 Best iPad Apps for Lawyers” according to the self-proclaimed Hytech Lawyer (he also has a link to a YouTube video demonstrating his top 10 apps that’s both useful and entertaining).

Physicians:  According to a survey conducted by Aptilon in February 2011, 38% of U.S. Healthcare Professionals say they will own an Apple iPad within the next year and Apple’s product launch commercials highlight 3 different medical applications.

Financial Services Professionals:  ”The iPad for Financial Advisors and Wealth Managers” blog (no iPad 2 review but some good pros and cons on the original iPad).  A CPA’s short blog on the iPad 2 featured on The Progressive Accountant website.

If you already own an iPad, these new features probably aren’t enough to justify an upgrade.  If you don’t already own an iPad, the new iPad 2 could definitely accelerate your decision to get one.  For the professional – attorney, physician, financial services professional – the iPad 2 doesn’t bring enough new functionality to make it a “must have” device yet.  However, if you blink, your early-adopter colleagues will pass you by… and if you wait too long it will be hard to catch up with them and their new-found productivity.

The Worst Company in America

by David Gracey

Every year, Consumer Reports holds a competition to determine the worst company in America.  It is based on the NCAA tournament bracket, starting at 32 companies, and is generally based on customer service, product support and industry reputation.  Every round features consumers voting for their favorite worst company with the best (worst) advancing to the next round.  It comes as no surprise to many that the Final Four includes:

Comcast:  Clearly a loser year-after-year among the customer service bottom feeders.  They outsource many of their customer facing positions to people/companies that have little accountability throughout their organization.  Plus being a near monopoly allows them to charge high prices combined with poor customer service.

BP:  Coming out of nowhere to one of the top spots this year is BP, for obvious reasons.  They probably wouldn’t be in the final four were it not for one of the worst disasters the oil industry has faced in many years. 

Bank of America:  You just knew a bank had to be in the list given the financial shape our country is in right now.  And, yes, BoA leads the pack when it comes to complaints.  Did I mention I have a new $3.00 monthly fee on my checking account that doesn’t even have a description attached to it?  Oh, and make sure you thank them for taking the TARP bailout funds.  Our company recently changed banks and went with a smaller, local bank (Clark Howard would be so proud of us).  We have been very happy with the personalized service we get plus the high-tech tools – like remote deposit – make banking easy.

TicketMaster:  They hold the monopoly when it comes to purchasing tickets and all things concert-related.  The biggest frustration folks have is the enormous fees that are piled on top of the already high ticket price to see a show.  There are congressional investigations into their business practices, so TM may get their due.

And the winner is…BP!!!  Congratulations!  You get the prize.  Here is a link to the site with other interesting “winners”.  (I’m still upset AT&T didn’t make it into the Final Four) http://consumerist.com/2010/04/congratulations-comcast-youre-the-worst-company-in-america.html

Good, Bad and Best Practices

by Richard Stokes

There are literally millions of wireless access points globally, everything from hotspots that grant you Internet access at a Starbucks to wireless networks that people use at home or at their place of business.

Wireless is cool, relatively simple to deploy and works well but it does have a major security concern.  A traditional wired-only network – where computers plug in to a wall jack – confines electronic data within the four walls of the office.  The only real security concern then becomes physical security and the Internet connection that brings the cyber world to your doorstep.  When a wireless network is introduced, electronic data moves outside of your four walls and potentially allows outsiders a much easier way to gain access to electronic information.  This introduces more security risks.

When wireless started getting popular, security standards were developed.  The first standard, in 1999, was called WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy).  It was designed to provide similar levels of security to those found on a wired network.

Here’s how WEP works:

1. Both the Wireless Access Point (WAP; hardware) and the connecting user are configured with an encryption key
2. When the user attempts to connect, the WAP issues a random challenge (request for password)
3. The user then returns the challenge (enters the password), encrypted with the key
4. The WAP decrypts the challenge and if it matches then the user is granted access

In 2005, (SIX YEARS AGO!) the FBI demonstrated the 3-minute WEP crack using tools readily available on the Internet.

So, what should you do?  Ditch WEP and go to either WPA or WPA2.  WPA stands for WiFi Protected Access.  WPA redesigns WEP, fixing the major security holes.  WPA2 is the newest design, from the ground up, introduced by the WiFi Alliance; it is also referred to as 802.11i.  The biggest differences between WPA (or WPA2) and WEP are twofold:  1) the encryption algorithm is much stronger and 2) they use a dynamic encryption key, meaning it constantly changes (500 trillion possible combinations) making it much harder for people to crack. 

What’s the difference between WPA and WPA2?  In simple terms, WPA is good; WEP is bad; and WPA2 is the best practice.  That doesn’t mean WPA or WPA2 can’t get hacked: you still have to be smart and come up with a strong password or passphrase.  For more information on passwords, check out our previous blog post entitled, “Protect Your Facebook Account: How Hackers Access Your Social Network Account”.

Starting down the Road to Demonstrating Meaningful Use with EMRs

by Guest Blogger Tanya Mack

For current EMR users- you will be the trailblazer on this road!  You will be among the first to attest and see if the EHR Incentive programs work and actually start paying on those “rebates.”   Calendar Year (CY) 2011 will be the year of attestation for Meaningful Use.  Then- as CY Yr 2 criteria are defined, we will all begin to learn about “reporting” to continue to the dollar flow.

For non-EMR users, the trick is to start “acting” on making EMR a reality.  If you have not started looking, do it. Time to solidify your strategy.  Are you going for the EHR Incentives or wait to see what happens?  Are you considering ACTB certified EMR products? Do you know if your practice qualifies for the EHR Incentive programs?  If you have not done a needs analysis, complete it.  If you have not narrowed down your vendor list, narrow it.  If you have not signed an agreement to get going, sign it!  There is already talk of a backlogged queue if you want to start down the EMR Meaningful Use road.

On January 3^rd, registration started for the Medicare program.  The Medicaid registration is managed state by state and states may begin registration in 2011 (GA expects to begin in May).  Eligible Providers (EP’s) must register for the incentive, use “certified” technology and meet Meaningful Use criteria.  All Fifteen core objectives and five “menu” objectives must be met to show “Meaningful Use.”   Each core/menu meaningful use objective has a corresponding clinical quality measure.  For this Calendar Year, the measures have thresholds that range from 10-80%.  Sounds difficult, but most EMR products are built to meet most of the criteria. 

“Certified” technology must be used and an ACTB (Authorized Certification Testing Body) are the certification bodies.   As of Jan 4^th, there were 5 ACTB’s and 169 EHR vendors that received certification status for either their complete product or modules of their product listed on the CMS certification website.   The OIG will be monitoring the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare IT upgrades and incentives.

Here is a schedule of important dates for Year 1 of the EHR Incentive Program:

1/3/2011              Medicare EHR Incentive Program Registration opens

4/2011                  Attestation for Medicare Program begins (Yr. 1 is MU attestation vs. reporting)

5/2011                  Medicare Incentive Program Payments begin

10/1/2011            Last day for EP to begin 90 day reporting period for 2011

12/31/2011         Reporting yr. ends for EP’s for 2011

2/29/2012            Last day for EP to register and attest to receive payment for CY 2011

 To register or even start down the road to showing Meaningful Use with a certified EMR, refer to the primary government website for the EHR Incentive information (including certification, registration, attestation, and Meaningful Use ) and visit:

www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms  and www.clarityspecialists.com  for some value added, downloadable MU tips and tools.

Shop Wireless Carriers for Best Service

Like many businesses, Network 1 is highly dependent on its cell phones. Our engineers are on their phones 2,000+ minutes every month. It’s critical to our business. Providing quick responsiveness and resolving problems expeditiously hinge on our ability to have top quality cell coverage.

The January 2011 edition of Consumer Reports has ranked AT&T the worst wireless carrier. AT&T was the only carrier with scores that dropped significantly in Consumer Reports’ satisfaction survey of their readers. AT&T is now positioned in last place overall and in almost every market they rate, including Atlanta.

Digging into the numbers, the news only gets worse for AT&T. There were 5 national carriers rated by the organization: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. AT&T rated worst overall and at the bottom of the list. Their overall score was a 60 out of 100 while the other four carriers ranked 69 thru 82. But worse than that, they we last in every single category rated: voice, text, data, email, etc.

Since switching over to AT&T from Verizon over 2 years ago, we’ve had significantly higher dropped calls and poor reception quality. AT&T has an exclusive contract with Apple to provide the iPhone and we needed the iPhone in order to support our client base. Since Verizon didn’t have the iPhone we were forced to change carriers. Since that switch I experience one or two dropped calls each day. It’s very frustrating and there have been more than one occasion when I have wanted to throw my phone out the window.

Based in Atlanta, Network 1 is a provider of IT managed services to small and mid-sized businesses.

Get the Best Deal From Your Cable Service

The cable TV monopoly is alive and well but there is a chink in the armor. Years ago people only had one option for expanded television: local cable providers. For years, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter dominated their respective markets and did very little “over building” into each other’s neighborhoods. This let them command a premium for their services. Satellite TV and, more recently, broadband Internet has changed the rules for the cable-TV dinosaurs and they are struggling to catch up.

For the past 10 years, cable providers have been upgrading their systems to allow for telephone and “on demand” services such as movies and pay-per-view. Now that most of the US population is covered by high-speed Internet connections, there are many different options. It is important that everyone review their cable bill to see what they are paying for. In Atlanta, many consumers have a choice a choice of Comcast “Triple Play” or AT&T U-Verse. Each package offers high definition cable tv, broadband Internet access and telephone service. They offer a discount to get all three.

Cable providers consistently rank at the very bottom of customer service surveys. They are down there with cellular providers, which stinks. What’s more frustrating is that, once they have you as a customer, they seem to care very little about keeping you. They continue to raise rates with little regard to the present economic situation most of us are in.

There is one thing that is quick (relatively) and easy to save on your monthly cable bill. First, if you currently have Comcast, go to AT&T’s website and go through the online wizard to determine what you would pay for a comparable AT&T plan. It will be cheaper than what you’re paying now! Once you’re armed with that information, call Comcast and tell them you need to cut your monthly cable bill and are going to switch to AT&T if they cannot help. The Comcast (“no”) customer service representative will give you a 12-month discount that will match AT&T. I’ve not actually had the guts to make the switch but you might get a better deal if you tell them you’ve made up your mind to change to AT&T.

Network 1 is an Atlanta-based provider of IT services and computer consulting. Our clients have between 10-100 employees and generally are in one of the following professional services categories: law firms, medical practices, financial services, accounting firms, business services and real estate.

Is your Email Secure with 3rd Party?

There is a lot of buzz about Cloud Computing.  IT people are talking about it, business people are writing about it and companies such as Google and Microsoft are advertising heavily to educate the masses.  “Cloud Computing” is a term created from the marketing guys to give normal folks a definition of what it means.  At its core, Cloud Computing is storing data on a computer that is not physically nearby.  For example, a Word document or video can be stored somewhere other than my own computer but easily accessed from my PC.  Another example is Gmail: using a web browser, smart phone or Outlook, I can access my email stored on Google’s servers.  This can be a convenient and inexpensive way to store email, accessible from multiple computers.  Additionally, if my computer crashes, I haven’t lost anything.  This same concept can be applied to the business environment.

A big trend in IT the introduction of hosted email solutions.  For the past 15 years or so, companies have installed their own email server, on premise, using Microsoft Exchange Server.  Exchange is the world’s most popular email software for business.  It runs on servers while end users access their email using the Outlook program.  Exchange has been around for many years and is used in small businesses as well as large.  Microsoft’s plans for Exchange are to continue to make it more of an enterprise-class email system that can run the largest corporations in the world.  The challenge for a smaller business is how to use a program that continues to increase in cost and complexity with each new version.  IT Service Providers, like Network 1, are experienced in supporting Exchange but as the complexity of the software continues to increase along with the necessary uptime requirements for email in a business environment, it creates a real challenge.  Many are finding a solution to be a “hosted” Exchange server.  In a hosted environment, the customer stores their email on a shared server located in a secure data center and running on equipment that is much more expensive and robust than a typical small business can afford.  Additionally, the software and hardware is maintained and upgraded by expert engineers.  This is all done for a fixed monthly cost that is usually somewhat more expensive as a company would spend owning its own Exchange server, but with the added increased uptime and reliability of having their email stored in a secured environment.

We are still in the early stages of the Hosted Exchange deployment but the move to Hosted Exchange is gaining momentum.  There have been some bumps along the way but we have seen gradual improvement over the years.

• Reliability is still an issue since you’re dependent on the Internet to get to your email.
• Tie-ins to phone systems and other applications are very limited.
• Picking the right provider is important.  You have some of your most sensitive data sitting on their servers.  Is the ethical?  Are they financially stable?  Are they experts in Exchange or just providing the service as an add-on?
• Moving to a different Hosted Exchange provider is costly and time-consuming.

In response to Google’s Gmail, Microsoft is getting into the Hosted Exchange business.  They have undercut the pricing of most competitors and some think they are simply going after market share only to raise the price down the road.  Network 1 is ready for the transition and has been discussing it with our clients over the past year or so.  Hosted Exchange isn’t for everyone.  But for some, particularly smaller businesses, it’s a great way to get a fixed cost and high availability for such an important application.  As an IT Management and IT outsourcing services company, Network 1 can assist your business with IT services and understanding technology.