May Employee Spotlight: Gregory Crout

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If you ask a business owner what the most important aspect of their business is, you might get a plethora of answers. At the root of any answer you get will be the most obvious and important part of business: customers. How you keep customers happy defines your business.

In this month’s employee spotlight, we are featuring Sierra’s Service Delivery Manager of over 5 years, Gregory Crout, the heart of Sierra’s customer satisfaction assurance.

Outside of work, Greg’s biggest passion is his family, and he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He also spends time reading about a variety of topics, like psychology, and technical nonfiction. Greg is a member of ISACA, an independent, nonprofit, global association engaging in the development, adoption, and use of globally accepted, industry-leading knowledge and practices for information systems.

Greg started his journey at Ohio University, where he attained his Bachelors of Science in Communication Systems Management.   Initially, he notes, he was interested in entering a career in the production of radio and television. When he started his course work, however, he found a deep interest in more technical work, and changed his major.

Before joining the team at Sierra, Greg worked at companies such as Progressive Insurance, Deloitte, The Kraft Heinz Company, BNY Mellon, and JPMorgan Chase, performing the roles of Telecommunications Operations Specialist, Systems Analyst, and Senior Auditor.

Greg brings a wide range of technical and business experience to his role at Sierra. He mentions that every day is different, and he spends a large portion of his time identifying possible customer concerns and quickly finding resolution. Essentially, he ensures that potential issues never come to fruition, to give our customers the best possible experience.

Speaking of Sierra’s company culture, Greg notes:


At Sierra, it’s not about what you love, but how you love it. Our team doesn’t just enjoy their work; they have a real passion and drive surrounding it. I enjoy working with a company like Sierra, because from my perspective, in the corporate world you just don’t see this kind of individual ownership.


We would say of Greg, that he fits the description of our culture extremely well. Greg believes in getting it right the first time, and his passion for the company mission is admirable.

If you’re a customer of Sierra, there’s a good chance that you’ll get to know Greg. We’re confident in his abilities to keep everything running smoothly, and we hope you’ll be happy you spoke to him.


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Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.

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March Employee Spotlight: Chad Koehler

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Business Development at Sierra w/o Wires combines a passion for new technology and a strong desire to help customers solve the tough problems. This month in our employee spotlight, we would like to feature someone who exemplifies those qualities, Chad Koehler, Sierra’s Business Development Manager.

Chad grew up in sunny Florida, where he acquired his Bachelors in Criminology and Business. Growing up near a beach, he notes that he has always been a fan of the outdoors. In Pennsylvania, he says that he still enjoys the outdoors, but now his hobbies have shifted toward golf, softball, and cycling. He spends a lot of time on the Montour Trail when the weather is agreeable.

Family comes first for Chad, and he traded the beach for the mountains of Pennsylvania in 2009 after getting married. He speaks affectionately about his wife and son, noting that spending time with his son is his favorite pastime, and he enjoys coaching his T-Ball team.

At Sierra, Chad saw an opportunity to continue learning while engaging with professionals from varied backgrounds. Speaking of work, he says:

I’ve been in sales positions for about 10 years. I think what really drew me to the field is a love of meeting new people and solving problems. My experience with sales related positions have been centric to the customer experience. At Sierra, I retain that value while constantly building on my technical knowledge by being immersed in new technology first-hand.
Technology is a passion of mine. It’s always changing, and it never gets boring. It’s a great field to be involved in because there’s always something new to learn.

At Sierra, we’re glad to have passionate and driven team members like Chad. Technology is at the core of our services, but we never forget the value of the person.
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Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.

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Spring Cleaning: Time to Clear Out Old Technology

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We see it all the time – companies procrastinating when it comes to buying new technology. Who can blame them? It’s always a tough choice when new options are springing up constantly and pricing changes just as frequently. On top of that, the shelf life for new tech is not staggeringly long. On average, it’s recommended that companies use servers for 3-5 years before replacing them. That’s not a long time for such a large financial commitment!

So if that’s true, why not use your technology longer? 



Well, you might actually be losing money if you take that stance. This is why:
  • Vulnerability: Your old tech could be putting your data at risk. Over a long enough period of time, hackers will always find flaws and exploits to take advantage of. Once tech reaches its end of life, it’s even more at risk, since security updates are no longer provided. According to a study by IBM and Ponemon Institute, “2015 Cost of Data Breach Study: Global Analysis,” the average cost of a data breach in a company is $3.79 million. 
  • Performance: This doesn’t sound like a big deal, because it doesn’t directly cost anything, right? What about your staff’s time – is that free? Old technology runs slow and is expensive to fix. Studies suggest that it costs $780 per year to support one installation of Windows XP, compared to $168 per year for Windows 8. Supporting Windows Server 2003 could cost upwards of $200,000 per year. That’s a much bigger price tag than buying new tech.
  • Capabilities: Growth capacity is always important when running a successful business. When using old technologies, companies lack the ability to keep up with competitor efforts and scale appropriately. Plus, old technology can be incompatible with any new technology you choose to adopt. The last thing any business wants is to say no to a job because they aren’t able to handle it.  


Now that we’ve looked at how much money old technology costs, maybe this year for spring cleaning, it’s time to get rid of the waste.


Where should I start when buying new hardware or software?



  • Assess: Consider how old your current technology is. What operating system are you using? When did you buy your hardware? A full audit of your current situation will help you decide whether it’s time to buy, and what you’ll need. 
    • PCs and laptops should be used for 3-4 years, and definitely no more than 6 years.
    • Servers should be used for 3-5 years, and no longer than 7 years. 
    • Routers and switches should be used for 4-5 years, and no more than 10 years. 
    • Software is on a case-by-case basis. Check to make sure that you’re still getting security updates. Also, if there have been several newer versions, it’s probably time to switch. 

  • Shop: With technology, it’s always best to buy direct, or from a certified reseller. This is because they will generally be able to provide better buying advice, higher quality support, along with assistance integrating the solution with your current technology.


  • Dispose: This might sound like a given, but once you’ve decided on new hardware, you will need to think about what to do with the equipment you’re replacing. In many states, it’s illegal to just throw hardware away. It has to be properly disposed or recycled through approved vendors. Even looking past the legality of the matter, your important data is stored on that equipment, posing a security threat. 


If you’re looking for an IT asset disposition (ITAD) company, we recommend eLoop to help with the devices you’re retiring. They process working and non-working devices, and sanitize or destroy hard drives and electronic media. They provide value in refurbishing and reselling devices, and they are environmentally compliant.

Spring is right around the corner. Don’t forget to clear out your old technology with the rest of your spring cleaning.


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Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.

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February Employee Spotlight: Chris Chappel

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At Sierra, custom software development is one of our core services. Our software engineering team loves a challenge, so they’re usually handling complex projects. We’re proud of the team, and this month in our Employee Spotlight, we’d like to honor Chris Chappel, Senior Application Engineer at Sierra w/o Wires.  

Before he joined the Sierra team, Chris studied computer programming at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PTI), and interned with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining. In his spare time, Chris travels often. He notes that this year he’s considering going to Orlando, Florida, to play a game called Ingress. It’s a GPS based mobile game that centers around travelling and capturing portals across the world.

Chris has been with Sierra for over 5 years, and he specializes in ASP.NET, VB.NET, C#.NET, SQL, and Javascript. He enjoys learning new things, and says that one of the most rewarding experiences an application engineer can have is to learn a new programming language. He recounts an experience he’s had: 

If there’s one really good way to learn a new language in practice, it’s by debugging. I can recall a project involving debugging an application that was written in Ruby. I didn’t have any experience with Ruby, but I love learning something new, so I offered to work on the project. It was a challenge, but worthwhile. By the time the project was complete, I felt really comfortable working with the language.

In his day-to-day work, Chris spends a lot of his time improving Sierra’s application based offerings, like Sierra Billing Manager and Sierra Incident Manager, along with meeting onsite with customers to discuss their needs. He says it’s fulfilling work, because what he does will directly affect the efficiency and convenience of customers. He mentions that because of the work he’s done with Sierra Billing Manager alone, he knows of companies that have saved enough money to hire new employees to grow their business.

If you’re considering custom software, or any of Sierra’s software, Chris is the guy to talk to, and we can’t think of anyone who’s more qualified.


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Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.
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5 Common Technology Issues for Small Business

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Let’s face the facts – while technology provides a measurable benefit to business of all sizes, it can be difficult for small business to know how much to budget, and where to invest in technology. With great benefit comes great responsibility, as well. Technology related security has become as important as a business’ physical security. If hackers can find out your financial data and that of your customers, that’s almost as bad or worse than having your storefront robbed. 

So where do a lot of small businesses go wrong? 

1. No Firewall / Non-Enterprise Firewall: You wouldn’t leave your business’ door unlocked, so why leave your computers unprotected? Having a Non-Enterprise Firewall or worse - not having a firewall in place is like leaving the lights on and doors unlocked while your business is unmanned, for anyone to come in and take or destroy whatever they want to. A firewall controls incoming and outgoing traffic to keep malicious activity out of your network, and it’s absolutely essential for any business. 

2. No Offsite Backup and Recovery Plan: Your business’ technology may seem secure if you’ve done everything right, but data disasters can happen to anyone. Does your business have a plan to handle a server crashing, or the accidental deletion of needed data? It’s always a good idea to backup all vital data in case of an emergency, because it’s easier to prepare than to rebuild. It’s even better to have your data backed up offsite, in case of a fire, earthquake, or other local disaster. 

3. Integration Issues: So you’ve just implemented new software or hardware that will solve all of your business needs. Do you know if it works with your existing infrastructure? Problems with integration can lead to inefficiencies and waste. This can be avoided by planning ahead. Take a close look at what you’re already using, and ask the right questions before making a large purchase. 

4. Outdated Equipment: If your business’ operations don’t directly relate to technology, it’s easy to think you can get away with using old technology. Unfortunately, if you do, you’re probably not getting the best performance or reliability. Even worse, you’re leaving your company’s data at risk, once equipment reaches end of life. Once software updates cease, heightened security risks generally arise. 

5. Reactive Instead of Proactive Solving: It seems like a common theme, for small businesses to wait until something breaks to address a problem. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s always easier to plan ahead than to rebuild. Think about the hours of waste that could happen if your entire operations have to halt for a technology breakdown. Wouldn’t it be easier to monitor predictively? 

Is your business making any of these common mistakes? It might be time to reconsider your plan, and research the best solutions. 


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January Employee Spotlight: Erica Raymond

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Often production is the focal point of a company’s operations. This is fair, because if a company were a person, production would be the heart, providing what is needed constantly to keep it alive. However, sales and marketing should be heavily considered also, as these roles serve as a company’s eyes, ears, and voice.  Those in sales play the important role of being a company’s ambassador, developing relationships, identifying needs and proposing solutions, along with generally representing the culture.

This month, the spotlight is on Erica Raymond, Inside Sales Representative at Sierra w/o Wires. Erica has been with the company for just under a year, and in that time has become an invaluable part of the team.

 Erica studied at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), where she attained her Bachelor of Science in Marketing. During her time there, she became a member of one of the largest co-ed professional business fraternities, Phi Gamma Nu. She served as the chapter’s Historian, helping with everything from recruiting, to event planning and photography. She took part in several outreach programs, including Hoops for Haiti.

While at IUP, Erica was also a member of the Student Marketing Association. Erica ventured to New York City with the group, and gained valuable insight into event planning and management.
Erica has been in sales for 6 years, much of which has been in a position of leadership. Working at Sierra, Erica states that she has faced new and exciting challenges in the field. She actively seeks opportunities to learn about the diverse range of industries that the company interfaces with, through communications, research, and attending networking events.

At work or in her spare time, Erica enjoys meeting people of different backgrounds and hearing their story. She says that her favorite event to date was a networking event centered around women in IT, stating:

“There’s nothing more inspirational than to see women striving in a field where they are a minority. Women should be empowered to succeed in the STEM fields, and it’s great to see that become more and more prevalent.”

At first meeting, it’s notable how warm and genuinely nice Erica is. If you’re seeking a solution for managed services, telephony, development, hosting and more, without the pressure of a hard sale, Erica is the person to talk to.


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Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.

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Pittsburgh – A City of Many Names Turns 200

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Pittsburgh’s history is as rich and diverse as the landscape surrounding it. Pittsburgh has been aptly nicknamed the City of Bridges and Three Rivers as a tribute to the terrain the city grew around. It’s also been called Iron City, and later Steel City, for the industry that made it a powerhouse. This year, as Pittsburgh celebrates it bicentennial as a city, what future names will we call the ‘Burgh?

Originally, Pittsburgh was known as the Gateway to the West, as it served a vital role in early trade and travel along waterways. Pittsburgh connected the eastern cities to the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, along with the Great Lakes region.

Later on, Pittsburgh dominated the steel industry, due to innovations by Andrew Carnegie. As the industry grew, Pittsburgh became the most efficient producer in the world. Steel remained centric to the region until around the 1980s. 

In more recent days, Pittsburgh transitioned from manufacturing to an economy driven by health services, finance, education, and innovative technologies. Work in computer-related fields alone has grown at twice the national average in Pittsburgh over the past several years. In fact, in 2015, Money Magazine ranked Pittsburgh the number one Best Place to Live in the Northeast, crediting the town for its explosive growth in the field of technology. At Sierra w/o Wires, we like to think being headquartered in Pittsburgh is the right choice.

This March, Pittsburgh will have officially been a city for 200 years. As the city comes together for a yearlong celebration, perhaps it’s time to rename it Cyburgh.

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Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.
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Introducing XBert!

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One of our engineers was cleaning out old IT equipment to be recycled when he came across an old 128k memory chip from our CEO’s Tandy 1000. After some soldering, some twinax cables, a little bit of CPU grease to include our logo and some hot gluing capacitors together the end result was truly amazing…

Introducing XBert! XBert travels with the team everyplace they go and he also does a fantastic job ensuring our team of Experts isolate and remediate issues long before they ever become service critical to you, our clients. Look for XBert in a server room near you!
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Knowing the risks of Cyber Security

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Cyber Security is always a treat waiting around the corner, and Sierra wants you to be aware of the risks your business could face. Educating the public about the threats that could be imposed should a cyber incident occur is a must. With the world being as connected as it is today, we need to have the skills and knowledge to safely navigate the internet. 

All businesses, big and small, face a number of cybersecurity challenges, like being the target of cybercriminals or having intellectual property stolen. Cybersecurity must become a priority for every business across all industries.

Cyber Security risks include infiltration of information such as company assets, employee and customer information, confidential company data, etc. Companies need to have in place cyber risk management plans to prevent any harmful doing to their valuable information. The best way to do so is through a process known as penetration testing. Penetration testing is a software attack on a system that looks for security flaws, and potentially gaining access to that systems data. This test can help determine if a company’s system was vulnerable to an attack, if there were proper barricades in place that could defend the attack, and determine what defenses need to be implemented should the attack be successful.

Sierra w/o Wires is here to help. Contact us today to see how we can protect your business and its valuable data at 412.722.0707 or visit one of our websites at www.SierraExperts.com or www.SierraDataCenters.com
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National Veterans Small Business Week

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This week, November 2nd- 7th, is recognized for the second year as National Veterans Small Business Week. It is conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration, where they host events across the country, to celebrate and support current and future veteran owned businesses.

 Small businesses are crucial to our nation’s economy. In the US, there are more than 28 million small business. Drive and leadership are skills necessary to start and grow a small business so it is not a shock that veterans are an essential part of America’s small business landscape. Almost one out of every 10 U.S. small businesses are veteran owned and generate more than $1.1 trillion in earnings each year, employing nearly 6 million workers.

 More than 1 million active service men and women will transition back into civilian life in the coming months and years. Veteran business owners continue to serve our nation by contributing, producing and sustaining economic opportunities for the nation.

Sierra w/o Wires is proud to be a Veteran Owned Business, supporting all active and veteran servicemen serving local and abroad.
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Sierra's Top 5 Techy Costume Picks!

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Are you a true nerd at heart, where technology just seems to always be surrounding you?  Halloween is the perfect chance to go all out and blow those boring costumes out of the water with your super cool tech costume. Here is our top five list of tech costume ideas for 2015:

1. Mario and Luigi: Who doesn’t like a little Mario Cart? Grab your best friend or significant other go out as the dynamic duo.

2. Social Media: Because who doesn’t have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Wear the logo or even create a cardboard cutout of your page. Your costume will be sure to get some “Likes” that night.

3. Micro Chip: Are you that simple guy who normally wears the t shirt that says “This is my costume”? We have an alternate solution for you. Buy a plain t shirt and a marker- write the word ‘micro’ on it. Then simply carry around a bag of potato chips. Cheesy or genius?

4. Flash Dance: Fan of the popular 1983 film, but also have a nerdy side? Solution: take a tutu and attach flash drives to it. Simple and creative, what more does one need?

5. Cloud: Let’s face it, if you work in the IT industry, everything is now switching to the cloud, so why not be one. There are a few ways to pull, this one off. Wear all white and a white boa, make a paper cut out and wear it around your neck, or even just draw one on your shirt!

So go out and nerd it up. Halloween is the one day of the year when it's okay to go all-out on a geeky/techy costume!
 

 
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Keep Calm and Maintenance On

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Chances are your work environment will have scheduled maintenance done within. No need to panic, you can easily be prepared and keep your businesses valuable data safe and save yourself a lot of headaches. It is key to not only let everyone in the office know of the scheduled down time, but also you’re MSP (Managed Service Provider). Doing this can reduce the risk of someone trying to power up components when they are supposed to be powered down. Scheduled maintenance that should be communicated includes server maintenance, planned power outages, or implementing new switches or routers.
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Back to the Future: October 21, 2015

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Today is October 21, 2015. This is the same date on which a time traveling Marty McFly arrived in the future within the 1985 film Back to the Future.

In case you are too young to remember the 80’s, here’s an IMDB link: http://imdb.to/1HwWIs4

In the film, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels back in time, where he alters his parents’ lives for the better and also takes steps to ensure his future existence. The film trilogy is notorious for featuring interesting technologies that are said to exist in the future. Since we are now here, let’s take a look a few of these technologies and see how the film stacks up against today’s reality.

Hover Boards
Hoverboards may be the most iconic prop from the film series. Marty uses the wheel-less board to freely surf over land. It turns out hoverboards are a reality in 2015, sort of. Lexus developed a hoverboard that requires a special surface for it to work, but it’s still pretty cool. 

Back to the Future: http://bit.ly/1jZuvi6
Today: http://bit.ly/1dfCwRH

Holograms
Marty McFly comes across a movie billboard that is holographic. A massive shark comes to life atop a building and lunges toward him with its mouth wide open. Here again, holograms are pretty much a reality in 2015. Just last year, a deceased Michael Jackson reappeared on stage, in hologram form.

Back to the Future: http://bit.ly/1qwdS1N
Today: http://bit.ly/1hWnFIc

Biometric Authentication
Back to the Future Part II features futuristic biometric authentication when Jennifer, Marty’s girlfriend and future wife, scans her finger in order to enter her home.  This prediction came true - today, many of us use this technology to access our homes and our phones.

Back to the Future: http://bit.ly/1XkbMC1
Today: http://bit.ly/1PGGOSm

Drones
When the film’s antagonist, Biff, is arrested, a USA Today flying camera covers the scene. Camera-equipped drones are of course commonplace today.

Back to the Future: http://bit.ly/1LnUOxa
Today: http://on.mash.to/1LLDiEE

We think the Back to the Future films got it pretty right. If we can help you with your technology needs, now or in the future, please visit our website at www.SierraExperts.com or call a member of team at 412-722-0707. Ok, time to go back to work.
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Spam, it’s for the birds.

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Become an expert at identifying spam in your inbox. We all know to delete the standard **Free 60’ TV!!** in the subject line, however there are times when SPAM isn’t written in black and white.  Spam emails have become very challenging to read, because it seems like it is coming from a legitimate source. There are a few tips that can help you.

Make sure you check the links found in the message before clicking. Copy and paste into notepad or a word document so you can analyze and see if it looks fishy. If the message claims it is coming from your cell phone provider and when you click you are directed to http://susy-and-tom-from-nowhere.com you have been spammed and should automatically delete. You can also contact MSP to purchase spam detecting software. This is the safest and most efficient way of sorting through what emails are coming from a legitimate source and which ones are not.
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Adobe confirms major Flash vulnerability

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With Adobe releasing their monthly security patches including Flash Player, they confirmed a major security vulnerability that impacts all versions of Flash for Windows/Mac/Linux.  Yes...ALL versions.  The security vulnerability has been used by a limited amount of hackers that are crashing computers or taking full control of them. 

“A critical vulnerability (CVE-2015-7645) has been identified in Adobe Flash Player 19.0.0.207 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and Linux,” Adobe wrote in a security bulletin posted to its website. “Successful exploitation could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.”

 Adobe has said it hopes to have an updated patch available next week.  Hope is a tricky word.

The vulnerability was identified by Trend Micro which stated:
“Trend Micro researchers have discovered that the attackers behind Pawn Storm are using a new Adobe Flash zero-day exploit in their latest campaign,”  “Pawn Storm is a long-running cyber-espionage campaign known for its high-profile targets and usage of the first Java zero-day we’ve seen in the last couple of years.”

Resolution?  Uninstall Flash until Adobe resolves their issues, hopefully faster than they entail. If Sierra is protecting your network with our Next Generation Managed Firewall solution, you can disregard this message.  Contact our Sales@SierraExperts.com to find out how Sierra can secure you against these and other types of threats proactively.
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3 questions to ask about your business’s website

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In today’s technology driven world, every successful business has a website, but is their website successful? When it comes to a website there are three questions to ask yourself: Is my website appealing to my customers? Is my website’s data safe and secure? Is my website device agnostic?

You can’t just slap your logo into the corner of a web page and call it a day, you need to invest time and money into making your website as appealing as possible. Companies sometimes make the mistake of burying their websites with mass amounts of information on too many pages. Keep it clean and simple. This way you won’t discourage customers from navigating away from your site. Also keep your brand in mind. Make sure your logo, contact information and social media links are present on each page, chances are that is what the browser is looking for.

Next you need to find an MSP (Managed Service Provider) to monitor your site, so you don’t have to. This means you can put your focus on your business, and let the experts handle your IT infrastructure. MSP’s can monitor for threats to your website and detect and prevent downtime. MSP’s usually operate 24x7x365 so you can rest easy knowing your website is safe and secure.

79% of mobile web consumers use their phone for shopping and browsing the web, 40% of mobile shoppers will abandon a site that doesn’t load in 3 seconds. Being device agnostic means your website is compatible across all internet browsers and devices. When designing your website this is one of the most important components to keep in mind. Don’t lose out on customers because you didn’t take the time to test your site!
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July Employee Spotlight

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Whether it be a website or logo, a t shirt or a pen, a table top sign or a banner, our Creative Services Lead, Megan McGregor, is the girl for the job. Megan has been Sierra’s in-house graphic designer for over 3 years now. She received her BFA in Graphic Design and a Minor in Fine Arts from Marietta College. Her interests and hobbies reflect the work she does here in the office. Megan enjoys crafting, playing instruments and illustration. What she really enjoys focusing on is responsive design and user experience.
Every month we ask our employee spotlight a question to learn a bit more about their personality. We asked Megan who her biggest celebrity influence was and what attributes contributed to this. Her response was both enlightening and very interesting to hear:

“Paul Rand… he’s a celebrity in the graphic design world. In fact, nearly everyone is familiar with his work, although they may not realize it. He designed the Westinghouse, UPS, IBM, and ABC logos. A key reason I admire Paul Rand’s corporate identity work is because his logos exemplify one key component of building a strong brand: timelessness. The ABC logo that you see today is the same as it was when it was originally created in 1962. With advances in technology, many logos today use gradients and transparencies to create interesting visual effects. However, as a brand ages, a logo needs to be reproduced under different circumstances and logos that rely on gradients and transparencies don’t always hold up. When it comes time to print the logo on a black and white printer, reversed in one color, or embroidered on a shirt, companies can run in to trouble. I often use Rand’s work as a reminder when designing logos to create a mark that will hold up over time and a variety of applications.”

Not only did this get our minds flowing, but it made us realize how powerful a logo is for a brand’s image. When deciding what factors go into making a memorable logo, Megan gave us some tips and tricks on how to do so successfully. She used the word ‘versatile’ quite often. Megan states, “The logo should remain a strong mark whether printed large, small, in color, or in black and white. Having a horizontal and vertical version of the logo established also helps as the need to have the logo be applied in various ways arises.” We couldn’t agree more! Too many times have we seen small business create a logo that looks great on the corner of their website, but when they blow it up for a banner or t-shirt, it becomes distorted and hard to distinguish.

When Megan is doing design work, the second thing that pops into her head is ‘simplicity’. It is key she tell us, “Often times, especially with small businesses, the urge is to create a detailed drawing as a logo that captures all of the features of a business. However, a simple logo is generally more effective and memorable because it is quickly digestible and recognizable.” She is right, simple is better. Distracting logos take away from the true meaning of what the business is trying to portray. Paul Rand’s work wouldn’t be so memorable if the ABC logo was green and blue, it’s simplicity of being black and white captures us.

Megan’s final piece of advice when it comes to creating a logo is to be distinct. She says “To prevent a logo from looking dated, having a logo that relies on current trends, whether that be shape, color application, or fonts, should be avoided.” By following this key factor, a company will always be recognized, even if just by their logo!

Here at Sierra w/o Wires, we provide custom development for almost anything you can think of! We have created memorable logos for companies as well as custom websites. In today’s internet-driven world, your website should play a key role in attracting customers and increasing sales. Company websites are becoming increasingly important as more and more people turn to the Web to make decisions about where to shop, eat, play, etc.

We would like to help your organization with just about any development requests you should have! If your business is in need of a unique, custom development solution, feel free to contact us at SoftwareDevelopment@SierraExperts.com or at 412-722-0707.
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WARNING: Severe Storm Watch !

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We all know it has been and stormy and wet summer here in Pittsburgh. We never know if we will have to shut down our plans to be outside for the day due to severe weather, should your business fear the same? Let’s take a look at the forecast: we see mass amounts of rain coming causing severe flooding and water damage. Can your businesses valuable data withhold the storm?

So many times have we seen company’s lose mass amounts of data because a thunderstorm or a flash flood has caused damage to their building. This data could be something your business has been working on for months, and in a split second it’s gone. Should this happen, is your business protected with a BDR?

What is a BDR? BDR stands for backup disaster recovery. BDR solutions help companies cut back on the hazard of data loss. According to FEMA, 40% of business do not reopen after a disaster strikes and 25% fail within the first year of the disaster.

When disaster strikes, you should know the Sierra team is on your side and already fixing the problem before it happens.  Sierra offers remote systems monitoring services that are fully customizable and are supported by our senior-level systems engineers. We provide both machine-driven and human-driven problem alerting. Sierra has a redundant system to monitor and manage 24/7, 365 to ensure your valuable data is never lost. Our proactive remote monitoring tools and methodology allow our team of information technology experts to identify emerging issues, isolate them, and execute a fix before network outages or other interruptions occur.

To learn more about how your business could use Sierra as your BDR, contact us today at 412.722.0707 or visit our website at http://www.SierraExperts.com/Monitoring.aspx
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June Employee Spotlight: Andy Boggess

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This month we put the spotlight on a member of our sales team, Andy Boggess. Andy has been working at Sierra for a little over 2 months and is our business Development Manager. He attended Gannon University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Marketing.

Andy’s interests inside of work consist of working closely with industries like manufacturing and technology. His hobbies consist of golf, ice hockey, playing with his pit-bull boxer Marley and training his 3 year old son to be a future champion.

Outside of work, Andy works with a local based non-profit organization called Pitcairn Camp B. Pitcairn has been around since 1948 and takes 150+ kids to the Laurel Mountains each summer. They take kids ages 7 to 16 to experience the fun of camping, developing teamwork skills, and keeping physically active.

Everyone has a dream job when they are a little kid, Andy’s wasn’t quite in the technology industry. He wanted to be a chef. When we asked Andy why he wanted to be that he responded: “I wanted to be a chef. As a young child, I was quite chubby and liked to eat. What better job to have as a chubby kid?” We feel you Andy, food is awesome and getting to be around it every day would be even better!

Think technology isn’t found in the food industry? Think again! According to Forbes “Food and beverage industry executives see technology as the greatest driver of future growth”. Here at Sierra, we couldn’t agree more.

With social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, marketing is becoming a very cheap way to reach a lot of people. How many times a day do we see friends on social media posting pictures of their plates? If you didn’t tweet it, you didn’t eat it! Mobile and online ordering is also becoming a huge success factor for the fast food industry. No longer do we have to make a phone call to get a pizza delivered. Just pull up an app, put in your order and location and you have your food. Digital signage is seen everywhere, but have you ever noticed how often fast food restaurants and beverage companies take advantage of this display technique. It’s everywhere! Take a look at times square, we bet you can stand there for 10 seconds and see at least 3.

Sierra w/o Wires and our sister company Sierra Media Services, have the ability and skills to help your food business grow with the rapid changes in technology. At Sierra, we offer managed services, website and custom application development. Your website might work on a desktop, but is it device agnostic and work on a smart phone or tablet? We can make it happen, all while monitor and manage it at the same time! Also, out sister company Sierra Media Services can provide you with all of your digital signage needs.

Think Sierra can work for your food business? Contact us today at 412.722.0707 or visit our websites at www.SierraExperts.com www.SierraMedia.com

 


http://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellegould/2013/08/16/technology-will-drive-food-industry-growth-finds-kpmg-survey/
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Do you know what industries Sierra Serves?

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Do you know what industries the Sierra companies serve? We can guarantee there are about 25 you never would image that are taking place in businesses all around you. Have you ever stayed at a hotel and connected to their Wi-Fi, or get an awesome new hairstyle? We were probably behind the scenes. Ever known someone under a biometric house arrest or have seen police lights in your review view mirror (smile and slow down)... Yes, we will almost guarantee we were there too! Medicaid billing solutions… Have you ever known someone who has had a bone scan at the hospital, ever had eye exam or know of anyone that has had brain surgery? You guessed it, Sierra was there. Ever gone to school, or needed a lawyer …need we say more? … Instead of replacing industrial oil, hey we are behind the scenes filtering and reusing it! Ever wondered how tractor trailers are always so coordinated in destination management, or have you ever seen a cool robot cruising down a hall or carrying a pallet? Ever do something as daily as completing an electronic bank deposit or tried to figure out what happens to your old tires…football fields anyone? Have you visited a Halloween spook house or if you are from PA, you know where you buy wine…right? And ooohh the pretty flowers, it’s so great to see millions in one location! My back hurts – fixed with our help! Honey – did you remember to get the propane tank filled? Encourage your local blood drives – save lives! Ever buy a house? Like a good neighbor… Young Man keep your feet on the ground... and on top of all that Sierra has the most bandwidth in Pittsburgh going through our data center!

Think you have not worked with Sierra? We will bet you a free month of server management that you see us in your everyday life behind the scenes.

Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling.
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