#fifonetworks — Public Fediverse posts

A man passed away recently. He had eight different email addresses, including a couple that belonged to his wife before she died in 2019. His family is paying me to close down his social media presence and close out the email accounts. I just closed an AOL email account that he opened in the 1990s. A couple of the other old emails (anyone remember Juno?) had no MFA, and the passwords consisted only of uppercase and lowercase letters.

These old email addresses are a spammer’s dream. Easy to crack into, well established addresses, and the deceased person won’t complain or tighten security.

If you have a loved one who passed away, make some decisions about their email addresses. Add MFA that you control if you’re going to keep the email active. And when it’s time, close the account. I know that’s a big emotional step. It seems so final. On the other hand, your loved one probably doesn’t want their old email address used for cybercrime.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#RemoteSupport #TechSupport #HelpDesk

A man passed away recently. He had eight different email addresses, including a couple that belonged to his wife before she died in 2019. His family is paying me to close down his social media presence and close out the email accounts. I just closed an AOL email account that he opened in the 1990s. A couple of the other old emails (anyone remember Juno?) had no MFA, and the passwords consisted only of uppercase and lowercase letters.

These old email addresses are a spammer’s dream. Easy to crack into, well established addresses, and the deceased person won’t complain or tighten security.

If you have a loved one who passed away, make some decisions about their email addresses. Add MFA that you control if you’re going to keep the email active. And when it’s time, close the account. I know that’s a big emotional step. It seems so final. On the other hand, your loved one probably doesn’t want their old email address used for cybercrime.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#RemoteSupport #TechSupport #HelpDesk

A man passed away recently. He had eight different email addresses, including a couple that belonged to his wife before she died in 2019. His family is paying me to close down his social media presence and close out the email accounts. I just closed an AOL email account that he opened in the 1990s. A couple of the other old emails (anyone remember Juno?) had no MFA, and the passwords consisted only of uppercase and lowercase letters.

These old email addresses are a spammer’s dream. Easy to crack into, well established addresses, and the deceased person won’t complain or tighten security.

If you have a loved one who passed away, make some decisions about their email addresses. Add MFA that you control if you’re going to keep the email active. And when it’s time, close the account. I know that’s a big emotional step. It seems so final. On the other hand, your loved one probably doesn’t want their old email address used for cybercrime.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#RemoteSupport #TechSupport #HelpDesk

A man passed away recently. He had eight different email addresses, including a couple that belonged to his wife before she died in 2019. His family is paying me to close down his social media presence and close out the email accounts. I just closed an AOL email account that he opened in the 1990s. A couple of the other old emails (anyone remember Juno?) had no MFA, and the passwords consisted only of uppercase and lowercase letters.

These old email addresses are a spammer’s dream. Easy to crack into, well established addresses, and the deceased person won’t complain or tighten security.

If you have a loved one who passed away, make some decisions about their email addresses. Add MFA that you control if you’re going to keep the email active. And when it’s time, close the account. I know that’s a big emotional step. It seems so final. On the other hand, your loved one probably doesn’t want their old email address used for cybercrime.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#RemoteSupport #TechSupport #HelpDesk

A man passed away recently. He had eight different email addresses, including a couple that belonged to his wife before she died in 2019. His family is paying me to close down his social media presence and close out the email accounts. I just closed an AOL email account that he opened in the 1990s. A couple of the other old emails (anyone remember Juno?) had no MFA, and the passwords consisted only of uppercase and lowercase letters.

These old email addresses are a spammer’s dream. Easy to crack into, well established addresses, and the deceased person won’t complain or tighten security.

If you have a loved one who passed away, make some decisions about their email addresses. Add MFA that you control if you’re going to keep the email active. And when it’s time, close the account. I know that’s a big emotional step. It seems so final. On the other hand, your loved one probably doesn’t want their old email address used for cybercrime.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#RemoteSupport #TechSupport #HelpDesk

A couple of weeks ago a new small business client signed up for firewall monitoring service. After I got set up with remote access, I started poking around and discovered that they were paying for licenses for features that had never been enabled. It didn’t cost them any more money – I just had to flip the toggles on the dashboard and activate the features. Then, for a couple of those features, there were some choices to be made and settings to adjust to refine the operation.

THE LESSON
Buying hardware or software to protect your system is only the first step. That hardware appliance or app has to be configured correctly in order to do its job correctly.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

#TechSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

A couple of weeks ago a new small business client signed up for firewall monitoring service. After I got set up with remote access, I started poking around and discovered that they were paying for licenses for features that had never been enabled. It didn’t cost them any more money – I just had to flip the toggles on the dashboard and activate the features. Then, for a couple of those features, there were some choices to be made and settings to adjust to refine the operation.

THE LESSON
Buying hardware or software to protect your system is only the first step. That hardware appliance or app has to be configured correctly in order to do its job correctly.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

#TechSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“Bob, my printer quality is low. Please come fix it.”

I drove to the client’s office. It’s a small business, about a dozen employees. The VP fills multiple rolls, something that you’ll understand if you’re in a small business yourself. She’s Head of HR, and also Senior Accountant. When I got there, she said, “I can’t print the employee insurance cards. Look at this mess. They’re illegible.”

Thanks, Delta Dental, for issuing insurance “cards” as PDF files where the text on the back of the cards is in about 3-point font. Love you for that.

Anyway, to start, the black toner on the laser printer was out. She replaced it with a toner cartridge that was OPEN, out of its wrapper, laying on a counter. When the first cartridge was installed, the printer had a “low toner” message. With the replacement cartridge, the one that was already open, it showed zero black toner. Now it wouldn’t print the insurance cards at all.

She looked around and found a box with new toner cartridges in it. All four: black, magenta, cyan, yellow. The box still had the form fitting Styrofoam package filler, and each toner cartridge was sealed in plastic. I thought, “Now we’re getting somewhere!” But no. No, we were not getting closer to a solution.

We put the new black toner cartridge in the printer, closed the top, and the LCD screen said, “Insert the black toner cartridge.” It didn’t even recognize it. Can you guess now? They bought a box of off-brand of toner cartridges to save money.

I said, “Okay, there’s nothing more to do here until you get good toner cartridges. I recommend sticking with the manufacturer’s cartridges for the most reliable print quality.”

The VP said, “Those cost too much! I’m not paying for those cartridges!”

So I didn’t fix the company’s printer problem, and I’m fine with that. I correctly diagnosed the problem and prescribed an effective cure.

There comes a point when you can’t blame your problems on Tech Support. You have to own your decisions. It’s your responsibility when you decide that you won’t take action, or won’t spend money on proper repairs.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER...
While I was working on a different problem for one of the other people, about thirty minutes later the VP came out of her office and said, “I just ordered two brand-name black toner cartridges. They’ll be here Monday.”

She just had to mull it over for awhile, I guess, and wrap her head around the idea that quality is worth paying for, if it brings the desired results.

THE LESSON
It’s not always about fixing the technology. Sometimes, it’s about fixing the decision maker.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

#email #TechSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“Bob, my printer quality is low. Please come fix it.”

I drove to the client’s office. It’s a small business, about a dozen employees. The VP fills multiple rolls, something that you’ll understand if you’re in a small business yourself. She’s Head of HR, and also Senior Accountant. When I got there, she said, “I can’t print the employee insurance cards. Look at this mess. They’re illegible.”

Thanks, Delta Dental, for issuing insurance “cards” as PDF files where the text on the back of the cards is in about 3-point font. Love you for that.

Anyway, to start, the black toner on the laser printer was out. She replaced it with a toner cartridge that was OPEN, out of its wrapper, laying on a counter. When the first cartridge was installed, the printer had a “low toner” message. With the replacement cartridge, the one that was already open, it showed zero black toner. Now it wouldn’t print the insurance cards at all.

She looked around and found a box with new toner cartridges in it. All four: black, magenta, cyan, yellow. The box still had the form fitting Styrofoam package filler, and each toner cartridge was sealed in plastic. I thought, “Now we’re getting somewhere!” But no. No, we were not getting closer to a solution.

We put the new black toner cartridge in the printer, closed the top, and the LCD screen said, “Insert the black toner cartridge.” It didn’t even recognize it. Can you guess now? They bought a box of off-brand of toner cartridges to save money.

I said, “Okay, there’s nothing more to do here until you get good toner cartridges. I recommend sticking with the manufacturer’s cartridges for the most reliable print quality.”

The VP said, “Those cost too much! I’m not paying for those cartridges!”

So I didn’t fix the company’s printer problem, and I’m fine with that. I correctly diagnosed the problem and prescribed an effective cure.

There comes a point when you can’t blame your problems on Tech Support. You have to own your decisions. It’s your responsibility when you decide that you won’t take action, or won’t spend money on proper repairs.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER...
While I was working on a different problem for one of the other people, about thirty minutes later the VP came out of her office and said, “I just ordered two brand-name black toner cartridges. They’ll be here Monday.”

She just had to mull it over for awhile, I guess, and wrap her head around the idea that quality is worth paying for, if it brings the desired results.

THE LESSON
It’s not always about fixing the technology. Sometimes, it’s about fixing the decision maker.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

#email #TechSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“Bob, one of my employees can send email from his iPhone, but he’s not receiving any emails.”

Well, that’s backwards – usually I see problems the other way around; they can receive, but not send.

I tried working with him on a phone call yesterday morning, but when you can’t see the screen, tech support is more difficult. The client’s main business location is in a town less than an hour from my office, so I went to their location after lunch to work on it in person.

Oh, so many details were left out! It turned out that he wasn’t receiving emails on his iPhone, his iPad, or his laptop – but he could send from the phone and the laptop.

And... the problem started in March, and was continuous from then until now!

Okay. First things first. Let’s log into Outlook on the web and see whether that works. I’m starting to have a hunch that I’ve seen this problem before, with other clients.

Outlook on the web looks the same. So I went into the Rules settings, and there was the culprit. The rule was named “....” That’s it, the only rule, and the rule name was just four dots. I clicked the drop-down arrow to expand the rule. And the rule said, on incoming mail, move it to the Deleted Items folder and mark it as read! So he was receiving email all along, he just didn’t know it.

I looked in the Deleted Items folder, and there were more than 1,300 messages, including my two test emails from earlier in the day. I moved everything back to the Inbox.

Here’s what happened. In March someone had started sending email pretending to be this employee. He changed his email password, and the outbound spam stopped. That’s all the company did. They thought the problem was solved.

Well, that locked the cybercriminal out, but it didn’t delete the rule that the cybercriminal had created to cover their activity. That rule didn’t get deleted until yesterday, June 24.

THE LESSON
If you believe your email has been compromised, after securing your account, log into each device, and especially the web instance, and look for rules you didn’t create. If a device was compromised, the malicious rule may be in Outlook’s rules on the device. This scenario can also happen in other email apps, like Thunderbird, and in other web-based email accounts, like Gmail. Whether it’s web-based or app-based, look for rules or filters that you were unaware of, and delete them.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#email #TechSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“Bob, one of my employees can send email from his iPhone, but he’s not receiving any emails.”

Well, that’s backwards – usually I see problems the other way around; they can receive, but not send.

I tried working with him on a phone call yesterday morning, but when you can’t see the screen, tech support is more difficult. The client’s main business location is in a town less than an hour from my office, so I went to their location after lunch to work on it in person.

Oh, so many details were left out! It turned out that he wasn’t receiving emails on his iPhone, his iPad, or his laptop – but he could send from the phone and the laptop.

And... the problem started in March, and was continuous from then until now!

Okay. First things first. Let’s log into Outlook on the web and see whether that works. I’m starting to have a hunch that I’ve seen this problem before, with other clients.

Outlook on the web looks the same. So I went into the Rules settings, and there was the culprit. The rule was named “....” That’s it, the only rule, and the rule name was just four dots. I clicked the drop-down arrow to expand the rule. And the rule said, on incoming mail, move it to the Deleted Items folder and mark it as read! So he was receiving email all along, he just didn’t know it.

I looked in the Deleted Items folder, and there were more than 1,300 messages, including my two test emails from earlier in the day. I moved everything back to the Inbox.

Here’s what happened. In March someone had started sending email pretending to be this employee. He changed his email password, and the outbound spam stopped. That’s all the company did. They thought the problem was solved.

Well, that locked the cybercriminal out, but it didn’t delete the rule that the cybercriminal had created to cover their activity. That rule didn’t get deleted until yesterday, June 24.

THE LESSON
If you believe your email has been compromised, after securing your account, log into each device, and especially the web instance, and look for rules you didn’t create. If a device was compromised, the malicious rule may be in Outlook’s rules on the device. This scenario can also happen in other email apps, like Thunderbird, and in other web-based email accounts, like Gmail. Whether it’s web-based or app-based, look for rules or filters that you were unaware of, and delete them.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#email #TechSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

A local client asked for service today, saying that his laptop was giving him a message that his C: drive was out of free space. He’d been living with the error message for a few weeks; it wasn’t sudden. Since he was local, I went to his office instead of connecting remotely. Some things are just easier and quicker if you’re right there.

INITIAL CONDITIONS
Windows 11 Home, 25H2, all updates current.
Drive C: was about 220 GB used, 0 free.
Drive D: was nominally 2 TB, about 1.2 TB used.

I did some checking and cleaned up a little bit on the C: drive, but only recovered about 2 GB.

THE SHOCKER
“Do you ever use Copilot?”
“No, and I don’t care about it.”
Start – Control Panel – Programs and Features – Copilot – Uninstall.
And then drive C: showed 35 GB free space.
Copilot was using 33 GB of his OS disk.

OTHER RELEVANT DETAILS
I went back to the office and uninstalled Copilot on a Windows 11 Pro computer, 24H2, all updates current. I only recovered about 1 GB. In addition to the fact that it was only 24H2 and not 25H2, I had already disabled Copilot features on this particular computer, even though I hadn’t uninstalled it.

“Your mileage may vary,” but if your OS drive mysteriously fills up, it’s something to investigate.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#HelpDesk #TechSupport

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

A local client asked for service today, saying that his laptop was giving him a message that his C: drive was out of free space. He’d been living with the error message for a few weeks; it wasn’t sudden. Since he was local, I went to his office instead of connecting remotely. Some things are just easier and quicker if you’re right there.

INITIAL CONDITIONS
Windows 11 Home, 25H2, all updates current.
Drive C: was about 220 GB used, 0 free.
Drive D: was nominally 2 TB, about 1.2 TB used.

I did some checking and cleaned up a little bit on the C: drive, but only recovered about 2 GB.

THE SHOCKER
“Do you ever use Copilot?”
“No, and I don’t care about it.”
Start – Control Panel – Programs and Features – Copilot – Uninstall.
And then drive C: showed 35 GB free space.
Copilot was using 33 GB of his OS disk.

OTHER RELEVANT DETAILS
I went back to the office and uninstalled Copilot on a Windows 11 Pro computer, 24H2, all updates current. I only recovered about 1 GB. In addition to the fact that it was only 24H2 and not 25H2, I had already disabled Copilot features on this particular computer, even though I hadn’t uninstalled it.

“Your mileage may vary,” but if your OS drive mysteriously fills up, it’s something to investigate.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#HelpDesk #TechSupport

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“Bob, I can’t copy and paste from this document.”

A client recently had some difficulty copying and pasting from a PDF document, and the problem was because they didn’t understand the different types of PDF documents. I’ve run across this several times, and it occurs to me that there are probably a lot of people who could benefit from a little tutorial.

PDF TEXT
Take a Microsoft Word document and save it as a PDF file. When you do this, the text is still text. In the PDF document you can select the text, copy it, and paste it somewhere else.

PDF “PICTURE” OF TEXT
Take a paper document, place it on a scanner, and scan it to PDF. You can still see the letters and words in the PDF file. You can still read it. But you can’t select, copy, and paste text from this kind of PDF document.

In the first example, the letters are (often) a series of Unicode characters. The application’s Graphical User Interface (GUI) displays the characters on top of a solid colored background. The background is often, but not necessarily, white. The Unicode characters and the background are literally unrelated to each other.

In the second example, the letters are composed of (say) black pixels organized on a background of white pixels. The letters and the background are integrally related to each other. It is a single, flat, two-dimensional surface arranged of pixels of different colors.

SOLUTION
If you need to separate the text from the background in a PDF “picture” of text, the solution is to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. OCR is a feature included in most modern PDF editors. OCR software analyzes the contrast in pixel colors and deduces the presence of known characters, like letters, numbers, and punctuation. The accuracy of the OCR software depends on the degree of contrast, and the amount of visual “noise” in the file. If you extract text with OCR software, proofread the result carefully, because there may be errors in the output.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#HelpDesk #TechSupport

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“Bob, I can’t copy and paste from this document.”

A client recently had some difficulty copying and pasting from a PDF document, and the problem was because they didn’t understand the different types of PDF documents. I’ve run across this several times, and it occurs to me that there are probably a lot of people who could benefit from a little tutorial.

PDF TEXT
Take a Microsoft Word document and save it as a PDF file. When you do this, the text is still text. In the PDF document you can select the text, copy it, and paste it somewhere else.

PDF “PICTURE” OF TEXT
Take a paper document, place it on a scanner, and scan it to PDF. You can still see the letters and words in the PDF file. You can still read it. But you can’t select, copy, and paste text from this kind of PDF document.

In the first example, the letters are (often) a series of Unicode characters. The application’s Graphical User Interface (GUI) displays the characters on top of a solid colored background. The background is often, but not necessarily, white. The Unicode characters and the background are literally unrelated to each other.

In the second example, the letters are composed of (say) black pixels organized on a background of white pixels. The letters and the background are integrally related to each other. It is a single, flat, two-dimensional surface arranged of pixels of different colors.

SOLUTION
If you need to separate the text from the background in a PDF “picture” of text, the solution is to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. OCR is a feature included in most modern PDF editors. OCR software analyzes the contrast in pixel colors and deduces the presence of known characters, like letters, numbers, and punctuation. The accuracy of the OCR software depends on the degree of contrast, and the amount of visual “noise” in the file. If you extract text with OCR software, proofread the result carefully, because there may be errors in the output.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#HelpDesk #TechSupport

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Passion can be ground down to little pieces of apathy. Here's an example.

Today I was working for a government agency that I've done projects for many times over the years. A long-time employee was assigned as my escort to get into secure areas. I asked a lot of questions. The answers to those questions will be transformed into a report of the "as is" condition of equipment and policies, along with recommendations. The report will be delivered to people much higher up the org chart than my escort.

Here's the thing that stings: he knows what the "as is" conditions are. He knows how the "as is" conditions developed. And he knows what should have been done.

This employee doesn't have the knowledge and skills to make my investigation and report completely unnecessary, but a lot of the stuff could've been prevented if they had listened to him over the years.

Now, in defense of those people in the org chart above him, it's worth mentioning that his own statement contains a lot of truth: "It always comes down to budget."

And somehow, year after year, these things weren't prioritized high enough to allocate money for maintenance and training exercises.

I'll write my report. I'll make my recommendations. And I'll get paid.

But will action be taken? Will anything change? My escort doesn't think so.

He's very good at his job, and he'll do excellent work, doing exactly what rhe government is paying him to do, as he counts down the remaining time before his retirement.

But he's quit making suggestions. Suggestions are viewed as annoying, not as prescriptive or proactive.

I wish this scenario was rare, but it's common. As the consultant who's brought in after the problems become too big to ignore, I've seen this repeatedly.

Have you seen a situation like this? Can you share a story with us, without putting your job at risk?

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Passion can be ground down to little pieces of apathy. Here's an example.

Today I was working for a government agency that I've done projects for many times over the years. A long-time employee was assigned as my escort to get into secure areas. I asked a lot of questions. The answers to those questions will be transformed into a report of the "as is" condition of equipment and policies, along with recommendations. The report will be delivered to people much higher up the org chart than my escort.

Here's the thing that stings: he knows what the "as is" conditions are. He knows how the "as is" conditions developed. And he knows what should have been done.

This employee doesn't have the knowledge and skills to make my investigation and report completely unnecessary, but a lot of the stuff could've been prevented if they had listened to him over the years.

Now, in defense of those people in the org chart above him, it's worth mentioning that his own statement contains a lot of truth: "It always comes down to budget."

And somehow, year after year, these things weren't prioritized high enough to allocate money for maintenance and training exercises.

I'll write my report. I'll make my recommendations. And I'll get paid.

But will action be taken? Will anything change? My escort doesn't think so.

He's very good at his job, and he'll do excellent work, doing exactly what rhe government is paying him to do, as he counts down the remaining time before his retirement.

But he's quit making suggestions. Suggestions are viewed as annoying, not as prescriptive or proactive.

I wish this scenario was rare, but it's common. As the consultant who's brought in after the problems become too big to ignore, I've seen this repeatedly.

Have you seen a situation like this? Can you share a story with us, without putting your job at risk?

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“I will not treat the user’s device as if I own it.”
The FIFO Networks Software Developer’s Code of Ethics, written ten years ago, is still relevant. Perhaps now more than ever.

Here’s the link.
https://fifonetworks.com/software-developers-code-of-ethics/

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“I will not treat the user’s device as if I own it.”
The FIFO Networks Software Developer’s Code of Ethics, written ten years ago, is still relevant. Perhaps now more than ever.

Here’s the link.
https://fifonetworks.com/software-developers-code-of-ethics/

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Steps for setting up a new phone system... are you helping a company replace their existing phone system? I just did this with one of my clients recently, and it occurred to me that it might be helpful to someone to have a brief overview.

STEP ONE: Call flow diagrams. Make call flow diagrams that cover business hours, after hours, line busy, and so forth. Does the call go first to an Automated Attendant (AA)? What will the announcement say? The flow diagram may include what happens with various options: “For Sales, press 2...” Get the diagrams all laid out and approved by everyone involved in the decision making process. BTW, the decision making process should include the people who actually answer the phones. For real. Ask them.

STEP TWO: Record the announcements. From the call flow diagrams, you now know exactly how many recorded voice announcements you’ll need. Get them all recorded in advance. Have the recordings approved by the decision maker(s). Store a digital backup copy of those recordings, separate from the folder you’ll use to upload the recordings.

STEP THREE: Train everyone. Before the new phone system is put online, let people know what will be different and what will be the same. Have a Quick Start Guide for every user. The QSG will have information they need right away, like how to transfer a call, park a caller, put a call on hold, adjust screen brightness and volume, speed dial setup, and so forth. And make sure everyone understands the call flow.

STEP FOUR: Activate the new phone system. Do the configuration. Upload the recordings. Go live. And stay close, because there will be hiccups. Some people won’t read the QSG. Some will read it, but won’t understand it. Some will get nervous when they have their first caller on the line. You be calm and cool, so they can be calm and cool. You’re not there to berate them, you’re there to enable them. And if one of them loses their cool, you don’t lose yours. You’re the strong one.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Steps for setting up a new phone system... are you helping a company replace their existing phone system? I just did this with one of my clients recently, and it occurred to me that it might be helpful to someone to have a brief overview.

STEP ONE: Call flow diagrams. Make call flow diagrams that cover business hours, after hours, line busy, and so forth. Does the call go first to an Automated Attendant (AA)? What will the announcement say? The flow diagram may include what happens with various options: “For Sales, press 2...” Get the diagrams all laid out and approved by everyone involved in the decision making process. BTW, the decision making process should include the people who actually answer the phones. For real. Ask them.

STEP TWO: Record the announcements. From the call flow diagrams, you now know exactly how many recorded voice announcements you’ll need. Get them all recorded in advance. Have the recordings approved by the decision maker(s). Store a digital backup copy of those recordings, separate from the folder you’ll use to upload the recordings.

STEP THREE: Train everyone. Before the new phone system is put online, let people know what will be different and what will be the same. Have a Quick Start Guide for every user. The QSG will have information they need right away, like how to transfer a call, park a caller, put a call on hold, adjust screen brightness and volume, speed dial setup, and so forth. And make sure everyone understands the call flow.

STEP FOUR: Activate the new phone system. Do the configuration. Upload the recordings. Go live. And stay close, because there will be hiccups. Some people won’t read the QSG. Some will read it, but won’t understand it. Some will get nervous when they have their first caller on the line. You be calm and cool, so they can be calm and cool. You’re not there to berate them, you’re there to enable them. And if one of them loses their cool, you don’t lose yours. You’re the strong one.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

It’s been a busy five months so far this year.

1) Wi-Fi design for a building with a volume of 4.5 million cubic feet.

2) Converted Internet service from copper to fiber at two different companies.

3) Upgraded a company from a conventional phone system to a VoIP system.

4) On-prem server replacements for some companies with hybrid networks.

5) Many new computer setups and replacement computer setups.

6) Updated course material for my Windows Server Management class (upcoming job with a public utility).

7) Remote tech support calls nationwide.

8) Account and data recovery of various types, also for clients nationwide.

9) Configured email security (server side) for some companies.

10) Servicing monthly contracts for server maintenance, firewall monitoring, and backups.

What do you need help with? One-time gigs requiring expertise you don’t have in-house, or ongoing monthly contracts, or...? I’m here for you.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

It’s been a busy five months so far this year.

1) Wi-Fi design for a building with a volume of 4.5 million cubic feet.

2) Converted Internet service from copper to fiber at two different companies.

3) Upgraded a company from a conventional phone system to a VoIP system.

4) On-prem server replacements for some companies with hybrid networks.

5) Many new computer setups and replacement computer setups.

6) Updated course material for my Windows Server Management class (upcoming job with a public utility).

7) Remote tech support calls nationwide.

8) Account and data recovery of various types, also for clients nationwide.

9) Configured email security (server side) for some companies.

10) Servicing monthly contracts for server maintenance, firewall monitoring, and backups.

What do you need help with? One-time gigs requiring expertise you don’t have in-house, or ongoing monthly contracts, or...? I’m here for you.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

BOLO – Be on the lookout for malicious phishing emails that closely resemble legitimate emails from Network Solutions.

I received an email today that, at first glance, I thought came from the real company. I knew it was fraudulent because the subject line warned of email deactivation – but I don’t use Network Solutions for my email. I thought, “Why are they sending me an email – how strange!” Then I looked again, and realized the domain contains a misspelling: networksoluTOINS. And the cybercriminals have a valid DKIM signature for their impersonating domain.

You might want to add the fake domain to your email filter.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

#email #phishing

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

BOLO – Be on the lookout for malicious phishing emails that closely resemble legitimate emails from Network Solutions.

I received an email today that, at first glance, I thought came from the real company. I knew it was fraudulent because the subject line warned of email deactivation – but I don’t use Network Solutions for my email. I thought, “Why are they sending me an email – how strange!” Then I looked again, and realized the domain contains a misspelling: networksoluTOINS. And the cybercriminals have a valid DKIM signature for their impersonating domain.

You might want to add the fake domain to your email filter.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

#email #phishing

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

In terms of physical penetration testing (i.e., property and building access), a bright fluorescent safety vest and a hard hat will get you into a lot of places.

I’m doing cell site inspections this month under contract with a client. I’m carrying my Letter of Authorization with me, but I haven’t had to show it once. Three of the four sites I’ve visited were urban properties with people milling about.

At each property, after working for a few minutes I introduced myself, but I enjoyed doing the test to see if anyone would stop me and ask what I was doing there. And that Letter of Authorization? Even when I introduced myself, I never had to produce written proof. They took my word for it.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

In terms of physical penetration testing (i.e., property and building access), a bright fluorescent safety vest and a hard hat will get you into a lot of places.

I’m doing cell site inspections this month under contract with a client. I’m carrying my Letter of Authorization with me, but I haven’t had to show it once. Three of the four sites I’ve visited were urban properties with people milling about.

At each property, after working for a few minutes I introduced myself, but I enjoyed doing the test to see if anyone would stop me and ask what I was doing there. And that Letter of Authorization? Even when I introduced myself, I never had to produce written proof. They took my word for it.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Microsoft can still surprise us. Yesterday a client scheduled for a remote support call at 9am today. The problem was that he was receiving error messages from Microsoft saying that his mailbox was almost full. At the appointed time I connected remotely to his computer, and watched while he pulled up the message. It was an email, rather than an in-app Outlook message, so the first thing I did was examine the header to make sure it was real (it was).

Here’s the surprise: Microsoft’s “mailbox full” messages come from an email account that has no DKIM signature and no DMARC policy! This is a classic first-blush clue that an email may be either malicious or spam.

Next, I looked at File – Options, and the in-app message was there, too, so it was indeed legitimate.

I enabled autoarchive, with message deletion from the mailbox after archiving, to fix the problem. BTW, I did this as a two-step process. First, I verified that archiving was working, and the location of the archive file. With that assurance, I enabled deletion from the mailbox.

So the issue was easy enough to fix – a simple configuration error – but, Microsoft, why are you using any email accounts with no DKIM signature and no DMARC policy? Set a good example for us!

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #HelpDesk #ServiceCall #Email

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Microsoft can still surprise us. Yesterday a client scheduled for a remote support call at 9am today. The problem was that he was receiving error messages from Microsoft saying that his mailbox was almost full. At the appointed time I connected remotely to his computer, and watched while he pulled up the message. It was an email, rather than an in-app Outlook message, so the first thing I did was examine the header to make sure it was real (it was).

Here’s the surprise: Microsoft’s “mailbox full” messages come from an email account that has no DKIM signature and no DMARC policy! This is a classic first-blush clue that an email may be either malicious or spam.

Next, I looked at File – Options, and the in-app message was there, too, so it was indeed legitimate.

I enabled autoarchive, with message deletion from the mailbox after archiving, to fix the problem. BTW, I did this as a two-step process. First, I verified that archiving was working, and the location of the archive file. With that assurance, I enabled deletion from the mailbox.

So the issue was easy enough to fix – a simple configuration error – but, Microsoft, why are you using any email accounts with no DKIM signature and no DMARC policy? Set a good example for us!

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #HelpDesk #ServiceCall #Email

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

You finally get a seat at the table, literally. You become a senior manager, or a director, or a VP. Now, you’re in the conference room, sitting at that table with a group of your peers for some regular weekly meeting.

Something feels off. You recognize an invisible wall, a barrier. You know that there are things you don't know about the culture, the relationships, the "way things work," and how change can be made to happen.

Here's one of the two-sided secrets of power that some people are brought up knowing, but that many people only experience from one side.

As a leader, you should be comfortable with expecting obedience. I chose my word carefully: you should expect obedience, not cooperation.

Have you experienced this kind of leader? They have some aura that radiates outward. They don’t say, “If it’s alright with you,” they just kindly and politely tell you what they want done. They know you’re going to do it, and you know you’re going to do it. They don’t ask your permission or approval. They’re not mean or demanding. They just tell you what they expect you to do, and on your side, you know you’re going to do it.

Obedience is how things get done. Obedience is required.

Cooperation is how the doer feels about the doing. Cooperation is desired.

Now, back to the conference table and that weekly meeting. You'll be asked to report on what got done. You won't be asked how the doers felt about the doing.

Your inner power, your inner confidence, in that hour at the table, comes from all that happened in the preceding week. And what happened in the preceding week is the direct result of your expectation of obedience.

Yes, be humble.
Yes, be grateful.
Yes, show appreciation.
Yes, reward the achievers.
Yes, grow and develop your team.
These things evoke cooperation from the good hires.

But always - always! - expect obedience.

You're the leader. In another week, you're going to be back at the table, and the person you report to will want to know what got done.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#leadership #management

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

You finally get a seat at the table, literally. You become a senior manager, or a director, or a VP. Now, you’re in the conference room, sitting at that table with a group of your peers for some regular weekly meeting.

Something feels off. You recognize an invisible wall, a barrier. You know that there are things you don't know about the culture, the relationships, the "way things work," and how change can be made to happen.

Here's one of the two-sided secrets of power that some people are brought up knowing, but that many people only experience from one side.

As a leader, you should be comfortable with expecting obedience. I chose my word carefully: you should expect obedience, not cooperation.

Have you experienced this kind of leader? They have some aura that radiates outward. They don’t say, “If it’s alright with you,” they just kindly and politely tell you what they want done. They know you’re going to do it, and you know you’re going to do it. They don’t ask your permission or approval. They’re not mean or demanding. They just tell you what they expect you to do, and on your side, you know you’re going to do it.

Obedience is how things get done. Obedience is required.

Cooperation is how the doer feels about the doing. Cooperation is desired.

Now, back to the conference table and that weekly meeting. You'll be asked to report on what got done. You won't be asked how the doers felt about the doing.

Your inner power, your inner confidence, in that hour at the table, comes from all that happened in the preceding week. And what happened in the preceding week is the direct result of your expectation of obedience.

Yes, be humble.
Yes, be grateful.
Yes, show appreciation.
Yes, reward the achievers.
Yes, grow and develop your team.
These things evoke cooperation from the good hires.

But always - always! - expect obedience.

You're the leader. In another week, you're going to be back at the table, and the person you report to will want to know what got done.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#leadership #management

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Your Microsoft account password should never be the same as your email password. This is a Microsoft vulnerability that has been around for years.

BACKGROUND
This morning I received an email from a past client with a link to a document. We ended my last project on good terms, but they haven’t contacted me for a couple of years, so I was cautious (but not cautious enough, as you’re about to see). I looked up the contact’s email in my own Contacts and sent a new email to ask if the email with the link was legitimate. A minute later I received a reply, from the contact’s email address, saying “Yes, that was me, and it’s legitimate.”

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
With that assurance, I opened the original email and clicked on the link. It directed me to a page that looked like it was from Microsoft, and prompted me to enter my email address. I did. Then, in what looked like a real Microsoft account dialogue box, it prompted me for my Microsoft account password. I entered it. It told me the password was incorrect, and everything stopped. The hyperlink to “try another way” was non-responsive.

I opened a new tab in Edge and logged into my Microsoft account, proving to myself that I did in fact have the correct password.

I sent a new email to the contact: “It won’t let me in.” No response.

I called my contact and left a voicemail. He called back and said, “It wasn’t me, sorry, the same thing happened to me yesterday and it sent out emails from my account.”

I logged into my Microsoft account, checked the login session history (it was clean), and changed my account password.

THE LESSON
Do you see the problem now? My contact’s email is through his company’s Microsoft account. His Microsoft account password and his email password are one and the same. That’s why the cybercriminal was able to send emails to all his contacts. There was probably also a little social engineering involved, in order to bypass his Microsoft MFA, but reusing the same password for MS email and the MS account is a long-standing Microsoft vulnerability.

If you know a way to separate the MS email and account passwords, please let me know, because I have a lot of clients that I’d like to make more secure by fixing this.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Your Microsoft account password should never be the same as your email password. This is a Microsoft vulnerability that has been around for years.

BACKGROUND
This morning I received an email from a past client with a link to a document. We ended my last project on good terms, but they haven’t contacted me for a couple of years, so I was cautious (but not cautious enough, as you’re about to see). I looked up the contact’s email in my own Contacts and sent a new email to ask if the email with the link was legitimate. A minute later I received a reply, from the contact’s email address, saying “Yes, that was me, and it’s legitimate.”

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
With that assurance, I opened the original email and clicked on the link. It directed me to a page that looked like it was from Microsoft, and prompted me to enter my email address. I did. Then, in what looked like a real Microsoft account dialogue box, it prompted me for my Microsoft account password. I entered it. It told me the password was incorrect, and everything stopped. The hyperlink to “try another way” was non-responsive.

I opened a new tab in Edge and logged into my Microsoft account, proving to myself that I did in fact have the correct password.

I sent a new email to the contact: “It won’t let me in.” No response.

I called my contact and left a voicemail. He called back and said, “It wasn’t me, sorry, the same thing happened to me yesterday and it sent out emails from my account.”

I logged into my Microsoft account, checked the login session history (it was clean), and changed my account password.

THE LESSON
Do you see the problem now? My contact’s email is through his company’s Microsoft account. His Microsoft account password and his email password are one and the same. That’s why the cybercriminal was able to send emails to all his contacts. There was probably also a little social engineering involved, in order to bypass his Microsoft MFA, but reusing the same password for MS email and the MS account is a long-standing Microsoft vulnerability.

If you know a way to separate the MS email and account passwords, please let me know, because I have a lot of clients that I’d like to make more secure by fixing this.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Now is a really good time to think about what information your company should have connected to the Internet.

Yesterday was a better time. Last year was better still. But, now is a really good time.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#DataClassification #InformationPolicy #PrivateNetworks #AI

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Now is a really good time to think about what information your company should have connected to the Internet.

Yesterday was a better time. Last year was better still. But, now is a really good time.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#DataClassification #InformationPolicy #PrivateNetworks #AI

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Wi-Fi 7 is good – but not that good.

Over the weekend I replaced the wireless router for a small business in Washington State. It was an emergency replacement; they need it for several routine business functions. It turned out they didn’t have a spare. They took my advice and let me provide two routers, identically configured, so they can swap cables and get back online even when I’m not there.

The new routers I picked up were 802.11be, commonly referred to as Wi-Fi 7. The product literature says, “Leverage the power of WiFi 7 for speeds up to 3.6 Gbps at 1.2X faster than WiFi 6.”

Wait a minute. Hold up. Take a look at the ports on this thing: the WAN port is 2.5 Gbps, and the four LAN ports are 1 Gbps.

They’re not exactly lying, but you need to understand what’s going on, so you don’t have unrealistic expectations about Wi-Fi 7.

1) You can’t get Internet speeds higher than what’s provided by your ISP, and what your WAN port is capable of. Those are hard limits.

2) You can’t get wired LAN speeds higher than the ports and cabling on your wired devices are capable of. Those are hard limits.

3) On a wireless-to-wireless transfer, the physical port speeds don’t matter. BUT... that 3.6 Gbps number is only possible under laboratory conditions when two wireless endpoints are connected to each other on a single aggregated stream using all the radios: 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. In a real-world home environment you’re more likely to measure 1, maybe 2, Gbps.

For a family of five, will Wi-Fi 7 perform better than Wi-Fi 6? It depends. Are you doing a lot of internal wireless data transfers, or is everyone constrained by the same 500 Mbps data rate from your ISP?

At your place of business, should you rip out twenty Wi-Fi 5 access points and spend the capital budget to upgrade the Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure? It depends. Let’s take a look at your data flows and usage patterns first to see if it could make a difference in your situation.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Wi-Fi 7 is good – but not that good.

Over the weekend I replaced the wireless router for a small business in Washington State. It was an emergency replacement; they need it for several routine business functions. It turned out they didn’t have a spare. They took my advice and let me provide two routers, identically configured, so they can swap cables and get back online even when I’m not there.

The new routers I picked up were 802.11be, commonly referred to as Wi-Fi 7. The product literature says, “Leverage the power of WiFi 7 for speeds up to 3.6 Gbps at 1.2X faster than WiFi 6.”

Wait a minute. Hold up. Take a look at the ports on this thing: the WAN port is 2.5 Gbps, and the four LAN ports are 1 Gbps.

They’re not exactly lying, but you need to understand what’s going on, so you don’t have unrealistic expectations about Wi-Fi 7.

1) You can’t get Internet speeds higher than what’s provided by your ISP, and what your WAN port is capable of. Those are hard limits.

2) You can’t get wired LAN speeds higher than the ports and cabling on your wired devices are capable of. Those are hard limits.

3) On a wireless-to-wireless transfer, the physical port speeds don’t matter. BUT... that 3.6 Gbps number is only possible under laboratory conditions when two wireless endpoints are connected to each other on a single aggregated stream using all the radios: 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. In a real-world home environment you’re more likely to measure 1, maybe 2, Gbps.

For a family of five, will Wi-Fi 7 perform better than Wi-Fi 6? It depends. Are you doing a lot of internal wireless data transfers, or is everyone constrained by the same 500 Mbps data rate from your ISP?

At your place of business, should you rip out twenty Wi-Fi 5 access points and spend the capital budget to upgrade the Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure? It depends. Let’s take a look at your data flows and usage patterns first to see if it could make a difference in your situation.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Here’s why the Wi-Fi coverage was inadequate in the Washington Hilton Hotel ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) annual dinner on April 25, 2026.

It’s not because the Hilton is being cheap. It’s simply physics. In this post, my goal is to help people who aren’t RF engineers understand why high-density Wi-Fi is so hard to get right.

BACKGROUND
The dinner was interrupted during the salad course by loud noises, and the Secret Service rushed into action. The President and many other people were evacuated and the building was secured. I was watching a Breaking News segment on TV. The journalist who was covering the event for the TV station I was watching was using a Wi-Fi VoIP connection to talk to the newsroom, and it wasn’t working very well.

It’s easy to say, “Wow, the Hilton should have better Wi-Fi in such an important ballroom,” but it’s not that simple.

WI-FI IS HALF-DUPLEX
Refer to the picture. The IEEE 802.11standard, more commonly called Wi-Fi, uses half-duplex communications. It’s bi-directional, but only works in one direction at a time. When the smartphone is transmitting, the Access Point (AP) is receiving, and vice versa.

The reporter I was listening to estimated that there were 1,500 people in attendance. This number may be low; the WHCA official report on the 2025 dinner lists 2,600 people in attendance, in the same ballroom. Television coverage inside the venue showed several guests using their phones to video record the scene. No doubt some of them were live-streaming, or at least attempting to.

In a modern football stadium (another high-density Wi-Fi environment), wireless APs are located under a seat or on a seat back, operate at low-power, and serve a small cluster of nearby seats. In a hotel ballroom this type of fixed arrangement is harder to do. We might imagine a low-power AP under every table (that would be wonderful!), but the tables aren’t permanent and it isn’t practical. Instead, the ballroom has APs with directional antennas mounted at various points on the walls and/or ceiling.

CONCLUSION
When the AP is receiving, and several phones transmit simultaneously, the AP gets interference and decodes very little. The 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard isn’t designed to accommodate that scenario. The solution is to plan many low-power APs, each serving a very small area. This is difficult to do in an environment with moveable furniture for hosting different types of events.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Here’s why the Wi-Fi coverage was inadequate in the Washington Hilton Hotel ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) annual dinner on April 25, 2026.

It’s not because the Hilton is being cheap. It’s simply physics. In this post, my goal is to help people who aren’t RF engineers understand why high-density Wi-Fi is so hard to get right.

BACKGROUND
The dinner was interrupted during the salad course by loud noises, and the Secret Service rushed into action. The President and many other people were evacuated and the building was secured. I was watching a Breaking News segment on TV. The journalist who was covering the event for the TV station I was watching was using a Wi-Fi VoIP connection to talk to the newsroom, and it wasn’t working very well.

It’s easy to say, “Wow, the Hilton should have better Wi-Fi in such an important ballroom,” but it’s not that simple.

WI-FI IS HALF-DUPLEX
Refer to the picture. The IEEE 802.11standard, more commonly called Wi-Fi, uses half-duplex communications. It’s bi-directional, but only works in one direction at a time. When the smartphone is transmitting, the Access Point (AP) is receiving, and vice versa.

The reporter I was listening to estimated that there were 1,500 people in attendance. This number may be low; the WHCA official report on the 2025 dinner lists 2,600 people in attendance, in the same ballroom. Television coverage inside the venue showed several guests using their phones to video record the scene. No doubt some of them were live-streaming, or at least attempting to.

In a modern football stadium (another high-density Wi-Fi environment), wireless APs are located under a seat or on a seat back, operate at low-power, and serve a small cluster of nearby seats. In a hotel ballroom this type of fixed arrangement is harder to do. We might imagine a low-power AP under every table (that would be wonderful!), but the tables aren’t permanent and it isn’t practical. Instead, the ballroom has APs with directional antennas mounted at various points on the walls and/or ceiling.

CONCLUSION
When the AP is receiving, and several phones transmit simultaneously, the AP gets interference and decodes very little. The 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard isn’t designed to accommodate that scenario. The solution is to plan many low-power APs, each serving a very small area. This is difficult to do in an environment with moveable furniture for hosting different types of events.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Recently I was given the contract to evaluate the Wi-Fi system in a huge, gargantuan building. Hundreds of feet in each direction, one big open space, thirty-foot ceiling. The existing system wasn’t working well, and my job was to make recommendations for improvement, or design the replacement system.

On the day of the initial site survey, I discovered that the wireless access points were mounted on the ceiling, pointing down. Not good! That will work fine in an office with a ten-foot ceiling. But not thirty feet.

This meant that the absolute best Wi-Fi service in the building was in the top half of the space, where there were no people, no computers, no smartphones, no IoT devices. Their system provided good coverage to randomly moving air molecules between fifteen and thirty feet above the floor.

Between three feet and six feet above the floor, where coverage really matters, there was massive interference caused by clear line-of-site to multiple wireless access points.

The situation reminded me of a conversation I had with another client some time ago.
Client: “How much will it cost?”
Me: “Do you mean for my analysis and design, or to fix the problem? Because the price of my services will be tiny compared to what it will cost you to implement the fix.”

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Recently I was given the contract to evaluate the Wi-Fi system in a huge, gargantuan building. Hundreds of feet in each direction, one big open space, thirty-foot ceiling. The existing system wasn’t working well, and my job was to make recommendations for improvement, or design the replacement system.

On the day of the initial site survey, I discovered that the wireless access points were mounted on the ceiling, pointing down. Not good! That will work fine in an office with a ten-foot ceiling. But not thirty feet.

This meant that the absolute best Wi-Fi service in the building was in the top half of the space, where there were no people, no computers, no smartphones, no IoT devices. Their system provided good coverage to randomly moving air molecules between fifteen and thirty feet above the floor.

Between three feet and six feet above the floor, where coverage really matters, there was massive interference caused by clear line-of-site to multiple wireless access points.

The situation reminded me of a conversation I had with another client some time ago.
Client: “How much will it cost?”
Me: “Do you mean for my analysis and design, or to fix the problem? Because the price of my services will be tiny compared to what it will cost you to implement the fix.”

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

This week I did an interesting data recovery task for a family. (This was a legal data access. The identities were verified). They were trying to put together a notification list for an upcoming funeral. They could tell the contacts in the person’s laptop were incomplete because names they knew should be there were missing. And the person’s Android phone, with Google Contacts, won’t directly sync to the email app on the laptop. They could go through the phone contacts one at a time, but, was there an easier way?

Yes, there is.

In this case, it was an Android phone. Refer to the picture.

You can export the Google Contacts to a single .vcf file (vcf is an abbreviation of an abbreviation. It stands for vCard File, and vCard is short for Virtual (Business) Card).

People sometimes think that a .vcf file is a single contact, but a .vcf file can contain multiple contact records. It can be quite large and contain hundreds, even thousands, of contacts.

You can view some of the information with any text editor like Notepad. To easily view all of the information, import the .vcf file into a new or existing address book in an email program.

SUMMARY
For this client, the solution was to export the contacts as a .vcf file from the phone, import the .vcf file into the contacts in the computer, and merge duplicates. Now they have a relatively complete list of contacts in one place, and they can manage announcements and invitations using a full-size keyboard.

The client is in another state. A family member did the steps while I coached them over the phone.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #RemoteSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

This week I did an interesting data recovery task for a family. (This was a legal data access. The identities were verified). They were trying to put together a notification list for an upcoming funeral. They could tell the contacts in the person’s laptop were incomplete because names they knew should be there were missing. And the person’s Android phone, with Google Contacts, won’t directly sync to the email app on the laptop. They could go through the phone contacts one at a time, but, was there an easier way?

Yes, there is.

In this case, it was an Android phone. Refer to the picture.

You can export the Google Contacts to a single .vcf file (vcf is an abbreviation of an abbreviation. It stands for vCard File, and vCard is short for Virtual (Business) Card).

People sometimes think that a .vcf file is a single contact, but a .vcf file can contain multiple contact records. It can be quite large and contain hundreds, even thousands, of contacts.

You can view some of the information with any text editor like Notepad. To easily view all of the information, import the .vcf file into a new or existing address book in an email program.

SUMMARY
For this client, the solution was to export the contacts as a .vcf file from the phone, import the .vcf file into the contacts in the computer, and merge duplicates. Now they have a relatively complete list of contacts in one place, and they can manage announcements and invitations using a full-size keyboard.

The client is in another state. A family member did the steps while I coached them over the phone.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #RemoteSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

This week I did an interesting data recovery task for a family. (This was a legal data access. The identities were verified). They were trying to put together a notification list for an upcoming funeral. They could tell the contacts in the person’s laptop were incomplete because names they knew should be there were missing. And the person’s Android phone, with Google Contacts, won’t directly sync to the email app on the laptop. They could go through the phone contacts one at a time, but, was there an easier way?

Yes, there is.

In this case, it was an Android phone. Refer to the picture.

You can export the Google Contacts to a single .vcf file (vcf is an abbreviation of an abbreviation. It stands for vCard File, and vCard is short for Virtual (Business) Card).

People sometimes think that a .vcf file is a single contact, but a .vcf file can contain multiple contact records. It can be quite large and contain hundreds, even thousands, of contacts.

You can view some of the information with any text editor like Notepad. To easily view all of the information, import the .vcf file into a new or existing address book in an email program.

SUMMARY
For this client, the solution was to export the contacts as a .vcf file from the phone, import the .vcf file into the contacts in the computer, and merge duplicates. Now they have a relatively complete list of contacts in one place, and they can manage announcements and invitations using a full-size keyboard.

The client is in another state. A family member did the steps while I coached them over the phone.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #RemoteSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

This week I did an interesting data recovery task for a family. (This was a legal data access. The identities were verified). They were trying to put together a notification list for an upcoming funeral. They could tell the contacts in the person’s laptop were incomplete because names they knew should be there were missing. And the person’s Android phone, with Google Contacts, won’t directly sync to the email app on the laptop. They could go through the phone contacts one at a time, but, was there an easier way?

Yes, there is.

In this case, it was an Android phone. Refer to the picture.

You can export the Google Contacts to a single .vcf file (vcf is an abbreviation of an abbreviation. It stands for vCard File, and vCard is short for Virtual (Business) Card).

People sometimes think that a .vcf file is a single contact, but a .vcf file can contain multiple contact records. It can be quite large and contain hundreds, even thousands, of contacts.

You can view some of the information with any text editor like Notepad. To easily view all of the information, import the .vcf file into a new or existing address book in an email program.

SUMMARY
For this client, the solution was to export the contacts as a .vcf file from the phone, import the .vcf file into the contacts in the computer, and merge duplicates. Now they have a relatively complete list of contacts in one place, and they can manage announcements and invitations using a full-size keyboard.

The client is in another state. A family member did the steps while I coached them over the phone.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #RemoteSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

This week I did an interesting data recovery task for a family. (This was a legal data access. The identities were verified). They were trying to put together a notification list for an upcoming funeral. They could tell the contacts in the person’s laptop were incomplete because names they knew should be there were missing. And the person’s Android phone, with Google Contacts, won’t directly sync to the email app on the laptop. They could go through the phone contacts one at a time, but, was there an easier way?

Yes, there is.

In this case, it was an Android phone. Refer to the picture.

You can export the Google Contacts to a single .vcf file (vcf is an abbreviation of an abbreviation. It stands for vCard File, and vCard is short for Virtual (Business) Card).

People sometimes think that a .vcf file is a single contact, but a .vcf file can contain multiple contact records. It can be quite large and contain hundreds, even thousands, of contacts.

You can view some of the information with any text editor like Notepad. To easily view all of the information, import the .vcf file into a new or existing address book in an email program.

SUMMARY
For this client, the solution was to export the contacts as a .vcf file from the phone, import the .vcf file into the contacts in the computer, and merge duplicates. Now they have a relatively complete list of contacts in one place, and they can manage announcements and invitations using a full-size keyboard.

The client is in another state. A family member did the steps while I coached them over the phone.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

#TechSupport #RemoteSupport #HelpDesk

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“If You Used an Android Mobile Device to Access the Internet Through a Cellular Network at Any Time from November 12, 2017 to the Present, . . . You Could Get Money from a $135 Million Settlement.”

“The Plaintiffs allege that Google’s Android operating system causes Android mobile devices to transfer a variety of information to Google without users’ permission, consuming users’ cellular data from their cellular data plans. Plaintiffs allege that certain transfers occur in the background, without any notice to the user, including when the devices are in a completely idle state, meaning they are not in use or being touched, with all apps closed. Plaintiffs allege that even though Google could make it so that these transfers happen only when the devices are connected to Wi-Fi, Google instead causes these transfers to sometimes take place over a cellular network. Plaintiffs allege that Google’s unauthorized use of their cellular data violates the law...”

Google got in legal trouble for an activity that violated the Software Developer’s Code of Ethics that I published on August 28, 2016 (available on the FIFO Networks website). Turns out, their action was not just immoral, it may also be illegal. Of course, they denied doing anything wrong.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

“If You Used an Android Mobile Device to Access the Internet Through a Cellular Network at Any Time from November 12, 2017 to the Present, . . . You Could Get Money from a $135 Million Settlement.”

“The Plaintiffs allege that Google’s Android operating system causes Android mobile devices to transfer a variety of information to Google without users’ permission, consuming users’ cellular data from their cellular data plans. Plaintiffs allege that certain transfers occur in the background, without any notice to the user, including when the devices are in a completely idle state, meaning they are not in use or being touched, with all apps closed. Plaintiffs allege that even though Google could make it so that these transfers happen only when the devices are connected to Wi-Fi, Google instead causes these transfers to sometimes take place over a cellular network. Plaintiffs allege that Google’s unauthorized use of their cellular data violates the law...”

Google got in legal trouble for an activity that violated the Software Developer’s Code of Ethics that I published on August 28, 2016 (available on the FIFO Networks website). Turns out, their action was not just immoral, it may also be illegal. Of course, they denied doing anything wrong.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

A company just asked for a brief statement of qualifications for a project with disaster recovery planning and a new off-prem backup system. I don't spend a lot of time creating slick marketing pieces. I answer the questions. This is what I sent:
------------
<name redacted>,

Thank you so much for inquiring about my services for Disaster Recovery planning and off-premise data backup system design. You asked for a brief summary of my experience and qualifications for the project.

• Formerly I was the Technical Director of two companies where I designed and built nationwide (USA) satellite-controlled communications systems. One of those companies had over 50,000 subscribers, and the other company had just under 100,000 subscribers. I designed, built, and managed the system with redundancy to achieve “five 9s” reliability, which means no more than about 5 minutes of downtime per year.
• Next, I was Director of National System Development for Cellular One, where we also had a demonstrated interest in maintaining reliable systems in adverse weather conditions with minimal downtime, and no loss of data.
• I taught cellular systems, information technology, and cybersecurity classes at three colleges for a total of 17 years.
• I still teach cybersecurity and information technology under private contract with public utilities. For example, most recently I taught a cybersecurity class to the engineers at <company name redacted>. This July, I’ll be teaching a week-long class in Windows Server Management.
• I have helped companies develop their Disaster Recovery and Incident Response plans in accordance with US laws in various industries, including construction companies and accounting firms.

Thank you again for your inquiry.
---------------

The value of this simple approach is this: I don't chase clients. I work with clients who want me. From long experience, I can tell you that this simple approach saves you so much grief. It makes your work fun.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

A company just asked for a brief statement of qualifications for a project with disaster recovery planning and a new off-prem backup system. I don't spend a lot of time creating slick marketing pieces. I answer the questions. This is what I sent:
------------
<name redacted>,

Thank you so much for inquiring about my services for Disaster Recovery planning and off-premise data backup system design. You asked for a brief summary of my experience and qualifications for the project.

• Formerly I was the Technical Director of two companies where I designed and built nationwide (USA) satellite-controlled communications systems. One of those companies had over 50,000 subscribers, and the other company had just under 100,000 subscribers. I designed, built, and managed the system with redundancy to achieve “five 9s” reliability, which means no more than about 5 minutes of downtime per year.
• Next, I was Director of National System Development for Cellular One, where we also had a demonstrated interest in maintaining reliable systems in adverse weather conditions with minimal downtime, and no loss of data.
• I taught cellular systems, information technology, and cybersecurity classes at three colleges for a total of 17 years.
• I still teach cybersecurity and information technology under private contract with public utilities. For example, most recently I taught a cybersecurity class to the engineers at <company name redacted>. This July, I’ll be teaching a week-long class in Windows Server Management.
• I have helped companies develop their Disaster Recovery and Incident Response plans in accordance with US laws in various industries, including construction companies and accounting firms.

Thank you again for your inquiry.
---------------

The value of this simple approach is this: I don't chase clients. I work with clients who want me. From long experience, I can tell you that this simple approach saves you so much grief. It makes your work fun.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP