Providence President Jeff Dettloff was profiled in the Lansing State Journal on Sunday July 1, for the Take5 segment within the paper’s business section.

As outgoing President of the Capital Area IT Council, Jeff has a bird’s eye view of the challenges facing the IT industry in the capital city. Check out the article to get Jeff’s viewpoints on the state of the industry, how to attract and retain talented workers for the Lansing area, and what the future holds.

Hackers and other Internet Bad Guys are continually coming up with new ways to compromise their target’s accounts and access personal information. One of the more nefarious approaches is what is known as a “Trojan Horse,” or simply a “Trojan.”

Much like the ancient story, today’s Trojan Horse sneaks through your defenses by pretending to be something it is not. An Internet Trojan tricks a computer user into running a program that steals information, compromises their security, or worse.

We saw this happen last Christmas, with a rash of computer users receiving email messages purporting to be from the US Post Office, claiming they had missed delivery on a parcel and that the recipient needed to “click here” to set up redelivery. As you might guess, clicking on the link caused a Trojan to be installed.

Recently we have been seeing a variation on this theme involving FedEx instead of the Post Office. The messages can claim there is a package waiting to be picked up, or that the recipient has tickets for a concert or plane trip waiting for them. Security programs catch a lot of these messages, but very craftily written Trojans can slip through your defenses. If you receive any email asking you to open an embedded message or file, be on the lookout. It may well be waiting to deliver a nasty payload.

When in doubt, the best action is usually to delete the message from your email system and contact the delivery company directly to confirm whether or not the delivery exists.

Jeff Dettloff is President and Chief Problem Solver at Providence, a Lansing IT Consulting firm.

Academic institutions can qualify for special volume licensing discounts for Microsoft products, including the Windows operating system, Office products, and more. Some retailers and college bookstores can sell individual copies, but organizations can only attain volume licensing through an approved Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller, or AER. Scott Zingery is our point-man on volume licensing, and he recently renewed his certification to continue Providence’s status as an AER.

What does this mean for you? If you work in a primary, secondary, or higher education institution, we have the tools and resources to recommend and implement the most appropriate and cost-effective Microsoft licensing solution for your organization. Many schools are not aware of this licensing opportunity or are not enrolled in the optimal program. For example, we recently worked with a client in the post-secondary education industry who realized a savings of more than $25,000!

Contact Scott Zingery at our office today to find out if your organization could be saving money on its software licensing. Scott can also tell you about programs to further simplify your school’s software management with single subscription services, easy compliance, customized solutions, and low administration time.

Jeff Dettloff is the President and Chief Problem Solver for Providence Consulting, Lansing’s leading provider of advanced computer services and innovative technology solutions.

Last weekend, Michigan’s Lower Peninsula was struck by a late winter storm with wet, heavy snow and high winds. According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, more than 200,000 residents and businesses were left without power. Today the snows have melted away and it looks like Spring outside, but this is a great opportunity to consider what would have happened to your business if this storm hit your area.

If a storm like this happened during the business week, could your business continue to operate?

Questions like this used to keep us up at night. But we sleep easy these days because there are a ton of innovative technologies now available that offer peace of mind when things go wrong.

• Microsoft Office 365 – Anywhere, anytime access to your email, documents, contacts, and calendars on nearly any Web-enabled device.
• Microsoft Sharepoint – Centralized, cloud-based access to your business’s information and applications through an intranet-like portal.
• Hosted Solutions – Outsourcing your servers with Providence Hosted Solutions means less daily stress and worry, and redundant internet services and power backups (like diesel generators) means your business keeps running even if your electricity is not.

What if the worst case scenario does happen? Providence Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services can help you plan for nearly every contingency, and will help you get things up and running ASAP if and when something does go wrong.

Jeff Dettloff is President and Chief Problem Solver at Providence, a Lansing IT Consulting firm.

Providence founder and President Jeff Dettloff, in partnership with his HTG Peer Group, has chosen to invest in other entrepreneurs as a Kiva Lender.

Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.

Through Kiva, Jeff and his HTG Peer Group have so far helped thirteen people in Southeast and Central Asia, Africa, and Central and South America to make their businesses a success and help their dreams come true. You can see more details at the HTG 12 Peer Group Kiva Lender Page.

HTG brings together peer groups of 10 to 12 like-minded IT company leaders. Members meet quarterly in a non-competitive environment to network and discuss issues specific to each member’s concerns as a company owner, president or manager. Jeff Dettloff has been active with HTG Peer Groups since 2008.

Jeff Dettloff is the President and Chief Problem Solver for Providence Consulting, Lansing’s leading provider of advanced computer services and innovative technology solutions.

Jeff Dettloff, Providence’s President and Chief Problem Solver, also serves as the 2012 President for the Capital Area IT Council (CAITC). Jeff moderated a CAITC panel discussion on mobility and the connected workforce at last fall’s Greater Lansing Business Showcase. For the next few weeks we will be sharing the knowledge we gained from attending this panel.

How does the new mobility affect your business? Are you in the fast lane? Please share your insights and experiences.

Mobile devices can do a lot for your company’s productivity. But they can also poke a few holes into your IT security plan. Here are a few short suggestions that will make your life easier and help to protect your corporate and personal data.

Sending an email with critical information? When you’re sending out pricing sheets, sales data, or other information that is meant for only certain eyes, avoid sending the data in the body of the email– the actual text of the message itself. Instead use an Adobe PDF, a spreadsheet, or a word processor file, something that can be attached to the email that you send.

What this helps you avoid is a scenario where the owner of a smart phone or tablet leaves it in a public area – perhaps on their kitchen counter during a party, or in a coffee shop – and the device uses a pop-up notification that the email has been received. If your critical data is in the body of the email it could be partially or fully exposed. Using an attachment helps avoid this danger.

What if your phone or tablet becomes lost? Or worse – stolen? In these worst case scenarios, nothing can give greater peace of mind than the ability to remotely erase that device. iPhones and iPads have a Remote Wipe feature right out of the box. One look at the Android Market shows literally dozens of options for your Android phone. But the important thing is to download it and configure it now. It won’t do you any good once your phone goes missing.

This next suggestion may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure that you’re using passwords or pass-codes on your devices, and take a good look at all of the security settings. A configuration that leaves the phone unlocked for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or more after last use means a longer window of time in which an unauthorized person can access your phone if lost or stolen. You should be able to configure the phone to lock down immediately or at least within a few minutes of your last keystroke. Take a look at those settings, and the more critical the information that is stored on the phone, the shorter that span of time needs to be.

The overall principle that should guide your policy and security choices is that these devices are there to help people do their work, and make your company more productive and efficient. Make sure that you choose tools that work the way your people work, and don’t inhibit their productivity.

Reason number 215 why we love Lenovo products.

Lenovo computers with Enhanced Experience 2.0 technology offer super fast boot-up times of under 10 seconds. Using Lenovo’s RapidBoot technology, Enhanced Experience 2.0 PCs optimize system files, processes, and hardware settings to achieve quicker boot and shutdown times – while still initializing critical security features like anti-virus software. That means no more waiting while your PC gets ready to go to work for you.

We found this great informational video from the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and just had to share.

Interested in learning more? Providence is your local Lenovo Business Parter and we would be happy to help.

Jeff Dettloff is President and Chief Problem Solver at Providence, a Lansing IT Consulting firm.

Mac or PC? For most business computer users the answer is a PC running some version of Windows, but Apple products are seeing a boost in popularity in recent months. The Mac computer continues to mostly be relegated to relatively specific uses like multimedia and design applications, but Apple’s iPad is finding its way into more and more businesses and corporations, and used in increasingly diverse and creative ways.

But when problems arrive, who can business owners look to for help? Most IT departments and consulting businesses are PC-only, and are unprepared for the challenge of supporting Apple devices.

That’s where we come in. Providence became one of the newest members of the Apple Consultants Network in Fall 2011, and we’re now certified to support Apple users of all sizes – home or business . Plus, our own Jason Spicer recently became one of only a handful of technicians in the country to have completed Apple’s Mobility Technical Competency training.

Add this together with the fact that Providence is the only Apple Consultants Network member within 60 miles of Lansing, and the choice becomes clear. When you need help with your Apple products, think Providence.

Jeff Dettloff is the President and Chief Problem Solver for Providence Consulting, Lansing’s leading provider of advanced computer services and innovative technology solutions.

A worldwide shortage of hard drives is expected in the near future as many of the Thai-based factories continue to struggle with flooding.

In the same way the massive earthquake and tsunami damaged Japan’s electronics industry, the flood crisis in Thailand is causing concern for companies that require hard drives for production.

The majority of the world’s hard drives are produced in factories located in Thailand, where the flood crisis has put a damper on many industries, hard drive producers included.

According to reports, the shortage is already driving hard drive costs up and may just be the beginning of that trend. As companies like Hewlett Packard respond to the situation, the outlook remains unclear. PC sales could be affected well into 2012 and beyond. With flooding still an issue for some producers the shortage could expand.

As of now, there is still no concrete solution in sight for the problem with the supply of hard drives in the world, and while reconstruction efforts in Thailand are ongoing, getting the hard drive industry on its feet will take a while. As for the effects on the computing world as a whole, PC prices will likely rise as pre-flood inventories are sold out and replacement stock is delayed.

Jeff Dettloff, Providence’s President and Chief Problem Solver, also serves as the 2011-2012 President for the Capital Area IT Council (CAITC). Jeff recently moderated a CAITC panel discussion on mobility and the connected workforce at this fall’s Greater Lansing Business Showcase. For the next few weeks we will be sharing the knowledge we gained from attending this panel.

How does the new mobility affect your business? Are you in the fast lane? Please share your insights and experiences.

“No one knows what the future holds.” This pearl of wisdom was one of the opening comments made by Bil Moore, one of our panelists and a technology consultant with Strategic Products and Services.

Bil is dead-on. There is so much happening in the IT market, so quickly, that both consumers and businesses are scrambling to keep on top. New products and services emerge daily, and much like how the emergence of Facebook quickly unseated Myspace, the mobile world is still very much anyone’s game.

Statistics show that there are actually more mobile internet devices – smart phones and tablets – on the internet right now than there are PC’s and laptops. Compare this to ten years ago when relatively few people even used text messaging, and being online while mobile meant lugging along a laptop and seeking out a coffee shop with a WiFi hotspot.

Now anyone can be online right from their phone, and the wireless carriers are becoming increasingly aggressive with smart phone marketing. Studies have suggested that there may be more smartphones in the US than standard phones by the end of 2011!

What does this mean to you? If you think about your customers, the people to whom you want to sell your product or service, chances are they are probably looking at your information on a mobile phone now. Is your website, and overall web presence, prepared for this change?

This is a new challenge for every business, not just those that are involved in the tech world. It’s no longer good enough just to have a website. The more mobile-friendly your website, and the more visible you are in services like Google Places and similar review sites, the more likely you are to have customers showing up at your door.

The only way to stay competitive is to get in the game and see where it leads. If you don’t keep up, if you don’t get in the game, your business is going to be taken by somebody else who does.

As Bil says, “the faster we get there, the more competitive we will be.” It’s time to step on the gas.

Jeff Dettloff is President and Chief Problem Solver at Providence, a Lansing IT Consulting firm.