Facebook 2012: The Latest on Everybody’s Favorite Social Network by Infographiclabs

That’s just one of the reasons we love offering affordable computer education to the people of Boulder and the front range. We hold two classes a month, and we pride ourselves on making them easy to understand without being condescending. Here is what two attendees of our recent WordPress class had to say.

We don’t just teach about websites, though: we teach you how to get the most out of your computer, whatever make or model.

Curious about our upcoming classes? Check out our upcoming classes and sign up now. Be warned, though: our last class sold out quickly, and there’s a good chance that will happen again!

For example: dropping a rock on your iPad is probably a bad idea. To prove this point we conducted an experiment. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are the results:

You may have noticed: the iPad glass did not survive a rock being dropped on it. Another experiment involving a homemade cannon carved from a single piece of Colorado red oak was ultimately dropped (no pun intended) due to budget restraints, but we feel the results are still valid.

You probably didn’t drop a rock on your iPad. If you broke it some other way, though, don’t panic: iSupportU now offers repair for the iPad. It’s affordable, quick and right here in Boulder. If you’ve got broken glass on your iPad call us before you hurt your fingers. It doesn’t matter whether  you broke your iPad or your iPad 2; we’ve got you covered. Contact us to find out more.

Did you break your iPad? Is it a good story? Share it in the comments below!

We’ve always advised our customers to use WPA2 encryption for their wireless networks, and with good reason: with a good password WPA2 encryption can take millions of years for hackers to crack.

There’s a new loophole, though: WPS, a system that makes it easier to set up devices wirelessly, also makes it easier for hackers to get your wireless password. Those with geeky inclinations can check out the initial research, but everyone else should simply know this: WPS is not secure.

Here’s what we recommend: if you’re currently using WPS on your router, turn it off. Some routers won’t allow this, and you should know that you’re taking a risk by continuing to use that router. Think about replacing it, but know that an upcoming update might take care of the problem.

Are you not entirely sure what we’re talking about, and a little freaked out? Don’t be: we can take care of you. Give us a call or contact us and we’ll see what we can do for you.

Can’t think of any? Neither could we; they’re all jerks. It seems our culture’s storytellers just can’t think of anything nice to say about people who fix computers.

It makes sense. IT guys usually only show up in movies when something goes wrong, and no one likes bad news. For plot reasons, the IT guy becomes representative of all the problems in lives of the primary characters.

Basically: according to TV, we’re outcasts. That doesn’t mean we can’t learn a thing or two from these guys, though. Here are a few examples.

SNL: Company Computer Guy

We know some IT guys are jerks. Lacking social skills, and feeling superior to the people they are supposed to be helping, they come across as smug. Jimmy Fallon’s character in this sketch points out the worst of that tendency.

What we learn from this: At iSupportU we try to treat people with respect, educating them when possible and respecting their workflows.

And we never, ever, order people to move.

The IT Crowd

Getting answers from an IT person can be hard, particularly if they spout off generic instructions. “The IT Crowd”, a hilarious sitcom out of the UK, takes this tendency to an extreme with this running gag about power cycling.

What we learn from this: we try to ask questions before we provide answers. Spouting off generic tips doesn’t solve problems; research solves problems.

Office Space

Strictly speaking, these guys don’t work in IT. Their printer-induced wrath will feel familiar to many, though:

(warning: music in video includes certain words you might not want to hear.)

(warning: music in video includes certain words you might not want to hear.)

What we learn from this: Printers can be frustrating. Extremely frustrating. There are times every IT guy would like to take a bat to them.

It’s important not to, though, because printers are also vital to modern workplaces.

More importantly: we strive to never take our frustration out on our clients. If we’re upset you’ll never know.

The Office

Knowledge is power, and people who look at your computer gain power. This is particularly true of the corporate IT guy, who is frequently a combination of a repairman and a spy. This guy comes to mind:

What we learn from this: It should go without saying, but we never prod around your data unless it’s necessary. If we do, we keep anything we find out to ourselves. Trust is at the core of what we do, and we don’t want to risk losing yours.

We Like What We Do

We choose this work. We didn’t choose it because it’s easy; we choose it because it’s hard. We like solving problems, and we like helping people.

So let the media portray our profession negatively. We know there are reasons for that, and we strive to be the exception to the rule.

Offering technical support frequently feels like being in a detective story. The phone rings and you know someone is in trouble, and that they need your help to figure something out.

Our story begins under just these circumstances.

Tim O’Shea, our resident Systems Samurai, made a number of improvements to a business client’s setup, replacing the router and setting up a NAS device for file sharing.

Soon thereafter, the phone rang.

“Their ISP sent them graphs,” says O’Shea. “They were maxing their bandwidth.”

In simple terms: they were using up all of their Internets, quickly, and didn’t know why.

I gets weirder. Almost all of this new traffic was outgoing, which is odd because most businesses download way more than they send out. In this case 80 percent of all traffic was outgoing, meaning a tremendous amount of information was flowing from their office to somewhere else.

“Long and short: you should see more down than you see up,” says O’Shea.

Something very weird was happening.

O’Shea knew none of the changes he recently made caused this; the router and the NAS device both function inside the network, meaning neither should be accessing the Internet.

This meant the problem was almost certainly happening at one of their computers.

“This is an office of 20 desktops,” says O’Shea, “Most of them Macs.”

So it probably wasn’t malware.

Not sure what the problem could be? Neither was O’Shea. So like any good detective he searched for more clues.

Routers track traffic, leaving behind a trail for O’Shea to follow. But this led to even more confusion.

“The breakdown showed it wasn’t SMTP or HTTP traffic; it was ‘Other,’” said O’Shea.

Confounding.

Further research found the outgoing data was going to an email server: Google’s, to be precise. This meant someone was emailing out gigabytes of data every day, or something was going wrong with someone’s email set up.

Through further examination of the logs, an a bit of trial and error, the culprit was eventually found.

“It ended up being the front desk,” says O’Shea. “The receptionist had three emails in her Outlook outbox with 36 MB attachments trying to be sent via Google, which has a 20 MB limit. It kept trying to send over and over and over again.”

Sound like a simple fix? It is once you know what the problem is. Figuring this out takes time, though.

“One desktop was saturating their bandwidth,” said O’Shea. “Figuring this out took the better part of two days.”

What’s the lesson? Well, first of all, information is good. O’Shea solved the mystery because he had access to clues.

“The information allowed me to figure this out in a day and a half, versus a week without it” said O’Shea.

The other lesson? Problems aren’t always obvious.

“In many environments it’s easy for one person to, purposefully or not, have a significant impact on resources in IT,” said O’Shea.

Unravelling these problems isn’t typically easy. That’s why we do what we do.

Do you have a technology mystery that needs solving? Contact us. Chances are we’ve run into something similar before.

On Sunday, October 23, our Founder and CEO Shaun Oshman and Network Navigator Christina Savage sat down with CBS Denver to talk about technology, bicycles and why they’re a great match. Here is that visit, for your viewing pleasure:

Can’t see the video? Watch it on the CBS Denver website instead.

If you’re more inclined to reading, the Boulder County Business Report profiled our partnership with Eco-Cycle. We’re thrilled to bring e-waste recycling to downtown Boulder, and are glad to see the word being spread.

At iSupportU, we oppose misery. It’s a controversial claim, to be sure, but we’re standing by it.

That’s why we try to offer our clients simple solutions to complex technical problems, and we frequently start by setting businesses up with Google Apps. It’s a great service that makes running any business easier. Here’s an overview of what it does.

Simply put: Google Apps makes using a computer less frustrating, and gets out of the way so your business can get back to getting things done. Here are just a few frustrations you can leave behind, forever.

1. No More Syncing

It’s a familiar situation for many: start up your email client and you need to wait a few minutes as everything syncs up. In time your new email, your calendar and contacts from other computers sync up, and only then can you finally get started on your work.

If you use Google Apps in your browser, though, you’ll never need to wait. Open your browser and everything is waiting for you, up to date and ready to go. It’s your calendar, email and contacts, instantly.

2. No More Document Email Chains

You’ve done it before: emailed a document to your entire team, asking for feedback. All ten members of your team edit the document and send it back to you. Now you’ve got ten documents, all with different changes and notes, that you need to somehow stitch together.

Stop the madness! With Google Docs you can edit your documents on the web and see changes made by your co-workers in real time. You’ll wonder how you ever managed to get things done without it.

3. No More Slow Email Client

Seen this lately?

Stop seeing it. With Google Apps there’s no bloated software crashing on your desktop, or generally running far too slow to be usable.

Of course, if you like your email client you can keep using it; Google Apps works with all of them. Life without an email client is far less stressful, though, so we recommend going without.

4. No More Migrations

Got a new computer? With Google Apps your email, calendar, documents and contacts are ready for you, instantly. All you need to do is log in. Best of all: it doesn’t matter whether you’re using a PC, a Mac or anything else; it will work.

All of your information is at your fingertips on any computer, any time.

5. No More Overpriced Services

What is your company paying for email access? If it’s more than $50 per user  per year, it’s too much, because that is the absolute most you will pay to use Google Apps. If under 10 people work for your company, it might be less than that.

So switching to Google doesn’t just save you time; it can also potentially save you a lot of money every year.

How to Get Started?

Like the idea of Google Apps, but don’t know where to start? That’s where we come in. We’ve set a number of respected Colorado companies up with Google Apps, including Avery Brewing, Pedal to Properties, North American Property Services and Boulder B-Cycle. We’d love to help you out next, so please get in touch with us.