The Hilltop Blog

Hilltop has already compared the various versions of Windows 7 and recommends Windows 7 Professional to our clients because of its ability to join company Domains and the Windows XP compatibility mode. 

There's no smooth upgrade path from Windows XP, so we recommend seeking help unless you're comfortable investing the time and energy to backup your data and locate all application installers, plus related licensing. Microsoft's Windows 7 upgrade advisor is also a key checkpoint to make sure any older machine is going to run acceptably. Very generally speaking, we do not advise upgrades on machines older than one year -- high-end purchases are notable exceptions.

In the coming months, Hilltop will continue testing Windows 7 in select office network environments to identify common issues and solutions. If you're interested in taking part in our real-world testing, please contact us.

• Magic Mouse -- With a multitouch surface atop a sleek, wireless mouse providing multiple buttons, scroll, and more. This looks like a winner that will work on any computer with built-in bluetooth.
• Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server -- A beefed-up yet little, quiet, and energy-efficient Mac Mini targeted at small offices that need file sharing, email, shared calendaring, address books, and instant messaging. This is an interesting move for small businesses wanting an all Mac/iPhone solution, and Apple's challenge to Microsoft's established Windows Small Business Server 2008.

We're written before about OpenDNS -- an easy way to improve Web surfing and block objectionable content while reducing phishing threats -- and OpenDNS recently introduced two new offerings that make their service better suited to business.

OpenDNS Deluxe, priced at about $10/year, gives more control over which sites are blocked or whitelisted. It also pleasantly removes advertising from OpenDNS pages.

OpenDNS Enterprise goes further by introducing malware protection and support for multiple administrators on top of more customization and reporting options. Pricing was not yet published for for the OpenDNS Enterprise service, but we expect it will be based on the total number of people with the organization.

Hilltop has deployed OpenDNS at a number of clients in the last year and recommend it as a good solution for content filtering. The OpenDNS Deluxe service looks ideal for our clients, with Enterprise being a useful option for any organization that wants to easily cover multiple sites.

Contact us today if you'd like to schedule installation for your network.

The article, "Avoid Windows Malware: Bank on a Live CD" goes on to say, "The simplest, most cost-effective answer I know of? Don't use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online."

"I do not offer this recommendation lightly (and at the end of this column you'll find a link to another column wherein I explain an easy-to-use alternative). But I have interviewed dozens of victim companies that lost anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 dollars because of a single malware infection. I have heard stories worthy of a screenplay about the myriad ways cyber crooks are evading nearly every security obstacle the banks put in their way."

Hilltop believes the overall concerns mentioned and patterns analyzed are worth knowing by anyone doing online banking as the risks are real. But we also believe in a more holistic approach to securing an office network that includes proper firewall configuration, patch management, and malware scanning. A compromised PC will do harm beyond any impact to online banking -- although we also recognize money talks loudest.

Our bottom line is that Web-based encryption and secure logins alone are not enough to ensure security. Hilltop works with our clients to ensure securing every machine on every network.