Don’t Suffer…

Don’t wait to start a data backup and recovery plan till it’s too late to. Over half of all business that suffers loss of data NEVER recovers from its effects. Having a managed backup solution is critical to the success of your business.

Presently we offer server backups to disk powered by EMC Avamar and backups to tape. Backup & recovery to disk with data deduplication shortens our backup windows while never backing up the same data twice.

Why is backup to disk with deduplication such a good thing?

1.) You can take 12,000 tapes and put all of that data on less than 400 disk drives. That is truly a dramatic savings in space!!

2.) Replicating backups to a second site is less expensive

3.) Disk is cost competitive for short and medium term retention. If you think at some point you are going to outgrow your current tape environment it may be time to justify the move to disk with deduplication.

There are many other reasons of why backup to disk is such a good thing and honestly varies from company to company. We would be happy to discuss these options with you when you are ready.

Memorial Day Office Hours

Memorial Day for some seems to be a vacation, a three-day weekend, a party that school is done with for the summer.  They often overlook the true meaning of the holiday.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died in service to our country.  Don’t forget to check out your local Memorial Day events.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. – John F. Kennedy

Our office will be closed on Monday, May 28^th

in observance of the Memorial Holiday.

 Hosting Customers:  24/7 support be available through the Preferred Accounts line during the holiday for all existing hosting customers.

Mail Quota

Mail Quota Exceeded

Your mailbox on our server can hold up to 1 GB worth of e-mail messages. When your mail on our server exceeds 1 GB our server will start to reject any new messages sent to you.  The sender will also receive a rejection notice stating your mailbox is full until you remove enough messages to get below the 1 GB limit.

Where can I see what my email quota is at right now?  Below is an illustration from Tuxedo (Webmail) that shows where you can find this information.  As you can see in this illustration the quota is only at 6% full.

The following are tips for controlling the size of your mailbox:

1)     Download your Email to a mail client like Outlook/Outlook Express or Thunderbird. Once you download messages to a mail client on your PC, it removes the mail from our server and makes certain you have storage for new Email messages. When you download your Email to your PC, you are no longer using Webmail storage. As a side note, using an Email client on your PC takes away the ability to see messages that have been downloaded to your PC using the Webmail client (webmail.btinet.net).

2)     If you do leave some messages on the in Webmail so that they remain accessible through the online client, don’t forget to periodically clean out any old messages you no longer need. Also, remember to check your Sent Items folder for messages you no longer need.

3)     Save Email attachments (photos, video clips, documents, etc.) to your PC rather than leaving the message and the attachment in your Webmail Inbox.

4)     Make sure that your Webmail settings are configured to clean out your Trash folder upon logout. Even though you have deleted messages, they still exist in your Trash folder and they are using a portion of your 1GB storage quota.
 

Webmail Users – Emptying Trash

Please remember to check your mail on a regular basis and delete unwanted message before your mailbox reaches quota. Keep in mind that after you delete a message you need to empty the trash to permanently remove the message from the server. Do empty your trash just click on trash and the word empty. You also have the option to have your trash can emptied every time you log out of your email account.  Go to Settings, Server Setting, and add a check mark at the “clean trash on logout”.

Purchase Additional Space

If you feel you need more than 1 GB of space on the mail server, you can purchase additional space on a monthly basis. Email sales@btinet.com, or call our business office at (701) 557-5151 or (800) 287-2810 to request additional space and costs involved.

BTInet Discontinuing DSL Service

BTInet is not closing the doors nor are we cancelling all services.  As a local company and member of the community, we have been very fortunate to have such loyal customers. Due to lower pricing and bundling options available through Centurylink, Orbitcom and other internet access providers; BTInet will be discontinuing our ISP portion of DSL access. 

Currently your DSL access portion is provided to you by Centurylink or Orbitcom. Please contact them before June 29th, 2012 to request the ISP portion of your service be transferred to them or to whomever else you may choose.

Centurylink    1.877.348.9004

Orbitcom       1.866.834.7837

If you are a BTInet DSL customer and are worried about losing your email address with BTInet, please call our office at 701.557.5151 to discuss your options with a customer service representative. 

We truly thank you for your loyal patronage and hope that you will consider us when looking for other services now and in the future.  Don’t forget to check out our hosting services at www.btinet.com!

Securing Wireless Networks

NOTE: The information covered in this section pertains to any Internet connection (T1, Fixed Wireless, DSL, Dial-Up, etc.) through a wireless router (Linksys, Netgear, Belkin, etc.)

 

As more and more people look at wireless technologies for the ease and convenience of setting up their home or office network, they don’t always remember or know that there are steps they need to take to make certain that their network is secure from outside intrusion. Practices like piggybacking (connecting to a wireless network, such as your neighbors, and using that Internet connection without the owner’s knowledge) and wardriving (the act of searching for a wireless network from a vehicle) are becoming increasingly more popular.

Why should this concern me?

• Individuals who piggyback on your connection may be using it for innocent purposes; however, they may also be conducting illegal activities that you, as the owner of the connection, may be legally accountable for.
• Allowing piggyback connections to go through your wireless router has the potential of slowing down your Internet connection.
• Individuals may be able to monitor your online activity and steal personal information, such as your online banks username and password. They may even access files stored directly on your computer.
• “We live in a small community and trust our neighbors, this doesn’t concern us.” That may be true; however, there are many sites online that publish locations of wireless networks that have been discovered by people utilizing them.

What can I do?

Because of the number of different wireless routers currently available on the market, we cannot directly assist you with making any of the suggested changes outlined on this site. Much of the information necessary to make these changes is discussed in the user manual that came with your wireless router. You may also check with the company you purchased your wireless router from, or the manufacturer of the equipment, for further assistance.

• Change your router’s Admin password – By default, many wireless routers come pre-configured with a default Admin username and password for ease of setup. Because these defaults are widely known it is easy for an individual to log into your router without your knowledge.
• Disable Identifier Broadcasting – In an open wireless area, such as a local coffee shop, it is necessary to have your wireless router broadcast its presence so users can easily connect to it. In a home or office environment, you are the only one that needs to know you have a wireless network setup. Disabling this feature will make it harder for someone to “discover” your wireless network.
• Enable MAC Authentication – Every device you attempt to connect to your wireless network has its own unique MAC (Media Access Control) address. Using Mac Authentication allows you to control who can access your wireless network.
• Use WEP or WPA Encryption - WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) allow you to encrypt information sent between wireless devices. If your equipment supports both standards, it is preferable to use the more secure WPA feature.
• Rename your SSID - By default, many wireless routers come pre-configured with a default SSID/ESSID. If possible, change your default SSID/ESSID to make it more difficult for someone to guess and gain access to your network.
• Firewalls and Anti-virus - Even if you do not have a wireless network, it is always a good idea to have an up-to-date Firewall (software and/or hardware based) and anti-virus software running on your computers and network.
• File Sharing - If you do not need to share files over your network, you should consider disabling file sharing on your computer. If you need to share files over your network, look at creating a dedicated folder for storing those files and share out only that folder, not your entire hard drive. If possible, passwords protect your shared folders/files for added protection.