by: Jessica Lacy
If you have a natural affinity for computers, and you enjoy working with machines, then one of the most rewarding and enjoyable jobs that you might want to look at is that of becoming a computer technician.
Among the benefits of becoming a computer technician is that it is a very varied and interesting profession, in which you can choose from a number of different ways to progress, and also choose whether you would like to be self-employed and running your own business, or you can work for an employer and follow a more structured employment path.
One of the routes into the work of a computer technician in recent years has been to study a course in computer building or repair that will give you a good foundation of knowledge about how computers are constructed, and how the various parts within the computer work together and complement each other.
Another option if you have already been tinkering and upgrading your own computers for some time is to look for a local computer technician who should be fairly experienced, and is willing to take on an apprentice so that you can get plenty of practical experience, and then apply this experience under their supervision as you develop your computer knowledge.
If you prefer to work in an environment where there is a more structured progression and development in your role as a computer technician, then you may want to consider looking at corporations which have large offices in your area, as these will often have a number of IT staff already working there. Among the benefits of following this career path is that the company will often sponsor you or at least give you some support in earning more qualifications and accreditations to help you develop.
Once you have begun to be established as a computer technician, then it is valuable for you to think about getting more qualifications or accreditations, which will allow you to increase the breadth of your knowledge and experience, which will naturally assist you in getting more lucrative opportunities, and moving forwards in your career as a computer technician. These can be either educationally based, or be accreditations provided by manufacturers.
Whichever route you choose, becoming a computer technician can be both an interesting and lucrative profession.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
5 Web Based Scanning Tools
By: Robert Corter
As attacks on web based scanning application continue to threaten the internet platform, the demand for tools on website scanning and security check continues to grow. Gone are the days of checking out on common hacks and picking websites at hand - software developers and IT pros can now use automated web application testing tools to gather reports and use them as guidelines in fixing security-related bugs or issues.
Web based scanning has become a part of the entire web application testing method for determining bugs in the software development cycle. And because security in web based scanning has become a crucial part of the software expansion, several requirements like the Payment Card Security Standard has been regulated to scan any web-based stuff and its vulnerability to ensuring security.
There are three key elements in an effective web based scanning program: defining the purpose & scope of the scan, assembling a readable & usable report and deciding on the right scanning tools to use during application. Even if the website is filled with security loopholes, it is very important to scan reports that can be translated into action (by means of upgrading) in order to regulate or, better yet, fix web scanning issues.
SECURITY is very essential in web based scanning. Take note that all websites are designed with relevant information about the company involved. These days, the cutthroat process of "website defacement" is done to trace hackers. So if you want to secure your web based scanning application instead of considering its susceptibility to hackers, here are top five web scanning vulnerability tools for both Linux and Windows platform.
WEBSECURIFY Web Security Testing
This is a cross-operating system testing tool available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS. WEBSECURIFY is considered the best web scanning vulnerability tool that helps control risks throughout your web application.
NETSPARKER Web Security Application Scanner
A highly-commercialized web scanning tool designed to find certain vulnerabilities over web application, NETSPARKER comes with a 30-day trial version for those who want to use rapid "web penetration" testing in determining security issues within the application.
NIKTO Web Scanner
Considered as the #1 source for web vulnerability scanning, NIKTO is available in Linux platform as well as page script distributors like BackBox, GnackTrack and BackTrack. You can also use this tool in Mac and Windows 7 platform, but make sure that you downloaded a fully-upgraded Perl Script first.
SKIPFISH Web Scanning Vulnerability Tool
This is the first automatic web scanning tool designed to trace all vulnerabilities under a single application. The unique thing about SKIPFISH is that you don't need to become an expert only to find scanning vulnerability in your website. The tool is available in the BackTrack 5 format.
OWASP (Proxy-ZAP) Zed Attack
This tool started out as an open web scanning application project by a non-profit organization dedicated in improving web scanning and security. The Zed Attack is a proxy used to integrate web penetrating tools into a single application (through using OWASP's automatic web scanning functionality).
As attacks on web based scanning application continue to threaten the internet platform, the demand for tools on website scanning and security check continues to grow. Gone are the days of checking out on common hacks and picking websites at hand - software developers and IT pros can now use automated web application testing tools to gather reports and use them as guidelines in fixing security-related bugs or issues.
Web based scanning has become a part of the entire web application testing method for determining bugs in the software development cycle. And because security in web based scanning has become a crucial part of the software expansion, several requirements like the Payment Card Security Standard has been regulated to scan any web-based stuff and its vulnerability to ensuring security.
There are three key elements in an effective web based scanning program: defining the purpose & scope of the scan, assembling a readable & usable report and deciding on the right scanning tools to use during application. Even if the website is filled with security loopholes, it is very important to scan reports that can be translated into action (by means of upgrading) in order to regulate or, better yet, fix web scanning issues.
SECURITY is very essential in web based scanning. Take note that all websites are designed with relevant information about the company involved. These days, the cutthroat process of "website defacement" is done to trace hackers. So if you want to secure your web based scanning application instead of considering its susceptibility to hackers, here are top five web scanning vulnerability tools for both Linux and Windows platform.
WEBSECURIFY Web Security Testing
This is a cross-operating system testing tool available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS. WEBSECURIFY is considered the best web scanning vulnerability tool that helps control risks throughout your web application.
NETSPARKER Web Security Application Scanner
A highly-commercialized web scanning tool designed to find certain vulnerabilities over web application, NETSPARKER comes with a 30-day trial version for those who want to use rapid "web penetration" testing in determining security issues within the application.
NIKTO Web Scanner
Considered as the #1 source for web vulnerability scanning, NIKTO is available in Linux platform as well as page script distributors like BackBox, GnackTrack and BackTrack. You can also use this tool in Mac and Windows 7 platform, but make sure that you downloaded a fully-upgraded Perl Script first.
SKIPFISH Web Scanning Vulnerability Tool
This is the first automatic web scanning tool designed to trace all vulnerabilities under a single application. The unique thing about SKIPFISH is that you don't need to become an expert only to find scanning vulnerability in your website. The tool is available in the BackTrack 5 format.
OWASP (Proxy-ZAP) Zed Attack
This tool started out as an open web scanning application project by a non-profit organization dedicated in improving web scanning and security. The Zed Attack is a proxy used to integrate web penetrating tools into a single application (through using OWASP's automatic web scanning functionality).
The Cost of Replacing Data Vs Using Online Backup
According to a 2003 study at Pepperdine University in California, data losses cost American businesses a staggering $18,000,000,000. With the increasing use of more vulnerable laptops, and the concentration of data on multi-gigabyte hard drives that figure is probably higher today. Businesses worldwide are losing vast amounts of money each year due to hard drive crashes, disasters like fire of flood, and theft of or damage to a portable device. Even the data stored on a smartphone can be significant.
In another US survey, 69 percent of the computer savvy business people who were polled reported that they had lost data due to a disaster, viruses, hardware failure and, yes, accidental deletion. Something as simple as failing to save a file before your computer reboots (usually after an automatic upgrade) can cause data loss which translates into time lost reworking the file.
In many cases it is possible to retrieve at least some of the data lost when a hard drive crashes, but the technical wizards who know how to do this do not come cheap. It can cost thousands of euros for laptop, and tens of thousands for a networked computer. There are many back-up systems available to mitigate the problem, but a system is only as good as how faithfully it is followed. Many users of personal desktop or laptop computers have gone as far as to purchase a data storage device such as a USB flash drive or external hard drive. In theory all data files are loaded onto one of these devices at regular intervals. Now when was the last time that happened?
A business that does not have some sort of data back-up system – one that is rigorously enforced – is just asking for trouble, serious trouble. Even with regular backing up some data losses occur, and time and productivity are always lost during the period when the data are being restored. Let’s say that three hours of downtime costs the company €100. It is likely to be much, much more, but suppose that by luck there were no sales lost, and the €100 just represents lost productivity because you still have to pay your employees even if there is nothing for them to do until the computers are back up.
For less than €100a year, it is possible to protect your data and guarantee that your small or middle-sized company does not suffer catastrophic losses. This is all done through the wonders of online back-up. The best part is that once the backup-software has been installed on your computer or server your job is done. No more remembering to change the tape or back-up on to a memory device. At fixed intervals, all your data are compressed and transmitted to an offsite location where they are stored. Encryption and secure transmission protect your data every step of the way. Your data is further safeguarded by using multiple data centresfor storage, even of older files and documents. This redundancy ensures full restoration in the time it takes to download the lost information.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The New Google Algorithm Farmer- What SEO/SEM Professionals Need to Know
by: John Moorehead
It's official! While there has been talk of an upcoming algorithm change from Google for at least a couple of months, these past couple of weeks saw a definite change in the way that Google ranks those sites on the web vying for top placement in its listings. So what is the big news? This algorithm specifically went after content farms and in addition to a broad extent low quality sites that have been gaming the system for higher rankings. Since the algorithm targeted content farmers, this algorithm has been nicknamed The Farmer.
If you read our recent article: "Google Moving Against Content Farms- What Does This Mean for SEO?" You probably were already on the look-out for the coming algorithm change. Now that the algorithm has taken effect, the SEO/SEM community definitely knows a little bit more about it, however there are still a few things that require more research and information.
Who Was Targeted by the Farmer Algorithm?
This algorithm change which took effect since late February is said to have affected between 11% and 12% of the search queries in the United States. As of the moment, it is not sure when the algorithm will affect other regions in the world.
Some of the major website properties that were affected included article distribution sites, aggregated content sites (those sites that republish original content from others), sites that mostly sell products with little or no content associated with them, and in general sites that don't have unique or high quality content. Generally speaking, if a website's goal is to monetize content that is not original or high quality, then it is likely that the site has been targeted by Google.
Who Has Benefited from the Farmer Algorithm?
Generally speaking, those sites that have or will benefit from this algorithm will be sites that create unique, high quality content. Obviously, white hat SEO always included creating high quality, unique content as a prerequisite for obtaining long term quality results, this fact hasn't changed.
Tips for SEO/SEM to Avoid the Wrath of Farmer
If you noticed a sudden drop in the Search engine result pages or if you want to avoid a sudden drop in the future, here are some tips that should help you avoid the raft of the Farmer algorithm.
Make sure that the vast majority of content that you post on your website is unique and original. Obviously, you may have to post product descriptions or technical specs that come from a manufacturer, however when possible, create original and unique content in addition to this republished content.
Consider using the Original Source meta tag from Google: meta name="original-source" content=http://www.somedomain.com/article1.html More information at: http://www.google.com/support/news_pub/bin/answer.py?answer=191283
This meta tag directly tells Google that the content you have on your site is original- this way if someone plagiarizes your content or duplicates it in anyway, Google will know the original source and you should get all the credit from Google.
Another good tool to checkout is at www.copyscape.com This tool will scan the net looking for duplicate content so that you can identify specific pages on your website that need to be re-written so they are 100% unique.
Be choosy with the type of articles that you distribute. It should be noted that while Google has targeted many article distribution sites, you will not be penalized for having your content on these sites- the more likely possibility will be these back links will have less power and thus be less effective- so there is no need to remove any of your content from these sites.
Be careful how you monetize your content. Obviously, those that heavily advertise on their site will receive extra scrutiny from Google. If you use content to lure traffic for monetization, definitely use unique content and do not rely solely on aggregated/republished content.
Obviously, the Farmer algorithm has only been out for a couple of weeks, so SEO/SEM professionals are still researching its broad effects. As always, we'll keep you updated as well if we find important information.
It's official! While there has been talk of an upcoming algorithm change from Google for at least a couple of months, these past couple of weeks saw a definite change in the way that Google ranks those sites on the web vying for top placement in its listings. So what is the big news? This algorithm specifically went after content farms and in addition to a broad extent low quality sites that have been gaming the system for higher rankings. Since the algorithm targeted content farmers, this algorithm has been nicknamed The Farmer.
If you read our recent article: "Google Moving Against Content Farms- What Does This Mean for SEO?" You probably were already on the look-out for the coming algorithm change. Now that the algorithm has taken effect, the SEO/SEM community definitely knows a little bit more about it, however there are still a few things that require more research and information.
Who Was Targeted by the Farmer Algorithm?
This algorithm change which took effect since late February is said to have affected between 11% and 12% of the search queries in the United States. As of the moment, it is not sure when the algorithm will affect other regions in the world.
Some of the major website properties that were affected included article distribution sites, aggregated content sites (those sites that republish original content from others), sites that mostly sell products with little or no content associated with them, and in general sites that don't have unique or high quality content. Generally speaking, if a website's goal is to monetize content that is not original or high quality, then it is likely that the site has been targeted by Google.
Who Has Benefited from the Farmer Algorithm?
Generally speaking, those sites that have or will benefit from this algorithm will be sites that create unique, high quality content. Obviously, white hat SEO always included creating high quality, unique content as a prerequisite for obtaining long term quality results, this fact hasn't changed.
Tips for SEO/SEM to Avoid the Wrath of Farmer
If you noticed a sudden drop in the Search engine result pages or if you want to avoid a sudden drop in the future, here are some tips that should help you avoid the raft of the Farmer algorithm.
Make sure that the vast majority of content that you post on your website is unique and original. Obviously, you may have to post product descriptions or technical specs that come from a manufacturer, however when possible, create original and unique content in addition to this republished content.
Consider using the Original Source meta tag from Google: meta name="original-source" content=http://www.somedomain.com/article1.html More information at: http://www.google.com/support/news_pub/bin/answer.py?answer=191283
This meta tag directly tells Google that the content you have on your site is original- this way if someone plagiarizes your content or duplicates it in anyway, Google will know the original source and you should get all the credit from Google.
Another good tool to checkout is at www.copyscape.com This tool will scan the net looking for duplicate content so that you can identify specific pages on your website that need to be re-written so they are 100% unique.
Be choosy with the type of articles that you distribute. It should be noted that while Google has targeted many article distribution sites, you will not be penalized for having your content on these sites- the more likely possibility will be these back links will have less power and thus be less effective- so there is no need to remove any of your content from these sites.
Be careful how you monetize your content. Obviously, those that heavily advertise on their site will receive extra scrutiny from Google. If you use content to lure traffic for monetization, definitely use unique content and do not rely solely on aggregated/republished content.
Obviously, the Farmer algorithm has only been out for a couple of weeks, so SEO/SEM professionals are still researching its broad effects. As always, we'll keep you updated as well if we find important information.
How To Scan and Fix Registry with Registry Cleaner?
by: Austin Porter
Whenever you use your PC, it either reads or inserts entry onto a particular spot in its system. Overtime, this process can accumulate and cause some problems which are hard to ignore. It's because of this why you regularly have to scan and fix registry of your PC using related cleaner software. Continue reading to learn more about this. I will also be discussing a top quality registry cleaner software that speed up my PC quickly.
The computer has to remember a lot of things - hardware attached, selected system options, applications around, etc. Each time you use it, it has to go through all of these entries. However, there may also be invalid, missing or double entries. Such can be caused by anything from removing a hardware previously attached, to deleting a file or program.
When such happens, you will notice that the PC will begin to work a lot slower than before. Although it goes through all these entries in a very fast manner, still it may take some time if there's too much to read. Eventually, you will also notice certain programs will refuse to run, and system crashes will surface more frequently.
Of course you can always take your computer to an expert to have all unnecessary entries removed. However, it may come with a steep price tag. What's more, it's supposed to be done periodically to keep your computer in tip-top shape. Doing it on your own is definitely not recommendable, as you can even cause some irreversible damages.
What you can do is to install and run registry cleaner software. This will automatically examine each of the entries made from day one. It removes safely and effectively those which are already invalid, missing or were recorded twice. This is a much safer way for you to do so, instead of attempting to manually remove entries which can cause the PC problems.
You may scan and fix registry using free software you may find online. In downloading them, carefully read the system requirements so you're installing something that will work best for your computer. Also, see to it you get one from a reputable website. There are also those which you may purchase, often with other useful tools. I personally managed to clean up my computer by downloading high quality registry cleaner software.
Whenever you use your PC, it either reads or inserts entry onto a particular spot in its system. Overtime, this process can accumulate and cause some problems which are hard to ignore. It's because of this why you regularly have to scan and fix registry of your PC using related cleaner software. Continue reading to learn more about this. I will also be discussing a top quality registry cleaner software that speed up my PC quickly.
The computer has to remember a lot of things - hardware attached, selected system options, applications around, etc. Each time you use it, it has to go through all of these entries. However, there may also be invalid, missing or double entries. Such can be caused by anything from removing a hardware previously attached, to deleting a file or program.
When such happens, you will notice that the PC will begin to work a lot slower than before. Although it goes through all these entries in a very fast manner, still it may take some time if there's too much to read. Eventually, you will also notice certain programs will refuse to run, and system crashes will surface more frequently.
Of course you can always take your computer to an expert to have all unnecessary entries removed. However, it may come with a steep price tag. What's more, it's supposed to be done periodically to keep your computer in tip-top shape. Doing it on your own is definitely not recommendable, as you can even cause some irreversible damages.
What you can do is to install and run registry cleaner software. This will automatically examine each of the entries made from day one. It removes safely and effectively those which are already invalid, missing or were recorded twice. This is a much safer way for you to do so, instead of attempting to manually remove entries which can cause the PC problems.
You may scan and fix registry using free software you may find online. In downloading them, carefully read the system requirements so you're installing something that will work best for your computer. Also, see to it you get one from a reputable website. There are also those which you may purchase, often with other useful tools. I personally managed to clean up my computer by downloading high quality registry cleaner software.
Cheap printer ink cartridges: helps in cost cutting
by: Jean Colestock
With the increase in the usage of printers in businesses and office, demand for printer ink cartridges has gone up as well. At the same time, quality of the pages and the ink cartridges has become the essential factors in printing the pages. Many a times, people lookout for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) ink cartridges whenever their printers fall short of ink. Why throw money down the drain, when you can buy cheap printer ink cartridges. When you go for the OEM ink cartridges, you are likely to spend huge amount of money on the printing needs. They will end up increasing your overall stationery costs.
With the entry of the third party vendors producing cheap printer ink cartridges, the monopolistic market of the branded and genuine ink cartridges is almost shut. These cartridges are cheaper than the original ones. The ink cartridges are non bio-degradable. Every year, people from across the globe add into millions of tons of garbage in landfills. Used printer ink cartridges are dumped without thinking of re-filling. The cartridges are formed of high grade plastic and take up thousands of years before they break down. It is advisable to practice secure ink cartridges recycling to assist and save the environment from damage caused by the unsuitable disposal of the printer ink cartridges. Online world is one of the great places to purchase cheap printer ink cartridges.
There are several online suppliers who provide cheap printer ink cartridges. All you need to do is to woof on the one that provides you with the great services and best prices. The web world is a wonderful tool and it can help you put the cash back in your pocket. Saving money on cheap printer ink has never been easier, however, with the online advancements; you can be assured about the costs. Online traders have their websites with product information. Therefore, inspect some of the known online suppliers and also browse through the prices they are providing.
If you are looking out for cost cutting in your office stationeries, then it is advisable to go for cheap printer ink cartridges. Although, the digital era has taken over in offices across the globe, yet there are many such companies that rely on the documents. Printing is important in carrying out both business and office tasks. Whether you are looking to print mere documents like minutes of a meeting or other essential documents like financial reports or any other project progress report, you just cannot avoid printing. For all such tasks, you can bank on cheap printer ink cartridges.
These days, printer ink is a sore spot for consumers. The consumers are searching for ways to save money in buying ink. Hence, one can save a lot of money by buying cheap printer ink cartridges. Now start saving immediately just by ordering cheap printer ink from the online source.
With the increase in the usage of printers in businesses and office, demand for printer ink cartridges has gone up as well. At the same time, quality of the pages and the ink cartridges has become the essential factors in printing the pages. Many a times, people lookout for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) ink cartridges whenever their printers fall short of ink. Why throw money down the drain, when you can buy cheap printer ink cartridges. When you go for the OEM ink cartridges, you are likely to spend huge amount of money on the printing needs. They will end up increasing your overall stationery costs.
With the entry of the third party vendors producing cheap printer ink cartridges, the monopolistic market of the branded and genuine ink cartridges is almost shut. These cartridges are cheaper than the original ones. The ink cartridges are non bio-degradable. Every year, people from across the globe add into millions of tons of garbage in landfills. Used printer ink cartridges are dumped without thinking of re-filling. The cartridges are formed of high grade plastic and take up thousands of years before they break down. It is advisable to practice secure ink cartridges recycling to assist and save the environment from damage caused by the unsuitable disposal of the printer ink cartridges. Online world is one of the great places to purchase cheap printer ink cartridges.
There are several online suppliers who provide cheap printer ink cartridges. All you need to do is to woof on the one that provides you with the great services and best prices. The web world is a wonderful tool and it can help you put the cash back in your pocket. Saving money on cheap printer ink has never been easier, however, with the online advancements; you can be assured about the costs. Online traders have their websites with product information. Therefore, inspect some of the known online suppliers and also browse through the prices they are providing.
If you are looking out for cost cutting in your office stationeries, then it is advisable to go for cheap printer ink cartridges. Although, the digital era has taken over in offices across the globe, yet there are many such companies that rely on the documents. Printing is important in carrying out both business and office tasks. Whether you are looking to print mere documents like minutes of a meeting or other essential documents like financial reports or any other project progress report, you just cannot avoid printing. For all such tasks, you can bank on cheap printer ink cartridges.
These days, printer ink is a sore spot for consumers. The consumers are searching for ways to save money in buying ink. Hence, one can save a lot of money by buying cheap printer ink cartridges. Now start saving immediately just by ordering cheap printer ink from the online source.
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