APC is recalling 15 million computer surge strips due to fire hazard. These were very popular and there is a very good chance you own one! If you have one that looks like this, turn it over and check the model number and year of manufacture from this table and submit...
SpireTech Company News and Tips
Don’t wait until it breaks to upgrade
I'd like some of our clients to give serious consideration to retiring some aging hardware and software that is still out there: Server 2003 and Windows XP. Microsoft is ending support for XP on April 8, 2014. I still see hundreds of XP systems out there on...
Considering year end IT upgrades?
Now is the time to have that chat with your CPA to see if spending any of your hard-earned profit this year may help lower your tax 2013 liability. In our case, we "saved" about 1/3 the cost on our taxes by spending some of it this year. The IRS ratchets up the...
How to detect phishing emails and spam
After some recent discussions with some clients and family, it occurred to me that many people still have questions about how to tell "fake" emails from real ones - so I thought it might be a good time to point out some sure-fire ways to know when to hit that delete...
Impressions of a Windows 8 Tablet vs Apple iPad
I own two tablet devices. I have had an iPad for years, and a couple of weeks ago I was given a Windows 8 tablet (a Lenovo Thinkpad 2). I purchased the keyboard dock for the ThinkPad, which also came with a nice optical pointing device that is very similar...
Unique “Local” Cloud Storage Service for Business Launched by Spire Technologies, Inc.
Local file server replacement, collaboration capabilities among benefits of PortlandCloud.com Portland, OR - August 14, 2013 SpireTech, a 20-year old Portland-based IT company, has launched a unique “local” cloud storage service using technology from CTERA Networks,...
The dark side of Internet search
The Internet search engine Shodan has made a splash by getting a spotlight on multiple blogs and sites like CNN this month. There is a lot of sniffing and crawling that happens on the internet; Shodan's niche is the darker side of the internet - sites that aren't...
A month after the upgrade to Windows 8
A little over a month ago, my notebook crashed with a corrupted hard drive after an improper shutdown. I decided to take the plunge and go to Windows 8 instead of re-installing Windows 7 and all of my programs, because I had a good backup of all my...
Do you have an old file server?
During the economic downturn, many of our clients deferred server upgrades for longer than is wise or recommended. Now that the worst of the recession seems over, many companies are replacing aged file servers. In addition to the usual Windows Server...
Securing your WordPress site against hacks
Ensuring that your website is protected against hackers is no longer a difficult task. With the fast growth of WordPress sites, protecting yourself from outside intrusion is very important, and is as simple as clicking the update button. WordPress is frequently...