Your Questions About Internet Business Solutions

Jere answers:

First, make sure that it is uninstalled and non-functional. If there is any doubt, you can look for installation tools at the Symantec website http://www.symantec.com

Restart the computer, then look for Symantec items in the Program Files folders. There is a COMMON FILES section that also has Symantec Shared folder. Try to delete that “Symantec Shared” folder. Of course, look for other Symantec folders in the Program Files section.

You can use REGEDIT and manually edit your registry. I’ve done that. I would use the FIND feature and search for ALL occurrences of “Symantec” and “Norton”. This will take a while, but you will be DONE with them.

If you could not DELETE some of the Symantec things in the Program Files section, you should be able to do so, after ripping these out of the registry. But do so after rebooting.

I too am not a big fan of the whole Symantec Security solution, but I am OK with their plain Anti-virus software. Versions 2002 and 2003 are still supported for updates, as they were when they were NEW. Reinstallation of these program versions are not the hassle of new versions that wind up with a technical call to Symantec.

Be sure to pick a new Anti-virus solution. I would not be happy with any “DO IT ALL” solution. I would pick other Anti-spyware and anti-spam solutions. I do like Ad-aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy. For WIndows XP with SP2, I like the Windows Firewall, but for other systems, I lean toward the free version of Zone Alarm from http://www.zonelabs.com

You see, nobody seems to be the total expert of that many varieties of threats. I really would not trust Windows Vista as a total solution. HEY, Microsoft has been in this business for a long time, and are simply beginners at security. You will know that I am right by mid 2008 when everyone else is still in the business of providing quality solutions.

Good luck and Happy Computing!

Jere answers:

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Jere answers:

If you have (or need to create) a small private network of business computers and you need to allow those computers to have Internet access, then in addition to your Internet service itself, the correct solution is to purchase a firewall with a built-in Network Address Translation (NAT) gateway.

NAT is the standard solution to the problem of providing a gateway between an internal corporate network and the Internet. It’s relied upon by companies small and large which choose not to pay for individual Internet IP addresses for each computer within the business.

Pretty much all modern firewalls have built-in NAT functionality allowing them to double as gateways. Another nice feature which most have is a built-in Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. DHCP usage is less common in business and is not essential like NAT, but it can be a convenient feature in that it allows your internal network to mostly configure its own network settings.

If you have Internet service and a modern firewall with built-in NAT gateway and DHCP server functionality, then the only additional piece of hardware which you’d need to set up a rudimentary small network is a simple switch to interconnect the various devices including the computers and the firewall.

Firewalls in the SOHO sector include the “Sonicwall SOHO” and the “Checkpoint Safe@Office”. Either one of these firewalls will allow the type of connection sharing you’re describing. One step up from the SOHO sector is the SMB sector with other products. The Cisco PIX line of devices is one of the most common in business.

A quick search suggests that some of these devices can be had for as little as a few hundred dollars. That’s probably the minimum-grade solution you should consider when thinking about putting business data in close proximity to the Internet.

If that kind of spending is out of the question currently, you could use consumer-grade equipment designed to achieve connection sharing in residential settings. Technically these products work the exact same way, at least in respect to the very-limited set of functionalities which I’ve described here. I won’t mention specific products in that market segment, but any consumer electronics salesperson can steer you in the right direction. In the consumer sector, the devices are branded as “routers” but technically that’s a misnomer since the task at hand is to gateway between two networks, not route within one.

One thing to keep in mind is that your Internet Service Provider might be able to provide and support a business-appropriate firewall/gateway device together with its business-class Internet service. If that’s the case, it’s definitely something to consider since it’s nice to have technical support and a failed hardware replacement agreement available for critical infrastructure. It also prevents the Internet Service Provider’s support team from giving you pushback (e.g. “that sounds like a firewall issue, you better check with your firewall support”) during times when you’re in need of help.

You mentioned that you intend to use a low-cost Internet service. Low cost is good, but be sure that whatever service you purchase is recognized as a business-grade service by the provider. You should never try to sneak by with a residential-grade service for a business because residential service is generally provided with something like a 48-hour SLA if any whereas a business circuit generally comes with a 4-hour response guarantee in case of outage.

Jere answers:

The absolute best cost effective solution would be to have it all “digitalised”

I’m sure you know about “skype” and how it works, well it works the other way with “skype-in” which allows phones to call in for a VERY small monthly fee. You could have the other lines around your business as normal skype users on the internet via computer (you can get a skype handset which looks like a normal phone) and should you need to transfer someone onto a different line, you add the specific person to a conference call.

Should you need to put people on hold, you can always “mute”

although this can seem a bit of a “hastle” to set up, this is the difference between spending thousands or spending a mere few dollars.

I hope you can understand my method 🙂

Jere answers:

Try calling round some wholesalers and see what they can do? 90% of the time they’ll be able to advice when their peak time is for getting the products in, if it’s best to buy damaged and repair yourself (this may take time, but can save you a lot of money), and the quantity. Just always consider the delivery charges as these can be costly, and also try eBay unless that’s where your planning to sell.

If I can be any more help just ask, I do run a business that can do research etc, I’ll see what discounts I can put your way.

Hope you find a solution.

Laura