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Letter From The CEO
It's my pleasure to welcome you to the very first edition of Connected!, a new quarterly newsletter just for Iserv business services customers.
We started Connected! as a way to keep you informed on important and interesting new developments regarding the Internet and what they could mean to your business. Each issue will cover an assortment of topics, from virus alerts to spam prevention to the more informative and useful sites online.
In addition, members of the Iserv business services team will be contributing to each issue. They'll be providing answers to some of your most frequent questions and helping you gain a clearer understanding of business, technology and how they can effectively come together. We want Connected! to be interesting, informative and helpful. That means we will want to hear from you on a regular basis. Send us your questions, suggestions and more to feedback@iserv.net.
I hope you enjoy our first issue and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Vic Shepherd
Iserv President & CEO
ROI Of Co-Location
Co-locating your servers in our state-of-the-art Data Center is one of the premier services we offer to our customers, something we believe sets us apart from our competition. But is co-location the best value for your business? The answer to this question is dependant on several key factors:
Security - How secure is your existing facility? And remember don't just factor in threats from networks (e.g. viruses and hackers), but also vulnerability to floods, fire, theft, power surges, power outages and other disasters - both man-made and natural. In today's 24/7 connected world, can your business survive lack of web access? Loss of email? How long can your website be down? Your LAN or WAN? How much value do you place on your data? Can you afford to lose this information?
If you are like most businesses, the answer is easy: You can't. That is why Iserv offers our customers the most advanced Data Center in the area. Iserv's Data Center is a self-contained facility with its own uninterrupted power supply, fire suppression system, heating/cooling system, security system, backup generator, firewall protections and a top-of-the-line data backup/recovery system.
Connectivity - The next factor to consider is the speed, bandwidth and stability you require for your connection. The Iserv Data Center has multiple redundant connections to the Internet backbone through several carriers located in different cities, which is why our network never goes down - even during power outages or the failures of a major backbone carrier. In addition, many of our customers have found that hosting their servers with Iserv affords them higher bandwidth and faster connections for lower cost.
Support - Obviously your IT department needs access to the servers. That is why our facility is always accessible to anyone you authorize. But it always helps to get an outside opinion and Iserv has years of experience in hosting and supporting servers.
Even before we offered co-location services, we designed, supported and maintained dozens of our own servers. When you choose Iserv as your co-location service provider, you automatically add experienced personnel to your IT department. In addition, we offer many services such as daily backups, routine maintenance, system monitoring and troubleshooting - services that allow your IT staff to focus on other important tasks.
Flexibility - Another big advantage of co-location is flexibility and a greater choice of options. Our Data Center accommodates nearly any requirement - a single server or several racks of servers, low traffic or fast ethernet bandwidth. And unlike "doing it yourself" we can easily customize your service to grow with your business.
Peace of Mind - Chances are your network is a "mission critical" piece of infrastructure for doing business. But it shouldn't be costing you sleep or time that could be spent on customers. If any or all of these factors apply to your needs, perhaps our Data Center is the solution for you.
As always, our sales representatives are available to discuss your customizable co-location options and schedule a tour of our facility. Simply call 1.888.64.ISERV and ask for the Corporate Sales Division.
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Top 10 Viruses And Hoaxes For First Six Months Of 2003
For the first six months of 2003, the virus chart is as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:
| 1. | W32/Bugbear-B | 11.6% |
| 2. | W32/Sobig-C | 9.7% |
| 3. | W32/Klez-H | 8.4% |
| 4. | W32/Sobig-B | 5.3% |
| 5. | W32/Sobig-A | 3.3% |
| 6. | W32/Avril-B | 3.2% |
| 7. | W32/Bugbear-A | 2.5% |
| 8=. | W32/Avril-A | 2.3% |
| 8=. | W32/Fizzer-A | 2.3% |
| 10. | W32/Yaha-E | 1.8% |
| Others | 49.6% |
Other virus developments in 2003 include:
The number of new viruses was 17.5 percent higher than for the same period last year, suggesting that virus writers are unaffected by January's conviction of Simon Vallor, author of three mass-mailing worms. Vallor received a two-year jail sentence from UK courts in January.
Eight of the viruses in the top ten are able to spread by more than one method - using a combination of email, IRC (Internet Relay Chat), network shares and/or P2P file sharing platforms. Virus writers are no longer relying on just email to propagate their malicious code, so computer users are advised to deploy desktop anti-virus protection, which can detect malicious code regardless of its method of spreading.
January's Slammer worm was the biggest Internet worm of the period, targeting a six-month-old vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000 in order to spread. Sections of the Internet slowed substantially, and some ATM machines in the US were affected.
Some viruses used topical news stories and current events in an attempt to spread. For instance, the Coronex worm disguised itself as information about the SARS biological virus, and the Ganda worm posed as secret spy photographs of the war in Iraq. Neither of these worms caused widespread infections.
For the first six months of 2003 the top 10 hoaxes reported to Sophos are as follows:
| 1. | JDBGMGR | 16.7% |
| 2. | WTC Survivor | 14.0% |
| 3. | Meninas da Playboy | 8.2% |
| 4. | Hotmail hoax | 6.7% |
| 5. | Budweiser frogs screensaver | 5.7% |
| 6. | Bonsai kitten | 5.1% |
| 7. | A virtual card for you | 4.1% |
| 8. | Nokia giveaway | 2.6% |
| 9. | Applebees Gift Certificate | 2.5% |
| 10. | Bill Gates fortune | 2.2% |
| Others | 32.2% |
(Source: Sophos)
Confessions From Internet And Email Cyberslackers
At the recent annual meeting of the American Marketing Association (AMA) in Richmond, Virginia members were surveyed on Internet and email practices. 86% of those polled admitted they had downloaded and installed software from the Internet. Included in the survey were questions about the use of office email. 90% of those responding said that 50% or fewer of their emails were to professional contacts outside their organization. 46% of those surveyed indicated that 26 - 50% of their emails were sent to co-workers.
Employees were also using company email to communicate with family and friends. 83% indicated that as much as 25% of out going email was not business related.
Many people do not realize that email is now used as evidence in lawsuits. It makes little difference if the email was sent to a co-worker or someone outside of the company. Ultimately, the company is responsible for the content of email housed on the organization's computer systems. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act criminalizes the destruction of email when a company is under investigation or involved in litigation.
When questioned about email content, 63% claimed they had email on their computer that they would not want read in court, by a coworker, a friend, or family member.
On the positive side, the survey showed that the AMA members were using the Internet productively. Work related Internet activities included research, customer prospecting and business news. All of the respondents admitted to spending company time on the Internet for non-business activities. Banking, downloading music, and shopping were sited as the reason for the 22% of those surveyed to spend four or more hours per week using their company's Internet services for personal activities.
The Saratoga Institute of Human Resources estimates that an organization with 1,000 employees will suffer annual productivity losses upwards of $35 million if each employee cyberslacks for just one hour per day.
(Source: Tenax Corporation)
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Spam And Your Business - How Iserv Can Help
It is estimated that 60-80% of all email arriving to your business is Spam. In fact, 64.3% are special offers or promotions, 21.2% bulk mail, 7.9% "get rich quick" offers, and 6.6% contain sexually explicit content. Obviously 100% of these are not relevant to your business and in fact cost you time and money to deal with.
The dramatic growth of spam has been fueled by the use of a sophisticated email address collection technique called a Directory Harvest Attack (DHA). Spammers use DHAs to collect thousands of valid email addresses from unprotected mail servers (which is why even new accounts receive spam). Typically these addresses are then sold to spammers, who flood the new addresses with spam over the next 36 hours.
In addition to Iserv's recent spam mail upgrades we are now offering a new service to our business customers: Postini.
Postini works by sending all email through Postini's filtering servers. All email containing a virus or that is determined to be spam, based on your definitions, is then quarantined in a storage area. This protects you from spammers, including those that use DHA and other sophisticated techniques to steal your addresses.
Postini helps your business by:
- Protecting your email system from virus attacks and volumes of unsolicited mail that can clog systems and impede productivity
- Reducing corporate liability through the quarantining of objectionable email content
- Giving your IT staff and end-users more control in managing email
- Costing a fraction of licensed software or appliance-based solutions
- Making it easier to mange your email system - simple to administer and modify preferences and settings and will work with mail server at company's location
PC Magazine rated Postini #1 in corporate anti-spam solutions. This service is available to our business customers today! For more information, please contact your Corporate Sales Representative or call 1.888.64.ISERV.
Hot Off The Presses - Iserv Acquires DataWise
GRAND RAPIDS, MI and ALLEGAN, MI - July 8, 2003 - The Iserv Co., one of the largest independent ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in Michigan, today announced it has acquired Allegan, Mich.-based DataWise, Inc., an ISP serving residential and business customers in and around Allegan County.
Founded in 1988, DataWise (www.datawise.net) provides dialup and wireless Internet access to the growing communities of Allegan, Fennville, Saugatuck and Hamilton. Current DataWise customers will continue to use the same dialup access numbers and email addresses. The DataWise office at 237 Hubbard in Allegan will continue to be a customer resource for in-person payments and service questions.
As a result of the transaction, current DataWise customers have become part of the Iserv network, providing new access to a full range of connectivity, Data Center and Web Services, including Accelerated Dialup, offering near broadband speeds at a fraction of the price. The move also gives Iserv (www.iserv.net) expanded presence in the Allegan area and its first-ever wireless network.
"DataWise has done an outstanding job serving the local market and bringing important technologies, such as wireless connectivity, to their customers," said Victor Shepherd, chief executive officer of Iserv. "As a local West Michigan company ourselves, Iserv is looking forward to helping DataWise build on their reputation by bringing their customers new resources and finding new ways to add value. Localized, responsive support will be a top priority for Iserv in Allegan."
The DataWise acquisition is Iserv's third West Michigan acquisition in just over a year. In 2002, Iserv acquired Holland-based ISPs EagleNet and Intraworld.
"Iserv has established itself as a model for innovation and service in West Michigan Internet services. We are pleased to be able to bring their range of services and customer-focus to our community," said DataWise founder and President Peggy Townsend. "Their Tier 1 Data Center, comprehensive product line and commitment to one-on-one support will provide a range of new options to DataWise customers."
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What Is The Backbone And Why Is It Important To My Business?
A backbone simply refers to the primary network connections that serve as the skeleton of the Internet. These networks are owned primarily by large telecom carriers, and act as the main "pipes" between smaller networks (such as Iserv) and other parts of the backbone. The fact that many different networks make up the backbone is the primary reason for the strength and redundancy of the Internet as a whole. But these individual networks can and do become "clogged" from time to time, leading to regional outages of service.
Though these outages are usually fixed rather quickly, the minutes or hours of downtime could adversely affect your business. Even the most "low-tech" businesses today are dependant on an Internet connection for email or access to the World Wide Web. And even a regional "clog" in the backbone could sever your business from the 24/7 world of the Internet.
Because Iserv has three different connections to the backbone, our network has never been down. By having multiple redundant connections to the Internet backbone through several carriers located in different cities, Iserv can quickly reroute data in the event one provider - or even two - have problems.
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Down To Business With Gospelcom.net
When the world's largest Christian web site began maxing out their bandwidth on a regular basis, executives at Gospel Communications (GCI) knew they had some decisions to make.
Muskegon, Mich.-based GCI (www.gospelcom.net) serves more than 60 million page views to two million unique visitors in more than 225 countries and territories each month. That volume was putting Gospelcom.net among the web's most popular sites - and putting a dangerous strain on their connectivity. Gospelcom.net is consistently ranked in the top 400 of all websites for both unique visitors and pageviews for home and work users according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
"We had two partial DS-3 connections from major providers and were having problems. We kept hitting the top of our allotted bandwidth. We knew we had to increase capacity but also knew it would be costly to do it with the providers we had," said Gospel Communications COO JR Whitby.
GCI looked at a number of options locally, regionally and nationally covering a wide range of costs and architectures. When it came time to meet with Iserv, relocating their servers was not necessarily the favored option for an organization used to having mission-critical assets at their fingertips.
Iserv proposed complete co-location of Gospelcom.net's web servers at Iserv's state-of-the art Grand Rapids Data Center. The move would provide significant connectivity savings, highly expandable bandwidth and the reliability of a triple-redundant backbone connection.
"Iserv came in and showed us how they could cut our connectivity costs and increase on-demand bandwidth. It wasn't an easy sell. As a company, we like control and it was hard to allow our racks out of our building," Whitby said.
Nevertheless, one Saturday in January, two semi trucks brought Gospelcom.net's racks down from Muskegon into Grand Rapids and Iserv's Data Center. The servers were back up and fully live less than 10 hours after the move began. During the move, Iserv assisted in keeping some services active so there would not be a total service outage for the site.
While bandwidth is important for any high-volume website, the heavy content streaming provided by Gospelcom.net means data latency is also a key consideration. Like water through a hose, the longer a data stream has to travel, the greater the chance for delays and data dropouts.
"Iserv has multiple direct connections to three of the world's leading Internet carriers. That means better performance, greater efficiency and fewer problems with streaming content," said Vic Shepherd, Iserv CEO.
Since the move to Iserv, Gospelcom.net has had more than a half-dozen days of record traffic levels.
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Wall Street Journal's StartupJournal.com (www.startupjournal.com)
Entrepreneurs and start-up business owners face a myriad of decisions daily, and it helps to be up to speed on the latest and greatest issues affecting your business and markets. Powered by the Wall Street Journal, StartupJournal.com offers visitors content on topics such as financing and technology, along with other free features such as listing of businesses for sale, franchisee opportunities, business plan tutorials, trademark searches and practical how-to guides on starting and running a business. Cash is usually a little short when starting a business, but luckily most of the content on StartupJournal.com is listed at the most affordable price: FREE.
Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov)
The Small Business Administration is a government agency created by Congress to "maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small businesses and by helping families and businesses recover from national disasters." As part of this mission, the SBA is using the Web to offer a host of free information to current and future small business owners. The site includes a primer on writing a business plan, a startup costs calculator, an outline of the various loan programs sponsored by the SBA and thousands of other topics that one must consider before starting a business. If you are a small business owner or thinking about becoming one, don't hesitate to use this very important (and free) resource.
Internalmemos.com (www.internalmemos.com)
It is often said that when writing internal memos, one should think about how it would look posted on the front page of a newspaper. This old adage applies perhaps even more today than ever before, thanks to this mostly free site where anyone can anonymously post internal company memos and emails. It remains to be seen whether sites such as these are a positive move to a more transparent society or just there to satisfy the voyeuristic tendencies that we all have. But within seconds, a disgruntled employee can post your company's dirty laundry for the entire world to see on Internalmemos.com. You used correct grammar in that layoff announcement, right?
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