iPhone battery deal

As a result of Apple losing (Yes, they don't win every time) a lawsuit, any iPhone user can purchase a replacement battery for $29 between now and Dec 31, 2018. The battery replacements were priced at $79 prior to this ruling. Once January 1st hits, the price will be $49.

My iPhone 7 is reliable but has suffered lower charge times in the last 6 months. I cannot make it through a day without charging in the car, plugging in at work, etc. 

I was a perfect candidate for this program! I made an Apple "Genius Bar" appointment on a Thursday for the very next day. When I went to the Apple store at our mall, I was told the replacement would be $29 as long as no water damage was found inside my phone AND I had never had it serviced at a third-party fix-it place. Good by me, I qualified.

The technician took me in on time, had me disable the 'Find My Phone" feature and asked me if I had done a backup. I had, but not via the iCloud online method. The more complete - "plug it into iTunes with a cable routine" is how I backed up my phone. He explained the reason a backup was necessary was that if the phone did not go back together smoothly or the screen did not calibrate properly, Apple would give me a replacement iPhone 7. This of course, would render my data lost without having done a backup before I arrived.

I gave them my phone, wandered around the mall at Christmastime for an hour, and returned to pay $32.03 (tax included) for the replacement of my battery. The tech explained that Apple recommends replacing the battery at 500 cycles or recharges - Mine had 959 - so I was overdue. 

I'm hoping this new battery in a phone that otherwise does all I require will allow me to do more with less midday recharging. 

I'd encourage owners of the iPhone 6, 7, or 8 to take advantage of this before next week. As you may imagine, many people will receive new Apple products as Christmas gifts. This will clog the Genius Bar appointments following December 25th. Get in on this while it's still civilized at the Apple store!

-dm

Not a Resolution! A Career Upgrade for IT Independents...

What does the new year hold for you - fitness or dietary goals, perhaps new financial heights? More time with friends or family, or maybe you'll buy that long sought after "car of desire." Could it be time for that trip out west or overseas?

Regardless of what the dream entails, this time of year is when many commit themselves to moves that lead to a better life. For technology-minded professionals, this could mean making that transition to managing your own IT business.

Nerds On Site is here in Florida, from the Keys throughout the Treasure Coast, Miami, Ft Lauderdale and Palm Beach County. We represent a smooth transition to business ownership for technology lovers. No surprise, franchising has dominated every industry it has entered, from food to auto repair, business services to health and fitness.

The most successful franchises have a well-proven system and the resources to help self motivated individuals follow a business plan. 

With over 20 years experience, Nerds On Site has a terrific plan for owning your own IT business. We service small and medium businesses and all of their tech needs. If you've dabbled with helping residential and business customers yourself, imagine coupling your skills with these Nerds On Site franchise features:

• A Professional Brand to represent
• Proven Marketing materials and strategies
• Invoicing and credit card merchant services
• A team of several hundred professionals to lean on for questions and great advice (NOT just Google!)
• A robust Knowledge Base and Wiki of best practices
• Advantageous and profitable supplier relations - economies of scale!
• Ongoing Training and Support
• NO earnings ceiling

If you or someone you know is ripe to make the jump to a business, January the first should not be the reason. A solid and legitimate opportunity is the reason, if the timing is right for that individual. Email me with any questions, I am local to South Florida and can easily explain our company's plans for the area.

dave.masterson@nerdsonsite.com

And Happy 2017!

-dm

Device Security and Ransomware

I just finished a webinar with our team and the experts from Webroot. There are so many new threats designed to cripple your data, the newest trend involving trojan viruses being labeled "ransomware."

It is important to realize that these new variants can attack both Windows PCs and Apple OSX machines.

Ransomware loads on your device usually as a result of "tricking" you into downloading a malicious file. These can come in emails disguised as updates for Adobe Flash or other popular software. Some are email attachments that look like resumes or tax documents, two things that would stir curiosity and entice a user to progress to opening those files. Once infected, ransomware rapidly encrypts most known file types on your machine. Then the agent informs you that you have become a victim. Your only recourse is to pay a "ransom" online using what's called "dark web-commerce currency" like Bitcoin. I am saddened to inform you that even after paying the ransom, some user files are never restored to normal. It's a dangerous position to be in as a result of one errant click of the mouse.

The best defense against these threats includes an aggressive backup strategy, Webroot Antivirus and a firewall that strictly controls Internet access.

• The backups help if you do become infected. The backups should be "air gapped," meaning they are not accessible from your computer through a mapped network drive or always-attached removable storage device. Carbonite works, Apple Time Machine can work but is quickly being targeted by the hackers for infection along with your files.
• Webroot is a best-in-class threat detection software. It protects you against viruses, malware, spyware and potentially unwanted applications or PUAs. The data fueling Webroot's awesomeness lies on the INternet, not locally on your harddrive. This advantage means no missed updates and no clogging of your system's resources due to years worth of antivirus signatures. That approach is so 2014!
• A firewall that really limits what you can and cannot do online. NetBender, also known as DNS Thingy can offer a unique method of protection against ransomware. This system operates off of a "whitelist" (Previously approved as safe) lcollection of websites. It will not allow advertisements to load or you to visit sites not on your "whitelist" to be visited. Ransomware has to communicate with secret servers (setup by hackers) to do it's damage and attempt to collect your money. Because this nifty device never approves that lethal relationship, the ransomware cannot fully deploy on your device.

At Nerds On Site, our relationships with top tier security firms such as Webroot keep us very much at the forefront of dangerous issues such as ransomware. Call us at 877-696-3737 for information on how we can keep your data and computing environment safe from these rapidly emerging threats. As we say in many of our marketing pieces, "Leave the Nerdy Work to Us!"

For more info, use these links...

www.nerdsonsite.com

https://www.nerdsonsite.com/about-us/service-areas/west-palm-beach-computer-support

http://www.yelp.com/biz/nerds-on-site-palm-beach-county

 -dm

Nerds On Site

Here it is! The launch of a new franchise in the US. Don't be confused, this is not a new company, Nerds On Site has been successful for over 20 years in nine other countries. It's the South Florida debut of this reputable brand that's so exciting!

As the Area Development Manager, my role is twofold. I am building a team of professionals, entrepreneurs and technology lovers that will operate their own businesses under the successful model of the franchisor, Nerds On Site. I'm also spreading the good word about what Nerds On Site can do to help small and medium-sized businesses with their technology needs. We also serve residential customers. So I get to live the process of helping clients while my region grows with tech professionals.

I have a great feeling about this company and the potential in our area. Palm Beach County is a growing place to live and work, there are plenty of businesses and over a million people living here. Every business has a dependency on technology, from computer design, sales, customer loyalty, Internet presence, you name it. We help our clients with any and all of their technology needs. We don't have favorite computer types or operating systems, we do it all! How is this possible? We leverage the combined experience of hundreds of "entrepreNerds" or Nerds worldwide to build common sense solutions for our clients. Then we wrap those solutions in what I'd call, "Ritz Carlton-like" customer service experiences. Our company is proud to have serviced over 100,000 clients in their history. The satisfaction rating today of all clients served stands at above 96%. That's beyond impressive. This system works!

The NerdMobile is our "office." We travel to where the client needs us and perform our service in their office or home. This is a wonderful convenience when compared to the reality of dragging a computer to a retail location and wondering when you'll get it back. We also adhere to a philosophy known as Solution Pricing. We find customers want to know what they will be paying for a particular solution BEFORE you begin working for them. This is different from most IT companies that charge hourly rates. We find our approach to be much more appealing and fair to the consumer. There are many different aspects of our business model that stray from the norm to deliver a great experience for the client. We like to say, "We don't service computers, we serve people that use computers." Interesting, right?

As this rolls forward, our area will be seeing more red NerdMobiles out on our roads. Our clients will become more familiar with a new trusted level of technology assistance. This concept has been well-honed by the mother company, based in London, ONT., Canada. My excitement is hard to dismiss. There are two areas of expertise I've been involved with for over 25 years - technology and business building through franchising. Now I get to use these skills to help others make special things happen right here in Palm Beach, USA!

-dm

Apple Watch

It's coming - an Apple Watch courtesy of my wonderful girlfriend. I played with one at the Apple Store, sat through an interesting demo with one of their genius guys, it was neat. 

I'll have a nice personal experience-rich report shortly after it arrives!