Staying Safe from Scams, NAS Devices, and Downgrading Windows 10

What is a NAS Device and Why Do You Need One?

When your business deals with large amounts of data, especially when that data is being used by multiple employees, managing it and making it available to everyone can prove challenging.

NAS devices may be just the solution you’re looking for.

NAS stands for Network Attached Storage, and it means just that: it’s a dedicated, large-volume storage device that is directly tied in to your network and can be accessed through a standard Ethernet connection by all users.

• NAS storage has become very affordable in the past few years to the point that your business could equip 15-20 terabytes of network storage for less than $2,500. (That’s the storage equivalent of 30-40 laptops.)
• If you deal with records storage, BIM files, movies, CAD files, and other data-heavy practices, employing the use of a NAS device on your network could significantly improve productivity, efficiency, and security of data-backup.
• Using a NAS device can allow for users to backup projects and important data as frequently as necessary, and as easily as clicking the Save button.
• When combined with use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), users could even access files on the NAS device from a remote location.
• Operating systems for a NAS device allow for simplicity of use and management. We at Shiloh Service recommend FreeNAS; an open-source data management OS that can be installed on nearly any hardware platform.
  

Think of a NAS Device as an external hard drive, except instead of being attached to one computer, everyone connected to the network is able to save and access the files on it. All users can backup work, share files, and work on the same projects from different computers.

For more information on NAS Operating Systems, how using a NAS device could be beneficial to your business, or how we can help your company set up a NAS device for use on your network, contact Shiloh Service today!

Downgrading Windows 10 OEM to Windows 7/8.1

Don’t want to run Windows 10 on that new computer that came with 10 already installed?

You’re not alone… there are a multitude of reasons why our customers are looking to downgrade to an older version of Windows after buying a machine with 10.

No matter what your reasons for wanting to downgrade are, we at Shiloh Service are ready to help.

Whether you need to use software that isn’t compatible with Windows 10, or simply because you miss the look and feel of an older version of Windows and have no desire to familiarize yourself with a new OS; Windows 10 allows for downgrading to a multitude of older Windows operating systems.

To learn more about downgrading to Windows 7 or 8.1 from 10 and how we can help, contact Shiloh Service today.

Protecting Yourself from Popular Scams

If you use a computer, you are at risk of falling victim to an online scam. Scammers are getting more clever, creative, and persistent in the ways in which they attempt to steal your personal information - and their methods are always changing.

Here are just a few of the scams making the rounds today:

• Money Recovery Scams. These are among the most common email scams. The email claims to come from a government department or agency (the most notorious being the Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria). You are notified that a large sum of money is available for you, which can be recovered for a fee. Tragically, these types of scams are often effective against seniors and less tech-savvy computer users. Read more at Scamwarners.com.
• Buying a Home Scams.  It’s possible for scammers to learn that you’re in the process of buying a home, and sometimes it could just be a lucky guess. It is likely that they will attempt to get financial information out of you, or even go so far as get you to wire money to them while posing as someone from the bank or real estate company. They say they need money for closing costs, or to finalize your down payment. Read more about this common scam on the FTC’s website.
• Lottery Scams. You cannot win a lottery you have never entered, but some scammers will try to make you think you have. Of course, the payout is huge, but you have to come up with an “administrative fee” in order to get your winnings. We would all like to hear we are sudden millionaires, but some lottery scammers even meet and mug their victims. Read more at Scamwarners.com.

Threats are everywhere online. If you want to learn more about staying safe on the Internet, and how we at Shiloh Service can help protect you, your business, and your personal information from threats online, please don’t hesitate to contact us today or call us at 1-888-374-4564.

Beware: Ransomware

If you haven’t yet heard of Ransomware, you may be a member of a lucky minority. CBS News reported a dangerous escalation in ransomware attacks earlier this year.

Ransomware is a specific type of malware that does just as the name suggests – it kidnaps your data and holds it for ransom.

Once installed on your computer, ransomware encrypts data so completely that you will have no access to it. The malicious software then prompts you to pay a significant amount of money to unencrypt it. Fail to comply with the data-nappers demand and your data could be gone forever.

This type of malware is becoming more and more prevalent and could be utterly devastating if your computer contains important business or personal information that is not backed up.

Most commonly delivered via email, perpetrators will attempt to get you to click on a link or open an attachment to install ransomware on your computer. Get duped into opening an attachment that contains ransomware and you’re in for a bad time.

With the growing popularity of this type of cyber-attack, it is imperative to exercise extreme discretion when it comes to opening emails from senders with whom you are unfamiliar.

Given the skill and ambition of the people behind these attacks, it is very difficult, and often impossible to unencrypt your data once it has been taken for ransom.

Don’t be a victim! Contact Shiloh Service today to learn what we can do to help keep you and your organization’s computers safe from cyber-attack.

Service Area

Shiloh Service, Inc. provides computer solutions, including network support, computer sales, and computer repair services in the Pittsburgh region.
Our service area includes but is not limited to: Pittsburgh, Monroeville, McKeesport, Greensburg, Jeannette, Irwin, North Huntingdon, Latrobe, Murrysville, Ligonier, and more.

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