Instant Messages Can Carry Viruses
Alexander Muse , October 31, 2005
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Did you know that AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) carries viruses? Turns out, AIM carries some of the worst worms and they are attacking more and more corporate users more and more frequently. The worm also leaves behind some nasty treats including spyware and adware applications such as 180Solutions, Zango, Freepod toolbar, MaxSearch, Media Gateway and SearchMiracle.
So what? Well the AIM worm will eat up your system resources, making your PC run very slowly. Additionally, the programs will diable security settings on your PC so that others can get your passwords and usernames.
What can you do? Never click on links in IM messages unless you know the sender and there is a clear business reason to click.
Reduce pain associated with trouble tickets
Alexander Muse , October 29, 2005
Do you enter tickets only to get a voice mail message asking you to call us back? Do your tickets seem to stay open for a long time? Do you want better response from us? We studied tickets from customers who were satisfied and those from disastisfied users and we think we figured out how to help. Disatisfied users tend to enter the least amount of information in their trouble tickets. The most disastisfied users enter things like “it is broken, call me!” or “it isn’t working!” The most satisfied users do something different that I will share with you.Users who get their issues resolved the quickest do the following four things when they enter a ticket:
- Fully explain the problem in the ticket. Users who wrote two or three sentences describing their problem on average reduced their resolution time by 30%.
- Describe what the impact of the problem is. Users who explained that the printer was broken, but that they really just needed to get something printed immediately often had a two step resolution – the tech printed the needed document immediately and then scheduled someone to repair the printer at a later time.
- Describe how and when you would like the issue resolved. Users who told us when to handle the probelm (i.e. while I am at lunch today, or tomorrow at 2Pm while I am at a client meeting) were more likely than not to have their request met.
- 80% of issues can be resolved remotely. If you explain in the ticket that it is okay to work on your issue while you are away from your PC and you include your IP address (i.e. the number gleened from hovering your mouse over the little VNC logo at the bottom of your screen) we can work on your issue without calling you back.
Only 20% of users do all four, but when they do their issues are resolved faster than 90% of all other issues we receive. Give it a try and let us know if it worked for you!
Architel to Launch Open Source Project
Alexander Muse , October 28, 2005
The Architel open source development team has completed the beta version of SimpleTicket, a trouble ticket system for small businesses and service providers. The program will be released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The program was written in Ruby on Rails and utilizes Ajax. You will be able to download the software at SorceForge or RubyForge in the near future. For those companies who do not want to install the software and set it up for themselves Architel will provide a hosted version. We are still working on the pricing. Read more about the ‘making of’ SimpleTicket here.
Technorati Tags: ajax, architel, GNU, GPL, opensource, rails, rubyonrails, simpleticket, trouble ticket
Architel Launches Hosted SPAM Service
Alexander Muse , October 28, 2005
Architel launched its new hosted SPAM filter of the same name SpiderFilter™.
What is SpiderFilter™?
Architel’s SpiderFilter™ system reads each email that is passed through it and categorizes the contents of the messages based on four criteria:
- Managed Rules. This list is maintained by several anti-spam groups and contains approximately 1600+ rules that help SpiderFilter™ identify SPAM.
- Bayesian Filtering. Each submitted message is fingerprinted and stored in a database. The system analyzes the number of similar messages and the frequency of certain words in the same email allowing it to identify likely SPAM.
- Real-time Black Listing (RBL). Various RBL providers publish lists of known SPAMMERS and SpiderFilter™ is able to cross reference email sent to your users against this list to identify email from known SPAMMERS.
- Pyzor/Razor. Each message is assigned a unique identifier and then checked against a database of all reported SPAM messages.
Architel’s SpiderFilter™ system, with our latest upgrade in February 2005, is now identifying 93% of all likely SPAM messages.
How does SpiderFilter™ work?
All messages that pass through the SpiderFilter™ system that are considered by to be SPAM are tagged by pre-pending the [SPAM] tag to the beginning of the message’s subject. Users can, with this simple addition, create a rule in Outlook and other mail clients to process these messages however they see fit. They can delete the messages, keep them in their inbox, or move them to a SPAM folder.
How much does SpiderFilter™ cost?
Architel’s SpiderFilter™ is free for all Architel® clients. SpiderFilter™ is available for a monthly fee for non-Architel clients. For more information visit: SpiderFilter.
Escalation Works…
Alexander Muse , October 27, 2005
Have you ever been so frustrated by your IT guy that you complained to your boss about him? How long did that conversation last? Five minutes? It is likely that your boss called us or talked to his/her boss about the issue and he/she called us. Now once we have received the message we likely call you back and you spend five minutes explaining the issue again.
We would like to ask you to complain to one of Architel’s managers instead. You will only need to explain your issue once instead of two or three times. We will be able to fix your issue much faster than we could in the previous scenario. Who can you escalate to? Here is the process:
Step One: Just call the help desk (214.550.2002) and say, “I need to escalate an issue, can I speak to a manager?” This should get you to the Client Support Manager or Director of Technical Services. If you are escalating an issue outside of normal business hours you should stay on the line and ask the answering service to have someone contact you.
Step Two: If you are not able to immediately talk to someone, depending on your level of frustration, you can contact the following people: Scott Ryan CEO at 214.207.0600 or Alexander Muse at 214.558.1079.
Architel is Hiring!
Alexander Muse , October 4, 2005
Looking for a new place to work? Want to make a change before Christmas? Better hurry! We are looking for a few good engineers to join our team. What are we looking for?
- Honorable people, with strong family values.
- Hard workers, with attention to detail.
- 3+ years of experience with Microsoft systems.
- College degree (or prior honorable military service).
- Someone who does not use tobacco or illegal drugs.
- Someone who is well spoken and groomed.
Who are we? Our company is called Architel. It was founded in 2001 to provide IT support services to small businesses (with between 20 and 100 users). We have help desk positions, project positions, and field positions. Our clients are all based in Dallas (a few have remote offices) so you won’t be asked to travel. First six months you will likely be required to work more than 40 hours per week to get up to speed, but after that we stress ‘work/life’ balance. Benefits? We cover 100% of your healthcare costs (United Healthcare). If you are interested in a position send us your resume and salary requirements.
