Advertisements Masquerading as News and Spreading Misinformation

While some online advertising will expose you to a product or service that makes your life easier, advertising in the guise of internet news is not only insincere, but it can often lead to misinformation on important issues in its quest to sell you something that you don’t need. This kind of insincere journalism is not just a phenomenon of small, sensationalist outlets, but the some of the largest broadcasters in cyberspace. Sometimes a small “Sponsored” tag, hidden near an article’s headline, is all that can warn you of the piece’s ulterior motives.

Take, for example, a centerpiece from “Smart Web User” that aired on Microsoft Edge’s default home page towards the end of November, right next to breaking news about a plane crash that killed 76 people and the weather. It is a fabrication that insinuates that identity theft is something of a recent phenomenon and particularly concerning to those who own PCs that are over 6 months old, and that the best way to combat this trend, indeed the avenue recommended by “experts,” is to purchase ScanGuard, a piece of security software fighting for a place in a competitive market. Do this or you might as well stop using the internet, as the article’s banner suggests: “1 Shocking Reason Not To Use The Internet Today.” This is a prime example of a narrative skewed to sell bloatware: software that is unnecessary for most and will only slow down the machine that it’s installed on. In reality, identity theft is not a new issue, and the best defense against it is education. We have protocols that use free software to combat the malware that collects the information used to steal your identity. So be weary of such “news.”

Data Recovery

The most common data recovery procedure we perform involves a computer that won’t boot due to a drive failure. This is most often caused by a bump or a knock to the computer while the hard disk is writing critical data. Sometimes the head physically crashes into the the plater. This is where the term ‘hard drive crash’ originated. Of course failure of spinning hard disks happens for many reasons include wear and tear. Some drives spin at 10,000 rpm with as little as 3 nanometres separating the drive head from the disk plater. This provides very little room for error. Something that goes hand in hand with data recovery is your backup plan. If you don’t have a backup policy in place please contact us straight away for a tailor made solution. To ensure we can recover as much data as possible stop using the media or the effected computer straight away. Stage one recovery prices start from only $250 for most media types including hard drives, discs and flash cards. This price includes GST and the replacement drive. In most situations we can recover your data in this first stage. The second stage of disc recovery is the [&hellip

Green Computing

Supportedge is an environmentally conscious workplace that practices what it preaches. Three things the average consumer can do and we encourage consumers to do, to reduce your business’ and households’ environmental impact are: 1) Recycle your electronic waste (e-waste): “Australians generate more than 140,000 tonnes of e-waste each year and most of it ends up in landfill,” as stated on the City of Sydney’s website. There is an e-waste depot that you can drop your electronic goods off in Ultimo, Sydney. It is open on allocated days throughout the year. For more information on what days the depot is open or to find out more about how to recycle your e-waste read this brochure from the City of Sydney’s website. Or visit Planet Ark’s website for your closest recycling facility. 2) Invest in long-lasting appliances and maintain them so you get a longer-life out of them: “You can save money and reduce energy use by buying the right appliance for your needs and using it efficiently. The position of the appliance, how you operate it and how you maintain it all affects how much energy is used – for example, placing your refrigerator next to your oven will make it work [&hellip

Managed Service Agreements

No Technology Strategy? It’s Costing You Money. Everything in your business revolves around the performance of your IT. IT is the backbone on which businesses succeed, so a managed service agreement supplied by an MSP with experience is key to the success of your business, helping to streamline your IT and keep your business running efficiently for a flat cost every week. Established in 2000, Supportedge have 19 years’ experience protecting and maximising clients systems for performance. Our help desk is in Sydney and based at our St Leonards office. We also have a local presence in Cambelltown and Bankstown. Do you have doubts about your current service agreement or no service agreement at all? Are you getting what you pay for with your IT support? Call 02 8007 2930 or you can upload your current service agreement below if you have one, or just send us your contact details right now to get started on a free review. There’s no risk to you, worst case is we will be able to reassure you that you’re getting a great deal from your current provider or will be able to offer more services for less. We lower your costs with pro-active [&hellip