There is no doubt that Apple devices are becoming more and more prevalent in our business communities these days, especially with companies opening up their technology policies to the bring your own device (BYOD) model. This allows employees to use their own iPhones and iPads as part of their daily business activities, as well as other devices. So here are a few tips and tricks for the iPhone/iPad that will help the users get the most from their devices, as well as protect your business's sensative data should a device be lost or stolen.

#1  Battery Life: There are a lot of things you can do to save precious power, but the one most people miss are the apps that remain open after you leave them to open new ones. To see how to fix that Click Here. 

#2  All Thumbs with the iPad: If you type faster with nothing but your thumbs from years of texting and email responses on your Blackberry and iPhone, then you will be happy to know it can be done on the iPad thanks to iOS 5. To see how to do this Click Here.

#3  Find Your Missing iPhone/iPad: If you travel a lot for business, or you just can't sit still in general, there is a good chance that you have misplaced, lost or may have been relieved of you cell phone, laptop or tablet in the past. But, again, thanks to iOS 5 you can actively track your iPhone, iPad and even your iPod Touch from any other iOS device or MAC to locate it, send a message, set off sounds, lock it down or even wipe it out! To learn how to do this Click Here.

How Free Antivirus Software Can End Up Costing You
used with permission from Symantec

Free antivirus software may seem like a bargain, but it’s not. Learn what issues you need to consider before you download this particular "freeware."

In this tough economy, getting something for free is always a good thing, right? Short answer: It depends on your tolerance for risk.

Take free antivirus software as an example. It may seem like a bargain, but it’s not. Here are the issues to consider before you download this particular “freeware.”

First and foremost, free antivirus software doesn’t provide the comprehensive protection you need against today’s biggest online threats. So when you trust your computer, applications, files and identity to free antivirus software, it can end up costing you more in time, aggravation, and money than you ever imagined.

Most free antivirus software is really just bait that some software companies use to lure you in. It’s usually a “light” version of one of their paid products that offers only limited protection against today’s online threats.

After you install most free antivirus software, you can expect to be hit with a barrage of annoying, time-wasting pop-up alerts telling you that it only provides “basic” protection. Then you’ll receive recommendations to switch to one of the software maker’s paid security products for “complete” protection.

Latest threats get a free pass

Another point to keep in mind: Experts agree that today’s biggest online threats come in forms that free antivirus software doesn’t stop. Threats such as rootkits, bots, keyloggers, hackers, phishing scams, and infected Web sites breeze right past most free antivirus software.

These threats can pose an even bigger danger than viruses, not only to your computer and files, but to your bank account as well. They can lead to a hard drive crash, system failure, or worse, identity theft. And that’s when using free antivirus software can get really expensive.

Also, free antivirus software is generally reactive. That means it only deals with threats after they’ve attacked and had an opportunity to do damage to your computer and files.

And that’s not all. Because free antivirus software offers only limited protection, you also have to find, download, configure, and install a standalone firewall and standalone spyware program to get the protection you really need.

That takes time. A lot of it. But the drain on your time doesn’t end there. When you build your own security suite using standalone free security software, compatibility issues can cause conflicting alerts and even hard drive crashes. That’s even more time wasted -- and a whole load of aggravation you don’t need.

So what’s the bottom line? Free antivirus software simply doesn’t provide the comprehensive protection you need in today’s online world. When you add up the various costs listed above, free antivirus software isn’t free at all.

The Network Top 10: Technology Trends and Must-Haves for 2012
used with permission from the Cisco Small Business Resource Center

Anyone who manages a network is embarking on an exciting ride. Maybe you've already strapped on your seat belt and are underway, riding through:

• A steep climb in Internet traffic and network access from smartphones and tablets
• Increased traction in cloud services and virtualization
• The growing popularity of IP voice and video
• Challenging twists and turns in security, including international hacking

We'll do a flyover tour of the ride at 30,000 feet, then take a ground run for 2012.

The Vision: Five Future Technology Trends

Cisco CEO John Chambers and CTO Padmasree Warrior say the role of the network is transforming from foundation to the center point that enables the connections of people, devices, and information. Some of the top trends that they see in the coming years are:

• Any device, to any content, any way. The network will unify wireless and wired access to support the proliferation of devices ("bring your own device", or BYOD) and ubiquitous mobility. Virtualization and cloud services will deliver content whenever they provide a lower cost of ownership (this is why Cisco is now migrating most of its own business applications to data center virtualization).
• Collaboration with customers, staff, suppliers and other partners will grow, using video, data, and voice communications on a variety of devices. The ability to quickly and easily collaborate no matter where people are will transform business processes, as it has done already in education and healthcare.
• Video will be the cornerstone of collaboration. Video conferencing and person-to-person video calling are already proving particularly powerful for sales processes and for doing business at a distance, both locally and globally.
• Network security elements such as firewalls, content security, and policy and identity management will converge. The result: seamless connections and context-aware security that recognizes who you are, what you're supposed to have access to, what device you're on, and where you are globally, and then provides access accordingly.
• A network technology architecture will connect any device across any combination of networks, increase cost efficiency by integrating network security and management, and improve business processes, including energy management.

A Checklist: Five Must-Have Technologies for 2012

Is your network ready for the new year, or will it be a stopper? Most businesses will need these technologies to move forward:

• Reliable and secure Wi-Fi access. Smartphones, tablets, and wireless IP phones used for business need the speed and stability of Wireless-N (802.11n) network access, as well as support for quality of service (QoS) for latency-sensitive traffic. Adding access points is easier and faster with clustering. Some wireless routers integrate security—such as VLANs, firewall, VPN, and security services—to increase and simplify your control.
• Power over Ethernet (PoE). PoE juices up a network in two ways: It gives you more flexibility in locating wireless access points and other wired devices, and it adds more power per port to support higher-draw technologies such as Wireless-N. PoE is included many Cisco® switches, routers, phones, and wireless solutions.
• Stronger network security. Mobility, social networking, cloud services, and international hacking are growing. Is your security technology keeping pace? Essential technologies include content security, firewall, VPN, and VLANs. Security solutions that are integrated can increase application performance, save you time, and give you centralized control. Powerful integrated security is available in a variety of Cisco security solutions (see more specifics below in "Next Steps"). Even some small business routers have baseline Internet security.
• Collaborative communications. Each year more small businesses reduce operating costs and raise productivity by using unified communications and video and audio conferencing applications; some subscribe to a telepresence service or have customer service centers. Collaboration technologies demand high-performance, high-availability connections. And they require reliable, intuitive user devices, ranging from basic IP phones to more powerful IP phones and unified IP phones.
• High-performance, high-availability connections. Fast, efficient traffic flow is a top priority for any business using mobile devices, cloud applications, or IP voice or video. You can speed traffic by using Wireless-N and Gigabit Ethernet (see more specifics in "Next Steps"). Your traffic intersections (routing and switching) must optimize traffic flow, using technologies such as QoS. And if you invest in a new router or switch (or DNS server), it should include support for IPv6, as Cisco products do.

2012 will be an adventure ride. Having an expert Cisco Certified Partner at your side can ensure that your technology brings you top business value.