Category: Hosting Related

October 31, 2016

Hosting Related, Security, Security Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Skype & Snapchat, among other companies, have failed to adopt basic privacy protection as recent stated in Amnesty International’s special report “Message Privacy Ranking” report. The report compares 11 popular instant messaging services. Companies were ranked based on their recognition of online threats to human rights, default deployment of end-to-end encryption, user disclosure, government disclosure, and publishing of the technical details of their encryption. “If you think instant messaging services are private, you are in for a big surprise. The reality is that our communications are under constant threat from cybercriminals and spying by state authorities. Young people, the most prolific sharers of personal details and photos over apps like Snapchat, are especially at risk,” Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Head of Amnesty International’s Technology and Human Rights Team said in a statement. “Snapchat” only scored 26 points in the report (out of 100) and Blackberry was rated even worse at 20 points). Skype has weak encryption, scoring only 40. The middle group in the rankings included Google, which scored a 53 for its Allo, Duo, & Hangouts apps, Line and Viber, with 47 each, and Kakao Talk, which scored a 40. The report also stated “that due to the abysmal state of privacy protections there was no winner.” On a side not protecting privacy rights is also part of the motivation behind the Let’s Encrypt Project, which to use to supply free SSL Certificates. Amnesty International has petitioned messaging services to apply “end-to-end encryption” (as a default feature) to protect: activists, journalists, opposition politicians, and common law-abiding citizens world-wide. It also urges companies to openly publish and advertise the details about their privacy-related practices & policies. About the most popular instant messaging app: “Whatsapp” - Facebook has thrown everybody a new surprise twist. WhatsApp is updating its privacy policy. Facebook wants your data and end-to-end encryption is going to soon be shut off. WhatsApp , now owned by Facebook, started some uproar this week after the announcement that it's changing its terms (or privacy) to *allow* data to be shared with Facebook. It means that for the first time Whatsapp will give permission to connect accounts to Facebook. This is after pledging,...

October 25, 2016

Domain Related, Hosting Related, Security

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Map published by Facebook Google and Facebook are engaging in a partnership to pay for the laying of what will be one of the highest-capacity undersea data cables - piping data in the form of light all the way across the Pacific; bridging Los Angeles & Hong Kong. This project is the second partnership Facebook has joined in. It is yet another current example recent big business in the submarine-fiber optic cable industry. This internet-centric industry has traditionally been dominated by group of private, and government, carriers. Companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon operate huge-scale data centers that deliver various internet services to people worldwide. These internet big boys have are quickly reaching a point where their global bandwidth needs are so high that it makes more sense for them to fund cable construction projects directly; rather than to purchase capacity from established carriers. Previously this year, in May 2016, Facebook announced that teamed up with Microsoft on a high capacity cable across the Atlantic called “MAREA”. This cable will be linking internet backbone hubs in Virginia Beach, and Bilbao, in Spain. Telefonica will be administrating this future transatlantic data line. Europe and the Asia Pacific region are important markets internet services giants. The MAREA cable will boost bandwidth levels between both companies’ data centers both in Asia and the US. The submerged fibre line is named the “Pacific Light Cable Network”, named after Pacific Light Data Communications, Inc - the 3rd partner of the project. Both the MAREA and Pacific Light cable will be built by “TE SubCom”; one of the biggest names in the submarine fibre optic cable industry. The 120Tbps (Terabits per second) PLCN system will provide greater diversity in transpacific cable routes, as Facebook recently published. “Most Pacific subsea cables go from the United States to Japan, and this new direct route will give us more diversity and resiliency in the Pacific,” Facebook’s article states. read_more One difference that PLCN and MAREA have from traditional transoceanic cable systems is they will be interoperable with different networking equipment; rather than being designed to function with specific or proprietary landing-station technologies. Companies will...

October 12, 2016

Domain Related, Hosting Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Website security is an everlasting major concern, not just for your website host and you - but especially for your site visitors. In 2016 malware infections are down about half as previous years. The major reason for this is because the average internet surfer is paying more attention to the sites they visit and what they download on their computers and phones. A big part of competing in the internet marketplace is proving ‘trust” to visitors. A high-security reputation you’ll capture more customers, leads, and revenue. Now how can you build confidence for your visitors? Below are a few easy techniques on you can secure your website and give it the right kind of impression. Design for a Professional Appearance Above all, 1st impressions count tons. Use high-quality graphics/images. Make sure an appropriate layout of your webpages, and typography, for your site’s purpose. Don’t clutter your pages with too many sponsored ads and flashy elements. If your website resembles a kid’s art project - then you will most likely not be earning trust for those who open your website. Also small errors, such as a misspelled word, or a missing or broken image will rapidly diminish your credibility - so be sure to triple-check all content and graphics on your website. Broken frustrate site visitors and make people wonder if you are sometimes maintaining your web pages. To check for broken links, just drop your domain into a online broken link checker. It important to prove your website represent a real business On your contact page, include your address & phone number on your contact page. Write short employee profiles on your about page, possible with photos - and display Better Business Bureau (BBB) and maybe also your local Chamber of Commerce insignia’s on your website. Further explain why you should be trusted It’s really not enough to simply display “trust seals”. Don’t be shy about letting your site visitors realize that that you have taken much effort in the past to earn their trust. If you have earned it before than plug your special industry awards or positive articles others have written. Display your credentials prominently. Recognize employees on...

October 3, 2016

Domain Related, Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 6 minutes

On the internet, email is the standard communication medium. It’s the go-to communication for brands. Email is the most direct channel, it boasts a higher ROI than any other channel and it helps build loyalty and relationships on a much deeper level than any other channel. Right now, more than half the world is connected to an email account. By the end of 2017, email addresses are expected to increase, to about 5 billion accounts worldwide. When sending emails to your small business customers, you need an effective strategy. 1. Welcome Email First impressions are everything. And a welcome email sets the tone for the relationship. So, roll out the red carpet for your customer. According to Experian, welcome emails generate 4x the open rates and 5x the click rates compared to other bulk promotions. Moreover, studies found that subscribers who receive a welcome email increase their long-term engagement with a brand by 33%. Therefore, greet your new customers. Let readers know more about your small business. And tell them what type of emails they will receive in the future. Write in a conversational tone. A welcome email is like a virtual handshake that accepts a new member to your group. It should be inviting and warm. Also, consider the timing of your welcome email. It shouldn’t be two weeks after the customer bought your product or signed up for your newsletter. 2. Adoption Email An adoption email is designed to keep your customers engaged with your products. Once they make a purchase, you want them to actually use it. Adoption emails can be distributed in a timed sequence or to correspond with specific behaviors or actions taken. Like a good concierge, adoption emails acknowledge where recipients are in a progression, offer suggested solutions, and reaffirm motivations for the original purchase decision. These type of email campaigns lead to faster adoption of the products or services being offered, greater incremental revenue, and increased customer loyalty. So, start sending emails with links to video tutorials and how-to guides. And urge customers to contact you if they have any questions or concerns. 3. Thank You Email Build rapport with your customers. Your...

September 26, 2016

Domain Related, Hosting Related, Security

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The name of the organization with seen to remain the same, “ICANN”, but the people is power over the organization is about to shift, without your vote, Oct 1st to an assemblage of the world body politic, mostly compose of despots and dictators. The effect of this is still yet to be seen, but one key person involved in today’s political fray, presidential candidate Donald Trump, opposed the lackluster plan. Basically, the current domain name system as you have grown to know, and trust, is about to go under changes that could easily lead to intimidation and censorship against free speech. Protection of grassroots political speech is also at risk. The world can go on with less adult websites, but the world simply won’t be as good or nice of a place without freedom of speech in other regards. The founders of America frequently stated that the citizenry must always be vigilant and jealously guard their rights and freedoms. This is the attitude now on the podium of Donald Trump; the only candidate opposed to the plan to hand over control of the internet to a conflicted party of those seeking ever more power in the world. U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is currently conducting verbal opposition to the semi-secretively planned transition of oversight of the internet's domain name system (DNS) management from the US-based governance to the UN, a global organization of political stakeholders from around the world; which could abrogate and hand-over control of the internet itself to authoritarian regimes such as China and Saudi Arabia and others; foreseeably threatening online freedom. Internet DNS is basically a directory for internet-connected devices that helps translate domain names to numerical IP addresses. He strongly contends that the US Congress should act swiftly block the handover, scheduled to occur next week on Oct. 1 2016, or as his campaign policy director Stephen Miller stated "internet freedom will be lost for good, since there will be no way to make it great again once it is lost." The ‘handover’ of the internet DNS was proposed in March 2014, implying the transfer of oversight from the nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names...

September 5, 2016

Hosting Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Intel has recently unveiled its ”7th-generation” core processors, with the promise of improved performance. (Credit: Intel Corporation) A new 7th generation processor die is pictured to the left. The new processors have new numbered codes to identify them as 7th generation, but, these codes also mix the “Core m” name in the with the “Core i” branding. “Core i” processors have always been powerful processors for high-end laptops and “Core m” processor are typically used in in smaller and less-powerful devices. However, processors which were formally called the m5 and m7 and now listed under the i5 and i7 lines. Intel stated on their website that the renaming decision is intended to make it simpler for consumers to select a processor - but we think the naming convention will just befuddle our customers. Consumers can still identify the ‘Core m’ chips in the ‘Core i” range by looking out for a ‘Y’ in the number. Here is an example for the uninitiated: “Core i5-7Y54” is a former “m” chip, but the original “Core i” line will continue with model codes such as “i5-7200U”. New product class now known as“Kaby Lake“: “Kaby Lake” is the code name for Intel's 7th generation Core processors. It is a relatively a minor upgrade over 6th-gen “Skylake” release, yet it is still an significant improvement which makes 2017's pc and laptop market ever more interesting. Kaby Lake is a minor upgrade which means there are really no major structural changes to overall design and what the processor capable of. Previously, each generation saw a reduction in process size, smaller and lower power consumption and a more powerful architecture. read_more These trends in how we consume and create content, in how we communicate and interact, reflect what Intel terms the “ immersive internet” . The immersive internet is found on a powerful enough computer to deliver ever more lifelike experiences, in games or general use. From Intel’s own recent press release, here are the 7th generation’s improvements: Faster and more responsive: Intel’s engineering and manufacturing teams have drawn even more out of our 14nm process technology with what we call 14nm+. 7th...

August 29, 2016

Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 11 minutes

As a website owner, the impact of your website speed on traffic, conversions and revenue should not be underestimated. A report by Akaimi found that 46% of people on the internet expect a wesbite’s pages to load in less than 2 seconds and 40% of people will abandon a web page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Many other studies have been published on the impact of website speed, another study found that a 1 second delay in site loading time resulted in a 6% conversion decrease, and 12% decrease in page views and a 15% decrease in customer satisfaction. As you might already know Google uses website speed as a ranking factor. So, having a slow loading website will negatively impact the following: Brand image and perception in the mind of your visitors Traffic & page views Conversions Sales Before you start optimizing your website to load faster, there are two things you should consider: First, go and check your current website load-time via Pingdom or Google PageSpeed Insights. This helps you to compare the speed increases once you have tweaked your site. Secondly, make sure to back-up your site as some of the methods require tweaking/editing files that can mess up your site. Here’s how to back up WordPress website and here’s how to backup any other… Here are the tweaks, in no particular order. Just pick ones that you think can be easily performed first. 1) Remove Unnecessary Plugins & Add-ons Unnecessary plugins and add-ons can reduce your website speed by A LOT, and it’s especially important to pay attention to them if you use blogging CMSs like WordPress or Drupal. For reference, you might be able to increase your page load times for 4 second to 1.5 seconds. It’s very important to note that it’s not just about the number of plugins you have installed on your website but about the quality as well. A website with 50 plugins can load much faster than a website with 10 plugins if the website with fewer plugins have crappy plugins. Generally, you want to avoid plugins that load a lot of scripts and styles, plugins...

August 8, 2016

Domain Related, Hosting Related, Security, Security Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

You may have heard of the 3 more popular content management applications: Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla - but you are not sure which one is best for your needs. Perhaps you remain curious; so we will focus the the two ‘other’ choices besides Wordpress: Drupal & Joomla. Each particular CMS will provide the basic functions of: adding, deleting, and publishing various types of content. Each program has different strong points (and weaknesses) which should be considered whole-cloth, prior to making your ultimate decision. First write down your business’ objectives and goals. This should be is the first step in selecting the best CMS application suited for your particular business needs. Ultimately, optimally serving your business’ unique target audience. Choosing the right CMS (by the way, easily confused with CNS (Central Nervous System)), is the backbone for your project it will save you a great deal of headaches later. A reliable web host, with super customer support, also saves you from initial and future headaches. With 4GoodHosting.ca you can get both ultra-reliable hosting and the CMS of your choice for free: Joomla, Drupal, or of course; Wordpress - or any of the 200+ free scripts we offer you with any of our hosting package. Drupal: In 2016, there is an estimated 1 million+ websites built atop the Drupal CMS. Drupal is common to government offices, universities and colleges, Non-government Organization, Canadian & otherwise global enterprises. America’s White House website is taking advantage of Drupal’s strong website security features. Drupal is a comprehensive, expandable, powerful content management framework suitable to be the foundation of virtually any type of website. Drupal’s Advantages: * Tested Enterprise-level security; advanced control over URL structure * Lots of functionality - including advanced menu management, graphics modification utilities, poll management, and administration/users management * Built for high performance; pages load fast because of its defaulting caching features * Ability to handle large amounts of content & data * Extensive selection of themes, modules & extensions * Ideal for community platform sites (requiring multiple users - admin, editors, logged in users requiring customized content, private groups, etc.) * Large robust community generally responsive to inquiries and concerns. * Good SEO...

August 3, 2016

Hosting Related, Security, Security Related

Reading Time: 2 minutes

(US & Canadian News) Microsoft actually championed a huge victory in regards to user privacy {which certainly has affect on Canadians using Microsoft products and services: Email, Cloud Storage, Skype, etc.) on July 28th. An appeals court has ruled that a federal warrant to seize email from a Microsoft server in “Ireland” is invalid. Federal investigators received a spy warrant (for email contents) as part of a criminal investigation in December 2013, which touched off a debate between the tech-industry and law enforcement about jurisdiction & data storage. The timing of this coincides with Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) - where the company’s president and chief legal officer Brad Smith promoted a vision for the internet that "respects people’s rights" and is “governed by good law.” Microsoft said: “We obviously welcome today’s decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The decision is important for three reasons: it ensures that people’s privacy rights are protected by the laws of their own countries; it helps ensure that the legal protections of the physical world apply in the digital domain; and it paves the way for better solutions to address both privacy and law enforcement needs.” Privacy protections for information stored on paper should persist as data moves to the cloud. This decision helps ensure this result. — Brad Smith (@BradSmi) July 14, 2016 Microsoft has publicly acknowledged a need for cloud providers, particularly those based in the U.S., to win back over consumer trust. Representatives for like-minded lobby groups include: the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), i2Coalition, plus big tech companies such as: Rackspace, Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Verizon - and notably in this case Ireland’s Parliament - and each submitted briefs in support of Microsoft’s initial statements and position. “We conclude that Congress did not intend the SCA’s warrant provisions to apply extraterritorially,” the judges said in the ruling (PDF). “The focus of those provisions is protection of a user’s privacy interests. Accordingly, the SCA does not authorize a US court to issue and enforce an SCA warrant against a United States‐based service provider for the contents of a customer’s electronic communications stored on servers located...