Take A Few Minutes This Afternoon; Protect Your Computer

Microsoft has sent out an alert intended for all Internet Explorer users regarding a critical patch that protects the applications from at least eight different vulnerabilities and exploits..  As Microsoft typically sends alerts on a regular basis, this “out-of-band” alert highlights the importance of the update that is not available.

The majority of Windows/Internet Explorer users automatically run a Windows Update application, and security patches like this one will typically be installed automatically as these users shut down the computer at the end of the day.  If not, a user can go into the computer’s control panel and select “Windows Update” to see if they have any important updates to install.  While the automatic updates as Windows shuts down are typically vexatious as the computer user is eager to go home but cannot leave until the updates are finished, this one is especially important.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a consulting firm specializing in information systems, information security, and professional services.  A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, GraVoc is committed to providing customers with worthwhile information such as this message to make sure their systems continue to work as they should.  For more information about GraVoc, please visit GraVoc.com. 

Practicing What You Preach

Earlier this fall, I gave a short presentation on how the GraVoc News Blog had become a useful marketing tool for our organization because it helped show prospects, customers, and even competitors that GraVoc was a legitimate company with its finger on the pulse of its customers’ interests and concerns.

Shortly after the presentation the GraVoc News Blog had gone radio silent.  This is evidenced by the quantity of blog posts available in our archives for the month of November.  This illustrates that in order for the blog to continue as a useful tool, it requires constant nurturing, time, and attention.  My attention during this time shifted to other matters at hand, and the credibility of the blog suffered.

However, improvement is possible.  I wrote the last three blog posts, including this one, while snowed in earlier this month and unable to travel to work.  There was a limited amount of work I could do at the time, and I used my time effectively by going back and maintaining the blog by putting future posts into the draft section to be published later.  If I can juggle my responsibilities and maintain this space, a member of your organization can do that as well.  Roughly one hour a week is all it takes to turn your opinion or observations into a valuable marketing asset.

GraVoc Associates, Inc., a full-service technology consulting firm located in Peabody, MA, has served Greater Boston, New England, and beyond for over fifteen years in a wide variety of technology-related services, including the fields of information security, information systems, and professional services.  One of the services offered, is consulting on making media such as a blog work for your business’s marketing plan by proving your firm’s expertise and by enhancing your search engine optimization.  For more information, please see http://www.GraVoc.com or http://www.divergingsoul.com.

Also, please stay tuned to this blog on Thursday for a major announcement.

iPhone Exchange Certificate Error Problem Solved!

Apple’s iPhone is emerging as one of the most popular cellular phones/PDAs on the market, and a capability that is becoming more crucial for PDA users is synching their email account with their phone or PDA.

The iPhone has had a few problems synching with the widely-used Microsoft Exchange email software, as users are informed of an “Exchange Certificate Error.”  After much troubleshooting for a client, GraVoc Associates has discovered a simple way to solve this problem.  The steps are outlined below:

1. Set up a personal Web-based email account on your iPhone (AOL, GMail, Yahoo! Mail, etc.).  You must use an account that does not block “potentially harmful files” (most corporate Exchange servers do block potentially harmful files).
2. On your computer, export your Exchange Server Certificate by following the steps below:
   • Open Microsoft Internet Explorer and navigate to your “Outlook Web Access” website.  The website will tell you “There is a problem with this website’s security certificate.”  If you do not get the security certificate screen, use “https://” instead of “http://” in your address.  If this does not solve this problem, contact your system administrator to obtain the certificate.
   • Click the “Continue to this website” link.
   • Click on the “Certificate Error” notification.  This should look like a red shield with an X in the middle, pictured here.
   • Click the “View Certificates” link.
   • Go to the “Details” tab.
   • Click the “Copy to File” button.
   • Keep the default format (DER encoded binary x.509 (.cer)) and click the “Next” button.
   • Click the “Browse” button.  Select your desktop and type “Mail” in the filename.  Click the “Save” button.
   • Click the “Next” button.
   • Click the “Finish” button.
   • A box will appear that informs you that the certificate was exported.  Click “OK.”
3. On your computer, open your personal email account from Step 1 (AOL, GMail, Yahoo, etc.).  Send yourself an email with the “mail.cer” file as an attachment.  (The sender should be your personal account, and the recipient should also be your personal account). This is so you can receive this email via your iPhone.
4. On your iPhone, go to the mail icon and access the inbox.  Open the message with the “mail.cer” attachment.
5. On your iPhone, scroll to the bottom of the email and click on the “mail.cer” file to download the attachment.
6. On the iPhone’s Install Profile screen, click the “Install” button to install the certificate.

These steps should solve the certificate error problem.

Based in Peabody, MA, GraVoc Associates, Inc is celebrating fifteen years of solving problems like this one for our clients and others.  GraVoc strongly encourages clients and the general public to frequently visit GraVoc.com and the GraVoc News Blog for tips and tricks like the one above.