Tech Prognosis Blog Technology Tips for Businesses in Round Rock, TX

Identity Theft Law: What Health Care Providers Need to Know

November 30, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Original article by Steven Toporoff

As many as nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year. The crime takes many forms. But when identity theft involves health care, the consequences can be particularly severe.

Medical identity theft happens when a person seeks health care using someone else’s name or insurance information. A survey conducted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that close to 5% of identity theft victims have experienced some form of medical identity theft. Victims may find their benefits exhausted or face potentially life-threatening consequences due to inaccuracies in their medical records. The cost to health care providers — left with unpaid bills racked up by scam artists — can be staggering, too.

The Lowdown on Laptops: Data Security for the Road Warrior

November 28, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Scan the lobby at any office building and you’ll see them: Busy executives scrolling through messages on their PDAs, flipping through stacks of client files, and carrying on animated conversations with colleagues via cell phone. No one appreciates the convenience of today’s virtual office more than the globetrotting Road Warrior. But are you maintaining the same high standards for data security when you’re on the go? Here are some tips for reducing the risk of a glitch when you’re away from the office:

The “Red Flags” Rule: Are You Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft?

November 27, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Original article by Tiffany George and Pavneet Singh

The expression “red flag” signals “Danger: Be alert to problems ahead.” For millions of consumers every year, identity theft is more than a threat — it’s their reality. The economic, psychological, and emotional harm to victims can be devastating. But businesses often bear the biggest part of the monetary damage from identity theft.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to fight identity theft. But businesses and organizations that offer credit or other financial services can be the first to spot the red flags that signal the risk of identity theft, including suspicious activity indicating that identity thieves may be using stolen information like names, Social Security numbers, account numbers, and birth dates to open new accounts or raid existing ones.

How To Fix JAuthentication Error in Joomla!

October 29, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

I recently had an error in Joomla! and was unable to log in to the administrator site. The error was:

JAuthentication::__construct: Could not load authentication libraries.
Username and password do not match

I almost panicked. It turned out that I had accidentally disabled the authentication module and plugin thereby denying access to the site administrator. Here’s how I fixed the error…

Microsoft’s Mega Patch Tuesday

October 13, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Microsoft is gearing up for the release of its largest number of security updates and patches on this Patch Tuesday which will rival the previous highs of 12 security bulletins (February 2007 and October 2008). This release cycle will have 13 and also has eight bulletins that fall into the “critical” category which affects all versions of Windows, including the yet-to-be-released Windows 7. Affected software includes SQL Server, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, several important tools used by developers and the enterprise-grade Forefront Security client software.

Microsoft Launches WebsiteSpark Program

September 28, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Scott Guthrie has announced on his blog that Microsoft Corporation recently launched a sponsor-based program called WebsiteSpark. The program is designed to help small professional web development and design service companies with 10 employees or less succeed by providing access to business opportunities, support, training, software and solutions.

WebsiteSpark is designed for independent web developers and web development companies that build web applications and web sites on behalf of others. It enables them to get software, support and business resources from Microsoft at no cost for three years, and to expand their business and build great web solutions using ASP.NET, Silverlight, SharePoint and PHP, and the open source applications built on top of them.