Happy Diwali 2014 & Closure Notice

Dear Valued Customer,

In conjunction to the celebration of Deepavali, we would like to inform you that our office will be closed on 22nd October 2014 (Wednesday). We will resume our operation on 23rd October 2014 (Thursday).

Kindly please do not hesitate to contact us if you need further clarification.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish ‘Happy Deepavali’.

Thank you for your continuous support.

Best Regards,
EVERWORKS Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd - Malaysia

Diwali Oil Lamp designed by Ambar Bhusari from the Noun Project

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Heartbleed Bug Statement

There has been a security flaw in our OpenSSL, a very popular data encryption standard that has given the majority of us an assumption that the data we stored and used in our every day services were secured. However, this wasn't the case as the Heartbleed Bug gave hackers that know about it to extract a large amount of data when the assumption was that the OpenSSL standard was meant to keep these very hackers out.

What is the Heartbleed Bug

Heartbleed Bug is a serious vulnerability of the popular OpenSSL encryption standard. This weakness allows information normally protected under the SSL/TSL (normally used to secure the Internet). The bug allows anyone on the Internet to read the memory of systems protected by vulnerable versions of the OpenSSL, that has compromised keys used to encrypt data, allowing hackers to eavesdrop on communications to steal data directly from the services that users use and to impersonate them.

How to stop the leak?

As long as the vulnerable version of the OpenSSL is in use it can be abused. Fixed OpenSSL has been released and deployed. Service providers and users have to install the fix as it becomes available for the operating systems, networked appliances and software they use.

Common Questions and Answers to them

1. What is the CVE-2014-0160?

CVE-2014-0160 is the official reference for this bug.

2. What makes the Heartbleed Bug unique?

Normal bugs in softwares come and go, fixed by new versions. However, this bug has left a large amount of private keys and other secrets exposed on the Internet, and considering the long exposure, ease of exploitation and attacks leaving no trace, this bug should be taken very seriously.

3. Is this a design flaw in SSL/TLS protocol?

No. This is an implementation problem.

4. What is being leaked?

Encryption is used to protect secrets that may harm your privacy or security if they leak.

5. Leaked primary key material and how to recover?

Leaked primary key material allow the attacker to decrypt any past and future traffic to the protected services and to impersonate the service at will. Any protection given by the encryption and the signatures can be bypassed. Recovery from this leak requires patching the vulnerability, renovation of the compromised keys and reissuing and redistributing new keys.

6. Leaked secondary key material and how to recover?

Leaked secondary key material are leaked user credentials (usernames and passwords) used in vulnerable services. Recovery from this leak requires owners of the service first to restore trust to the service by changing their passwords and possible encryption keys according to the instructions from the owners of the services that have been compromised. All session keys and sessions cookies should be invalidated and considered compromised.

7. What is leaked protected content and how to recover?

This is the actual content handled by the vulnerable services. It may be personal or financial details, private communication such as emails or instant messages, documents or anything seen worth protecting by encryption. The most important action to take for recovery is to restore trust to the service by changing their passwords and possible encryption keys according to the instructions from the owners of the services that have been compromised.

8. Can i detect if someone has exploited this against me?

This bug does not leave any trace of anything abnormal happening to the logs.

9. How can OpenSSL be fixed?

Even though the actual code fix may appear trivial, OpenSSL team is the expert in fixing it properly so the fixed version 1.0.1g or newer should be used.

Does this affect Malaysian businesses?

As mentioned earlier, OpenSSL is a popular encryption protocol that is widely accepted worldwide. And a large number of Malaysian businesses use this to encrypt their data. Consider change quickly as this may affect your sensitive information.

What versions of the OpenSSL are affected?

status of different versions:

1. OpenSSL 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f (inclusive) are vulnerable
2. OpenSSL 1.0.1g is NOT vulnerable
3. OpenSSL 1.0.0 branch is NOT vulnerable
4. OpenSSL 0.9.8 branch is NOT vulnerable

Bug was introduced to OpenSSL in December in 2011 and has been out in the wild since OpenSSL released 1.0.1 on 14th March 2012. OpenSSL 1.0.1g released on 7th April 2014 fixes the bug.

Recovery sounds laborious is there a shortcut?

After the consequences of this bug was properly identified and to the extent of which it could affect any user or provider, we (here at EVERWORKS) took laborious steps to address this issue to ensure that the possible compromise of our primary and secondary key material was protected. All this just in case we were not the first ones to discover this and this could have been exploited already.

For Malaysians you can refer to MyCERT for Information Disclosure on this Vulnerability.

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Protect Yourself Against Phishing Attacks

Phishing is an attempt made normally through email, to trick you into revealing your personal information, such as bank account information, login details, and more to the attacker. Phishing emails usually appear to come from frequent services you use, or websites you often visit, or important organizations requesting for your personal information such as credit card numbers, account numbers or login names and passwords. 

Malaysia fact: The highest phishing detected is Internet Banking where users are tricked to make payments or reveal their credentials.

In order for cyber criminals to successfully obtain your personal information, they must redirect you to a "fake" website which resembles a legitimate service that you often use. This redirect occurs most often through email, claiming to be from the legitimate service embedded with links.

Identify Phishing Emails

Phishing emails are effective, because they create sudden fear in people resulting in requiring the person to click through the link and perform the necessary changes to avoid losses.

Among the common causes are:

1. Threat to suspend or close accounts, if there is no response.
2. Penalty charges will be imposed if accounts have not been updated.
3. Claims that your account has been compromised.
4. Claims that important security information has been lost, and needs your info to verify your account.

Protect Yourself

1. Avoid providing personal information by responding to unsolicited requests.

Requests through email and phone, should be taken with care, because you may not know who is the caller or sender. However convincing it is you should ways be aware that there might be a potential for fraud.

2. Double check with official contacts

Double check before committing any information can save you in the long run against phishing attacks. Call official hotlines, dedicated service managers, or people whom you can trust that are verified to be official representatives before providing any information.

3. Never give your password to anyone or any place

Financial Institutions will never usually ask you to verify any information online. If there is a problem they would contact to have you come to a designated branch to resolve the matter.

4. Review your account

Make sure you check and double-check your account activity and see whether it balances with your monthly activity. This will immediately notify you if there are any irregularities such as purchases, or emails sent in your name that you have not committed to.

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What are your experiences with Phishing? Are there proven ways to find out if something is a Phishing Attack? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below!

Referenced from SKMM |  photoby liferoiblog

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How to Start an Online Business in Malaysia

Starting an online business in Malaysia isn't difficult and can prove to be a highly profitable venture. Due to recent successes of Zalora, and the growing acceptance of Internet use as a medium for service, now is a good chance to consider the Internet as a strong contender among more conventional means when it comes to starting new business ventures.

Among the many benefits of the Internet include:

1. Accessibility, customers that are not bounded by physical location limitations.
2. Reduced costs, high rent and high initial commitments were challenges to conventional business models.

Be clear

Before you get ahead of yourself, you have to be clear that starting an online business isn't any different from starting any business. The only thing that is different (or has changed) is the way your product or service is going to be channeled to your customers. Rather than the conventional store front which gives potential to attract only walking-by customers, the Internet opens possibilities to a global audience fairly easily.

Potential stumbling blocks

Although the Internet was created with much thought, your business still needs to be carefully laid out in clear plans. You will need to determine how you are going to transport your goods to your potential International customers, or how you are going to perform a service to another client that is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Internet does provide a vast opportunity and benefits conventional businesses can't offer, but with it comes certain difficulties like logistics management, customer relationship, reliability of the Internet services you are currently using, and much more.

First things to Identify

"Great ideas rarely come out of thin air." Nick Souter. Often successful businesses arise from a need, so start with your motivations. Find out what it is that drives you, and with that you can drive your business. Are you in it for the money, or are you in it to change the world? Both are examples of valid motivations that have driven some people to achieve great success. 

The next thing to determine is which legal structure suits you?
Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Incorporated.

Each comes with its own perks and some commitments that you must fulfill.
Further Reading: differences between sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation 

Make your business official

All businesses regardless even if it is an Online Business that wishes to conduct business in Malaysia must fulfill these steps:

1. Register with the Companies Commission of Malaysia
2. Be aware of the National Initiatives of setting up an Internet business (Malaysian National Budget 2014)
3. Ensure that if your business requires Personal Information, your business should be compliant with The Personal Data Protection Act 2010.
4. Be familiar with Malaysian tax (including GST - effective 2015)
5. Acquire necessary licenses and permits.

Find a suitable host

Choosing the wrong hosting option could cost you:

1. Loss of Revenue
2. Negative SEO Impact
3. Security and Malware attacks

How to choose the best hosting provider?

1. Understand the different hosting solutions available
2. Excellent Customer support is mandatory 
3. Ability to scale
4. Excellent uptime record
5. Choose what is best for you and what suits your budget

Stop; breathe.

Starting a business isn't an easy task, but nothing is at the beginning. Over time with enough persistency you and your business should prevail, even through testing times. Here is a toast to your business and for your future success, because at the very core of starting any business is; getting started.

Further reading: Overcoming Procrastination

EVERWORKS is Malaysia's leading Colocation Hosting, Server Colocation Service and Mobile Hosting Provider. EVERWORKS houses over 200 servers over 3 major Internet Datacenters in Malaysia.

photoby buter2007

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Set Up Your Facebook Page in 3 Easy Steps

Malaysians should greatly consider Facebook as a medium for marketing, because of its high potential for it. With more than 1 billion users, Facebook is the world's #1 social network. Facebook offers access to an incredibly diverse audience that spans globally, to different ages, and interests. Southeast Asia has more than 190 million Internet users according to Techinasia. In 2012, according to Internet World Stats Malaysia alone has approximately 13 million Facebook users, 46.6% penetration.

This makes sense for marketers to have a Facebook strategy. You don't need to be an International business to only benefit from Facebook. Considering that there is a large amount of local Malaysian Facebook users it makes sense for local businesses to get involved as well to target very specific types of users, generate more awareness, and find potentially new business leads.

Here is a case study from EVERWORKS.com Malaysia's leading Colocation Hosting, Server Colocation Services and Mobile Hosting Provider, "Implementing Facebook has been a great way for EVERWORKS to keep our customers informed over scheduled server maintenance, important announcements, festive greetings, and Facebook has also allowed us to keep a closer, more personal, relationship with our customers. It has increased awareness on EVERWORKS brand, while at the same time keeping costs relatively reasonable, as compared to more conventional means."

Before jumping in on the bandwagon and getting ahead of yourself, the first most important thing to do is to create a Facebook Page for your business, which is relatively simple to do. Here I will take you through all 3 steps to set up a basic page.

Business vs Personal

With all things in the beginning, you need to first identify whether you are a Business or Personal user. This is fundamental because there are differences for businesses and personal Facebook accounts, representing in a Business Page and a Personal Profile. Personal profiles are designed for individual persons, with features and options that make connecting and engaging with friends easier. By contrast, Business Pages provide options to help promotion and marketing. Business Pages offer ways to connect with more people, more targeted advertising, plus a big bonus of analytics through Facebook Insights that would give information on what type or how your advertising is responding to conceived Facebook marketing plans.

Additional notes: If you are promoting yourself as a "brand", it might seem logical to use your profile page to promote yourself, but I would recommend a Business Page instead. A separation between personal and business is healthy, and the Business Page does offer some technical advantages, such as allowing for additional page managers, Facebook Insights (discussed earlier), and others.

Step 1: Create a Page

There are two options for creating a Business Page

1. Set it up from your Facebook profile
2. Create a new account for your business.

If the second choice is what you are going for, all you need to do is, log-out of your profile and click "sign-up" from the Facebook homepage and then choose "create a page". The disadvantage of separating accounts is that you would just have to deal with another password, and you would have to log-out and log-back-in to access the other account.

Personally I prefer to administer my Pages from my personal profile. It is just easier to manage and I can move between accounts freely. 

Note: People who like your Business Page can't see your Personal Profiles.

To create a Business Page from your Personal Profile, click on the drop down menu in the top right hand corner of your profile and choose "Create a page", and walk through the Facebook Page creation  steps.

Quick Tip:

1. Profile photos should be at least 180 x 180 pixels when uploaded.
2. Facebook will automatically publish your page, so before you go any further, unpublish it. This allows you the time to tweak it until it looks nice before introducing it to the world. To unpublished a page, go to Edit Page, then Edit Settings, and click Unpublish Page. When you are ready and satisfied go back to the same place and Publish your page.

Step 2: Complete your Page Info

With most of the formalities out of the way, it is time to dig deeper and spend a little more time on your Business Page (the stuff that matter). Add a long description, or tweak your short description. Short descriptions are meant to be short, so try to keep it less than 155 characters and include your website URL too. This will show up under your Business Page's profile photo so make sure it is a quick brief and it allows for your fans to click easily to your website. Include keywords to help with Search Engine Optimization - SEO - (everything counts).

further reading: Find out more about SEO, the common mistakes people make, and more.

Choose a unique Facebook Business Page address to make it easier for people to find your Business Page.

This is an example of EVERWORKS's Facebook Business Page URL:
www.facebook.com/everworks

Be careful to get it right the first time, because Facebook shows no mercy, for once your Facebook Business Page address has been set it can never be changed.

Step 3: Cover Photo

The last step (until further updates come along) is to upload a cover photo. Also Facebook has recently relaxed its 20% rule - further reading: Facebook Page guidelines. Now cover photos can include more text, which allows for more promotions, but even with this added advantage you should aim for a clean, uncluttered image. Cover photos should be sized at 851x315 pixels. It would be the best if your cover photo could attract the people in which you are targeting, and not just focus on plain advertising.

Now that your page is complete and you are happy with everything don't forget to publish your Business Page that was previously set in unpublish mode so that it would allow you to prepare everything.

Show us your pages? Take a screenshot and share them with us in the comments section below!

facebook logo from ajc1

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Improve Your Content with Outlines

Having awesome content is meaningless without a clear direction and focused expectation for its readers. Outlines provide that clear direction and focused expectations for its readers. How does outlines improve your articles, and help to strengthen your brand image. Content written by endowed writers lose its edge without strong outlines. Reasons why outlines improve your content are discussed in the 5 points below:

Make reading easier

Having outlines doesn't just make it easier for the publisher, writer, or author. The most important person which the context was meant for benefits from this as well. Having a form of uniformity (structure) eases our minds, it doesn't require us to think unnecessarily, giving our brains space to focus on important things. Take for example chapters in textbooks, it gives its readers a set expectation of when the point stops, when the next point begins, what contents are within that particular section, and guides people in one simple direction. 

In addition, well-crafted headers cultivates interest for people to have an excuse to read on. Often a bunch of words can be intimidating, but with a gentle nudge forward with an enticing header makes the reading substance a little bit more enticing.

Provides Focus

Do you remember having a a conversation with an overly excited friend, when your friend starts talking on a topic and changing at will. Often nothing comes out of those conversations, but sometimes there is a remote chance that it may lead to something more. The point is that more often than not the information although compelling is disoriented and doesn't have much of a focus and that unfocused conversation proves to be hard work to decipher. 

As earlier mentioned outlines make reading easier, but imagine a book without chapters. You wouldn't know what to expect, where to start, or even where to stop. Poorly structured, or unstructured writings are great pieces of mess: they float, provide 'some' value, but only among meandering sentences. Outlines help remedy this confusing wild situations by giving readers a set expectation, and delivering them in a clear, and efficient manner. 

Further Reading: How to Develop Better Topics for Malaysian Blogs

Makes your message more memorable

Case example, a blog is a place where content that is written creates value for its readers, but it isn't the only focus and certainly not its only purpose. Helping your customers, should be the ultimate goal for a business blog, and with that comes a benefit to the business where the brand is strengthened and it allows the business to have a 'proper' conversation with its customers. However, without the 'memorability factor' this effort is muddled. 

Outlines help this 'memorability factor' it helps writers write more effectively (a clear guide), it eases readers burden by providing more focused content, and the end result is an enhanced brand image that portrays various positives.

Easier Referencing

Coming back to work after a long holiday, and picking off where you last left your work sounds relatively straightforward, but as you sit down on your desk you realize the great desk pile of past work papers, and now you think to yourself that holiday was great while it lasted. What if those papers were put into labelled organizers either alphabetically arranged, chronologically arranged or through various other arranging methods. Now that great desk pile of past work papers wouldn't have existed and you could just get down to doing what matters most, without the worry of having to sort through mess.

Outlines provide a similar benefit to having labelled organizers, it allows quick access in the future. Content that is clearly structured, and points that are focused give readers, not just the writers, an easier look-back when required. Readers can look through an entire article in an efficient manner looking for what 'slipped off' their minds.

Invest in Outlines

Organizing has ample benefits, and although the task seems extremely daunting at first, having outlines give a great deal of clarity. It takes the effort off the readers and allows them to focus on actually reading the content that was meant to provide them value, and allows the initial intention of the business (to strengthen its brand image, to educate its customers, and to understand its customers better) to be realized.

EVERWORKS is Malaysia's leading Colocation Hosting, Server Colocation Service and Mobile Hosting Provider. EVERWORKS provides industry standard Web & Email Hosting Solution for your business, giving you peace of mind, cost effective plans, and industry level guarantees. Find out more on EVERWORKS's Web & Email Hosting Solution.

Do you think that outlines actually improve your content? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

image by hawkexpress

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What is Colocation?

Colocation is the practice of housing your servers and devices in a professional datacenter in order to access the benefits of greater bandwidth, lower latency, specialist services and systems, constant security advanced infrastructure, economies of scale, and a bunch of other benefits.

As the demands of the world increase, technologies grow to become more extensive and sophisticated. Constructing or adding to a proprietary, private datacenter becomes a commercially difficult (unless, perhaps, for the larger corporations that have plenty of dough to splash)

Greater resilience to disaster, malicious attacks, greater savings in costs, increases time flexibility as a convenience of service that is immediately on hand. A logical argument for colocation as a positive strategy for many businesses.

What are Colocation Services?

Colocation services are offered by datacenters equipped and configured to allow secure client access to private servers. Colocation services include:

1. Leasing server cabinets and cages
2. Connecting to an ISP's network and physical infrastructure
3. Monitoring server status.

Each cabinet and cage is securely locked and inaccessible to other colocation clients. 

Colocation services let clients take advantage of datacenter infrastructure, while maintaining control over their servers. The benefits colocation customers enjoy are:

1. Environmental control (temperature, humidity, and filtration)
2. Fire suppression systems
3. Redundant power sources, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) backup
4. Large capacity quality bandwidth
5. Around-the-clock physical security
6. Monitoring and technical services (storage, backups, firewall, and DDoS attack mitigation)

Using colocation services is an effective way for your business to achieve continuity, scalability and minimal network latency, while maintaining healthy costs, and at the same time having complete control over the physical server, operating system, and applications.

EVERWORKS is Malaysia's leading Datacenter Hosting Service Provider and Datacenter Hosting Solution. EVERWORKS houses over 200 Dedicated and Colocation Servers in World-Class Datacenters across Malaysia. EVERWORKS provides you with all the benefits of colocation hosting along with a flexible 'priority switch' to any EVERWORKS servers to maximize the best network blueprint at no extra costs (contact EVERWORKS for more detailed information).

Find out more or start colocation hosting with EVERWORKS.

Referenced from PEER 1

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Is eCommerce viable in Malaysia?

Venturing into an unknown domain is risky. Especially when decisions are made without concrete evidence that points to a clear direction. Malaysia has in recent years picked up on an economic front (Malaysia was one of the 13 countries identified by the Commission on Growth and Development in its 2008 Growth Report to have recorded average growth of more than 7% per year for 25 years or more - World Bank).

Have Malaysians taken to the Internet positively?

Clear indicators from some sources have pointed positively towards the acceptability and usage of the Internet in Malaysia. Thus concluding that Malaysia has grown to become a nation that in recent years have come to understand that the Internet is a powerful tool that helps Malaysians in their everyday lives.

1. 60.7% of the country in 2012 is using the Internet. "An example is Zalora Malaysia a large online fashion store, which has seen a tremendous growth since its official launch in March 2012" - Internet World Statistics
2. Trend Micro's recent (Aug 2013) online survey shows that 8 out of 10 Malaysian Internet users now shop online. Computer World Malaysia
3. The number of Malaysians accessing the Internet hit 41% in 2010 a 15% increase over the previous year, according to The Nielsen Company's Mobile Insights Survey

What is eCommerce?

It is defined to be that eCommerce is a form of commerce/business that is conducted via the Internet. - Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

What are the benefits of eCommerce?

1. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your business runs online without a physical store sales person, without ever needing a break or holiday!
2. Cheaper. Keeping an eCommerce business running on the Internet is comparatively cheaper to a bricks and mortars shop that have utility, rent and other costs.
3. Opportunity. What are your chances of a new international customer that phones you to buy something over the phone? I doubt it is going to happen often, but with an eCommerce store that now becomes possible, because more and more people are connected to the Internet, and the Internet is accessible anywhere.
4. Sell a wider range of stock items. Physical stores have limited display space, but an eCommerce store has unlimited display space.
5. Make more profit. In point 2 it has been stated that costs are greatly reduced in an eCommerce business, thus this logically results in more money!
6. Email marketing. If configured correctly your eCommerce store should be collecting email addresses for you of your potential customers to keep in contact with in future. With email marketing (executed properly) you have a very low cost way of continually driving traffic back to your store. Further reading: Discounts & Deals Don't 'Bite'
7. Important Data. With analytics installed on your eCommerce store you will have found out very critical information that forms an actionable data sheet about your customer's behaviors!

Why would Malaysians consider eCommerce?

With strong indications above showing the market responding actively and positively towards the Internet for shopping options, and the benefits of eCommerce clearly shown, Malaysians should consider eCommerce to be viable.

How to start a small eCommerce business on the Internet?

Now that you have seen that eCommerce is an exciting industry, just where do you start? Attempting to start an eCommerce store is no different from starting any business. Here are some basics to starting a business to get you moving along:

1. Find a need and fill it.
2. Write copy (sales pitch) that sells.
3. Design and build an easy-to-use website.
4. Establish an expert reputation for yourself.
5. Follow up with your customers and subscribers well with e-mail.
6. Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling.

How EVERWORKS keeps your eCommerce business online?

EVERWORKS is Malaysia's leading hosting and colocation hosting service provider that has successfully serviced notable companies, providing them with hosting plans that give their businesses reliability and effective costs reducing technical difficulty, and heavy initial investments.

For a total solution package feel free to contact an EVERWORKS specialist to find out how you can have an eCommerce business online.

Email: info@everworks.com

or alternatively 

Phone: + (603) 78 06 3550  

(Malaysia local landline - Not Toll Free - Only during office hours)

photo by psdblast

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4 Tips for Managing Risk in the Cloud

Cloud Computing. Everybody seems to be moving across to this promise where the cloud service allows you to have more computing power at your finger tips on demand, and a host of other benefits. The big question is should you? Considering that moving to the cloud does boast costs savings potential and increased efficiency, there is a fear that there will be a loss of control, and potentially conflicting information that the cloud could prove to be not as secure, and much more expensive that it would initially claim to be.

Governance, Risk and Compliance Strategy

Having a governance, risk and compliance strategy is a vital way to help ensure the transition to the cloud goes as smoothly as possible. Here are some factors to consider:

1. SLA's and the "Right to Audit" clause
2. Vendor Risk Management, and Cloud Security Standards
3. Data Details
4. Identity Management
5. Protect Yourself and Your Organization

Further reading: Forbes - Managing Cloud Risks

Security has been a major (constantly growing) issue in the cyber world as more and more people continue to use the Internet as a mainstream channel to conduct business and to perform daily tasks. Moving to the cloud is a positive direction, but it is gravely important for you to be able to properly manage and identify these risks.

1. Know the Basics, and going back to Basics

Beyond computers, you should sort out configuration management, asset management, separation of duties, have strong passwords, and much more. Many organizations get distracted by the big picture they fail to manage basic things. Take advantage of any tools provided by your Cloud Service Provider to assist you in "sludge" tasks that are vital to your business's overall security.

2. Have Solid Response Plans

A security threat can occur at any time, it isn't a question of whether or not it will occur anymore, but a question of when it will present itself. Even with security being at high levels, most breaches occur because of internal compromised employees. Build a strong solid response plan to face security incidents with confidence.

3. Maintain Constant Contact with your Cloud Service Provider

Anything can happen. No matter how much you plan things can take a twist. It will be a blessing to have your Cloud Service Provider always constantly having your back when things take an unexpected turn.

4. Know the Security of your Cloud Service Provider

The security measures that an infrastructure provider handles, should be delivered with documentations to show what has been achieved. 

Malaysia + Managing Risks in the Cloud

The cloud is the same throughout the world, and the risks are apparent even for Malaysia. Where security breaches in the digital realm have been more frequent in the recent years as Malaysians take to the Internet to perform their daily tasks. The tips for managing risks in the cloud spelled out above is highly relevant to Malaysia, and what better way than to start right to avoid the potential risks and reap the benefits of using the Cloud.

Cloud computing isn't as risky and frightening as most think. It just requires a little bit of proper planning and good practice, as with most new projects. Build on the strengths and compensate for weaknesses and you should be well on your way to reaping the benefits of using the Cloud.

referenced from Softlayer |  photoby SivaServer

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Announcement - Planned Downtime Notification for BMG

Dear Valued Customers,

Please be informed that there will be a planned system maintenance by Maxis that will be carried out during this time:

Duration: 6:00 hrs

21 May 2014

1:00am ~7:00 AM GMT +8

Impact to users: EWIG Charging will not be available & USSD System will not be able to do charging

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.

For urgent inquiries please contact these hotlines +6(03)-23306867 / +6(03)-23306592 or drop an email to mpxg@maxis.com.my

For management inquiries please email info@everworks.com
For technical inquiries please email cvs@everworks.com

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Troubleshoot Outlook

I personally felt that I should write up a post on troubleshooting Microsoft Outlook when it comes to custom email settings for EVERWORKS Email Hosting Solution. Seeing error codes scare me as much as they scare you. This post is short and sweet with easy to follow guides. It should give you a systematic solution; hopefully getting rid of the pesky error message.

Firstly just to be absolutely sure,

when configuring your custom email settings in Microsoft Outlook you should go through "EVERWORKS Email Hosting - Outlook Help" and filter through the steps just to make sure it is right. Sometimes it could be the minor mistakes that cause a lot of complications. Just run through the steps in the post, and see if the error message still pops up!

IMPORTANT NOTE: TELEKOM MALAYSIA HAS BLOCKED PORT 25, AND PORT 25 MAY BE BLOCKED IN YOUR COUNTRY TOO.

If the problem still persists...

If you have already gone through the point above and still have not resolved the error code here are the last few steps you should follow for EVERWORKS technical support to serve you as efficiently as possible:

Step 1

Screenshot the error. Keep a good documentation of the error that you are facing so that you can have something to show and illustrate better to EVERWORKS technical support.

Step 2

Define clearly what you did. Accurate, step by step documentation helps greatly. 

Step 3

Shoot an email to our technical support (including everything inside Step 1 and Step 2 attached within the email), and they will help you with what ever it is you need. 

cvs@everworks.com

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Whenever facing a problem don't panic! You always have EVERWORKS trusty support ready to service your needs and solve the problem together with you!

If this post has helped you greatly please share more about your experiences in the comments section below!

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Benefits of Colocation Hosting

Colocation is the practice of housing your servers and devices in a professional datacenter in order to access the benefits of greater bandwidth, lower latency, technical services and systems, constant security, advanced infrastructure, economies of scale, and a bunch of other benefits. 

Further reading: What is Colocation Hosting?

Here are 8 compelling reasons to consider colocation hosting:

1. Power Redundancy

Backups. Essential to any business, but costly to own. Colocation hosting reduces the cost of expensive redundant servers to businesses.

2. On-site Specialists and Troubleshooting

When something goes wrong,you can't access your data and when your IT guy is on a vacation, what do you do? Colocation hosting ensures that there are always technical support specialists ready (one phone call away) at all times to get you back up and running.

3. Network reliability

Demands for constant connection drives businesses with the need on network reliability to ensure that their business continuity online is maintained. Datacenters provide 100% uptime, but with heavy costs involved, and colocation makes network reliability more affordable. 

4. Security and Data Protection. 

Security is always an issue, and with increasing security threats companies are more concerned with maintaining a secure environment. Colocation facilities generally offer key card entry, cabinet locks and surveillance to better manage security.

5. Bandwidth

Colocation hosting provides Internet Service Provider (ISP) level Internet access that allows smooth network operations over a strong bandwidth, that fulfills extensive requirements, and complex applications.

6. Cost Savings

Any of the above requires a good amount of investments. Why build something with such heavy initial investments when all you need to do is pay a simple 'utility bill' monthly to enjoy all of the benefits above with Colocation Hosting.

7. Location benefits

Infrastructure and hardware is vulnerable to dust, electricity damage, overheating, and a host of other risks. Facilities require maintenance to avoid critical issues like this. Colocation hosting mitigates such risks and provides you with a peace of mind.

8. Scalability

Is there a sudden increase in computing requirements or a drastic drop in computing requirements/ Instead of having to hire - or fire - new staff or purchase more equipment (or leave unused equipment around) you can just make a call to a Colocation Hosting Service Provider to scale according to your needs.

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Host locally, in Malaysia, to enjoy the benefits of geographic positioning that will enable the majority of your local traffic to be effectively maximized.

EVERWORKS is Malaysia's leading Colocation Hosting Provider and Server Colocation Services Provider. EVERWORKS provides servers for your business to rid of hefty hardware investments and costly time of set-up & managing hardware. Find out more or start colocation hosting with EVERWORKS.

Referenced from Sterling, Contegix | Photo by Sivaserver

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EVERWORKS Group Meeting - April 2014

Recently, everyone at EVERWORKS got together to introduce the work they have accomplished, discuss together how we can progressively move forward to serve our customers better, and to get to know what other departments do everyday!

Everyone was eager and excited to share what they had in mind, and it proved to be a fruitful event as we all managed to identify what were the problems we faced, and how we could collectively move forward as a team.

We are working hard to make a change, because we see a boundless future that we can step into and improve! Keep in touch with us through our Blog or Facebook as we discover new things that could impact you in a positive way, tips that could help strengthen your business, user friendly self-managed support, and updates on what the company is doing. 

Have a suggestion on what we could do to help you better? Don't hesitate to contact us through private message on our Facebook for a discussion. Find out more about EVERWORKS and what we do through our website EVERWORKS.com

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EVERWORKS Data Center Migration - Quick Checklist

Here is a quick checklist from an EVERWORKS specialist, Wong. He shares with us just what is needed in a brief quick session, if more help is needed contact cvs@everworks.com.

Important Note: EVERWORKS offers clients a 1 week free trial for IDC services (this is a benefit for clients to test out our network routes and connectivity for their applications and hardware). After ensuring that the tests have been carried out accordingly, then will EVERWORKS only prepare a rack space, implement network cabling, and install IP.

Data Center Migration, is quite a mouthful and can be rather intimidating, but here is a quick checklist that we use for new or even existing customers:

1. Schedule a meeting

• There will be a scheduled appointment arranged with you (our customer) to define what are the your requirements, the roles and needed responsibilities.
• Next up is to visit our Data Center (an arranged tour facility), mainly for you to have a look and feel to what you are investing in; power, cooling, security, protection, floor space, technical support, etc.
• A technical team will be built and responsibilities assigned for the particular Migration Project.
• Draw back and conclude, define, and ensure that all areas of required expertise are sufficiently covered.

2. Data Center Site is provided for you to test critical applications and server hardware

Identifiers:

• Rack space placement is prepared, network & internet connectivity is tested, network cabling is carried out, power management, and installation of IP addresses.
• Ensure that your hardware is fully operational.
• Ensure that your critical applications are running without any issues. (If there are any issues, what solution is required)
• Ensure that your networking equipment is fully operational.

Actions:

• Provide solutions for any problems identified thus far.
• Constant communication to ensure that everything is accurately understood between all parties involved.

3. Time-line is prepared and move date determined

• Backups of critical data is performed and verified, before the Migration Project begins.
• Plans for business interruption is put into place. (Time period of server temporary shutdown)
• Moving of all hardware.
• Transportation of hardware.

4. Finalizing Migration

Once the Migration has been completed, everything is checked and an inventory is defined to ensure that everything is in place. 

Your migration should be successful and without any problems by the end of this exercise.

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If you any further inquiries please contact EVERWORKS support at +603-78063550 or cvs@everworks.com

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EVERWORKS IDC: Reminder of Rack Price Increase

In recent weeks there have been inquiries on the affects in change of pricing some of our clients have faced, and to clear the air and provide the details required, released here would be the official statement of EVERWORKS, in regards to the increased tariff rates imposed by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

Effective 1st March 2014, EVERWORKS has imposed a price increase in our monthly rack recurring charges and HVAC aligned to the increase rate imposed by Tenaga Nasional Berhad's (TNB) new tariff announcement dated 2nd December 2013.

Enclosed herewith the calculation of the new rates as below:

After much consideration the price increase due to the increased tariff rates, has led to our decision to increase prices from March onwards.

As we continue to strive to offer you the best service and support possible, EVERWORKS has committed to absorb increase in costs to further support our clients for the month of January and February.

Latest colocation package pricing can be referred to here.

We are committed to provide our customers with the best possible service, for further assistance regarding administrative matters please consult our administrative team: admin@everworks.com, and for further assistance regarding technical support issues please contact our ever-ready technical support team: cvs@everworks.com.

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Announcement - EVERWORKS Scheduled Email Server Maintenance

Dear Valued Customers,

Please be informed that there will be a scheduled email server maintenance for www.everworks.com 

The scheduled maintenance would be carried out during this period of time:

11th April 2014 - 12th April 2014 

(Saturday Early Morning)

23:00 hrs ~ 05:00 hrs GMT+8 

For update please refer to the latest post here

Impact: This maintenance will have no downtime & service interruption to all EVERWORKS clients' network.

Objective: Migration of EVERWORKS mail server. 

For urgent inquiries please contact these hotlines: +6016 625 8763 or +6013 353 3886

For general inquiries on any matter please contact +603 7806 3550 or cvs@everworks.com (we will respond to your email inquiries only after this maintenance - for important support inquiries please contact the listed hotlines.)

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The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia)

What is the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia)? This Act regulates the processing of personal data in regards to commercial transaction. It was gazetted in June 2010. 

The penalty for non-compliance will be between RM100,000 - RM500,000 and/or imprisonment of between 1 - 3 years.

How does this affect your business?

This Act applies to any person who collects and processes personal data in regards to commercial transactions. The 7 principles of the Act are general, notice and choice, disclosure, retention, security, access and data integrity principles. 

Personal data relates directly or indirectly to a data subject, who is identified or identifiable from that information or from that and other information in the possession of a data user, including any sensitive data, and expression of opinion about the data subject. For example: name, identity card number, date of birth, mobile number and etc.

In the case where personal data processing is outsourced to a third party, known as the data processor, it is the responsibility for the data user to ensure that the data processor provides sufficient guarantees to protect the person data from any loss, misses, modification, unauthorized or accidental access or disclosure, alteration or destruction.

What are the main Challenges?

Increased complexity: This Act affects personal data management from the point data is collected, used, stored, and destroyed. This Act also applies to customers, employees, and third party service providers that handle personal data. Companies businesses will be affected as processes will be required to be refined to comply with the Act's requirements.

The process of personal data life cycle management becomes more complex with the involvement of International data transfer.

What should be the next steps?

The Personal Data Protection Act 2010, has already been effect and companies were required to register by 15 February 2014 or face penalties under section 16(4) of The Personal Data Protection Act 2010.

1. Identify the gaps to meet the legal requirements and industry standards.
2. Develop a strategic roadmap to address the gaps
3. Develop structure, roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures.
4. Audit processes and systems to assess compliance with policies, standards, and legal requirements.

Further reading: Malaysian Bar | PDPA 2010 Registration Notice & Pikom | Are You Ready for The Personal Data Protection Act 2010

Find the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia) from the Official Portal of the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia Malaysia. For more legal information you can refer to the Malaysian Bar.

EVERWORKS is Malaysia's leading Server Colocation, Server Colocation Hosting Services, and Mobile Hosting Provider. EVERWORKS has worked with prominent clients as the Ministry of Health Malaysia, PriceWaterhouse Coopers Malaysia, Media Prima Berhad, GAC Shipping, KLIA Express, CIMB Bank, Hong Leong Bank Berhad, and many others.

Further reading: Your Data is Your Data

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Celebrating EVERWORKS 9th Annual Dinner

Recently EVERWORKS celebrated its 9th Annual Dinner, where all deserving employees who have put in their efforts, time and dedication were appreciated. It was a time of bonding for the EVERWORKS' family.

Performing "Yee Sang" a traditional Chinese celebration for Chinese New Year, wishing everyone good health, abundant prosperity, and good luck!!

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This is what it feels like to be part of the EVERWORKS Family. Everyone has been really working very hard for the whole year! Great job everyone!! This isn't the whole family, but you know who you are!!

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Happy Chinese New Year from EVERWORKS

Happy Chinese New Year!!

May all our dearest customers and readers have a blessed Chinese New Year! This year is the year of the Horse! The spirit of the horse makes unremitting efforts to improve themselves; it is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able.

Strengths
People born in the year of the horse have great communicating techniques. They are cheerful, perceptive, talented, earthy but stubborn!


Weaknesses
They cannot bear too much constraint. They are overly independent and rarely seek advice.

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Those born in 2002, 1990, 1978, 1954, 1942, 1930, 1918 this year is your year! 

The year of the horse means there is a greater leadership associated with it this year, but the impulsive behavior of the horse can lead to recklessness!

WORK : People in position of authority at work will do well, but don't expect to make a lot of money and value the income you have!

LOVE : There won't be a lot of excitement in your love life!

HEALTH : Watch your health this year - Make exercise and rest a priority!

What are your new aspirations this Chinese New Year?

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*Office Announcement (January 2014)

Dear Valued Customers & Readers,

EVERWORKS Office will be closed on:

Tuesday (14/1/2014)

Friday (17/1/2014)

Office is open on:

Wednesday (15/1/2014)

Thursday (16/1/2014)

Normal operations will resume on:

Monday (20/1/2014)

*Office Closed for Chinese New Year on:

Thursday (30/1/2014) to Monday (3/2/2014)

Thank you so much for your kind understanding. For issues requiring immediate attention please do not hesitate to contact our technical team.

For technical support, please do not hesitate to contact 24-hour email support at:

cvs@everworks.com

Happy Holidays!

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