To better understand how we can fight the “Spam War,” we have to take a moment to learn about Thomas Bayes.

Thomas Bayes (c. 1702-April 7, 1761) was a British mathematician and Presbyterian minister, known for having formulated Bayes' theorem.

His findings on probability were written in Essay Towards Solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances (1763), published posthumously in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Thomas Bayes was very involved with mathematical probabilities and using these probabilities to determine the truth or falsehood of “something”. Bayes uncovered his own theorem as follows:

Now, what does this have to do with Spam?

The latest and most effective Spam filters use Bayesian Filtering. Using logic from Thomas Bayes in E-mail filtering systems, E-mail content is scanned, scored, and learned from. As each E-mail passes through the system, probabilities are computed and tallied. From these tallies of “what is good E-mail” versus “what is Spam”, Bayesian Filtering in your anti-Spam software can learn from its own history. From the history, the filter assigns probabilities of “truth” accordingly.

Using Bayesian Filtering in Spam filtering is a huge advantage. So when we look for the latest products to help us manage Spam, a Bayesian filtering component is a must.

Spam filtering products come in two basic flavors – server-based solutions and desktop-based solutions.

While there are many server based solutions on the market, we like Mail Essentials 9.0 from GFI, inc. This latest release incorporates Bayesian Filtering and is quite effective in an Exchange Server environment. A server based product has the advantage of fighting Spam “for all users” in your enterprise.

Conversely, single user desktop solutions can be used as well. In most cases, these desktop solutions integrate directly into Microsoft Outlook. Desktop solutions are priced “per seat” or “pack of seats”. This means that it can be rather expensive if all users need to be licensed. Products like Cloudmark (www.cloudmark.com) and Matador (http://www.mailfrontier.com/products_matador.html) are two of the best for the desktop.

Can we win the “Spam War” with technology? The “Spammers” may not be as smart as Thomas Bayes, but all of us will have to invest our resources to combat this expansive problem. To discuss solutions against Spam, or better yet, to discuss Bayesian theorem in more detail, please contact us.  

Most businesses today have some type of Web Site. There is no question that a WEB site is a must for your business. The next step in the use of this tool centers around the question, “How can I be found on the Internet?”

As part of our Web Services, we now offer Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services. We can now tailor your site so that it successfully comes up as a top ranking in major search engines, including MSN and GOOGLE. To start thinking about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you have to “wear a user’s hat” and come up with search terms that users would use to try to seek you out with. For instance, if we were a Fish Store here in Western New York, I may want to include a list of search terms as follows:

“fish” & “wny”
“tropical fish” & “wny”
“fish tank” & “buffalo”
…

Every business and every industry is different, so search terms can be all over the board. You want to pay attention and not have terms that are too generic. In the example above, the single search term “fish” will bring everything from fishing poles to tuna fish. This offers no help to your business when your prospects are trying to find you.

Below are some search terms that bring up pages in the CDS web site when using the Google Search Engine:

“lan network set-up wny”  (#1 & #4 Google*)
“wan network set-up wny”  (#1 Google*)
“vpn network set-up wny"  (#1 Google*)
"accounting software wny" (#1Google*)
"custom accounting software wny" (#1 Google*)
"small business payroll software wny" (#4 Google*)
"bar code software wny" (#1 Google*)
"web services buffalo ny" (#5 Google*)
"E commerce buffalo ny" (#1 Google)
"microsoft certified partner wny" (#1 Google)
"SEO buffalo" (#1 Google)

(*Search Engine ranks fluctuate over time, and the above Google ranks are as of February 2, 2004.)

Once you have a list of search terms that apply to your business, you are ready to start discussing Search Engine Optimization. When you want to learn more, please let us know. We then can better discuss the process and try to zero in on the results you are looking for.

As the Internet is used more and more as a utility, there is technology today that brings the telephone together with the Internet called VOIP. VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and is used as a way to send analog “voice” signals over a digital network connection.

The applications for VOIP are numerous. Businesses are using it to cut down on traditional phone costs. Residential customers can also use VOIP to cut down or eliminate the traditional phone company.

For Residential customers, a few options are as follows:

1. Services like WebPhone (www.webphone.com) and Net2Phone (www.net2phone.com) will let you use your home computer (with speaker and microphone) to make local and long distance calls. The great thing about this is that there is no commitment in hardware or contract terms like cell phones. It is a great way to have the kids call to keep track of Mom & Dad (or Vice Versa)

2. Hardware based service like Vonage (www.vonage.com) offer residents and small businesses a hardware solution to VOIP. Simply plug in the supplied router onto your broadband connection, plug in a phone or set of phones, and it works. Some of us have said “bye-bye” to Verizon by using Vonage VOIP. They will even move over your phone number that eliminates a problem as most of us have had the number for many years.

For Business customers, VOIP options are available through your phone provider. While there is an investment in hardware, you could use this solution to connect up to satellite offices or talking directly to customers. This solution could pay for itself very quickly. The VOIP movement is gaining popularity with people trying to get out from under the monopolistic pricing structures of the traditional phone companies.

Linux has gained much momentum over the last year as a competitor to the Microsoft marketplace. When we talk of Linux, there are two directions where Linux can play a role.

As a desktop replacement -> Using Linux and a variety of office applications as opposed to Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office is certainly an alternative for some people. Linux could be a great solution if you have the need for limited application support (E-mail, Word processing, Spreadsheets, Internet, and Terminal Emulation). Linux will not, however, run Microsoft Windows applications. So do not plan on inserting the latest Windows application or game and having it work. However, for standard functions and low cost deployment, it works very, very well.

As a Server -> Linux as the server operating system has been the hot trend. Linux is very much ‘SCO Unix’ which allows many of your UNIX business systems to move over to a Linux environment easily. As a server, Linux scales better than Windows Server. This means that we can add more users and have better performance on a Linux-based server than we can on the same hardware when a Microsoft solution is used. Many customers will elect to move from a UNIX Server to a Linux Server solution in the future – either because of pricing, software support or flexibility.

If you have any questions on Linux or where it may fit in your environment, please give us a call. Linux is certainly growing in popularity as a full function Operating System.

Microsoft is now shipping their latest server operating system, Windows Server 2003. Microsoft presents these 10 benefits of Windows Server 2003 as follows:

The question becomes: Is Windows Server 2003 for you?

In summary, here is who should consider Windows Server 2003:

1. If you are bringing a new server online, the investment in Windows Server 2003 for Small Business may be advantageous.

2. If you are using or want to use many of the new Office 2003 features, most of the Contact and Relationship Management (CRM) functions in Office 2003 as well as other extensions require Windows Server 2003 to function properly.

3. If you are going to do work with the .NET infrastructure and XML, Windows Server 2003 was built for this new functionality. (We discussed .NET in previous issues of CDS News)

4. If you want the extra functionality found in Exchange Server 2003, then it is mandatory.

Windows Server 2003 is certainly a great product. However, Windows 2000 Server is still working well for most businesses. There may be a time in the near future that Windows Server 2003 is a “must have” product. Together we can help in the timing of this decision. Drop us a line if you want to discuss if and how Windows Server 2003 fits in your organization.