Windows 8.1 Preview Now Available for Download

Windows 8 was a necessary update for Microsoft but it received mixed reviews from users.  It had a lot of missing features and did not feel like it was one cohesive product.  It was as if Microsoft hastily incorporated touch gestures and a fresh UI to its operating system but did not really know what to do with it moving forward.  What Microsoft was only sure of, it seems, is that it had to make Windows relevant in a world where touch-operated displays are the norm.  Thankfully, Microsoft was listening to the complaints and suggestions of users.  The result is Windows 8.1 which is really a major update considering the features Microsoft added to the OS.

One of the most heated debates with Windows 8 was the removal of the Start button which has been present in all versions of Windows before Windows 8 came along.  In Windows 8.1, the Start button is back and you can almost hear a uniform sigh of relief from fans of the button.  The tiles can now be resized to more sizes, the most notable of which is the large tile which obviously can hold more information.  There is also a quick access to the list of apps which is by an upward swipe gesture on the menu.  This was not present in Windows 8.

  

Another important update on Windows 8.1 is the ability for users to boot directly to the desktop.  Before the update, booting Windows means you go straight to the Start Menu.  Another improvement when it comes to aesthetics is the addition of dynamic backgrounds which are also more customizable on Windows 8.1.
Before Windows 8.1 also now allows better customization when it comes to resizing windows which now supports 50/50 split view, for instance.  The OS also now makes it possible to set up multiple monitors.  There are other improvements and a lot of them are on the core Microsoft apps.  For more details on the update, watch this video.

Windows 8.1 is available for download for free for current Windows 8 users.  It is available as a free download to users of Windows Vista, Windows 7 and other versions but on an ISO format.  Go here to download Windows 8.1 Preview.  Note that the final version of Windows 8.1 will be released before the year ends.  The final version will no longer be free.

 

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How to Get a Free and Unique UK Phone Number

Getting a Free Phone number from internet is easy, but getting a Unique number for you Only is truly hard. How about to Get a Free Unique Phone Number from United Kingdom, not only this but also you Forward calls to your mobile phone for Free... You can then receive international and business calls to your local mobile phone while using a UK phone Number. Also you can use this to Verify Gmail, Facebook, Payza accounts with Phone calls

How it Works?

You register an account at the website below, you are given to chose between many UK numbers that starts with +44, you setup your local phone number or mobile number to receive calls, finally Activate Route to enable call forwarding and receive calls for Free.

How to Get a Free Phone Number & Forward Calls to your Mobile

1) Go to Free UK Numbers

2) Click Register button, it will redirect you the Signup page.

3) Enter your correct First Name, Last Name and Email address for the signup process, then Click Register button to complete registration.

4) After Signup, it will automatically redirects you to your account. Select wisely the Virtual Phone Number you want to use.

5) After choosing the virtual phone number, Enter your Local or Mobile Phone number in-which you'll receive forwarded calls, Your Mobile or Local Number should not contain the + character just enter the Country code followed by your phone number.

6) Finally Click Activate Route to activate call forwarding.

7) Now you own a Free Virtual Phone Number from United Kingdom, you can use it on internet, business jobs, Verifying Google, Facebook, Payza or any other online accounts.

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How to Find the Best DNS for Faster Internet Speed

DNS server, for Domain Name System, is the layer that resolves domain names and translates them to IP address (example: www.google.com ---DNS---> 74.125.225.233 ) that's the role of the DNS server. DNS servers' speed depends on many factors, like the location of the server, the speed of resolving domains, the port speed of DNS server... If you choose the best DNS according to its speed you'll gain more fast How to Speed up Internet Connection using DNS we talked about How to set Google's DNS server to speed up your connection.

Internet Connection speed with a simple tweak.


How it Works?

This trick will help you finding the best & fastest dns server for your internet connection. First it lists all available and good dns servers, then when you start the benchmark it will tests the speeds of all DNS servers listed ( cached speed, uncached speed, dotcom speed...) and finally gives the result. Then you have to choose one of the Fastest DNS and set your computer to point on it.

How to Find the Best DNS for Faster InternetConnection

1) Download DNS Benchmark

2) After Downloading DNS Benchmark, launch the executable.

3) It will start analyzing and listing available DNS IPs, Wait until it lists the most of DNS

4) Go to Nameservers then Click Run Benchmark

5) DNS Benchmark will start analyzing the speed of every server, just wait some time to finish testing.

6) After finishing the test, Click on Response Time tab to order them with Low Latency + High Speed 

7) The first DNS should be the Fastest one, choose it and set your Computer to Point to this DNS Server.


SEE: HOW TO CHANGE DNS

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How to Speed up Internet Connection with DNS

DNS refer to Domain Name System, it resolves the domain name queries and convert it into IP addresses to  allow web browsers find the domain associated with the keyword entered (e.g google.com = ip address). By changing default DNS of your ISP (Internet Service Provider) you can access the Internet with higher speed and more efficient. This technique will allow you to change your Computer's DNS in Google's DNS.

How to Speed up Internet Connection with DNS

1) Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center

2) Click on the active connection link to go to settings.

3) Click Properties

4) Now check the radio button in DNS section and change DNS Settings like the following:

8.8.8.8

8.8.4.4

5) Click OK then Apply the settings.

6) Done! Now feel higher Internet connection by Google's Public DNS.

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How to Lock Programs in Windows

If your computer is used by other people than you and you want to block access to certain programs or windows applications to gain more privacy within your computer, then it's easy to lock apps using a free tool called AppLock by Smart-x company. This tool allows you to protect your favorite programs from being ran by others while you keep your privacy safe. So here's a tutorial on How to Lock Programs in Windows with 1 Click.

How to Lock Programs in Windows

1. Go to AppLocker website and Register for an account to download the tool

2. After you click download, extract the .zip file and install AppLocker

3. Launch AppLocker from your desktop, it will list all Windows Applications : Calculator, Internet Explorer, MS Paint and many others.

4. Just Select the apps you want to lock and click Save 

Note-1: The tool will list only common programs and default windows apps, to add your programs then follow the steps 5 and 6:

5. To add your own programs, click Configure.. , in Caption type a name for the app, in Executable File Name type the .exe file name (e.g: PhotoshopCS5.exe )

6. Click Add then Ok, check your program from the list and click Save

Note-2: When you run the locked program it will show an error similar to the below image:

[source ztuts]

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How To Make Google Chrome Use Less Memory

Most of the people now prefers Google Chrome as the greatest web browser ever released, it's well known with the best performance and simple user interface which makes it easy to use for all kind of people, it takeover more

than 50% of the Web Browsers usage in the world. However some of its users might face a serious problem about Huge Memory Consumption from Chrome, it starts draining your computer's available RAM and prevents you from performing any other tasks like gaming. Like we have seen before Fix Firefox RAM Consumption So here are some few tips that will help you reduce Google Chrome's memory leaks.

1.  OneTab Extension

OneTab is a great extension that helps Chrome reduce memory usage by closing and regrouping all the opened tabs in one click. Whenever you find that you opened many tabs and you don't need any of them for the moment, just click OneTab from the extension bar and it will close all those tabs to regroup them in a single list for later use. OneTab can help you reduce more than 90% of RAM

OneTab for Chrome

2. Kill Memory Eating Tabs / Extensions

Google Chrome came with a built-in task manager that will help you identifying memory eaters (Tabs and Extensions). It lists all opened and running pages with their memory usage. Pages that uses too much of RAM are pages running many scripts (Javascript...), plugins(Flash, Java...), after identifying them you just kill their tasks. Here's how to do it:

Press Shift + Esc (opens Task Manager)

Double Click the Memory tab (reorders tasks by memory)

Select the pages with High Memory and click End Process

3. TGS Extension

TGS or The Great Suspender is a very important Chrome utility that auto kills idle tabs, what that means? Ok, while using Google Chrome all opened tabs are draining memory even when we don't use them, so that's why we use TGS as it helps us auto killing those non-used tabs (idle) after specified time (5minutes to 60 minutes) which will improve your computer's speed by gaining more memory.

After you install The Great Suspender, Right Click the extension > Options and setup your configuration (whitelist, timeout..)

TGS for Chrome

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Sony SmartWatch 2 Unveiled

Sony currently has a SmartWatch device available in the market but that will soon be replaced by a better product, of course, also from Sony.   The tech giant has just announced the successor to the SmartWatch simply called the Sony SmartWatch 2.  It is still the same concept, only better and more feature-packed.  This is more solid offering from Sony and should compete well against other smart watches in the market like Pebble, MetaWatch and i’m Watch.

The SmartWatch 2 is an Android-powered wristwatch that doubles as an extra display for your phone and acts as remote control as well.  The SmartWatch 2 is able to display your device’s notifications including Facebook and Twitter, emails, texts and can also be used to handle calls and snap photos.  The new watch has a bigger 1.6-inch touch display with 220 x 176 resolution.  The SmartWatch 2 is water resistant with IP57 rating just like the Xperia Z.  It has NFC support and also has Bluetooth 3.0.  The battery will last four days according to Sony, which honestly is good enough.  The SmartWatch 2 will only work with Android devices running version 4.0 or higher so if you have a lower version of Android, stop drooling now and update your device first.

Here are the functions of the SmartWatch 2 listed by Sony in its press release.

• Handle your calls by a simple touch of your wrist
• Take a photo remotely from your SmartWatch, using a smart camera app
• Control your presentations remotely using Presentation Pal
• Taking a run or on the bike? Select a mapping app on SmartWatch to check your route with a quick glance at your wrist
• Read previously downloaded e-mails when not connected to your phone
• Use lifestyle apps like Runtastic to map and instantly track your fitness activities on the go
• Quickly and easily adjust the tracks and volume on your music player, without ever taking your phone from your pocket

The design has been improved as the Sony SmartWatch 2 looks better than the previous iteration.  It has an aluminium body and a sleek strap that is said to be removable and can be swapped with a stainless steel wristband for instance.  Sony is said to be planning on releasing more straps in the future.

There are no details on pricing yet but released date is said to be anytime in September.

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Bookmark This: Coffitivity.com

The popularity of the internet has spawned a lot of websites serving practically all kinds of purposes it’s hard to find the good and useful ones.  One of the websites I came across recently that you might find useful is Coffitivity.  This website is perfect for those who frequent coffee shops in order to work or just lounge around.

What Coffitivity offers is simple – an audio background that mimics what you hear in a coffee shop.  For whatever reason, some people actually need this kind of sound.  Some people are so used to the coffee shop setup that they are most productive in such a setting so Coffitivity may come in handy when they are at home or in some other place.  Some just need the semblance of a coffee shop to be able to relax or enjoy their cup of coffee even when they are just at home or in the office.  When you’re using Coffitivity, you hear people talking and you also hear sounds coming from cups and spoons.  When you close your eyes you can easily imagine that you’re actually in a coffee shop.

What you need to do is just point your browser to coffitivity.com and the audio automatically plays.  Yu can adjust the volume depending on the kind of “noise” you are comfortable with.  The site recommends that you play your music just a notch higher than the Coffitivity audio for a perfect setup.   The site is actually working on an iOS and Mac app and when released, they will provide the same experience offline.

I have been using Coffitivity at home for quite some time now.  Sometimes what I only need is the feel of the coffee shop so Coffitivity saves me time, and money of course. 

[source: Technobaboy]

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Starmobile Knight: Specs, Price, AuTuTu Score and Availability in the Philippines

Starmobile Knight Specifications
Dual SIM / Dual Standby / Dual 3G
1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 Processor, Cortex-A7
4.7-inch HD (1280×720) IPS capacitive display
315ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass
PowerVR SGX544MP GPU
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
1GB of RAM
4GB of internal storage
microSD card slot up to 32GB
18MP autofocus camera with BSI and dual LED flash
1080p Full HD video recording and playback
8MP autofocus front-facing camera with BSI
Bluetooth v3.0 with EDR and A2DP
microUSB v2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n / Wi-Fi hotspot
FM Radio / Multimedia Player
GPS with A-GPS support
GSM 900/1800MHz (Dual Band)
HSDPA 42Mbps / HSUPA 11.5Mbps
3G/HSPA+ 850/2100MHz
Li-Ion 2000mAh battery (removable)
Standby time up to 2G: 390hrs / 3G: 285hrs
Talk time up to 2G: 15hrs / 3G: 8hrs
Motion / Light / Proximity Sensor
138 x 66.7 x 7.5mm (dimension)
130g (weight)
Color: Black and White
Price: Php11,290 (Official SRP)
Availability/ Release Date: July 2013

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Huawei Ascend Mate Priced at PhP16,990 in the Philippines

The Huawei Ascend Mate is already up for pre-order in the Philippines and the price tag is quite affordable considering the specs of the device.  The 6.1-inch phablet is priced at P16,990 in the Philippines and that places the Ascend Mate in the league of mid-range phones, price-wise.  In terms of features, however, the Ascend Mate merits a higher price.

The Huawei Ascend Mate is an Android Jelly Bean phablet powered by a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a huge 4050mAh battery.  The device’s 6.1-inch HD IPS+ LCD screen has a resolution of 1280 x 720 that features ‘Magic Touch’ technology that allows screen use even with gloves.  The Ascend Mate is also slim, coming in at only 6.5mm thin at its narrowest part.  For imaging, the Huawei Ascend Mate features an 8-megapixel AF rear-facing camera with HDR and a 1.3-megapixel HD front-facing camera. Storage capacity is placed at 32GB but in case that’s insufficient, you can use the phone’s microSD card to expand storage.

Huawei Ascend Mate Specs

• 6.1-inch 720p HD IPS display
• 1.5GHz quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 32GB internal storage
• microSD slot
• 8 megapixel rear camera
• 1.3 megapixel front camera
• 4050 mAh
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Emotion UI

The Huawei Ascend Mate is available in crystal black and pure white.  If you want to pre-order you can head over to http://huaweidevice.com.ph/support/product-reservation/.

[Source: Technobaboy]

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Facebook glitch exposed phone numbers, e-mail addresses of six million users

Facebook recently disclosed a bug found in their “Download Your Information” tool that accidentally exposed some members’ contact information. As a result, approximately six million users may have had their e-mail addresses or phone numbers exposed to another person according to a post on the social network’s security blog.

The post notes that describing the bug can get pretty technical but basically, here’s what happened. In the event that you elected to download a copy of your data using the above mentioned “Download Your Information” tool, there’s a change that the archive may have included the e-mail address or phone number for contacts or people with whom you have some connection.

The information is said to come from other people on Facebook and thus may not be accurate but either way, it was inadvertently included with the contacts of the person using the DYI tool. Facebook said the bug was patched within 24 hours of being reported.

Speaking of, the bug seemingly slipped past Facebook’s technical team and was reported earlier this month through their White Hat program. If you are unfamiliar, Facebook offers security researchers monetary rewards (minimum of $500) in exchange for information about bugs and security holes.

At present, the social network has no evidence that the bug was exploited in a malicious behavior and they have not received any complaints from users that would suggest any wrongdoing. As such, the impact of the bug is expected to be minimal.

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Watch the first official "Jobs" trailer, a Steve Jobs bio-flick starring Ashton Kutcher

Jobs, an upcoming biographical film aiming to depict the extraordinary life of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, now has its very first official trailer. Originally due in April, it appears the film has been rescheduled for an August 16 debut.

The movie chronicles Jobs' life and the people who surrounded him between 1971 and 2001 -- just several years prior to Apple's founding and just long enough to cover its eventual fall and re-emergence as a technology superpower.

In April last year, we learned Ashton Kutcher would portray Steve Jobs in the upcoming indie flick. We even got an early taste of the film several months ago with an interesting clip where the dynamic duo -- Steve Wozniak (played by Josh Gad) and Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) -- discuss the potential revolution a graphical user interface could inspire. According to the real Woz though, that parking lot discussion never actually happened, but it still makes for good theater.

The posthumous movie bills itself as "inspired by true events", a phrase which always worries me a bit when it comes to factual accuracy. I'm reminded of the made-for-TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley which, although met with mostly favorable critiques, was something less than a true recounting of events.

Even so, at the very least, Jobs looks like it may be a enjoyable flick that hits the big historical points. It'll be interesting to see Joshua Stern's (director) and Matt Whitley's (writer) take on Jobs, Apple and the history of the personal computers.

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Xbox One leading best seller chart at Amazon after Microsofts Uturn

Gaming enthusiasts were outraged by the strict limitations that Microsoft planned to enforce on the Xbox One. Amid a fury of negative feedback, the tech giant did a complete 180 – they announced yesterday that users will no longer have to establish an online connection every 24 hours to play games, and that trading disks with friends will be as hassle free as ever.

Perhaps the Microsoft retreat wasn’t sparked by the backlash of unhappy customers, but rather the fear of having no customers at all. Last week, Amazon ran a poll on their Facebook page which pitted the Xbox One against the PlayStation 4, and not surprisingly, the Sony console won in a landslide.

The poll was eventually taken down by Amazon, but at last glance, the final tally was 38,984 for the PlayStation 4 and 2,162 for the Xbox One. Gamers who visited Amazon’s Best Sellers list could draw a similar conclusion, seeing as the Sony system had solidified its position in first place. 

Following the Microsoft retreat, a huge debate ensued. Some users insisted that Microsoft’s reversal was too little too late, while others hopped right back on the Xbox One bandwagon. As a result, it became extremely difficult to assess whether Microsoft’s attempt at damage control was a success or a failure.

Currently, according to the Amazon Best Sellers list, the Xbox One has now surged into first place. If you look closely, you’ll see that the Microsoft console atop the leaderboards is the “Day One Edition”; a version that had already sold out for PlayStation 4 fanatics. Also worth noting is the fact that Sony's console has four different listings in the top ten -- the standard edition plus three bundles -- while the Xbox One has a single one.

That said, a similar response from game enthusiasts has been seen across Europe. Amazon UK shows that both consoles are pretty much even, with the Xbox One holding a slight 2.3% advantage in sales.

Regardless of who wins this horse race, the excitement surrounding the next-generation consoles is unbelievable, and probably pleases both Sony and Microsoft. After all, any publicity is good publicity.

Ketu Patel, head of video games at Amazon UK, added, “It will be fascinating to see how the battle between the two console giants develops over the coming months – the fight for who’s going to be the must-have Christmas present is only just beginning."

[Source: techspot]

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6 Amazing Benefits of Drinking Tea

Nothing is quite as relaxing as enjoying a nice cup of tea. Well, studies have shown that a hot cup of tea can do more than relax you. Although we have known for centuries that tea is associated with many health benefits, we have only just started to investigate it scientifically. Whether green, black or white, the humble tea provides so many benefits to your body. Tea is full of natural substances that improve your health in so many ways. Let us have a look at some of the key benefits that tea drinking can have on your body.

Heart diseases

Research has shown that black tea can actually protect you from cardiovascular diseases. Tea improves the blood flow in the arteries, thereby reducing the risk of clots. Tea is also rich in anti-oxidants, which help in preventing coronary artery diseases. It contains flavonoids, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin, all of which are associated with reduced risk of fatal heart attacks. Drinking tea also helps to reduce blood pressure and stiffness of arteries, thus improving cardiovascular health.

Immune system

According to a study done by National Academy of Sciences in 2009, the immune cells in tea drinkers respond five times faster than those of coffee drinkers. Green tea is loaded with anti-oxidants that help in enhancing the immune mechanism of the body. This protects the body against wide range of viral, bacterial and other microbial diseases. So, brew up a healthy cuppa today, and stay active and free from diseases.

Cancer

Clinical studies have shown that antioxidants present in tea help to fight free radicals that cause damage to healthy cells. These free radicals are responsible for causing chronic degenerative diseases like cancer. Population studies have linked the consumption of tea with the reduction in risk for several types of cancers. Both green and black teas possess cancer-inhibiting properties.

Weight loss

Tea helps in losing weight…Yes, you heard it right. One of the major hurdles in any weight loss plan is slow metabolism. Regular tea drinking (without adding sugar or milk) can help in boosting your body metabolism, thereby promoting the process of thermogenesis (fat burning). According to a study, drinking 5 to 7 cups of tea in a day can help you burn 70 to 80 calories. You just need to make sure that you add little or no sugar and milk.

Tooth decay

Believe it or not, regular tea drinking helps in strengthening your teeth and lowering the risk of tooth decay. Tea contains fluoride, which is an essential mineral required for healthy teeth. Moreover, tea also contains anti-oxidants that fight against bacteria and gum diseases. So, make sugar free tea a part of your daily routine for happy and pearly teeth.

Rehydrate

Forget Gatorade. It is loaded with sugar and artificial flavors. Ditch your bottle of Gatorade and try iced tea. Although tea contains caffeine, but it is not high enough to cause dehydration. Tea contains less amount of caffeine than coffee. It provides a rich flavorsome source of water.

[Source: fitnea]

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5 IT Reasons To Develop A Disaster Recovery Plan

Our continued reliance on IT systems has made having a disaster recovery plan more important than ever, and yet many businesses haven’t implemented any kind of formalized plan. It seems to be one of those things that management is only interested in when there is an immediate need (i.e. why worry about it unless the office is burning down or flooding at that moment?). For a disaster recovery plan to be effective, though, it must be in place and well-practised long before something actually goes wrong.

In order to maintain business continuity, there must be a plan to protect or correct any issues that may cause problems with the IT or data storage systems. Think about it this way: If there was a fire at your business tonight, are you prepared to deal with the consequences? If a malicious hacker were to get into your system, would you be able to bounce back after losing all your important information?

These are real concerns that businesses need to consider. They may or may not happen, but companies that gamble on the chance that it won’t happen are the ones that never recover from a disaster. History has shown us that if companies suffer a major loss of business data, only a small percentage of them ever bounce back. With that in mind, here are five more reasons to develop a disaster recovery plan early.

1.  
2. 1 Disasters can happen anytime – Whether it is a natural disaster like an earthquake or a flood, or a disaster caused by human error or intention (spilled drinks or hacking attempts), there is no way to tell when you will experience a major disaster. No one wants to think that their business could be physically destroyed by a tornado tomorrow, but that won’t stop it from happening.
3. 
   
4. 2. Save money – When any kind of natural disaster strikes, the costs can very quickly get out of hand. Whether you are rebuilding your business or the internal network, if you weren’t prepared for this contingency it is going to hit the budget really hard. This is one of the major reasons why businesses that suffer major data losses or other IT problems have such a hard time making a full recovery.
5. 
   
6. 3. Mitigate losses – There’s more at stake than your network. If you have a disaster recovery plan you will be in a position to deal with a number of related problems. The loss of important data can cripple your business continuity, but it can also cause people to lose confidence in your company. Prepare your plan early and you can protect the things that are important.
7. 
   
8. 4. Reduce confusion – A major disaster in any company can cause serious chaos and confusion as everyone scrambles around to try and correct the problem. If you have a formalized plan (and you have studied, reviewed, and practiced this plan), you will be in a better position to overcome the disaster and get back to work.
9. 
   
10. 5. Government mandated – Some industries are actually required by the government to have a formalized disaster recovery plan and to back up their important and sensitive materials off site. Not everyone has to deal with these regulations, but it does show how important these precautions are if you deal with sensitive information.

Developing a disaster recovery plan does not have to be difficult, and the reason most companies are caught unprepared is not because they couldn’t do it, but because they never got around to it. We never know when the next disaster is going to strike, but there are many good reasons to be prepared.

[Source: Techsling.com]

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