1. 10 Things to Teach End-Users
Brought to
you by
Progressive
Integrations,
Inc.,

2. History
• Who is Progressive Integrations,
Inc.,?
• What is the reason for this seminar?
• Where can I get more information?
• When can I get help after this
seminar?
• How are your going to help?

3. Intro
• To be effective in our everyday computing
and contribute value to business, users
need at least a minimal grasp of
information technology.
• Exactly what you need to know varies from
environment to environment. What I am
about to share with you is what is called
computing best practices, including how to
effectively report problems and how to
safeguard your data.

4. #1 Rebooting before calling for help
• Simple things like checking cable connections, cords,
and power can quickly get you back up and running.
• Although telling users to reboot when they experience a
problem may seem like a cop out or a delaying tactic, it
is an uncomfortable fact that rebooting apparently fixes
a multitude of both real and perceived pc/mac errors.
• Even if a reboot does not solve the problem, the mere
fact that the problem recurs after a reboot can give a
support tech significant diagnostic information.
• Rebooting is not a panacea for all computer aliments,
and it is even not helpful in some cases.

5. #2 Reporting a computer problem
• In addition to knowing the correct
procedure for reporting computer problems
– e.g. emailing the help desk– users need
to know what will help expedite the
resolution process.
• Users can easily be trained to effectively
report problems if they are provided with a
form that gathers appropriate information,
such as any error messages, open
applications, what they were doing when
the problem occurred, and whether the
problem can be reproduced.

6. Example of Support Ticket

7. #3 Keeping passwords safe
• There is little point in having a
password if it is written down in an
unsecured location or shared among
users, family members and friends.
I have seen passwords written on
post-it notes attached to monitors,
pinned to notice boards, under the
keyboard, and even displayed as the
text of the marquee screen saver.

8. #4 Constructing Safe Passwords
• A strong password is a password that meets the following
guidelines:
– Be seven or fourteen characters long, due to the way in which encryption
works. For obvious reasons, fourteen characters are preferable.
– Contain both uppercase and lowercase letters.
– Contain numbers.
– Contain symbols, such as ` ! " ? $ ? % ^ & * ( ) _ - + = { [ } ] : ; @ ' ~ # | < , >
. ? /
– Contain a symbol in the second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth position (due to the
way in which encryption works).
– Not resemble any of your previous passwords.
– Not be your name, your friend's or family member's name, or your login.
– Not be a dictionary word or common name.
• Good software for password generation, archiving, and automatic
fill, are: roboform, lastpass, keepass
• See http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/create.aspx
for more online information.

9. Password humor…

10. #5 Practice safe computing while traveling
• Remote access tokens should not be
carried in the same case as the computer.
• Access codes, names, and passwords
should not be written down and included in
the same case.
• Sensitive data should be encrypted and/or
stored on removable data storage devices,
carried separately from the computer.
• Never leave devices unattended, use open
networks without security software and
protection.

11. #6 Preventing loss of data
• Users need to know that backups do not
happen by magic, and if they delete a file
before it has been backed up, it may not be
recoverable.
• Users must know what is backed up and
when and not simply assume that every file
they create or modify, regardless of location
will be backed up.
• What is the difference between a local
backups, external backups, online backups,
images, and time machines/capsules?
• Differential? Full? Incremental?

12. #7 Usage policies
• Home users need usage policies too.
• Difference between roles (admin,
standard, guest).
• Regardless of strength or content of
the policy, generally speaking, such
policies are put in place to protect the
consumer, company and entities from
lawsuits and most importantly to
protect the integrity of the IT
infrastructure. (i.e., EULA, web filters).

13. #8 Exercise care in sending e-mails
• Think before pressing “reply to all”
• Double check addresses before
clicking send.
• What does CC and BCC mean? When
do you use them?
• If you would not put a ‘stamp’ on it then
maybe you shouldn’t send it?
• Typing in ALL CAPS is yelling to your
recipient and will probably be deleted.
• http://www.netmanners.com/

14. #9 Protecting against viruses, phising,
malware, and other nasties
• Don’t open e-mails from unknown
sources.
• Just because it looks real doesn’t
mean it is.
• Invest in a good security suite.
• Free is not always better.
• Be careful where you enter your
personal information on websites.

15. Phishing example

16. More Phishing examples

17. #10 Superstitions that will frustrate you and your tech
• Refusing to reboot – if it ain’t broke
don’t fix it mentality.
• Excessive fear of upgrades –
exercising caution with upgrades is a
good idea, however, one bad
experience should not be the gauge of
all upgrades. Upgrades bring features,
security, stability, and reliability.
• Kneejerk repetition of commands – if it
did not respond the last 6 times it
probably will not this time.

18. #10 cont.
• Insisting on particular hardware or software
when other equally good hardware or
software is available. Uncle Ferd does not
always know best
• “I broke it” – software does not break,
hardware does. Most issues are software
issues, and assuming ‘you broke it’ only
feeds the fear to try again.
• Magical thinking – the temptation to forget
that the computer is a tool to work with
instead of the incomprehensible entity that
must be negotiated with.

19. #10 cont
• Attributing personality to the
machine – it is not out to get you, it
does not have a mind of its own, and
just because it failed one time does
not mean it is going to do it again.
• It’s the tech’s fault, he/she was the
last one to touch it. Ever since
_____ did, it has not worked right…

20. Q&A
• Please fill out evaluation – your
feedback will bring the next course
and help serve you better.
• Thank you from Progressive
Integrations, Inc., bringing
tomorrows technology to the home
today.