Category Archives: AVG

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Internet of Things is web’s next money spinner say small businesses

We all suspected it and now we know it to be true.  Most small businesses (57 percent) are expecting the Internet of Things (IoT) – IP-connected devices, machines with sensors and cloud-based services – to make a significant impact on their bottom line.  Yet almost three quarters (71 percent) admit they are not ready from an IT security and data protection point of view.

These are just two of the key findings in AVG’s latest independent research which polled 1,770 small businesses and MSPs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia on a number of issues related to monetizing IoT. Over half (55 percent) of MSPs taking part in the study confirmed that customers are demanding IoT-related services and 77 percent are planning to expand their service or product portfolio to meet it. Little surprise then that only 18 percent of the small businesses we spoke to thought their IT provider was ahead of the curve when it came to their capacity to manage IoT.

So just what is IoT’s potential as a money spinner?  Well, more and more devices with built-in sensors are being connected to the Internet.  By remotely monitoring the data on these devices a business can achieve much greater all-round efficiency through raised productivity, lower costs and reduced wastage.  And as cloud services become the default way to make sense of this data you no longer need heavy up-front investment so IoT starts to become affordable for small businesses.

Our research highlighted four industries in particular – IT/telecoms, pharmaceuticals, utilities and manufacturing – that are set to make money from IoT. The IT/telecoms industry, as might be expected, is especially upbeat on IoT. Among the IT decision makers surveyed 84 percent indicate that their organization would shift its product/service offering to make the most out of the rise of IoT.  The proportion of pharmaceuticals companies looking to expand product offerings using IoT was even greater (91 percent).   Three quarters (75 percent) of utilities companies and 73 percent of manufacturers are also expecting to benefit.

Overall our study found the vibe from small businesses around IoT to be extremely positive.  If there was one note of caution it was the recognition that they need to do more about the security side of things.  They are right to be cautious. Many connected devices use the Linux operating system which has its own set of vulnerabilities as highlighted by the recent Shellshock event.  The lesson for companies is that they need to approach IoT just like the rest of their IT – by keeping them regularly updated and using identity management and user authentication.

Video

IoT Business Opportunities

A summary of the other key findings in the study were:

  • Almost half (46 percent) of SMBs think that the Internet of Things will be the IT trend that has the greatest impact on their organization over the next five years.
  • Around three fifths (62 percent) of SMB respondents report that their organization has budget specifically assigned over the next 12 months for the development of Internet of Things solutions. 49 percent have a moderate or substantial budget assigned for these solutions.
  • Only 18 percent of SMB respondents say that their IT provider is completely ahead of the curve with regard to the Internet of Things and the potential for their business. Of those with an IT provider, 68 percent feel that their provider could improve their service with regard to Internet of Things offerings and understanding.
  • The majority (84 percent) of SMB respondents say that their organization has purchased mobile devices within the last year, spending an average of over $6,500 on these devices. Of those who have purchased mobile devices within the last 12 months, SMB respondents estimate that their organization spends an average of around $4,500 in hidden costs annually.

In conclusion, the days when work was confined to an office with four walls and a locked door are gone for good.  Thanks to mobile technology and popular cloud-based applications today’s start-ups are already living in a world where doing business without walls is perfectly normal.  IoT is a further example of how small businesses are becoming more and more connected.  The flexibility and simplicity is great. But is it secure? AVG is ready to help businesses embrace IoT safely. A couple of weeks ago we announced that we will shortly expand AVG CloudCare’s capabilities to include breakthrough integration of Multi Factor Authentication, Secure Sign-On (SSO), Mobile Device Management and Mobile Application Management all managed through Active Directory to ease complexity and simplify management.

AVG

Get rid of clutter from your Android devices now!

We all have way too much unnecessary clutter on our phones and tablets – things that eat away our storage, waste mobile data and drain battery life. Some of this is caused by the apps we use on a daily basis, like games or social media– but much is also caused by apps we no longer use or that are running constantly in the background.

Our new AVG Cleaner for Android 2.2 makes it quick and easy to identify (and remove) such unwanted apps but also helps you clean the clutter from your phone, such as cache, history, and call logs.

Video

Introducing AVG Cleaner for Android

So what’s New in Version 2.2?

  • Large file finder: Our all-new version 2.2 app scans your Android tablet and phone for massive files, such as downloads, app packages, videos, music files or other data that you may have downloaded or copied over to your device – and perhaps forgotten about.

  • Caller History Cleaner: AVG Cleaner for Android helps you clean up all calls or even one specific entry in your call history.
  • Check up on your Android from your PC: You can remotely check up on your Android smartphone or tablet from your PC. In this example, I added a Galaxy S5 to my AVG Zen network and monitored it right from my PC.

 

Now the really cool thing is that you can’t just check up on your AVG Zen network from your PC – but also direct from your Android. That’s right, you can even check up the Performance and the Security status of all your AVG Zen connected devices, such as PCs or Laptops running Windows and Mac computers right from your phone. To do that, fire up your Google Play store and download AVG Zen Admin console:

Once you’ve signed into your AVG Zen account, you can even check up on your devices from wherever you are!

 

AVG

AVG Technologies and Google Renew Internet Search and Advertising Agreement

AMSTERDAM and SAN FRANCISCO – November 13, 2014 – AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for 188 million active users, today announced it has signed a renewal of its Internet search and advertising services agreement with Google, Inc. This will help enable continued peace of mind among AVG customers with a unique and safer internet experience that’s powered by Google.

“We are excited to continue our relationship with Google,” said Andrew Reid, SVP at AVG Technologies.  “With this agreement we will continue to offer AVG Secure Search powered by Google.”

The agreement has a 16-month term.  AVG’s secure search is part of its range of award-winning consumer product offerings.  All of our products are designed to provide Internet users with a more secure online experience, no matter the type of device one uses.

 

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About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)

AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people.  AVG has over 188 million active users, as of September 30, 2014, using AVG’s products and services including Internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection. By choosing AVG’s products, users become part of a trusted global community that engages directly with AVG to provide feedback and offer mutual support to other customers.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

www.avg.com

 

Contacts:

US

Betty Taylor

On behalf of AVG Technologies

[email protected]

+ 1 (408) 981-7551

 

UK

Samantha Woodman

Waggener Edstrom for AVG

[email protected]

+ 44 (0)20 7632 3840

AVG

Creating the Next 2 Billion Smart Users

The smartphone will be the on-ramp to the Internet, if not the only ramp, for the next wave of new users – largely because it’s the easiest way for them to get there and broadband isn’t available. For one, the mobile Internet can reach places that wired connections can’t (and likely never will). Moreover, the price is right. The cost of owning a smartphone is decreasing as manufacturers and carriers alike compete for new users. Soon millions of people will hop online for the first time, all thanks to the smartphone.

It’s terrifically exciting, and it’s also a terrific challenge.

 

New Skills for a New World

Think of it this way, more than half of the human population is ready to dive into the digital world with little to no instruction. It’s like getting behind the wheel of a car for the very first time and heading right onto the highway. Just like driving, getting around safely in this new world demands a new set of skills. Every one of those new users will need guidance on any number of things, like how to prevent identity theft, how to protect their personal privacy, and even how to build a business online. The list goes on.

But who’ll be there to teach them those skills? After all, nothing like that is covered in an owner’s manual. Whose responsibility is it anyway? I believe it’s everyone’s responsibility and I’m far from the only one who feels this way.  It’s about changing social norms and learning how to care for yourself and the welfare of others on the Internet.  We’re familiar with the stories of teen sexting, over disclosure, identity theft, cyberbullying – much of which could be curtailed if we, as users, understand the consequence and knew how to avoid them.

Our core assumption is that the content exists but it’s not presented to the users at the right time in an engaging fashion at a point when choices are made.

 

The Smart User Mission

This September, I was privileged to attend the annual Clinton Global Initiative, where industry and world leaders gather to create innovative solutions that take on the world’s most pressing challenges. One of the topics AVG rallied around was “Digital Citizenship,” a growing movement based on the belief that everyone on the Internet is responsible for making it a better place. As a result, I’m pleased to announce AVG’s Smart User mission, which is our Commitment to Action as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative.

The objective of the Smart User mission is to create the next two billion smart users on the mobile Internet. Along with carriers, device manufacturers, developers, content providers, and organizations across the globe, our aim is to provide two billion mobile Internet users with the tools and information they need to be safer, happier, and more productive online.

The mission’s approach is to engage these mobile users right from the start – the very moment they start using their phones. It begins with the “Smart User” app, which will launch when users first set up their phones. Right away it will provide fun and engaging content to help users make educated choices about their security and privacy. From there the Smart User mission will provide users with continuous guidance as they spend more and more time online. We’ll be partnering with mobile carriers, device manufacturers to get the Smart User app into people’s hands, and a wealth of partners like design agencies and celebrities will help contribute content along the way.

We’re very lucky to have Common Sense Media already signed up as a partner. Their history of advocating for children, families, and schools is a natural fit. The content and guidance they’ll provide will be invaluable, and this partnership will help us accomplish the Smart User mission.

My hope is that you share the growing point of view that we’re all responsible for a better Internet, and that everyone can take an active role in making it happen—from technology providers and manufacturers to content creators and consumers. If you’re interested in joining us on this mission, please get in touch. There are plenty of avenues to partner up, get involved, and build the next wave of two billion Smart Users.Email [email protected].

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Kinney, Clinton Global Initiative

You can find more information on the Clinton Global Initiative at http://www.clintonfoundation.org/

AVG

Introducing a cleaner for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch! 

Yes, this is not a typo for the first time, AVG PC TuneUp will also include an all-new AVG iOS Cleaner feature to help users get rid of the hidden leftover files, which can amount to thousands, from both iOS itself as well as apps used on a daily basis.

In this and the next blog post I’d like to talk about what’s new for our PC utility AVG PC TuneUp. Let’s jump right in?

AVG Cleaner for iOS – Wait, an iOS Cleaner for PCs?

That’s right. We know that a lot of users out there are struggling with disk space on their iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch). They’re getting messages like this when snagging a photo or downloading apps:

Also, iTunes seems to explicably show that there’s a lot of stuff in the “Other” or “Documents & Data” category. Well, if you’re running out of disk space, hidden clutter may be the culprit. That’s why we came up with AVG Cleaner for iOS. Since it’s technically not possible to have an app delete hidden temporary files and other unneeded files (more on that below), we’re doing that right from our PC and it’s the reason it’s part of AVG PC TuneUp.

 

How exactly does it work? (Step by Step)

Open up AVG PC TuneUp and select “Dashboard”. Then, go to the “Clean up” category.

Connect your Apple device to your PC and click on ‘Clean Up iPhone, iPad or iPod touch’.

 

Hit the ‘Clean Now’ button. Have a look at the results.

 

How much did we clean up?

I was as surprised as you will be when I first laid my hands on an early version of our AVG Cleaner FOR iOS months ago: It found a LOT of unexpected files on my iDevices. I guess the biggest surprise was my iPad:

7.5 GB on my iPad. Another 500 MB on my iPhone 5S and more than 700 MB on my iPod touch. So how’s that even possible?

I found that rather incredible, and even more so after my iPad showed another 1 GB just a few weeks later:

Digging deeper, I found that many of the daily apps I use create a lot of temporary files without deleting them. For example, after 2-3 days of Spotify streaming, its offline cache grew up to 655 MB on my iPad. But what is all this stuff? Let’s find out:

 

What AVG Cleaner for iOS cleans up

Download Cache & Temporary Files

Most apps create a “Cache” and “Temporary Files” folder to store data that’s needed while they are running. Unfortunately, many apps tend to forget to clean out these hidden downloads, which may result in your iOS device running out of space soon.

AVG Cleaner™ for iOS cleans out these hidden cache folders. Even according to Apple’s official guidelines, the cache folder is safe to delete as it includes data that can easily be renewed or downloaded again by the app – so we’re not doing anything harmful to your device. In fact, it may help even solve some problems when one of these cache files gets corrupted or damaged by a bug in the app.

 

Thumbnail Cache

Every time you browse a photo related app, it creates thumbnail files to display the little previews (see image above), but may forget to delete them even if they’re no longer necessary.

AVG Cleaner™ for iOS cleans out all thumbnail files from 3rd party apps. It gets rid of all thumbnail files that are no longer being used and will only recreate the ones you need. Don’t worry, your stored photos will not be touched.

 

System Logs & Crash Reports

Every time an app crashes or an error occurs on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, a crash report and logs will be created. If you want to, these can be sent to Apple or the maker of the app. However, these reports take up valuable storage and may even contain personal information.

AVG Cleanerâ„¢ for iOS helps users delete system logs and crash reports, free up more disc space and the protect your privacy by removing personal information within these cookies.

Ok that’s it for now: Have you tried it out? Let us know how much you were able to clean up!

AVG

Is your data secure in the cloud?

It’s a very broad topic so I chose to focus my answers on three particular things.

 

When you put your data in the cloud, someone else holds it?

There’s a security gap between the private and public cloud. You might have invested heavily in your own private cloud or on premise systems, but data on the public cloud are not secured by you. Who controls this data? Who is responsible for it and who is accountable should something go wrong? This needs to be addressed as a priority. Consider that CTOs and CIOs must as part of SOX compliance procedures sign off on their company data being secured and under control. Yet if that data is held in the cloud and you cannot audit the security measures there, then the reality is that it is being managed by someone else – the cloud service provider.

So what we need to focus on is understanding how we can help businesses get back control of securing their data.

 

Cloud and mobile has changed the assumptions businesses had that they can control all the devices being used within their organizations to access their data.

With cloud services, businesses have limited authority to define what security is being used by their provider to protect their data. Company executives might not like this situation, but they will still have had to confirm that their data is secure and compliant with regulations. This is a no-win scenario for businesses.

That fact that critical data is stored on cloud services means that the business is now effectively in someone else’s hands. There is the additional challenge of how the IT department can control a situation where an employee has their own device and wants to use it to connect to this cloud-based data using tools like Salesforce, for example.

If the malware is running on that device, the IT manager is not in control of identifying and fixing that. They are in the position of having to guarantee to the business that company data is secured when in fact that might not be the case.

Hackers realized this pretty quickly. They started to target individuals within organizations when they were off the network and interacting with the cloud via a device in order to retrieve data they needed.

I expect that this risk will soon become untenable. And in the near future, that we will start to see companies pushing back on signing documents that their data stored in the cloud is secure because in reality, that data is no longer part of their business, no longer within their control.

In small to medium sized businesses, there is less likelihood they will even have any sort of systems in place to manage this and so they ultimately have less control and less confidence that their private, business data is safe in the cloud.

 

The Internet of Things means businesses need long-term perspective for their cloud strategy.

This brings me to this last point. If we fast forward two or even five years, and look at the impact of the Internet of Things, it’s clear we need to start thinking already about how to connect and manage these new devices and sensors for business. More importantly, we need to harness the data that is coming out of them. We’ll want them to be under control and we will all start to use services.

We also have privacy to consider. This is one of the rising stars in security. It’s a big challenge and even law enforcement agencies are becoming more active in this area.

As the panel drew to a close, I emphasized that things will start to change. Cloud service providers should start to work with their client teams on premise to give back to that business a degree of control. This will be the first step towards giving CIOs and CTOs that confidence to sign compliance documents because they will be able to verify that company data is indeed secure.

AVG

Apps For Our Veterans

As we celebrate Veteran’s Day in the U.S. this November 11th, I’d like to honor our uniformed men and women, both those who have served and those who continue to do so. I am very proud of my own military service and most veterans will tell you the same. If you are like many of us, and have friends or family members who have served, here are a five great apps/services to check out.

 

For Re-entry into Civilian Life

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Hiring Our Heroes app, in partnership with Verizon, is a mobile one-stop shop developed to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses searching for employment. The app gathers all of the program’s resources in one tool – enabling military members and their families to search for jobs and access free employment resources on virtually all mobile devices.

Militarylounge.com has an app called College Guide that provides a comprehensive list of universities that accept the G.I. Bill, a calculator of benefits, as well as a handbook of benefits that are available to vets and soldiers.  A major benefit to the military is the G.I. Bill, which, in its post-9/11 form, provides full tuition and fees for public, in-state schools, plus a monthly allowance for housing and an annual stipend for textbooks. Over 6,000 institutions participate in the Post 9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program.

 

For Health

Many veterans understandably have trouble navigating the complicated world of the Veterans Administration. Claims Coach, developed by The American Legion, is designed to help the process. It provides step-by-step guidance to help service officers through the process of filing for VA benefits. The free app features a nationwide directory of accredited American Legion service officers, a built-in organizer for appointments, documents and deadlines, and a wealth of other resources. Additionally, a personal secure file called “My Checklist” keeps everything in order, from the initial meeting with a service officer through VA’s decision and appeal, if necessary.

Unfortunately, but understandably, many of our troops come back from service traumatized from events. PTSD Coach was designed for veterans and military service members who have or may have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This app was created by the VA’s National Center for PTSD in partnership with the Department of Defense’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology. It provides users with education about PTSD, opportunities to find support and tools to help manage the stresses of everyday life with PTSD.  You can download it here.   It’s been downloaded more than 100,000 times in 74 countries. Features include:

  • Information on PTSD and treatments that work
  • Tools for screening and tracking symptoms
  • Direct links to support and help
  • And, as a mobile app, it’s always just a click or phone call away.

As the VA points out: Any data created by the user of this app are only as secure as the phone/device itself. Use the security features on your device if you are concerned about the privacy of your information.

 

For Families

Scout Military Discounts LLC has just launched SCOUT, a military savings mobile application for both iOS and Android devices. The new, free mobile app is designed to provide all U.S. veterans, military members and their families a way to easily access military discounts and freebies from anywhere, at any time from their mobile phone or other mobile devices.

The SCOUT app is available for download at Apple or Google Play. Use the search term SCOUT Military to find the app for download. And if you want to volunteer or get involved, go to scoutmilitarydiscounts.com. The SCOUT app is available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play. This looks like a great app to use during the holiday season!

 

For Those Still Serving

So much support for our troops come from veterans friends and families. You can’t beat Skype for keeping in touch with troops at home or abroad.  Rules and regulations are different depending upon where a soldier is stationed, but veterans can communicate face to face with their overseas colleagues for practically nothing, and perhaps more importantly, spouses can keep in touch with loved ones that might be far away.

This Veteran’s Day, I want to wish all those who have served, and those who still do serve, the gifts of safety, health, and happiness. Thank you for your service.

AVG

AVG Awards Gala celebrates exceptional partners of 2014

Our hugely successful Cloud Summit in Phoenix for partners and managed services providers (MSPs) came to a fitting conclusion with a dinner to celebrate the winners of the AVG 2014 Awards Gala.  AVG’s first ever event of this kind celebrated top performing partners from all over the world that were judged to have shown outstanding commitment, entrepreneurship and technical proficiency in protecting and managing their customers’ critical business systems during 2014.  It was a great thrill to be able to honor so many partners for their exceptional contribution to our success this year and I am proud to hold up their accomplishments as standards of excellence for every partner to follow.

We had over 150 nominations from around the world contesting awards in eight categories. Each nomination was judged by our panel of AVG CloudCare™ and Managed Workplace® experts.  I saw dozens of examples of the highest caliber from familiar, long-standing names to new cloud-oriented start-ups working on some highly innovative and exciting projects across the globe.

Winners were selected on the basis of such criteria as their outstanding levels of professionalism to customers, their market influence and their exemplary use of the AVG cloud-based security and remote monitoring & management (RMM) business solutions portfolio.

The complete list of categories and winners is as follows:

 

Largest Deployment of Managed Workplace

Awarded to the partner with the largest deployment of our managed workplace solution

Winner: Corporate Technologies

Recipient: David Pekarna: Senior Networking Engineer

 

Largest Growth with Managed Workplace, NOC & HD

Awarded to the partner who has had the largest growth with our managed workplace solution, NOC & HD offerings

Winner: Net@work

Recipient: Mohit Govani: IT Director

 

Most Complete MSP offerings

Awarded jointly to two companies adjudged to have leveraged all the tool sets within AVG’s product offerings

Joint Winner: Tekmate

Recipient: Jason Reopelle

 

Joint Winner: Alura Business Solutions

Recipient: Jason Derstine, President & CEO

 

Most Innovative Partner

Awarded to the partner that has shown the most growth and advancement through innovative business strategies

Winner: Advanced Technology Solutions

Recipient: Bob Ascherl, Product Development Manager

 

Community Partner of the Year

Awarded to individual MSP partners who have engaged, enriched, and helped to grow the AVG MW community

Winner: STF Consulting

Recipient: Sean Furman, President & CEO

Rookie of the Year

Awarded to a partner in their first year with AVG Managed Workplace who has shown the highest growth by aggressively deploying the solution and successfully launching their Managed Services offerings

Winner: 365 Managed IT

Recipient: Ken Stewart, Founding Partner

 

 

MSP of the Year

Awarded to the partner who has demonstrated outstanding growth, industry leadership, and customer service excellence with their Managed Services practice

Winner: TDARX

Recipient: Mike Shuping, President

 

To conclude, I should like to personally thank everyone that participated in our inaugural Partner of the Year Awards and many congratulations to the winners.

Already the bar has been set very high and I’m truly excited at what we can achieve together for our customers in the year ahead.

AVG

Why I’m supporting AVG’s sponsorship of The Pitch

My name is Lee Chappell and I am managing director of Total Computers, a business that I started up in 1995 when I left school aged just 16. In those days the IT services industry was still in its infancy so I guess you could say that by today’s standards I was something of an entrepreneur myself.

Not long after I started my IT services company there was a boom in PCs and we found ourselves providing support services to many smaller businesses where the PC was their first ever IT purchase.  Over the years our knowledge and expertise has tracked developments in the industry from resolving customers’ PC and server issues in the ‘90s and early 2000s to managing their Cloud-based software applications as we do today.

One of the reasons I decided to get involved with AVG in its support of The Pitch is that I remember how tough it is when starting out.  I’ve seen plenty of start-ups in my time some have succeeded but more often than not they fail.  I feel strongly about giving something back to the business community, to help someone else succeed in life.  I know I and many others would have loved the kind of support and mentoring opportunities – through government schemes and small business competitions like The Pitch – that are available to start-ups today. The more help you can get, the more you can focus your energies on something more productive.

As part of its commitment to support AVG’s lead sponsorship of The Pitch 2014, Total Computers has agreed to install and maintain AVG’s prize to the competition winner of a suite of AVG CloudCare Cloud security services including AVG CloudCare AntiVirus, Content Filtering, Email Security and Online Backup.  We have also agreed to be point of contact for any issues and provide 5 free remote fixes per month over a two year period.

When we begin working with a new start-up we understand that their IT needs to be running at all times. They simply don’t have the resources or finance of a large business so it just needs to work reliably at all times. Most of our customers are other local businesses. A lot of our new business comes from companies whose existing IT supplier is more than three hours away and has been unable to provide them with timely support.  We think the local touch is important and try to get out to the customer regularly. Not to fix their systems, but to review with them what we have been doing on their behalf.  This gives them confidence that we are looking after them and have everything covered.

Since working with AVG CloudCare we have found it has allowed us to take our support to a whole new level. Only last week, we had a customer whose PC got a virus. AVG CloudCare automatically sent us an email to inform us of the situation. We rang the customer and sorted the problem out. The customer loved the fact that we had contacted them before they even knew of the problem.

Finally, we obviously hope our relationship with the winner of The Pitch will be a long lasting one and they will want us to continue as their primary IT solution provider long after the initial two year period has ended.