Exclusive HostGator coupon from NextAdvisor
February 14th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
We're happy to announce that web hosting provider HostGator is offering an exclusive coupon code for NextAdvisor visitors. It's good for a 25% savings on your order. Just enter the promo code NEXTDISCOUNT on the domain selection page where you see the old 20% promo code SPRING.
This is a great deal on one of the best web hosts out there. Click here to go directly to the site, or check out our HostGator review here.
VoIP: Frequently Asked Questions
February 14th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
What are the advantages of business VoIP?
Business VoIP is cheaper and more convenient than traditional phone service. You'll generally pay one low monthly price for unlimited calling. You'll also have the freedom to add and change lines, employ advanced features like call hunting and voicemail transcriptions. Best of all, you don't have to rent or buy an in-house PBX system.
Why shouldn't I just go through a traditional phone company?
VoIP is much cheaper. Because calls are routed through the Internet, VoIP companies are able to save you money. The phone company has long enjoyed a comfortable monopoly, because it owned or leased the lines. For example, we were able to save over $200 per month on an office of 10 lines.
What special features are available?
Business VoIP offers business-class features such as an auto-attendant, web-interface voice mail, call follow, Internet faxing, conferencing, and more.
Are there additional costs associated with business VoIP?
While VoIP is cheaper than traditional telecom service, there may sometimes be a setup fee, though it's often waived. Also, if you don't have VoIP-enabled phones already, there will be additional charges for phones. However most customers find they can recoup these costs within the first year alone.
How much can I expect to pay?
There are many variables, such as number of phones, type of calling, and any special add-ons you may want. Depending on the service, you can pay as little as $20.00 per month, plus fees and taxes. We recommend that you request a quote from the different companies we've reviewed, to see which one can give you the best deal.
What is the call quality like?
Call quality is comparable to regular phone service, and far better than the cellular phone quality most of us are used to. Most people will not notice any difference at all between VoIP and their regular phone service.
What about faxing?
Most VoIP companies will allow you to use a fax through a separate fax number, which requires a charge for an additional line. But there is an option: most VoIP companies include Internet-based faxing, many even offer it for free. Internet faxing technology allows you to use email or a web-based interface to send and receive faxes, saving you money on ink, toner, and fax paper, as well as freeing up space in your office.
I travel a lot, including overseas. Will TrustedID block my accounts while I'm out of the country?
February 10th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: I travel a lot, including overseas. Will TrustedID block my accounts while I'm out of the country? Do I need to alert them in advance?
A: Frequent travel is a great reason to protect your identity. TrustedID does not actually "block" your accounts, but it does proactively protect your accounts by scanning the Internet black market and public records for any suspicious use of them. There is no need to let TrustedID know when you travel, because they constantly protect you regardless of your physical location.
When you sign up for TrustedID, they immediately start monitoring the Social Security number you entered during sign up. To protect your credit card and bank account numbers, you need to enter the information into your secure online TrustedID account. Once your account is updated, TrustedID will begin actively patrolling for the unusual or suspicious use of the accounts.
In addition, Trusted ID monitors your credit reports at all 3 credit bureaus and alerts you of changes or updates via email or text. Three-bureau credit monitoring is a powerful tool against identity theft because it informs you of any suspicious activity on your credit files, one of the first places identity theft will show up.
With TrustedID you'll also get access to all 3 of your credit scores, medical record protection, lost wallet protection, anti-spyware software and a whole list of other identity theft protection features. Plus, TrustedID offers a 14-day free trial, so you can try it out free of charge. Overall, it's a great deal and we highly recommend it.
Business VoIP: Your Phone in the Cloud
February 10th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
The Cloud Advantage:
How does VoIP work? A customer calls your number, just as they would if you had a traditional land line. The call is routed via your VoIP company to the phones of your choosing. Your VoIP provider does all the routing, sending your calls to you via your Internet connections.
It's not just a cheaper way to communicate; it's better. You can think of your business VoIP service a bit like a webmail provider: a communication tool accessible from anywhere you have Internet access. This is something often referred to as service in the cloud. An Internet-based phone service is no longer in the office, it's wherever you are. Because your telecommunications are not limited to a certain location, you can take advantage of these could-based voice technologies wherever you go.
Taking the pain out of voicemail:
Ask anyone who's used a traditional office phone setup and they'll tell you that voicemail is the bane of their office existence. Checking a message is an archaic, multi-step process that involves listening to counter-intuitive instructions ("press one to listen, press two to record…" with the one command you probably really want at the very end). Office workers frequently leave messages unlistened-to and undeleted because, well, it's just too much trouble. Phones were meant for calling, not managing messages.
VoIP saves you the voicemail headaches by offering multiple, user-friendly ways to retrieve and delete your messages. Voice messages can arrive in your email box or be accessed via the web; some VoIP providers even have smart phone apps that allow you to check your voicemail with a simple, intuitive menu system. Also, many VoIP companies offer voice-to-text transcriptions, making every message read just like email. So you spend much less time on the phone, and more time handling your business.
Miss the old way? You can do that too, from your office phone, or any phone around the world.
Receive and make calls, anywhere you go:
Call forwarding allows you to set your office extension to forward calls to any number: home, mobile, hotel, or a remote office. And because your call control is handled online, you can change these settings by simply visiting the website of your business VoIP service provider and logging into your account.
Many business VoIP providers also give you the flexibility to make calls remotely using the unlimited calling minutes they provide, via smart phone apps or virtual calling cards.
Freedom from the fax machine:
Just as you no longer have to be near a phone to manage your voicemail, you don't have to be near a fax machine to send or receive a fax. VoIP handles more than just voice, it handles data too. Not only does this save paper, toner, and ink, it allows you to send and receive faxes from the comfort of your own computer.
A VoIP Case Study:
February 10th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
Why go with VoIP? It's been proven time and again that VoIP will not just save you money, but also streamline your business communications. The proof? In February 2006, Intel conducted a 6-month experiment, studying the efficiencies of using VoIP for a 50-employee corporate site. The study found the following benefits after switching from normal digital lines to an in-house VoIP system:
Measurable, real-world user productivity benefits
Greater voice messaging accessibility and efficiency
Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
Immediate and long-term hard cost savings
Reduced expense of telecom administrator moves, adds, and changes (MACs)
Simplified management of servers, systems, endpoints, and network
Greater flexibility of component selection
While Intel employed their own equipment to create an in-house VoIP system, the principals for a hosted VoIP solution are the same, with one crucial difference: you won't need to worry about maintaining the system. Other than adding new numbers, or changing settings via the web-based interface, the hard work is done by your VoIP provider.
Over the long run, VoIP will save you money. In one comparison we did, a 10-line unlimited calling plan through a traditional provider came out to $536.05 per month. Roughly the same plan through a VoIP provider was only $361.40 per month, with far more included features. Although the individual VoIP phones can cost between $60.00 and $200.00, you won't have to rent a PBX trunk system, like you would with traditional office phones. If you already have a number of traditional office phones, you can opt for VoIP adapters which start around $60.00 (and are sometimes included for free). Still even with those charges, within the first year you'll probably have recouped the cost just through savings on monthly fees alone.
The best way to ensure you're getting the best business VoIP value is to compare quotes from a number of different companies. Pricing is often different depending on the number of lines you have. Also, these VoIP companies are constantly providing incentives for new customers. Since these are custom quotes, a dedicated sales person will work with you to custom tailor a solution that's right for your budget and your calling needs.
Essential Business VoIP Features
February 10th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
Essential Business VoIP Features
Need help figuring out which business VoIP features are important? VoIP is big on features, and often times it's difficult to know just what you'll need. So we've broken down the top features we think everyone should consider:
Toll-Free Number: If you receive calls from clients outside your area, consider a toll-free number. Many VoIP companies offer this as standard, while others charge extra for it.
Unlimited Calling: Most VoIP companies we looked at provide unlimited calling plans in the United States and Canada. If your business calling needs include locations further afield, mention that in your quote request.
Virtual PBX: This is less a feature, than the way the whole VoIP system works. Traditional PBX systems require a complicated routing box to split your main business line into employee extensions. Business VoIP solutions employ a virtual PBX system, sometimes called a "hosted pbx," that turns hardware into software, so your calls are routed just like Internet traffic. Since you use the same ports for your phone as you do for your Internet connection, there is no extra wiring required.
Internet Fax: Normally, faxing requires an analog phone line, but with a business VoIP solution, you have the option of using Internet faxing. Internet faxing saves resources by allowing you to send and receive faxes electronically, a standard feature with most VoIP companies. If, however, you still want to use a stand-alone fax machine, you'll want to find out what the cost is for the fax line and any necessary adapters.
Call Forwarding: This is a pretty standard feature, but a pretty useful one. Call forwarding lets your employees set up their phones to send their calls to any number they choose. That way if they're out in the field or on a business trip, they can get the calls coming in to their desk phones just as if they were right sitting right in the office.
Smart Phone Apps: For most business professionals, the smart phone is key. Some business VoIP providers allow you to use your smart phone (BlackBerry, Palm, Android, or iPhone) as part of your business VoIP system, allowing you to check your company voice mail, and use the unlimited calling. You'll never be away from your office phone.
Conference Calling: Why pay another company for a bridge number when your VoIP service may have this functionality built in?
Web Conferencing: Some VoIP business plans come with integrated web conferencing solutions. This is particularly useful for companies with many offices or employees that work remotely.
Auto Attendant: An auto attendant gives your business an automated answer and phone menu to help route calls. This gives your small business professional big-office feel and functionality.
Voicemail Transcription: Sometimes referred to as voicemail-to-text or visual voicemail, this handy feature automatically transcribes voicemails and sends them to you as email. This unified messaging allows you to easily decide which voicemails are worth your time.
Can you sign up for more than one free trial credit monitoring service in a given year?
February 9th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: Can you sign up for more than one free trial credit monitoring service in a given year?
A: Yes, you can! You can sign up for multiple free trial credit monitoring services in any given year. This is great news because it means you can try out different services to find the right one for you, free of charge. We review several top credit report monitoring services on our site that offer free trials, including IDENTITY GUARD®and Trusted ID. Both these options provide free credit scores from all 3 credit bureaus when you sign up for the free trial, which is a great deal in itself.
The only caveat is that once you sign up for a free trial with a particular service, you cannot sign up for another free trial with the same service at a later date. But that's a pretty standard rule with a free trial for any sort of product, so it's not particularly limiting. If you want to find out which services offer free trials, take a look at all our credit report monitoring reviews..
What about the Norton 360 All-In-One-Security version 4.0?
February 9th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: What about the Norton 360 All-In-One-Security version 4.0 ?
A: We really liked Norton 360 All-In-One Security when we tested it. In fact, here's our Norton 360 Review:
[Editor's note: Norton is offering 15% off on Norton 360 Premiere Edition, exclusively to NextAdvisor visitors—no coupon code is needed, just follow any links from NextAdvisor to Norton to receive the discount.]
Norton 360 Premiere Edition is a package of Symantec software that handily combines award-winning security software, 25GB of automated online backup, and various system utilities designed to speed up your computer and free up hard drive space, a package collectively known as PC Tuneup. The latter may sound like snake oil, and it's the feature we were most interested in testing. After all, we've tested the Internet security portion in the past; it's the same technology behind Norton Internet Security 2010, which has been rated tops by independent testing authorities.
All the elements are nicely grouped together in a single application. While all the elements are neatly organized under PC Security, Identity Protection, Backup, and PC Tuneup, there are additional choices grouped under Settings and Tasks. Some of these are redundant. It starts to make sense after a little while working with the program, and mostly you don't need to mess with these. Norton 360 is designed to run most components while your computer is idle, but we got impatient and wanted to run things manually.
We use data from AV-Comparatives to measure how well Internet security software handles threats. Norton has scored AV-Comparatives' highest rating (three out of three stars) on four of six tests, scoring slightly lower (two stars) on a November 2009 and a June 2010 retrospective test. Retrospective tests look at a product's heuristic threat detection, meaning its ability to detect virus-like behavior in undiagnosed files. Norton's historical average still comes in at two-and-a-half stars, but Norton did not do as well as some other products at identifying these un-diagnosed virus samples. Strangely, according to AV-Comparatives, Norton "asked to get tested with heuristics set to high/advanced" so it's odd that it wouldn't do as well in that area. It's suggested that users similarly set Norton's heuristic detection to "Aggressive" in the settings menu.
Still, Norton's antivirus product scored three out of three stars on PC performance, demonstrating minimal resource drain. In December 2009 it took top honors in AV-Comparatives' year-end test, scoring a gold.
We tested PC Tuneup by timing four different tasks, five different times, before and after installation, using a computer that had been used daily for well over a year and a half. In the pre-test it was running Norton Internet Security 2010. We tested (in this order) iTunes load time, an iTunes file conversion (MP3 to AAC), shut down, and start-up. The file conversion time did not change appreciably—the 2.3% speed gain was minimal and most likely random. However, it gave the computer some work to do, so we could measure the start-up and shut-down times in a more real-world usage case. It also assured us that the entire 360 suite did not actually slow our computer down.
It was in startup and shutdown that Norton 360 showed its might. We saw a 39% speed gain for shutdown, bringing a process that averaged 52 seconds to a process that averaged 31. This computer had turned into a real beast over its year and a half of service. Startup times got better too, by 37%, cutting the process from an average of 2 minutes and 7 seconds, to an average of 1 minute, twenty seconds. We should add that we used the exact same setup for both, although we did remove an old Norton backup utility after installing Norton 360.
What makes it faster? Norton Tuneup defragments your hard drive (making storage more efficient), cleans up your registry (removing remnants of old programs), and gets rid of useless Windows temporary files. The use of this latter feature freed up 49MB of space; not a lot, but enough to store another half-a-dozen MP3 files. There are a number of other useful utilities, including a startup manager that we were able to use to block a stubborn component of a program we'd long since uninstalled.
If there's a weakest link in Norton360 it's the automated online backup. It's good, but it's not great; in our experience the automated backup runs once per day, generally in the morning. Moreover, 360 asks you "close all programs so Norton 360 may back up your files." We're not sure why that's necessary. Some online backup services run iterative backups with greater frequency. You get 25GB of backup, enough for important documents and emails, but those with a lot of music or photos will need to buy a storage upgrade. It also does not seem to back up "locked" (i.e. in-use), files. On the other hand, Norton's online file access is snappy and easy-to-use, and includes a search function to make navigating your file structure easier. Users can not only retrieve or restore files, but also share them with others via secure email elinks.
A word about customer service: All tech support is provided by outsourced service reps, and it's conducted via chat. It's frustrating, particularly if your question falls outside the allowed script. If you disconnect your chat in frustration, you will get a telephone call back.
Despite our quibbles about the customer service and the infrequency of the backups, Norton 360 is a really great all-in-one deal. By itself, Norton Internet Security goes for a discounted $59.00, and the cheapest online backup plans out there will cost you at least $40.00. Add those up and you're already at Norton 360 Premiere Edition's discounted price of $84.99. The PC Tuneup suite just sweetens the deal. All-in-all, it's a great bargain that will keep your computer protected, backed up, and running great.
System Compatibility: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
AV-Comparatives ratings on a variety of tasks related to the antivirus and anti-malware product. "Known Malware" refers to a product's ability to catch pre-identified viruses, while "Unknown Malware" refers to its ability to detect brand new viruses. Older scores may reflect previous software versions.
| Test Date and Type | Norton Internet Security | 02/10 Known Malware Detection | 
|
|---|---|
| 02/10 Unknown Malware Detection |  |
| 08/10 Known Malware Detection | |
| 08/10 Unknown Malware Detection | |
| 11/10 Unwanted Application Detection | |
| 11/10 Dynamic Test | |
| Historical Average | |
My father recently passed away. I want to know how to get a credit report on him.
February 8th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: My father recently passed away. I want to know how to get a credit report on him.
A: This will take a little bit of work on your part, but it's well worth it to ensure that your father's credit has not been compromised by identity thieves. You'll need to mail each of the 3 credit bureaus separately, with the following information:
1. Your father's death certificate
2. Documentation proving that you are the Executor of his estate
3. A copy of your driver's license (to prove your identity)
4. A written request for the credit report, with the address you'd like it mailed to.
For more information on the addresses to mail this information to, see the sites below:
How do I find out if someone is trying to open accounts in my name?
February 8th, 2011 - Posted by Kent
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: A little over a month ago my purse was stolen. In this last week I have received several calls from creditors regarding old accounts. How do I find out if someone is trying to open accounts in my name?
A: We're sorry to hear this. If you're receiving calls about activity on accounts you haven't used in a while, there's a good chance someone may be using items stolen from your purse for identity theft. We've written a couple of other blog posts that you may find helpful, and we'll include those links below. Most importantly, you need to see what's going on with your credit report, and protect yourself from any future financial hardship. An identity theft protection service like Trusted ID or Identity Guard can help you do both. You may also want to order a credit freeze, to prevent further damage, as outlined in the article below, "What to do if someone has stolen your identity."
Also, if you're receiving calls about old accounts, it's a good idea not to give the caller any information. Tell them you'll call them back. It's possible these people aren't who they say they are. Find the phone number of the creditor in question by using the contact information on your old statements (or via the company's website), and call them to confirm what's going on, and put a hold on those accounts.
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