PSPINC Official Company Blog

Update your Website's Copyright Date, Among Other Things

Jan

9

image source: pixabay.com

It’s a new year and most of us have a new set of goals. One business goal you should consider this year is giving your website an update. At the very least, make sure the copyright year is updated to 2020 on your homepage (usually in the footer).

As important as it is for your website’s content and graphics to be refreshed, it’s equally as important you keep up with the security upgrades to your servers and backend tools on programs such as WordPress. Not all content management systems have automatic updates, and your site can get infected without you knowing if you don’t keep up with security updates. Unfortunately, there is no perfect software protection and those open source programs such as WordPress are often the primary target of hackers.

When a hacker searches and finds vulnerability in old WordPress installs, they can hack the site and “inject” malicious code in the SQL Database used for WordPress. The hackers’ goal is to steal important data, so most commonly seen cyber-attacks involve the hacker redirecting links on your site to links on the hacker’s fake site. It’s hard for a business to know they’ve been cyber-attacked unless they have a trusted web hosting company or developer who will scan their data and maintain their latest WordPress security upgrades.

PSP offers a WordPress option of Dreamersi.com, our popular website building tool. With our program, every three months the latest security version of WordPress is installed, and all the major plugins are automatically updated. Even then, we advise customers to login to their content management systems and check for any security updates.

Start fresh in the New Year. Make sure you’ve updated your website’s copyright year, update outdated content and banners, as well as login and make sure you don’t have any strange activity going on without your knowledge! If you have no idea where to start, you can always contact us at PSP for help.

#2020 #Blog #BusinessTips #Dreamersi #ENnews #NewYear #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Technology #WebsiteCopyright #WordPress

Presenting at the first SEA Luncheon of 2020

Jan

8

Today Mayumi Nakamura, Director of Business Development, was one of the chosen presenters for the first Seattle Executives Association meeting of 2020.

She spoke about some of our successful deployments of websites, web servers and mobile applications we have made recently.

As a part of her presentation she also discussed and credited other Seattle Executives Companies that have, and continue to contribute to PSPinc’s success.

We are excited for what 2020 has in store - stay tuned!

#PSPinc #PacificSoftwarePublishingInc #Technology #WebApplications #Websites

What is TLS 1.2 and what does it mean to be compliant?

Dec

26

Lately there is a lot of talk going on around Internet Security. Much of the talk are about supporting TLS 1.2, but you are asked to buy an SSL Certificate. You must be confused like I am. You need to support TLS 1.2 to be considered secure, and soon the newer browsers will enforce that. Starting sometime in March of next year, new browsers will not even display the content if your website is not TLS 1.2 or later.

When you read up on the Internet, you'll learn that TLS is a successor to SSL. So, what is a TLS certificate? Why are you still asked to buy SSL when SSL is replaced by TLS. What is going on?

It is really confusing and stupid. I learned there are two meanings to SSL. (1) SSL is a certificate you buy to verify your company's security. “SSL Certificate”, (2) is the encryption method called SSL. The encryption method SSL is the one that is succeeded by TLS. The versions that are available for TLS are 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3. And starting March 2020, anything below TLS 1.2 will not be considered safe. Of course, all SSL excretions are obsolete.

Here is the confusing part: To use TLS, you need to be verified by a third party as an existing business or organization. That certificate is still called SSL. So you need to purchase an SSL certificate to activate TLS. Was I able to clear up this confusion? I hope I did. If you are not SSL certified or using anything less than TLS 1.2, or if you do not know which version you are using, please give us a call. We will be happy to look it up.

#pacificsoftwarepublishing #technology #webhosting

Office New Year’s Resolutions

Dec

26

image source: pexels.com

Another year down, another set of resolutions is forthcoming for 2020. While you may already be thinking of some personal goals for the New Year, why not consider making some resolutions for your work life as well? We’ve come up with some ideas for office New Year’s resolutions that you can customize to your level of comfort:

For Management:

If you’re in management, consider designating a monthly or quarterly staff appreciation event. This can look like surprise donuts showing up in the breakroom all the way up to a full-blown catered lunch event. It can be setting up an employee of the month program or department of the month program to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond. Decide what works for your company as far as frequency and budget.

Is it time for a website overhaul in 2020? Need a responsive-design site your customers can view on all devices? Maybe it’s time to start some email marketing in the New Year and extend your reach? Contact us at PSP (800-232-3989) for all your web hosting, design and marketing needs.

For the Individual:

A cluttered workspace makes for a cluttered mind. Start the New Year off fresh by cleaning and organizing, not only your physical desktop but also your PC desktop as well. Then move onto emails, sorting, filing and deleting as you go.

Make an in-office health goal. This could mean walking on your lunch break or drinking a certain amount of water per day. Maybe you want to cut back on cola or coffee. Maybe it involves some personalization, bringing in framed pictures of your loved ones and a potted plant to bring your workspace to life.

For the Company:

Come up with an annual company volunteer day and give your staff the option to devote a workday to giving back to your community. This might involve picking up litter at a park or volunteering to organize shelves at the food bank. It may be volunteering at a career day in school. Determine what kind of charity work aligns with your company values and take lots of pictures of your staff in action for the social media campaign to follow.

#2020 #Blog #BusinessTips #ENnews #NYE2019 #NewYearsResolutions #OfficeGoals #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Technology

Wordpress Web Hosting by PSPinc

Dec

23

Did you know you can order our 10GB Wordpress Hosting with 3 Databases for only $99 per year. That includes .COM or .NET domain for one year as well.

https://www.dreamersi.com

#blog #businesstips #com #databases #domain #ennews #marketing #net #opinionstand #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #smallbusiness #technology #webdev #webdevelopment #webhosting #websitedevelopment #wordpress #wordpresshosting

5 Questions to Assess your Website's Quality

Dec

19

image source: pexels.com

When was the last time you updated your homepage? December is a great month to review your website, making sure the content and the copyright year are up to date.

Consider the following questions when reviewing your website, particularly your homepage:

1) Is the copyright year up to date in your footer?
2) When was the last time you updated any content?
3) Are your products/services still relevant today?
4) Can you adequately view your website on your phone?
5) Do you have SSL installed (does a lock icon show up on the browser address bar for your homepage URL)?

If any or all of the above does not make sense, you should have a professional check over your website. PSP has a dedicated team who can evaluate your business website and give you feedback and guidance about any updates and upgrades it needs.

Do you know how many visitors land on your site? Our professional staff can also set you up with Google Analytics, a web traffic tool, as well as give you some training on how to read your important statistics. Analytics allows you to set and measure goals for your homepage in 2020.

Get a fresh start in the New Year. Contact us at PSP (800-232-3989) with your questions and to seek professional web development and online marketing advice.

#Blog #BusinessTips #BusinessWebsite #ENnews #Marketing #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Technology #WebDevelopment #WebHosting #WebTools

What Happens During an Online Transaction?

Dec

12

image source: pexels.com

When it comes to ecommerce, understanding all the elements of an online transaction can be confusing. Unlike physical stores, it takes more than just a bank and a credit card processing company to complete a transaction.

There are four layers to an online transaction between a consumer and a merchant:

1) Gateway Service
2) Credit Card Processors
3) Associations
4) Issuers

When a customer pays for a product or service online with their credit card, their information gets submitted to a gateway service. Some of the well-known gateway services are PayPal, Cyber Source and authorize.net. They literally act as a gateway between your ecommerce site and the institutions in cyber space.

Once the securely packaged information passes through the gateway service, then it will go through credit card processors. Credit card processors are banks (not necessarily yours) and other credit card payment processing companies who charge you the transaction fees and send you the statement.

Then the information is processed to your credit card association, such as VISA or MasterCard, to get through to the bank that issued the card (Issuer) to get the transaction approved. Once your transactions are approved, you will get your money from your processors into the bank you specify.

Yes, it’s complicated and yes, you can get a headache from trying to understand how it all works. But PSP can help you navigate the inner workings of ecommerce and help you make the right choices for your business. Contact us at PSP (800-232-3989). We can make it simple to understand and help you build the ecommerce site that’s right for your company.

#Blog #BusinessTips #ENnews #OnlinePayments #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Technology #WebDev #WebHosting #eCommerce

Dreamersi Web Hosting

Dec

6

Dreamersi Web Hosting Now Supports G Suite and Office 365 Email

BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (a full-service domain, web, and email outsourcing company) has announced enhancements to their top of the line hosting service Dreamersi (dreamersi.com). Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington - Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. serves 45,000 company clients worldwide.

"We have been providing hosting solutions directly to customers and through resellers since 1996," said Ken Uchikura, Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.'s Founder and President. "It was easy when we started providing hosting services, all we had to do was to provide complete solutions. However, nowadays, customer requirements have changed and we need to provide more customizable solutions."

While traditional, "Domain" + "Email" + "Web" solutions are still in demand, the need for one of those services without the other also exists. In order to accommodate those demands Pacific Software Publishing, Inc., under Dreamersi (dreamersi.com), now offers "Email Only" and "Web Only" services at a lower price point than a full service package. This enables customers to choose "Domain and Web Only" services while they are using other email platforms such as Google Suite and Office 365.

It is the goal of Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. to provide services that enable customers to choose what they need without having other options that they do not. People can choose their domain and order "Email Only" and "Web Only" services in addition to the complete package at https://www.dreamersi.com.

About Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. was founded in 1987 by Ken Uchikura in his apartment in Mercer Island, Washington. Where the company started to license, translate, localize and export PC software from the US to Japan. Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. started its Internet hosting business in 1996. Currently they host over 45,000 corporate domains with over a quarter of a million email accounts at their own datacenter in Seattle, Washington.

Media contact:
Ken Uchikura
425-957-0808
230428@email4pr.com

Related Links
https://www.pspinc.com
https://www.dreamersi.com

SOURCE Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.pspinc.com

#blog #businesstips #computers #diskspace #ennews #opinionstand #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #smallbusiness #technology

Print or Send Last-Minute Gift Cards

Dec

5

image source: pexels.com

Tis the season of giving, but sometimes shipping deadlines get in the way. If you’re in a time crunch to give gifts to friends and family, you’re still in luck. We tech-forward elves at PSP have created a list of great gifts you can easily download and print. That’s right, you don’t even have to leave your house – and who wants to brave the crowd of last-minute shoppers anyway? Not us.

Here’s a pro tip: You can still wrap a printed piece of paper in a bag or even a box. It’s a great way to put some more thought into your gift. After all, what’s represented on a small piece of paper is still a great big gift someone’s going to love. If you’re not going to see your gift recipient in person, pick a gift card you can email direct to their inbox!

The Gift of Entertainment

For the movie enthusiast who needs to see new releases on the big screen, give the gift of Fandango. If your recipient prefers a night in, Netflix might be a better choice. And for the gamer in your life, an Xbox (or other console) gift card might be the perfect fit.

The Gift of Transportation

Especially this time of year with holiday parties, merry celebrations and forthcoming New Year’s Eve gatherings, which often involve drinking, give the gift of convenience and safety with an Uber or Lyft gift card.

The Gift of Travel

Give the gift of adventure and travel, but let your recipient pick the destination and accommodations with a gift card from Airbnb.

The Gift of Dinner Delivery

This time of year there is so much cooking and entertaining to be done. Give your recipient a break from it all with a gift card from Postmates, dinner or grocery delivery in most major cities.

The Gift of Something Artisan

You can’t send your recipient something handmade in time for Christmas, but you can send them a gift card to pick out something handmade on their own time. Etsy is an online mega mall of artisan retailers from all over the world. There is something for everyone.

Since we’re on the topic of ‘click and send,’ PSP offers professional email marketing complete with analytics and templates so your company’s email blast can be sent in a matter of minutes! Check out NewsMAIL for your e-marketing needs, and start by sending a holiday greeting or a special discount exclusively for your email subscribers.

#Blog #BusinessTips #Christmas #Christmas2019 #ENnews #GiftCards #Holidays #NewsMail #Newsletter #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Technology #eMarketing

What to Know about New TV Technology

Nov

21

image source: pixabay.com

According to statista.com, 220 million TVs are purchased globally in one year! And right now we’re in prime purchasing season. It is said the best time to buy a TV is between November and January. But when it comes to TVs, deciding which one to purchase comes down to size and picture quality. We know the higher the resolution, the better and more expensive they come.

All the images on a TV screen consist of small dots called pixels. Nowadays these dots are displayed using LCD and LED. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. LCD displays need lighting, which is where LED comes in. LEDs are used to illuminate the screen. The goal is to make images sharp and colors vibrant, therefore you will see different types of LED TVs on the market; one of the expensive ones being OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode).

When you shop for TVs, size matters. Basic high definition (HD) means the resolution is 1280 horizontal x 720 vertical pixels for 921,600 total pixels. The upgrade from that is called Full HD offering 1920 x 1080 pixels in the screen for sharper picture quality. Now we have Ultra HD TVs, also called 4K, at about 4 times the pixels than Full HD, and the newest 8K TVs at 7680 x 4320 pixels, which is a whopping 33 million pixels in one screen!

You should note, however, you can only get the benefits of the newer 8K screen if you’re looking at 8K video quality. In other words, the movies and shows you watch have to be filmed for these standards. Until all films are made in 8K video, you don’t really need an 8K TV screen just yet. When buying a new TV, you should note a higher resolution on a smaller screen will provide sharper picture quality. And also be aware that viewing TVs in a large, open, well-lit store may look different once in your home or office space.