Today, January 1, 2010 we’ll see the New Nevada Encryption Law go into effect. The State’s Encryption Law requires businesses in Nevada to use Encryption Software while transferring “any personal information of a customer through an electronic transmission,” except via facsimile.

The Updated Encryption Law also mandates PCI DSS Compliance (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) for businesses that accept credit card payments.

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This Law is applicable to all businesses operating in Nevada and in compliance businesses will be protected from liability in the case of a Security Breach.

Let’s take a detailed look as to how it applies to virtually all Nevada Businesses. A few of you might be thinking it does not affect me, when in fact it does. Here’s how.

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If a Business stores the customers

1)     First Name and Last Name

2)     Social Security number or Employee ID No

3)     Driver’s license number

4)     Credit or Debit Card No

Then this updated Encryption Law DOES imply to the Business.

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Alternatively if a Business collects

1)     Employee’s Social Security Number

2)     Driver’s License No

Even if an employee is given an Employee ID No, since the SSN collected is tied to the Emp ID and stored, the New Nevada Encryption Law applies to all Employers.

Also the Encryption Law requires that no Data Storage Device with personal info be moved unless it’s encrypted. This applies in the form of Laptops, External Drives, PDA Phones.

One can read the Actual Nevada Encryption Law from here

Businesses are required to be in compliance as of Today, January 1, 2010. Those that are in compliance will be protected from any liability in the case of a security breach. Those that are not will be liable and it’s easy for Nevada State to find those not in compliance.

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So if your firm is not in compliance and would like to protect itself and be in Compliance they can contact Data Security Consultant Ramit for a personal evaluation and for Full Disk Encryption Plans starting at $139.99/yr. We offer a Streamlined Solution where one can easily implement a complete implementation of managed protection services, including Full Disk Encryption and USB device encryption to machines within their enterprises – be onsite or in the field. Our Encryption Software can get your Laptop Protected in less than 6 minutes. CONTACT US for Encryption Advice.

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The evaluation of the Encryption law is our understanding we will not be liable for any misunderstanding or wrongful evaluation of the law. I hope you found this write up on Nevada Encryption Law helpful and  feel free to share your thoughts and feedback  in the comments below.  We do reward regular commentators with do follow links.  Don’t forget to sign up for my free newsletter and follow me on twitter ( i will follow back )

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Ever left work to realize you forgot to shut down your Laptop or PC ? Not to worry any more. Twitter’s there to help.

A New Twitter App called Tweet My PC by Shoban allows you to remotely access your laptop or PC using twitter.

I thought i’d share this App with you along with its features and benefits.

To start you can download the free app from here. Its relatively small and once installed will show up in your system tray.  Double click on the Tweet My PC icon and log into your twitter account with it entering the details as shown to the right.

Now once your account has been verified you are ready to start. All you have to do is send a tweet along with the command and Tweet My PC will take care of the rest. Here are the Commands that you can use. They are NOT case sensitive.

Shutdown: This will shut down your PC. Once you send this tweet command it will display a timer on your system letting you know how much time you have before shutdown. You’ll also get a reply back in the form of a tweet confirming the shutdown.

Lock:  This command will lock your PC requiring your windows login to log back in ( if you have set up a windows login )

Screenshot: This command will take a screenshot of your system and send it to you in the form of a tweet using TwitPic.

Getfile < file path >: You’re on your way to a meeting and realize you left the presentation on your system at home. No worries. Just send getfile followed by the path for the file and Tweet My PC will find the file and email it to you to a preset email. Now you’re like what if i dont remember the path for the file. Dont worry the next command will help you with that.

Getfilelist <drive>: This gets you a list of files and folders to be emailed to an already set email.

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In case you have a Mac you can get the Mac version from here.

As you know these are third party apps and so I’m not liable for any damage that may occur from downloading or using them. I’m just sharing applications that i found useful and helpful.

In case you liked this app do comment below to let me know and don’t forget to sign up for my free newsletter and follow me on twitter ( i will follow back )

Microsoft Security Essentials is the latest product from Microsoft. A Free ( Only for Genuine Windows Users ) Anti Virus, Spyware and Malware Protection Software that protects your computer.

Its easy to install, easy to use, and does not take up too much space on your computer.  I’ll show you where to get the find the free download link and how to install it.

About Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft’s Security Essentials is a great anti virus as its free and one does not get limited features as most other “free” anti virus programs provide in the market. Its lightweight and simple to use. The only thing Microsoft asks is that you be using a Genuine Copy of Windows to be able to download and install it. It works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 Operating System.

Where to Download

Details on Microsoft Security Essentials details can be found here. ( Click here )  You can download the US version directly here. It only takes a few minutes to download and install.  The best thing i noticed about this anti virus is that it runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that your Computer does not freeze up. You are able to work without any interruptions.

Updates and Reviews

Updates are downloaded automatically using Signature Service, getting you the latest definitions to combat the possible threats.  You can even set up automatic scan timings so that your computer gets a scan.

Security Essentials has been reviewed by quite a few professonals and they all have given great reviews stating how they never received any false alarms or warnings and that all threats were handled properly.

System Requirements

OS: Genuine Windows XP (SP 2 or SP 3); Windows Vista (Gold, SP 1, or SP 2); Windows 7

• For Windows XP, PC with a CPU clock speed of 500 MHz or more, and 1 GB RAM or higher.
• For Windows Vista, Windows 7, PC with a CPU clock speed of 1.0 GHz or higher, and 1 GB RAM or higher.
• VGA display of 800 × 600 or higher.
• 140 MB of available hard disk space.
• An Internet connection is required for installation and to download the latest virus and spyware definitions for Microsoft Security Essentials.
• Internet Browser:
  • Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.
  • Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later.
• Microsoft Security Essentials also supports Windows XP Mode in Windows 7.

Our Review

Security Essentials is a great Anti Virus program that will make your comouter safe and secure while browsing online. It does not give false alarms and does have the ability to detect and eliminate all the latest virus and trojans.

However we did notice that having this anti virus installed our boot up time to power up increased by 3-4 seconds and it did slow down our browsing speed, by a few seconds. Not something that a normal user would notice , but i did.

Hope you enjoyed this review of Microsoft Security Essentials and feel free to download it at your own responsibility.

Do share this great software with all your friends and do sign up for our Free Newsletter that gets you the latest news, blogging tips, Software Reviews and SEO Techniques. Do feel free to follow us on twitter for updates too.

Ever posted your real number online and then got stalked by strangers ? Calls at 3 am from blocked or unknown numbers ? I’m sure you have, we all have.

As you have realized by now that its not safe to post your real number online on social networking sites, dating sites.

So what can we do ?

Now you can get a FREE anonymous phone number that you can give on social sites and not worry  about of getting harassed later on.

Your caller will know only the virtual phone number while your phone will ring through your real line.

Inumbr allows you to get a Free anonymous telephone number. Here’s how to get your number :

1) Visit  inumbr.com/home/verify and enter the captcha

2) Choose the city you wish to get  number from, the time line for the number, the number you want calls forwarded to.

Thats it, you’re all set .

We tried their service and it works quite well. We got a number activated within a few seconds and the calls came thru quite clearly. There was no way anyone could know the call was being re routed. Also their PBX is quite professional and gives you quite a few options.  We were not able to get their “add your personal voicemail” to work. We gave up after a couple of attempts. After all the service is for free and its worth what you are getting. So we are not complaining.

Dont forget to comment below to show your appreciation. And if you know of any other services similar to the above, do let us know so that we may review them. Do follow us on Twitter for immediate updates on new posts. You may also sign up for our Free Newsletter.